Evan J. Lide – Stark & Stark
$3.6M Jury Verdict: Illustrating Spine Injuries After Man Hit by Golf Cart
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Illustration
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Color Diagnostics®
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Medical Illustration
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Legal
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Personal Injury
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Case Study
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Evan Lide - Stark & Stark - obtained a $3.65M jury verdict for a man who was struck by a golf cart at a country club in New Jersey. His client sustained two major disc herniations in his lumbar spine, which were clearly evident in the MRI scans.
Challenge
The MRI’s also revealed that a preexisting condition of spondylolisthesis that was once latent was now rendered traumatic and symptomatic due to the injury caused by the golf cart. As a result, the Plaintiff would experience painful radiculopathy from his spine through his lower right leg, and he would require a lumbar interbody fusion to reduce it.
In addition to pain and medical expenses, the injury also cost the Plaintiff his job as a financial analyst for nearly 17 years. He had taken time to recover via his employer’s disability benefit and exhausted his time afforded by the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), but he was terminated three weeks before he was cleared to return to work.
The Defendant admitted liability and somewhat conceded that he suffered a knee injury, calling it “a bruise and no big deal.” But the Defendant heavily disputed the nature and extent of the Plaintiff’s spine injuries because there were no immediate complaints of back pain.
Colorized MRI of herniated discs with illustrated radiculopathy.
Approach
Mr. Lide needed jurors to understand the significance of his client’s spine injuries, how the radiculopathy caused him immense pain and suffering, what the patient’s spine surgery would entail, and why this injury would forever impact the victim’s capacity to work. We created two illustration exhibits that would help Mr. Lide achieve the following visual objectives.
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Color Diagnostics in the first exhibit (above) highlight the two lumbar disc herniations in MRI’s from both sagittal and axial perspectives. Illustrated color helped make these injuries more recognizable to jurors.
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Illustrated radiculopathy in the first exhibit (above) maps out the pain that radiated throughout the plaintiff’s right lower extremity as a result of the injury.
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Illustrated spine surgery in the second exhibit (below) helped Mr. Lide walk jurors through the L5-S1 transformational lumbar interbody fusion the plaintiff would need to undergo to reduce his pain and suffering.
Medical illustration showing L5-S1 transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion.
Result
Mr. Lide presented the exhibits in trial as part of his case for why his client deserved fair compensation for his injuries. Jurors awarded his client a $3,650,000, which included $1M for pain and suffering, $2.5M for loss of earning capacity, and $150K for future medical expenses.
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