The Plaintiff, a tractor-trailer driver, was sideswiped by another tractor-trailer when that driver failed to pay attention and made an unsafe stop on the freeway. The Plaintiff’s tractor-trailer was then rear-ended by another tractor-trailer that was not following at a safe distance. The defendant drivers hotly contested liability. Each blamed the other driver and the Plaintiff for making an unnecessary and unsafe stop.
As a result of the collision, the Plaintiff suffered neck and back injuries, with pain radiating into her legs, PTSD, depression, and bipolar disorder. An MRI subsequently showed an L5-S1 disk herniation and Left S1 radiculopathy, with disk herniations at C5-6 and C6-7. The Plaintiff underwent conservative therapy, physical therapy, massage therapy, and treatment at a pain clinic. The Plaintiff’s doctors determined that she was not a candidate for surgical intervention because the surgery that she needed would be difficult, and there was a greater chance that it would do more harm than good.
As a result of her injuries, the Plaintiff was unable to go back to work as a tractor-trailer driver. The Defendants’ experts argued that the Plaintiff suffered only a minor shoulder and back sprain and should have healed after 12 weeks. The opposing experts also argued that the Plaintiff’s PTSD and depression were entirely unrelated to her injuries and subsequent loss of her career. Despite this, the Plaintiff obtained a $310,000.00 settlement at mediation.