Our client, a 62-year old agricultural manager, was seriously injured in a crash with a semi-tractor trailer. While driving his pick-up truck, a semi-tractor trailer turned left and crashed into the driver’s side of our client’s vehicle. The force of the crash was so severe that the dash in our client’s truck was broken, the steering wheel was bent, the driver’s seat was tilted sideways, and the middle console was broken from the force of our client’s right hip smashing into it. There were no skid marks left by the semi-tractor trailer and the driver indicated that he was distracted when he attempted the left turn.
Our client’s injuries included damage to the left eye socket (blowout fracture), left biceps tendon rupture, left rotator cuff tear, carpal tunnel syndrome, permanent damage of the left median nerve, left cervical radiculopathy, and nerve compression in his cervical spine. Our client was diagnosed as having an ongoing disability and his treating physician gave him a permanent impairment rating of 12% of his left upper extremity.
After the crash, our client was no longer able to work in his lifelong occupation because he could not lift more than 40 pounds. He suffered lost wages of more than $100,000 and had diminished earning capacity.
We filed a lawsuit for negligence against the semi-truck driver, and during litigation, we settled the case for $250,000.
Donald A. Loose is an Arizona attorney, and the author of Arizona Laws 101: A Handbook for Non-Lawyers, and Estate Planning in Arizona: What You Need to Know. Mr. Loose is a regular guest on radio shows featuring local newsmaker interviews. He may be contacted at don@looselawgroup.com.
