Matthew Knight and Elizabeth Wheaton obtained a favorable defense verdict. This case arose out of a rearend collision in which the defendant driver collided with the plaintiff’s stopped vehicle at least 50 miles per hour. The plaintiff was a kindergarten teacher and a mom of three young children. The defendants did not dispute liability. As a result of the accident, the plaintiff suffered a subdural hematoma, neck and back pain, and a concussion, for which she attended physical therapy for dizziness, balance, and brain fog. Though her subdural hematoma, concussion, and neck and back pain resolved, she claimed to have ongoing migraines, headaches, and post-traumatic stress, particularly with driving-related activities. At trial, the plaintiff asked the jury for $8 million. After the defense presented evidence that the plaintiff reported being 95% better three months after the accident and returned full time as a kindergarten teacher one month after the accident, the jury awarded the plaintiff only $450,000.
Royal v. Byrd, et al., 45D11-2012-CT-001188.