Location: Richmond, Virginia
Verdict: $130,000
Our client sustained serious and permanent injuries when he was rear-ended on Route 301 in Hanover County. The force of the impact was so great that it pushed him forward into the vehicle in front of him. He sustained injuries to his neck, back, elbow, and shoulder.
Our client was treated for approximately ten months with his primary care physician, six orthopedic doctors, pain management, and physical therapy. Within the ten-month time span, his elbow, neck, and shoulder injuries resolved. However, his lower back pain persisted. After two failed epidural steroid injections, he withdrew from active treatment to manage the symptoms on his own.
This symptom management lasted approximately 18 months, at which time he went back to the pain management doctor. He subsequently underwent another epidural steroid injection, medial branch blocks, and two radiofrequency ablation procedures. His pain management doctor opined that our client would continue to need future treatment up to and including additional radiofrequency ablations. Our client accrued $54,786.95 in special damages, $35,186.95 in medical bills, and $19,600 in lost wages.
The defense contested the medical causation of the plaintiff’s lower back pain, noting the 18-month gap in formal medical treatment. They retained Dr. Van from Tuckahoe Orthopedics to conduct a medical records review, and the doctor testified that only the first ten months of lower back treatment were related to the motor vehicle collision.
The jury disagreed. After one hour of deliberations, the jury returned a verdict of $130,000.
