There are many reasons why an injured individual may decide to file a personal injury lawsuit.
Though few spend much time thinking about them, car accidents occur regularly throughout Northern California. In many cases, they result in minor if any injuries at all. Other times, however, the outcome of a motor vehicle accident may be catastrophic. A Sacramento woman is well aware of this.
The woman was involved in serious car accident in the fall of 2010. The vehicle she was driving, an 18-passenger bus, crashed into a jackknifed semi truck. Before it jackknifed, the truck had been heading in the opposite direction. The woman suffered numerous serious injuries in the collision including:
- Facial fractures
- Lacerated liver
- Traumatic brain injury
- Multiple skull fractures
- A broken jaw and ribs
- Injuries to his spine
As a result of the injuries, the woman suffers from paraplegia and had to move into a skilled nursing facility.
Following the accident, the woman and her husband filed a lawsuit against the company that employed the driver of the truck. A jury found recently found in their favor. Accordingly, the woman was awarded $31.9 million. Her husband’s loss of consortium claim resulted in a $3 million award.
There are many reasons why an injured individual may decide to file a personal injury lawsuit. In some case, it is necessary to seek financial damages to help cover the extravagant expenses that often arise after such an accident. This was likely at least in part behind the woman and her husband filing the lawsuit in this case. According to the woman’s lawyer, as a result of the award, the woman will no longer have to live at a skilled nursing facility away from her husband of more than 30 years. She will be able to move home and receive care there.
Whatever the reason one decides to file a personal injury lawsuit, it is usually best to take action sooner rather than later.
Source: The Sacramento Bee, “Sacramento jury awards paraplegic woman $31.9 million,” Andy Furillo, Dec. 6, 2013
