Recently, a settlement was announced in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri for a personal injury automobile case. On November 12, 2010, at 1:40AM Mary Kerbler was on Westbound Interstate 44 near Pacific with her fiancé Leon Smith. The two had stopped on the Interstate and both were not wearing seat belts. While they were stopped a commercial truck struck the car from behind. Mary Kerbler suffered major injuries as a result of the collision such as a, “cervical fracture at C5/C6 (neck) and due to this injury became a quadriplegic. She also suffered a traumatic brain injury and a neurogenic bladder and bowel, therefore being unable to use those organs without assistance.”
The injuries sustained required a life-care plan of around $25 million. The trucking company and driver’s names were left confidential so that the settlement amount could be reported. According to the truck company’s attorney’s the plaintiff’s injuries were, “too catastrophic for the defendants to risk going to trial.” The defense filed a notice of settlement ten days before the start of the jury trial. “Both lawyers paid $50,000 to Kerbler, his insurance policy limits, for her injuries. Perryman said Smith’s insurer also paid $50,000 to settle the trucking company’s property damage claims.” Kerbler and Smith were awarded $9.8 million.
Kullmann, Klein & Dioneda P.C. specializes in personal injury cases dealing with automobiles and trucks like this one. If you or someone you know has been injured in an automobile collision and has sustained injuries, contact our offices so that we can help you get the resources you need.