Case Result Type: Personal Injury

C.L. was hit by a golf cart driven by an employee while attending a baseball tournament in Cooperstown, New York. The place where this injury occurred had over 100 baseball teams every week with thousands of kids who stay in dormitories and played baseball on a weekly basis. C.L. suffered a broken femur, which required surgical repair with one screw being put in to stabilize the femur fracture. The screw was taken out several weeks later. C.L. really had no ongoing problems following the removal of the screw. Partner Rich Ruohonen settled the case for $110,000.

Jordan was only six when he was severely injured in an elevator incident. He and some friends were going up to the sixth floor of a building to visit another friend. The elevator malfunctioned and got stuck in between floors. Jordan and his friends pried the doors open and tried to climb out onto the floor. Unfortunately, Jordan was unable to do this and fell three stories down the elevator shaft. Jordan suffered a fractured skull and had a documented brain injury. His mother had to take one year off from work to help care for Jordan, but through the good work of Hennepin County Medical Center, Jordan was able to go back to school, regaining 97 percent of his mental functioning and most of his physical functioning.

Jordan’s case took eight years to wrap up, mainly because it is hard to document a brain injury for a child. Jordan had prior Attention Deficit Disorder issues and the insurance company argued that his current symptomology was caused by the ADD and not the fall. Testimony from numerous HCMC doctors supported a brain injury and a settlement was achieved of approximately $350,000. Because Jordan was a minor at the time of settlement, Partner Steve Terry created a qualified assignment annuity that allowed Jordan to receive smaller amounts of payments from age 18 to 30. In addition, Jordan’s mother was compensated for the time she missed from work and for all of her out-of-pocket medical expenses. After the annuity was set up, the $350,000 settlement had a projected value of approximately $850,000 by the time it paid out.

DP was a young man injured by another kid. He was a birthday party and another (uninvited) kid threw a hammer at his head. The hammer caused significant injury which required surgery. A claim was made against the hammer thrower’s parent’s homeowner’s insurance. DP made a miraculous recovery that included fully resuming soccer activities in school. He made it back to school and his grades are exceptional. After waiting a few years to make sure there was no residual brain injury, a settlement was reached of over $270,000.00. DP had an annuity set up to make payments (tax free) over time. Partner Steven Terry created a qualified assignment to make sure the entire amount of proceeds were tax free (base investment and the accrued interest).

Julia was a passenger on a golf cart. She was ejected from the golf cart when the driver took a sharp turn. The driver of cart was intoxicated and he admitted Julia was thrown out to the right when he turned to the left. He later changed his story. Rich Ruohonen and Nate Maus worked up this case over a few years and litigated this matter, settling shortly before trial. TSR hired numerous experts to prove her ejection was the fault of the driver and the owner of the golf cart. Julia hit her head on the cart path and suffered a severe traumatic brain injury. She had subarachnoid hemorrhaging and subdural hematomas. She underwent a craniectomy where part of the skull is removed for a few weeks, to allow for the brain to swell, and later put back on to her head after the swelling subsides. Julia had seizures and has no memory of the first few months in the hospital and a rehabilitation center. She had medical bills of approximately $700,000, most of which were incurred in the first six months following the golf cart crash. Julia has significant ongoing symptoms including loss of cognitive and executive function, personality and behavioral changes, fatigue, loss of motivation, memory problems, dizziness, inability to learn new information, retrieve information, and numerous other issues. The case was settled for $2,750,000 during an all-day mediation.