Pej Ben-Cohen and Steve McElroy From Carpenter & Zuckerman Win $10.5 Million Verdict in Car Accident Trial
LOS ANGELES—Trial lawyers Pej Ben-Cohen and Steve McElroy from Carpenter & Zuckerman recently won a $10.5 million verdict (with interest) on behalf of a plaintiff who was injured in a car accident in 2012. The plaintiff was rear-ended by the defendant, who was texting a friend at the time of the collision and claimed she had to because she was deaf. The plaintiff did not receive treatment at the scene of the accident, but visited an urgent care center later that evening with neck pain, shoulder pain, and severe headaches. Even though the X-rays were normal, the plaintiff began physical therapy several weeks later due to her pain. Three months after the accident, the plaintiff was finally diagnosed with a disc protrusion.
“Since 2012, the plaintiff has received epidurals, attended physical therapy, undergone surgery, and had a spinal cord stimulator implanted,” Ben-Cohen states. “To this day, she is still required to attend physical therapy for the injuries that she sustained over five years ago, which illustrates the severity of her condition.”
“We relied on the plaintiff’s physicians to explain to the jury how the injuries occurred in the collision and how they were treated,” Ben-Cohen continues. “Both physicians did an excellent job of outlining why each treatment the plaintiff received was necessary, and how the injury would continue to affect her in the future.”
The defense’s medical experts attempted to convince the jury that the plaintiff was not injured in the collision because she did not immediately experience any symptoms. However, McElroy was able to get the defense doctor to admit that the plaintiff’s current symptoms were definitely caused by the crash during cross-examination.
“The opposing counsel also tried to prove that the medical treatment the plaintiff received was unnecessary,” McElroy says. “However, they were unable to do so. In fact, we were able to show that one of their own medical experts agreed that the Plaintiff suffered an injury as a result of the accident.”
“The key to winning this case was how we developed the plaintiff’s story”, Ben-Cohen says. “I spent countless hours with the plaintiff at my home where we got to know each other without discussing the trial,” Ben-Cohen added. If you do not love your client, you cannot expect a jury to, Ben-Cohen says.
“Fortunately, the jury sided in our favor and awarded the plaintiff every penny of her past and future medical expenses, in addition to compensation for her pain and suffering,” Ben-Cohen states. “In the end, we were able to recover a total of $10.5 million (with interest) million on behalf of our client.”
The California law firm of Carpenter & Zuckerman (CZR) has over 100 employees dedicated to fighting for the rights of the injured. CZR is dedicated to helping clients recover the compensation they deserve for their injuries. For more information or to schedule a consultation, visit www.cz.law today.