Case at a glance
- Recovery: $120,295 Jury Verdict
- Injury: Loss of consciousness; claimed brain, neck and back injuries
- Practice: Transportation Accidents
- Attorney: Vuk Vujasinovic
A broadside collision and a crushed roof
On December 31, 2005, Maria drove into the intersection of College Avenue and the Interstate 45 service road in Houston. Another SUV struck hers from the side.
The impact knocked Maria’s vehicle over and sent it sliding into a pole. She lost consciousness at the scene and was hospitalized for four days.
Maria later claimed neck and back injuries as well as a brain injury involving memory loss and slurred speech. Her treatment included physical therapy over approximately three months.
Two different accounts of the traffic signal
Vuk and the VB Attorneys team pursued a negligence claim against the other driver. Maria alleged that the driver ran a red light. The defense maintained that the driver had a green light.
That disagreement made responsibility for the collision a central issue. The case also required addressing what the crash had done to Maria, not simply which driver entered the intersection first.
A disputed brain-injury claim
The defense denied that Maria had sustained a brain injury and argued that she had fully recovered within five months. It also challenged the claimed memory and speech problems, pointing to her later return to school and completion of a nurse’s aide certificate.
Maria sought compensation for medical expenses and the effects she said continued after the crash. The parties’ competing positions placed her recovery and ongoing limitations before the jury.
Before trial, the defense unsuccessfully asked an appellate court to overturn the trial court’s denial of an additional neuropsychological examination. The appellate court denied that request and lifted a stay of the trial setting.
A $120,295 jury verdict
The jury found the other driver negligent and awarded Maria $120,295.
The result followed a case in which the defense contested both responsibility for the collision and the seriousness of the injuries. Vuk and the VB Attorneys team carried those disputed issues through to a jury decision.
Questions about the case
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