$543,393
Unoperated cervical herniated disc and myofascial pain. Samuel King et al v. Edward W. Roberts and ELRAC Inc. d/b/a Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Superior Court, Judicial District of Fairfield at Bridgeport, Dkt. CV 96 0329317 S. Case tried by Stewart Casper to verdict on behalf of four of five occupants involved in a motor vehicle crash. Aggregate verdict for the four plaintiffs $543,393.00, plus an offer of judgment interest of $115,907.42, for a total aggregate recovery of $659,300.42. Defendants’ best offer was aggregate $125,000. The crash was a side-swiping hit and run at the interstate, causing the plaintiff’s vehicle to go out of control, cross the rightmost lane, hit a guard rail, and rollover. Subsequent to the collision, the defendant Roberts continued traveling, leaving the scene of the accident without stopping. As a result of the collision and rollover, all the plaintiffs were thrown about in their vehicle, striking various portions of their body. The defendant Roberts was subsequently apprehended on the basis of an eyewitness who reported the license plate to the state police. Mr. King Sustained: Small central disc herniation at C5-6 level; cervical strain/sprain; lumbar strain; multiple contusions; closed head injury; headaches; myofascial pain syndrome; post-concussive syndrome; lumbosacral radiculopathy; labyrinthitis; left posterior ilial rotation, and pain and suffering and a shock to his nervous system. At the time of his injury and for over 25 years prior to that date, the plaintiff was an electrical mechanic, specializing in electronic and security services. Mr. King missed substantial time from work as a result of this collision and lost a significant amount of money due to the collapse of his newly established business. The injuries sustained in this accident substantially limited the plaintiff’s physical activity. As a result of the accident, the plaintiff could no longer do any overhead work, bending, or crawling into small spaces, all of which were required as an alarm installer. In addition, his leisure activities of running, hunting, hiking, and camping had been severely compromised. He used to engage in these physical activities on a regular basis before the accident. He experienced constant neck pain with intermittent exacerbations of sharp pain extending into the right shoulder girdle region. He also suffered from constant pain in the low back that was aggravated by prolonged sitting or lifting.
