$1,600,000: Jury Verdict – Negligence Case / Back Injury
Personal Injury
Our client, Eric D. was a relatively inexperienced tow-truck driver, called to jump start a car that was parked in a home garage. When he got to the home, Eric D. realized his jumper cables would not reach the car battery. He, therefore, had to physically push the car out of the garage and down the slightly sloped driveway. When Eric D. went in the garage, he realized he had to be particularly careful because the garage was narrow. The trial was hotly contested. The defendant tried to blame Eric D. for causing his own injury. He also tried to blame Eric D’s employer for not properly training him and for not having a portable charger. Eric’s injury led him to have a single level back surgery and ultimately the placement of an electrical stimulator in his low back. The stimulator provided significant relief, but he continued to have low back pain, and had to be retrained because he could not work as a tow truck driver again. After a nearly three week trial, Mr. Demas was able to convince the jury that the defendant was responsible. The jury returned a verdict of $1,600,000 for Eric D. It was one of the largest personal injury verdicts ever returned in Riverside County.