INTRODUCTION
Even though he was only in the 9th grade, Plaintiff was the star of his high school soccer team. In the year 2000 he excelled at all athletics and his studies came easily. College was a given as his father was a psychiatrist and his mother a college graduate.
Today, Plaintiff is not going to college. He cannot engage in athletics. He is plagued by brain damage that has produced anger, irritability, memory problems and cognitive deficits. He also suffers chronic, debilitating back pain. He has been unable to keep even the simplest full time job. What happened to Plainitff?
THE COLLISION
On January 6, 2001, Plaintiff was the rear seat passenger in a 2000 Honda Accord driven by Susan Jones. Ms. Jones was driving down Blue Jay Road. She was driving too fast for conditions and ran off the road. Her car smashed into several large trees, crushing the top and injuring both Plaintiff and Ms. Jones. The one-car accident was investigated by the California Highway Patrol, Officers Pedretti and Jong. In their report they state the following:
“Cause: P-1: (Jones) caused this collision by failing to maintain her car on the right half of the roadway, Violation 21650 VC.”
INJURIES
Plaintiff was found in the vehicle. Photographs of the Honda showed its crushed roof. He was extricated and life-flighted to UC Davis Medical Center where he was placed in the Intensive Care Unit with a severe brain injury. He was maintained in a coma for two and a half weeks to combat swelling of the brain. A CT scan taken on January 7, 2001 (the day after the collision) showed the following:
1. Left inferior parietal lobe hemorrhage of his brain near the basal ganglia.
2. Right temporal lobe hemorrhages of his brain.
3. Global cerebral edema.
4. Right posterior parietal subcortical hemorrhage of the brain.
5. Right parietal soft tissue swelling of the brain.
6. Right upper parietal subcortical hemorrhage of the brain.
7. Bilateral frontal contusions.
Plaintiff’s initial Glasgow Coma Scale in the field was 6, but dropped to 3. Normal is 15.
Plaintiff was intubated and placed on a breathing machine.
(See Part 2 of 8.)
For more information you are welcome to contact Sacramento personal injury lawyer, Moseley Collins.