A single mother who was badly injured in a highway crash three years ago received a significant boost on her journey to recovery last week, when an El Paso County jury awarded her $847,341.13 in damages — more than seven times what the at-fault driver’s insurance company offered to settle the case months earlier.
The plaintiff was represented by attorneys Emily Benight and Erica A. Vecchio of the law firm of Franklin D. Azar & Associates.
“You have to know what your case is worth and be willing to fight for it,” says attorney Benight. “That’s what we did.”
On the morning of October 31, 2019, the Azar client, a nursing student in her thirties, was driving on I-25 north of downtown Colorado Springs when her vehicle was hit from behind and sideswiped, causing her to lose control and spin out on the left side of the road. The injury left her with head, neck, and shoulder injuries; emergency room doctors also diagnosed a concussion.
The motorist who struck her admitted liability in the incident. In a deposition taken by Azar attorneys, the defendant admitted having fallen asleep behind the wheel. The Azar client soon incurred around $120,000 in medical bills, including surgery to repair her shoulder; but other, long-term impacts of her head injury, from headaches and brain fog to cognitive issues that prevented her from pursuing her dream career as a nurse midwife, were not so easily fixed. The insurance company’s pre-litigation offer to settle the matter was $113,000; a few weeks before trial, the offer was raised to $250,000.
At trial the Azar team called a series of experts to testify regarding the client’s physical injuries, neuropsychological evaluations, and future lost earnings due to impairment from the crash. After deliberation, the jury decided that the client was entitled to $469,700 for economic damages, $235,200 for pain and suffering, and $142,440 for impairment. With interest, the total award is estimated to exceed $1,000,000.
“My client is ecstatic,” says attorney Benight. “This gives her the tools to make a life for her and her kids.”
“Head injuries can be tough cases for a jury to understand,” adds Azar senior attorney Erica Vecchio. “But having the right experts can make all the difference.”
THE CAR ACCIDENT ATTORNEYS AT FDAZAR
For more than thirty years the attorneys at Franklin D. Azar & Associates have helped thousands of injured people obtain complete and timely compensation for their losses. Our proven track record and expertise have allowed us to grow into the largest personal-injury law firm in Colorado, with offices in Denver, Aurora, Thornton, Grand Junction, Greeley, Fort Collins, Colorado Springs, and Pueblo. If you’ve been injured in a bus, car, truck, bicycle, or motorcycle accident, you may be entitled to compensation. Please call the car accident attorneys at FDAzar day or night at 800-716-9032 or contact us here for a free consultation and no-obligation evaluation of your case.
