A former emergency room nurse who was severely and permanently injured in a head-on crash has settled her
claims for $17,052,000, her attorneys report.
Mark Bringardner, Carson Parker, and Madeline Nelson of Bringardner Injury Law Firm in Charleston report that their client, a 56-year-old woman, was driving on June 5, 2021, when tragedy struck. The attorneys said that the defendant, under the influence of a cocktail of drugs crossed the center line and struck the plaintiff head-on at approximately 55 mph. The attorneys said that the crash resulted from the defendant’s fourth or fifth DUI.
Many of the case’s details, including the parties’ names, defense counsel, and venue, have been withheld under a confidentiality agreement.
The plaintiff was catastrophically injured, the attorneys said, suffering multiple back, rib, and leg fractures, among other physical injuries, and has undergone five surgeries so far. She also suffers from anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, the attorneys said.
The plaintiff spent four months in the hospital and rehabilitation facilities after the crash, has not worked since the crash, and is entirely disabled, her attorneys said. She is still treating with several medical providers, including a neurosurgeon, an orthopedic surgeon, and therapists. Several surgeries are planned, and her attorneys said she is destined to live a life of pain and suffering.
“She was a very active woman prior to the accident, and now she can do very little without assistance,” the attorneys wrote in an email to Lawyers Weekly. “She uses a walker or a cane to get around.”
The attorneys called the case “tragic,” noting that a significant amount of harm cannot be fairly compensated with insignificant money. They said that they hope that the settlement will inform others concerning evaluating catastrophic injuries in comparable cases.
The attorneys praised defense counsel for working hard to resolve the matter.
“If experienced and professional claims adjusters and insurance decision-makers, who analyze serious cases on a regular basis, authorize a settlement of this magnitude, it demonstrates a reasonable basis to uphold large jury verdicts that provide eight-figure compensation for actual and punitive damages,” they wrote.
SETTLEMENT REPORT — MOTOR VEHICLE CRASH
Amount: $17,052,000
Injuries alleged: Multiple fractures in the leg, vertebra, and ribs, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety
Case name: Withheld
Court: Withheld
Date of settlement: May 23, 2022 
Special damages: Past medical of $908,132, future medical of $2,582,722,
past lost income of $137,656, and future lost income of $1,486,692
Most helpful experts: Robert Brabham (vocational rehabilitation), Sean Alexander (accident reconstruction), Demetra Garvin (forensic toxicologist), Charles Alford (economist), and Lindsay Moore (life care planner)
Insurance carrier: Withheld
Attorneys for plaintiff: Mark Bringardner, Carson Parker, and Madeline Nelson of the Bringardner Injury Law Firm in Charleston
Attorney(s) for defendant: Withheld