Severe injuries to family in DUI accident; $20 million. Los Angeles County.

Injuries and Other Damages

• Physical Injuries claimed by Plaintiff:

  During the crash, Jose Cardona suffered multiple, severe fractures to his legs, including an open right ankle fracture and fractures to both knees. On the evening of the crash, the trauma surgeon had to remove Mr. Cardona’s talus bone and repair a fibula fracture. Two days later, the same surgeon repaired meniscus tears and severe fractures in Mr. Cardona’s right tibia and both patellas. Mr. Cardona has not been able to walk on his own (he walks short distances with a walker, and travels longer distances with a wheelchair), and he has not been able to work a single day since the crash. Even with assistance, Mr. Cardona still suffers from pain and fatigue while walking. Mr. Cardona also suffered a tear of his rotary cuff in his right shoulder. While there were no outward signs of a head injury, and Mr. Cardona had a Glascow Coma Scale of 15 at the scene, doctors identified cerebellar damage several years later. As a result, Jose now suffers from headaches, tremors, slurred speech, dizziness, anxiety, depression, unpredictable mood, loss of concentration, and memory problems. Jose has also been experiencing worsening dysarthria, which causes him facial numbness, tingling, and difficulty swallowing. Jose has never made a full recovery from any of his injuries and must now rely on a wheelchair or wheeled walker to move around.

  During the crash, Ms. Cardona suffered a complex fracture of the bones deep within her right wrist. She had an open reduction internal fixation surgery the day after the crash. While the bones fused, Ms. Cardona’s intense pain in her wrist never went away. She had the hardware from the surgery removed in October 2014. Several of Ms. Cardona’s treating doctors, as well as the defense neurologist have diagnosed her with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) in her right wrist, which plagues her daily with intense, throbbing pain. She also suffered numerous abrasions on her legs and chest, and a head injury that causes persistent headaches and blurred vision. The defense neurologist agrees that Ms. Cardona suffered a traumatic brain injury in the crash. Since the crash, the pain in Irene’s wrist has extended to include her right arm and her right shoulder. The pain is debilitating, and sometimes has become so extreme that it causes Irene to lose consciousness.

  During the crash, Eduardo sustained a rupture of his abdominal wall that caused internal bleeding. Eduardo also suffered lacerations on his chest, bruising on his legs, swollen ankles, and anemia due to blood loss. He was rushed into emergency surgery where he underwent a laparotomy and surgical repair of a complex abdominal wall hernia. Following the surgery, Eduardo suffered an intestinal blockage that had to be resolved with a second procedure. Eduardo has a large, permanent scar on his stomach, and he still experiences abdominal pain. Eduardo was in the hospital for six days after the crash. He was in trade school at the time of the crash, and had to drop out to recover. He eventually went back to school, graduated, and has been working full time since 2012. On the weekends, he cares for his parents.