An Allegheny County jury has awarded a $2.1 million\nverdict to a western Pennsylvania man who was badly hurt and left permanently paralyzed\nand wheelchair-bound when his minivan was struck head-on by a vehicle that\ncrossed the centerline of a road in June of 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Donald Berger, 62, was driving east on Hulton Road in\nPenn Hills Township just east of Pittsburgh on June 29, 2015, when a westbound car\nbeing driven by Caleb Wilson crossed\nfrom its lane<\/a> and smashed into the front of Berger’s minivan, according to\nan Oct. 24 story by Law.com<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Berger, who was already living with complications from\nmultiple sclerosis, suffered serious back, head and leg injuries from the\ncollision, which worsened his everyday living conditions, according to a\nlawsuit filed by the plaintiff against Wilson. <\/p>\n\n\n\n After being taken from the accident scene by ambulance, Berger was diagnosed\nwith a comminuted distal fracture of the left femur, a nasal fracture, nasal\nlacerations, dislocation of the left index and ring fingers, fractures of ribs,\na closed injury of his head, a fracture of each foot\u2019s great toe, and a\nfracture of the T5 vertebra, which resulted in paraplegia, according to the\nstory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His injuries required the installation of an external fixator on his left\nthigh and he later underwent open reduction and internal fixation of his left\nfemur\u2019s fracture, in which a plate and screws were implanted and bone grafting\nwas performed, the story continued. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “During his hospitalization, he suffered a heart attack and a pulmonary\nembolism, which required implantation of a blood-clot filter that was later\nremoved in February 2017,” according to the report. He was stabilized and\nlater transferred to an inpatient rehabilitation facility where he underwent\nextensive physical therapy. His injuries also included impairments in word\nfluency due to an injury to his frontal lobe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After being discharged from the rehabilitation facility, Berger suffered\ncomplications, including vascular problems with his legs, chronic venous stasis\nchanges in both feet and edema and ulcers of his toes, which further made his\nlife difficult. He also developed muscle spasticity and neurogenic bowel and\nbladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before the crash and the injuries he suffered, he intermittently used a\nwheelchair to get around due to his multiple sclerosis, and was able to have a\nfairly independent lifestyle, according to Berger’s testimony in court. But the\ncrash changed that, leaving him paralyzed and unable to care for himself. Since\nthe crash, he requires near around-the-clock assistance for his activities of\ndaily living, including dressing himself, bathing and using the bathroom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Berger sought $2.3 million to $3.6 million in damages through his lawsuit to\nhelp pay for future medical costs, plus damages for past and future pain and\nsuffering and disfigurement. His lawsuit alleged that the other driver was\nnegligent in the operation of his vehicle, which was conceded by the defense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After hearing testimony in the case, the Allegheny County jury awarded\nBerger $2.1 million in damages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Legal cases like this one occur around the\nnation every day and are examples of similar kinds of car crash cases\nthat MyPhillyLawyer<\/em> attorneys regularly work on tirelessly\nfor our own clients. Often, we are not able to discuss the cases we are\nactively working on due to confidentiality requirements, so we discuss\nother relevant cases in the news such as this one to illustrate the legal\nsituations people find themselves in every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you\nneed a car accident injury attorney<\/a>, we here at MyPhillyLawyer<\/em> stand\nready to assist you with your legal case if you or a loved one is ever\nseriously injured in any kind of vehicle crash, slip and fall, workplace\ninjury or wrongful death in Philadelphia or anywhere in the United States. We\npledge to make sure that you and your family get the compassionate, dogged and\nexperienced legal representation that you deserve and expect from a\nprofessional legal team which works hard to uncover every fact to bolster your\ncase and maximize your damage award.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\nrepresent the families of victims who die in such tragedies as well, to ensure\nthat their families receive every penny of damages that they are eligible to\nreceive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Talk to a\nPhiladelphia car crash attorney at MyPhillyLawyer<\/em><\/a> by calling 215-227-2727 or toll-free\nat 1-866-907-2231 anytime and our experienced, compassionate,\naggressive team of attorneys and support staff will be there for you and your\nfamily every step of the way as we manage your case through the legal system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n