On May 6, a jury awarded $478,500 to a man who claimed that he sustained a neck injury in a rear-ender with a truck. In 2007, Danny Wyatt was stopped in traffic on top of a hill when he was hit by a driver for Trugreen. The defense conceded liability a week before trial. Wyatt underwent a cervical fusion 18 months after the accident. After a month of physical therapy, he returned to work as a train conductor, but eight months later took early retirement because of his neck pain, he claimed. The plaintiff argued he had planned to work until age 72. The defense challenged both the nature and severity of the plaintiff’s damages by pointing out he had a cervical fusion surgery 13 years before the accident.
Wyatt v. Jones, No. DC-09-03132
