MOTOR VEHICLE
Passenger awarded $20,000 for back and neck injuries
On March 8, a jury awarded $20,000 to a passenger who claimed back and neck injuries in a left-turn crash. In 2009, Bennie C. Jenkins was a passenger in a car that collided with an oncoming car that turned left in front of him. Jenkins claimed sprains and strains and a bulging lumbar disk. He went to the emergency room on his own. He followed up with a chiropractor for about six weeks (29 visits) and said he would need future chiropractic care. The defense argued that the MRIs and chiropractic care were excessive, but that the jury could reasonably award all the past medical expenses, plus $1,500 in past pain and suffering.
