Atlanta Personal Injury Lawyer Blog

A huge personal injury jury verdict of $3,294,456 (less 2% for comparative negligence) was returned for two Dekalb County personal injury victims on 11/18/2010. The case was Carolyn Loggins and Williamston Loggins v. Jonathan Coradin (Case Number 08A93987-5). This was an amazing recovery for these plaintiffs which means the personal injury lawsuit was tried very, very well.

How did the car accident occur?
Mr. Loggins was driving on a two lane road in Dekalb County. Ms. Loggins was a passenger in his car. The plaintiffs alleged that they crashed due to the negligence of another driver, Jonathan Coradin when he negligently entered their lane causing minimal-contact with their vehicle. They further allege that the impact was enough force to cause them to swerve off the road and flip their car. Mr. Loggins was ejected from the car and suffered cervical facet fractures, resulting in spinal cord deformity which required a laminectomy and fusion spinal surgery. Ms. Loggins suffered soft tissue injuries to her neck and back that required physical therapy. Mr. Loggins's medical bills totaled $100,000.00.

What was the alleged negligent act?
Mr. Loggins alleged that this car wreck was caused by the defendant's failure to maintain their lane.

What is Comparative Negligence?
The jury awarded $3,294,453 less 2% comparative negligence. This would result in a reduction of the amount received by the personal injury plaintiffs by $65,889.06. Comparative negligence is the negligence that the defendant alleges the plaintiff was guilty of in the car wreck In this case the defendants alleged that it was the plaintiffs who failed to maintain their lane causing this car crash. Another argument might be that the plaintiffs were negligent by overacting or yanking the steering wheel which could arguably be the cause or at least a contributing factor to the plaintiffs' car driving off the road and flipping. Lane change cases can be difficult for the plaintiff to prove liability unless there is an independent witness who can testify to what actually happened. In this Dekalb County personal injury lawsuit, it is clear that the jury thought that Mr. Loggins was slightly to blame for this accident (2%), but that the majority of the blame (98%) was due to the Defendant's negligence.

Could this 3 million dollar plus settlement have been achieved without a personal injury lawyer?
There is absolutely no way this $3,000,000 plus dollar personal injury recovery could have been obtained by a pro se plaintiff. A pro se plaintiff is a plaintiff that is not represented by an attorney. Clearly with the potential pit falls in proving liability in a lane changing case, a personal injury claimant without a seasoned and successful personal injury lawyer would have been offered little or nothing. Most adjusters would simply deny liability and refuse to pay anything. A three million dollar recovery for a Dekalb County personal injury claim that did not involve a wrongful death is a very, very good recovery indeed. For this to happen, Attorney Richard Griffin of The Griffin Law Firm, P.C. knows that this jury must have really liked and believed the clients and the litigating attorneys.

How can I get a free consultation or settlement evaluation from a seasoned and experienced personal injury attorney or wrongful death attorney?
Anyone who has a personal injury or wrongful death claim should call or submit there case for a free settlement evaluation to the following link:
FREE SETTLEMENT EVALUATION