NOTABLE SETTLEMENTS

Dear  NONE,

So far, in 2007, these personal injury cases handled by the lawyers of Marsh, Rickard & Bryan stand out from the crowd:

David Marsh and Alan Lasseter settled a large group of individual cases that were pending in both state and federal court against current and former staff members and supervisors of the State of Alabama's Department of Youth Services.  The cases grew out of a well-publicized scandal at the DYS Chalkville Campus several years ago where DYS personnel were accused of sexually abusing the wayward girls in their care and custody.  During the cases, David, Alan, and their co-counsel, developed evidence that the top brass on campus and in Montgomery were aware of the allegations of abuse for years but failed to act to protect the girls.

David and Jeff Rickard resolved a lawsuit on behalf of a West Virginia man who was injured when a load of lumber fell on top of him.  The plaintiff drove a load of lumber from West Virginia to Alabama.  While waiting to unload his truck here, he began to help stack the lumber being unloaded from the truck ahead of his.  The stack of lumber fell and a significant amount of it landed on the plaintiff, who suffered complex fractures, serious internal injuries and underwent numerous surgeries.  More than a year after the acident, the plaintiff attempted to return to work.  At 57, he's working reduced hours for less pay, and its doubtful he will be able to work to a normal retirement age.

Mike Beard and Nat Bryan resolved a lawsuit on behalf of a woman who suffered severe injuries in the wake of spinal surgery.  The case was against an orthopedic surgeon, a hospital, and a drug company. The claims against the doctor and the hospital focused on a delay in recognizing and treating classic symptoms of Cauda Equina Syndome.  The claims against the drug company focused on what the company knew about the dangers associated with the company's product when used in spinal procedures.  The tragedy could have been avoided if the drug company had provided detailed information to doctors about the problems experienced with the product.  The plaintiff suffers loss of control over her bowel and bladder as well as experiencing pain in her low back and painful cramps in both her legs.  In addition, her gait is unsteady, making it difficult for her to walk and occasionally causing her to fall.  In the settlement video Susan Silvernail produced, the plaintiff described how her life had changed because of the injuries and this was confirmed by interviews with family members and a life care planner.

Mike also settled a lawsuit on behalf of a driver and three passengers of a car that was struck in its own lane of travel by an oncoming tractor trailer rig.  The truck t-boned into the driver's side of the car as the driver swerved in an attempt to avoid the collision.  One passenger in particular suffered serious injuries; he underwent repair of bad leg fractures and a spelenectomy.  There was some conflicting testimony about who was driving the tractor trailer at the time of the wreck. The case was pending in Marion County.