Mr. L was driving home from work when a tractor-trailer rear-ended him. The wreck tore his rotator cuff and when he didn’t get better after months of treatment, he decided to undergo surgery. Before the case went to trial, Michael Ruppersburg, our Athens truck accident lawyer, secured a $337,500 settlement for Mr. L.
The Accident
Mr. L was driving on Interstate 85 in DeKalb County. Traffic ahead of him began to slow down so he did too. A tractor-trailer behind him was following too closely and couldn’t stop in time. It crashed into him and the force of the impact pushed him into the car ahead of him. The wreck did over $8,000 worth of damage to Mr. L’s truck. The police investigated and gave the tractor-trailer driver a ticket for following too closely, so fault for the wreck wasn’t an issue.
Here’s what Mr. L’s truck and the tractor-trailer looked like after the wreck:
The Injuries
Mr. L initially thought he was fine after the wreck. However, when he woke up the next morning he was sore and in pain and his shoulder and back hurt. He took aspirin for several days, hoping he would get better, but didn’t. After a week he went to a chiropractor, who diagnosed him with strains and sprains of his shoulder and back. He treated with the chiropractor for over a month and while his back got better, his shoulder didn’t, so the chiropractor referred him to an orthopedist.
The orthopedist performed a physical examination on Mr. L, which found that his shoulder had limited range of motion and was very painful to move. The doctor thought that Mr. L may have a Superior Glenoid Labrum (SLAP) lesion in his right shoulder, indicating a potential tear of his rotator cuff. The doctor ordered an MRI of Mr. L’s shoulder, which showed a high grade near full thickness tear of the supraspinatus tendon in his shoulder. This meant that he had a very bad tear of the tendon and that it was nearly separated from the shoulder bone.
The doctor told Mr. L that the tear was not likely to heal on its own and that he was going to need surgery to fix it. Mr. L didn’t want to have surgery and wanted to try physical therapy first, which the doctor agreed to. Mr. L had several months of physical therapy but unfortunately, his shoulder didn’t get better. It hurt when moving it and it was hard to do basic things like getting something off a high shelf. Mr. L reluctantly decided to have the surgery.
The surgery went well, but Mr. L had a long recovery. When he recovered enough to start physical therapy, it took several months of treatment to get his full range of motion back in his shoulder and to be able to use his shoulder without pain.
Lawsuit & Settlement
Mr. L wanted to resolve his case without a lawsuit, but the tractor-trailer’s insurance company did not cooperate. They disputed that the wreck caused the surgery and made a very low, unfair settlement offer. Michael filed a lawsuit and prepared the case for trial. Shortly before the case was scheduled to go to trial, Michael secured a $337,500 settlement for Mr. L. We’re glad to have helped him with his case and wish him the best in his continued recovery.
Contact Us
If you or a loved one has been injured in a truck accident, Ruppersburg Injury & Accident Attorneys can help. Contact us today for a consultation.