Bernard and co-counsel represented a family that suffered very serious injuries due to a collision with an 18-wheeler in Macon, Georgia. The family was returning from watching spring training baseball games in Florida when their family van was run off the road by a truck owned by one of the largest trucking companies in the country. The family was heading back to their home in Missouri. From the accident, all five members of the family sustained personal injuries, with the most significant injuries being suffered by the youngest child, a then 11 year old daughter. The daughter was thrown from the van. She suffered permanent closed head and traumatic brain injuries. After several months of negotiations, the parties were able to reach a $4.3 million settlement.
Bernard was recently involved in a case for a client who used to play in the WNBA. At the time of the trucking accident, our client was working for an Iowa trucking company, injured in Nebraska, and was living in Tennessee. Confusing? The workers’ compensation claim was brought in Iowa. From the collision, our client was thrown out of her sleeping bunk and onto the floor, several feet below. She sustained several orthopedic injuries including her neck, left shoulder, low back and was diagnosed with depression after the accident. Our client had been an elite athlete prior to the accident. Bernard worked with local Iowa counsel who did an outstanding job for the client. We are very pleased that she will receive lifetime benefits and a very nice settlement.