51-year-old, Debbie Boyd was struck head-on by defendant who was making an illegal U turn. Although taken to the emergency room - her CT scans came back 'normal'.
Most of Debbie's injuries 'went away' in three weeks. Her neck and low back pain persisted. Later Kaiser diagnosed Debbie with lumbar radiculopathy. The MRI revealed L5/S1 disc bulge, right paracentral disc extrusion. Defense naturally claimed all were pre-existing. Her chiropractor helped but argued Debbie suffered from "chronic" lower back pain.
Plaintiff demanded $49,999.99 at trial. Defendant Farmers countered with only $15,000. Medical bills were $14,000. The jury awarded $111,955. Farmers had to pay additional court costs for a total $130,333.
Boyd vs Jacob: 30-2015-00773285. Orange County Superior Court, Judge Nathan Scott.
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