The Firm
A Minnesota personal injury firm with experience in catastrophic brain damage cases represented the family of a young boy thrown over a railing at a large shopping mall. The boy’s mother, the child, and a young friend had gone to the mall for a little celebration after a nice preschool parent-teacher conference. The fun, festive afternoon quickly turned into a nightmare.
Out of the blue, a stranger grabbed the boy and hurled him over a third-floor balcony where he landed on the tile floor below. The troubled man who did this had been banished from the mall for earlier problems. Yet somehow, he was allowed in on that fateful day.
The Challenge
After the forty-foot fall, the poor child suffered multiple life-threatening injuries including skull fractures, broken arms, and a broken leg. After being cared for in a hospital for several months, the boy had nothing short of a “miraculous” recovery, with some limitations. He even made it to his first day of kindergarten after being discharged just in time.
With how far he fell, it was amazing he even survived. Although it was presumed the child would have no long-lasting cognitive, memory, or trauma-related problems, the attorneys wanted a pediatric neuropsychologist to evaluate him and his future care needs.
Not only did the Expert Institute find an excellent pediatric neuropsychologist – she was also local! The lawyers for the family felt that if the case had gone to trial this would have been very positive with a local jury.
The Solution
The firm was exceedingly happy with the neuropsychologist the Expert Institute identified for the case. The expert had founded a pediatric neuropsychology clinic in Minnesota where she was the clinical director. It gets better – her credentials also included a fellowship in child neuropsychology at Harvard Medical School. With her experience in kids’ brain injuries, this hand-picked expert efficiently reviewed the medical records, examined the child multiple times during the case, and provided extremely detailed periodic reports to the firm.
The neuropsychologist described in depth what the boy’s condition was and what his future limitations might be. The firm was so impressed with how detailed the expert’s reports were and how good she was at helping the lawyers and the family understand his condition. “She went above and beyond what most experts would do.”
The Results
Using the information and insights from discussions with the medical expert, the firm’s damages expert mapped out a life care plan for the boy. The lawyers were ultimately able to negotiate a settlement for this sensitive case, sparing the family and the child the ordeal of a trial.
