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This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide legal advice.
Accidents are part of our human lives. Most accident incidents are unfortunate, but there are ways to be compensated for the wrongdoings of a third party. If you can report the matter adequately, you will get compensation for the incident. Personal injury cases are governed by tort law, and these are ruled upon daily. It does not matter whether you need an injury lawyer in Layton, UT, or anywhere else; you should always check their background record. Today, we will discuss five famous individual injury cases with the settlements.
Liebeck vs McDonald’s is one of the most popular personal injury claims in the world. The incident initially took place in 1994. An older adult, Stella Liebeck, purchased a coffee from a drive-thru of McDonald’s. The coffee was spilled in her lap and leading to burns on her groin and leg. As a result, she sued McDonald’s for $20,000 as it seemed like the coffee of McDonald’s was slightly hotter than regular coffees. McDonald’s believed that they would win the case and they did not bother to settle the case. The case went to court and the judge awarded Stella Liebeck $200,000. She got $160,000 as it was felt that she held 20% of the responsibility instead. The case continued and she was awarded $2.7 million for punitive damages.
Gloria Estefan accident and recovery is another famous personal injury case. Gloria Estefan was a singer and touring with her band back in 1990. Their bus was rear-ended by a tractor-trailer that had jack-knifed. As a result, she suffered a broken back and missed a year of concerts. She and her husband filed a lawsuit against the tractor-trailer company for medical expenses and the lost income as she could not perform due to the accident. She got $8.95 million as a reward.
Terrence Dickinson, a thief from Bristol, Pennsylvania, was awarded $500,000. He planned to burgle a property but got himself trapped because of the garage door. It was his exit point and did not work correctly. He tried another door which was faulty as well. He had to survive eight days depending on dry dog food and Pepsi. Then he sued the homeowners for his mental distress and got his huge award.
Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) sued by Bret Michaels is another remarkable claim. Bret Michaels was the lead singer of the rock band named Poison. He suffered an injury at the Tony Award broadcasting in 2009. He got hit in the head by a set piece and claimed that he was not adequately told how to leave the stage. The show host, Neil Patrick Harris, jokingly said that Michaels had taken headbang to a new level. However, it was no longer a joke when Michaels broke his nose and suffered a brain hemorrhage after some months. He then sued the Columbia Broadcasting System and the courts ruled in his favor. Unfortunately, the award amount has not been disclosed.
The Julie Miramon car accident of 1988 is another popular claim in the world. She was a university student and was involved in two accidents. The first one was serious and the second involved her being rear-ended. She did not face any physical injuries during either accident. However, those two accidents caused severe mental distress, which caused her anxiety and eating disorder. Later, she mentioned that her life changed because of those accidents. According to medical professionals, the second accident caused the unresolved issues from the first accident to be amplified. She did not get any award in the early ruling of the Miramon vs Bradley case. Then, she appealed and got $790 for medical treatment and another $6000 for suffering.
It is clear from all these accidents that the accidents were not that big compared to the award. Some award money is quite significant even as of today. This is possible because of professional lawyers who fight for their clients.
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