Noblesville, Indiana Jury Issues Defense Verdict in Rear-End Collision

A driver and passengers filed a lawsuit following a rear-end collision that occurred in Indianapolis on August 1, 2014. The plaintiff driver had stopped at a red light on Meridian Street when a vehicle operated by the defendant struck the rear of their car. The plaintiff driver incurred $14,580 in medical expenses, and a plaintiff passenger incurred $18,926. The plaintiffs initially sued the defendant driver, also filing an underinsured motorist claim against an insurer, which was later dismissed. Three passengers subsequently settled their claims and were dismissed, leaving the plaintiff driver and one passenger to proceed with their lawsuit. The plaintiffs alleged the defendant was responsible for the collision and their resulting injuries. The defendant disputed both liability and the extent of damages, with both sides presenting expert medical testimony. Following a trial in Indianapolis, a jury returned a verdict for the plaintiffs. The jury awarded the plaintiff driver $7,500 and the plaintiff passenger $3,500, for a combined total of $11,000. The court entered a judgment for that amount, which was subsequently satisfied. The jury's awards were less than the plaintiffs' claimed medical expenses.

A personal injury case arose from a motor vehicle accident that allegedly resulted in a neck injury, described as a minor collision with soft tissue injuries. The plaintiff presented expert testimony from specialists in vocational economic analysis, epidemiology, neurology, and nursing, addressing potential injury causation, treatment needs, and economic impact. The defendant's expert provided testimony in surgery and biomechanics, potentially disputing the mechanism and severity of the alleged injury. Few additional details about the incident, specific legal claims, or the case's final resolution were available from the record.

On May 9, 2015, a rear-end collision occurred on Keystone Avenue in Indianapolis. The plaintiff, driving northbound, stopped to make a right turn onto 96th Street when the defendant, operating a vehicle directly behind, struck the plaintiff's car. The plaintiff reported immediate neck pain, which later progressed to include ongoing pain in the neck, shoulders, and upper limbs, as well as headaches, tingling, and numbness. The plaintiff's medical expenses totaled $44,502, with providers accepting $24,899 as payment in full. The plaintiff filed a lawsuit against the defendant, alleging negligence for causing the crash and subsequent injuries. A physical medicine expert opined that the plaintiff sustained a whiplash injury from the incident. The defendant contended that the plaintiff was at fault for stopping abruptly. A defense expert performed a records review, but did not physically examine the plaintiff. The case proceeded to a two-day trial in Indianapolis. The jury assigned 100% fault to the defendant and awarded the plaintiff $2,054 in damages. This amount represented less than 10% of the plaintiff's paid medical expenses. The court entered a judgment reflecting the verdict, which the defendant subsequently satisfied.

On April 27, 2012, a 51-year-old plaintiff was driving west on the Sam Jones Expressway in Indianapolis when a vehicle driven by a defendant employee, who was on the job for The Boeing Company, rear-ended her minivan at a red light. Following the collision, the plaintiff reported pain in her shoulder, arm, lower back, right hip, and lower right leg. The plaintiff filed a lawsuit against the defendant driver, alleging fault for the crash. Her husband also filed a derivative claim for loss of consortium. When it was learned the driver was working at the time, the complaint was amended to include The Boeing Company as a corporate defendant. The defendants disputed the extent of the plaintiff's injuries, presenting testimony from a defense orthopedic surgeon and a biomechanical expert, while the plaintiff presented findings from a physical medicine expert. The case proceeded to trial in Indianapolis solely against The Boeing Company after the plaintiff's motion to dismiss the defendant driver was granted. Following a three-day trial, the jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff, awarding $25,000 in damages. However, the plaintiff's husband received no damages for his consortium claim. The court entered a judgment reflecting the jury's decision, which the corporate defendant paid. The plaintiffs later filed a post-trial motion to correct error concerning the court's exclusion of evidence regarding a defense expert's financial connections, which remained pending.

In September 2012, a 73-year-old driver lost control of her 2007 Mini-Cooper on U.S. 50 in Martin County, near Halbert Township. The vehicle veered into a ditch and rolled over multiple times, coming to rest upside down. The driver sustained a C6-7 cervical fracture and a permanent C5-T1 spinal injury, resulting in partial quadriplegia and medical bills exceeding $562,000. She reported either falling asleep or swerving to avoid an animal as the cause of the initial loss of control. The plaintiff subsequently sued the vehicle manufacturer, alleging negligent design due to the absence of a roll-activated side curtain airbag. She contended this design defect led to enhanced injuries that would have been prevented with the airbag, specifically during the head strike inside the vehicle during the roll. Expert testimony from design, biomechanics, and accident reconstruction specialists supported her claim. An attorney-prepared paper, based on self-conducted rollover tests, was offered as evidence but was excluded by the court. The defendant argued that the plaintiff's proof was inadequate, asserting that the proposed airbag design would not have altered the injury outcome. Defense experts testified that the plaintiff struck her head on the roof rail. The defense also highlighted that the vehicle met all government safety standards, leading to a jury instruction about a rebuttable presumption of non-negligent design if standards were met. Additionally, the defendant implicated the plaintiff's own comparative fault for losing control of the vehicle. After a six-day trial in federal court, the jury was asked to determine if the Mini-Cooper was negligently designed by lacking a roll-activated side curtain airbag, which then led to an enhanced injury. The jury answered no, concluding deliberations and leading the court to enter a judgment for the defense.