Lindell & Lavoie, LLP
has successfully handled thousands of case over the
past 30 years. Following are some examples of verdicts and
settlements we've achieved for our clients:
Auto accident--traumatic brain
injury.
A 26-year-old married mother of two
young children received serious brain and facial injuries
when she drove into the rear of a semi-truck carrying a
telephone pole that extended 41 feet behind the trailer. The
pole went through her windshield and struck her in the face.
Client was hospitalized for five weeks and underwent
multiple surgeries for her facial, jaw and teeth injuries.
Her traumatic brain injury left her with permanent cognitive
limitations and psychological difficulties.
Settlement: $1,000,000
(the policy limits available)
Defective product injury
Client, age 48, was a heavy equipment mechanic
with many years of experience. He was doing maintenance work
on a skid steer with the bucket raised. The bucket
unexpectedly detached and fell on client, severing his foot
at the instep. He required two more amputations to just
below his knee and the implantation of a nerve stimulator
for pain relief. He was unable to return to his regular
employment. We brought an action against the manufacturer of
the skid steer asserting that the machine had a dangerous
flaw in the design of its coupler system.
Settlement: $1,015,000
Workers' compensation
Our client, a 19-year-old roofer, fell from the
roof of a home, resulting in a burst facture of a vertebra
in his mid-back. He underwent a fusion of three vertebrae
but still suffered pain and other disabilities rendering him
totally disabled.
Settlement: An annuity
settlement that gives client a stable and
adequate monthly income for life.
Auto accident--broken bones
A 39-year-old single mother was injured when a
driver ran a stop sign and broadsided the car in which she
was a passenger. Client sustained pelvic fractures, a
collapsed lung, rib fractures and a mild concussion. She was
hospitalized for a week, then spent a month in a nursing
home. She was out of work for almost three months and then
returned only part-time.
Settlement: $180,000
Slip and fall, defective premises
liability
Our 59-year-old client slipped and
fell in a downtown Minneapolis office building. She suffered
a fractured right shoulder, which was surgically repaired.
Settlement: $75,000
Whip-lash, auto accident
A rear-end collision caused a whip-lash injury
to the back of our client's neck. Client was 39 years old.
Arbitration
result: $77,500
Bicycle vs. car accident
On his way to work on his bicycle, our client
(age 60) was struck by a car. He suffered lacerations and
abrasions to his face, a severed nerve in his chin, and
required extensive dental repair work.
Settlement: $42,500
Dog bite
Our client's
1-year-old son was bitten by an Akita dog owned by a
neighbor. The dog knocked the boy from his mother's arms and
bit him multiple times. The child has permanent scars on his
face and neck.
Settlement: $18,000,
payments deferred to age 18, totaling
$28,805
Workers' compensation--back injury,
retraining
Our client is a heavy machine
operator in a manufacturing plant who suffered a low back
injury while lifting steel rods. Although he is not a
surgical candidate, his doctor placed permanent restrictions
that compelled him to change occupations. Even with the
assistance of a vocational rehabilitation counselor, our
client was unable to find suitable work. A retraining plan
was drafted and filed and, following a trial, a compensation
judge ordered the plan to be paid for by insurance. The
client is now a student in a 2-year program leading to a
certificate in computer repair and is receiving weekly
compensation checks while he is in school.
Workers' compensation--death of
worker
Our client is the widow of a 22-year-old
man who was killed when his clothing became entangled in
machinery at a meat packing plant. The company's insurer
denied responsibility, alleging the deceased worker violated
safety rules and was responsible for his own death.
Following trial, a workers' compensation judge awarded full
survivors' benefits to our client and her infant child.
Following lengthy negotiation with the insurance company,
our client's award was converted to an annuity contract
providing our client with a stable and adequate monthly
income for life.
Workers' compensation
Our client is a 42-year-old carpenter who
suffers from chronic alcoholism. While at work he fell from
the roof of a house under construction, suffering very
severe injuries. He will never work again. In the hospital
emergency room, he was observed to smell of alcohol and his
blood alcohol content was .3 percent--three times the legal
limit for operating a motor vehicle. His employer denied his
claim for medical expenses and wage loss, claiming that he
was an independent contractor and that he was injured as a
result of his own drunkenness in any event. A compensation
judge agreed and dismissed the employee's claim following
trial. However, the Workers' Compensation Court of Appeals
agreed with our argument that, although our client was
intoxicated at the time of his injury, the insurance company
failed to show that his intoxication caused his fall from
the house. The court reversed the compensation judge and
ordered payment of all benefits due.
