Seven years after 17-year-old Dillon Elkins became a quadriplegic when he jumped from a truck and struck his head on the pavement, a Barstow jury has awarded his family $32.2 million for his San Bernardino County personal injury lawsuit. Because jury members found Elkins to be 20% at fault and Robert Murchison, the driver of the truck, to be 80% at fault, Dillon's family will receive 80% of the verdict.
The tragic San Bernardino County car accident happened in 2003 when Elkins, then 10, asked high school football player Robert Murchison to give him a ride from the homecoming football game. Murchison, then 18, has said that not only did he tell Dillon and another boy that he couldn't drive them because the truck's cab was full, but also that the two boys ignored him and jumped on the truck bed. Witnesses have said that Murchison told the boys that if a cop appeared, they were to jump out of the truck.
According to the family's San Bernardino County motor vehicle accident lawsuit, while on California 127, Murchison saw a police car and told the boys to jump out, which is exactly what Elkins did. Following the tragic accident, Elkins fell into a coma for three weeks and sustained severe brain injuries that left him a spastic quadriplegic. He is no longer able to walk, speak, or eat anything that isn't fed through a gastric tube.
Now, Elkins' mother Sherry Setter says that her son will have the funds to receive the medical care that he needs.
Spastic Quadriplegia
Spastic quadriplegia usually affects all four limbs of the body and can result in mental retardation, hearing impairment, and visual problems. Complications may include cognitive difficulties, seizures, bladder dysfunction, scoliosis, bowel dysfunction, skin sores, hip dislocation, and other health issues. Spastic quadriplegia can occur as a result of a spinal cord injury or brain damage.
If someone you love now has spastic quadriplegia because another party was negligent, you may be able to pursue Orange County, California personal injury recovery. Living as a spastic quadriplegia can be very expensive and you will likely need financial resources to cover medical expenses, round-the-clock care, specialized equipment, rehabilitation, and other services.
Jury awards damages to Baker youth badly injured in '03 accident, Los Angeles Times, June 9, 2010
Jury Awards $32M To I.E. Boy Left Quadriplegic, CBS/AP, June 9, 2010
Related Web Resources:
The National Spinal Cord Injury Association
Traumatic Brain Injury Information Page, National Institutes of Health
