
'You are on the hook,' warns lawyer after driver hit with $3 million bill for rear-ending car – know your rights | 39D0J3C | 2024-05-11 12:08:01
A PATIENT has won a life-changing $3.1 million settlement after a rear-end accident left them with permanent spine damage.
After securing the win, the plaintiff's lawyer warned drivers they were "on the hook" after causing an accident.


Jeff Missey was driving on I-70 in St. Louis, Missouri in January 2021 when a nightmarish incident involving a semi-truck occurred.
A driver for Bob Cope Farms, LLC rear-ended Missey with a tractor-trailer, resulting in an extended battle with spinal issues, reported Missouri Lawyers Media.
After the impact, Missey attended several chiropractic appointments, received physical therapy, and saw various specialists.
A few years after the incident, a specialist recommended a spinal stimulator be implanted to help reduce chronic back pain.
Spinal cord stimulators are used as a last resort to avoid surgery after other methods have failed to relieve persistent pain.
Most patients see an improvement in sleep quality and a reduced dependency on painkillers or other treatment methods.
"Spinal cord stimulators consist of thin wires and a small, pacemaker-like battery pack," explained Hopkins Medicine.
"The electrodes are placed between the spinal cord and the vertebrae, and the generator is placed under the skin, usually near the buttocks or abdomen."
With the press of a button, Missey would have been able to send a signal to the device to relieve pain almost immediately.
However, Missey wasn't so lucky.
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During the implantation process, Missey began to bleed and the stimulator did not work for him, so the device was removed.
After the removal, his spine fused – causing a permanent source of pain for him.
Missey's lawyer, John M. Simon or Simon Law Firm, strongly suggested a lawsuit against Bob Cope Farms for being the root of Missey's misery.
"If you cause someone to have surgery, you are on the hook for all foreseeable complications from that surgery," he said.
<p class="article__content--intro"> An insurance company says there are five ways you can prevent being rear ended: </p> </div> </div>
Ann Marie Piana, the attorney representing Bob Cope Farms, argued that it wasn't the driver, but the medical provider that caused the issue.
Simon cited Missouri Law regarding automotive negligence, stating that the Bob Cope Farms vehicle was the cause of Missey's damages.
Piana also argued the impact from
Missey considered a malpractice suit against the provider for the complications, but Simon persuaded him otherwise.
"A med/mal case is way harder to prove than a rear-end case," he said.
In the end, Bob Cope settled in court for $3 million in damages throughout Missey's ongoing suffering.
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