
Powell | Klausing
Case Results
Car Dealership Negligence
Car Accidents
May 2020
Our clients, a family of five, sustained various injuries when their minivan experienced a tire blow out and tread separation. The minivan had been purchased "as is" from an auto dealership in Lexington two weeks before the event. Through the use of several experts, we were able to show the van's tires were inherently dangerous due to age and weathering, and that the dealership should not have sold the subject van without first replacing the tires.
Outcome - $550,000
Construction Site Injury
Workplace Injuries
January 2016
Our client sustained crush injury and partial amputation of three toes when a lowboy operator dropped a lowboy deck and bulldozer onto client's foot. Our firm established the lowboy operator was in a hurry and had violated numerous safety protocols and OSHA-recommended procedures. In addition to what our client had already recovered through workers compensation, we were able to recover another $350,000 for pain, suffering, and disfigurement.
Outcome - $350,000
Facial/Dental Injuries
Car Accidents
January 2017
Our client, a 2-year-old boy, was ejected from his rear car seat sustaining facial lacerations and four lost teeth. With the assistance of a dental expert, we were able to establish that our client would likely experience speech development problems and would likely also have alignment issues when his adult teeth eventually came in.
Outcome - $120,000 (policy limits)
Unconstitutional Search and Seizure
Spinal Cord Injuries
September 2014
Our client, a young African American man, was stopped by police officers while walking to his grandmother's house late one night. After confirming our client was not the individual the officers were searching for, the officers nonetheless proceeded to empty his backpack and other belongings without a valid reason. In the course of a lawsuit filed in Federal District Court, we established a violation of our client's civil rights by the police officers.
Outcome - $96,000
Farm Tractor Accident
Catastrophic Injury
March 01, 2014
Client suffered from a spinal injury.
Outcome - $300,000 (policy limits)
Car Accident
Car Accidents
January 01, 2014
Client suffered from a mild traumatic brain injury and knee injury.
Outcome - $200,000
Failure to Diagnose Heart Attack
Medical Malpractice
January 2014
Our firm successfully represented the estate of a Louisville woman in a wrongful death lawsuit against a local hospital. Our client suffered a fatal heart attack shortly after a surgery to repair her broken arm. With the assistance of an expert cardiologist, we were able to show that her surgeon failed to take appropriate steps to achieve proper anticoagulation before her surgery, and the hospital staff then failed to recognize or treat our client's heart attack for approximately 12 hours following the surgery, despite the deceased client having been in ICU for most of that period.
Outcome - Confidential Settlement
Femur Fracture, Tinnitus
Car Accidents
May 2015
Outcome - $375,000 (policy limits)
Disputed Neck Injury
Car Accidents
September 2020
Our client was rear-ended by an intoxicated 22-year-old driver, causing injuries to his neck. Over the next 16 months our client developed radiculopathy pain in his shoulder and arm, which led to a C5-6/C6-7 anterior cervical diskectomy and fusion (ACDF) surgery. Due to the fact that 16 months had elapsed, the at-fault driver's insurance carrier refused to attribute our client's surgery to the auto accident and offered just $5,000 to settle. Our firm sued the at-fault driver and, in the lawsuit, established not only the egregiousness of the at-fault driver's conduct, but also the causal relationship between the auto accident and our client's surgery.
Outcome - $250,000 (policy limits)
Spine Surgeon Negligence
Medical Malpractice
August 2016
Our client experienced an increase in back pain after undergoing a spinal fusion surgery at his L2-4 vertebrae. Upon investigation, it was determined that an extra hardware component had been left in his spine during the operation. A second surgery was required to retrieve the extra hardware. Moving quickly, we were able to present the surgeon's negligence to his insurance carrier and settle the matter without filing a lawsuit.
Outcome - Confidential
Head-on Collision
Catastrophic Injury
September 2015
Our client, a retired Baptist minister, suffered lower spine injuries in a head-on collision with a remodeling contractor. Although the contractor denied the wreck was his fault, we were able to prove his truck had crossed the centerline to cause the impact. The contractor's insurance company paid the full amount of its policy despite the contractor's refusal to take responsibility. With the money, our client was able to retrofit his home to make it more wheelchair/walker accessible, which enabled him to continue to live independently.
Outcome - $600,000 (policy limits)
Learn more about spinal injuries.Failure to Yield to Waste Collector
Workplace Injuries
June 2021
Our client stepped off his waste collection truck in the course of his employment. In doing so, he was struck by an impatient young driver who had opted to pass our client's garbage truck in the oncoming lane at a high rate of speed. The impact launched our client into the air, causing him to sustain lacerations and brief loss of consciousness. Fortunately, he suffered no permanent injuries. After the other driver's insurance carrier initially denied responsibility, we were able show violation of several statutes designed to protect municipal service workers. In doing so, we promptly collected the driver's entire policy limits.
Outcome - $100,000 (Policy Limits)
Learn more about laws protecting waste collectors.15 times pre-attorney "top offer"
Car Accidents
September 2021
Our client, an avid snow skier, suffered severe whiplash in an automobile accident. Her injuries led to months of physical therapy and caused her to miss an entire season of snow skiing with her kids and grandkids. After months of trying unsuccessfully to negotiate a fair settlement on her own, she contacted her attorney, who referred her to our firm. We worked diligently to articulate the full scope of our client's loss. After significant negotiations, the at fault driver's insurance company agreed to pay its entire policy limits to resolve the claim - approximately 15x the "top offer" repeatedly extended to our client before she hired us.
Outcome - Confidential Settlement (Policy Limits)
Catastrophic Workplace Injury
Workplace Injuries
March 2021
Scott Powell and Steve Klausing represented one of two plaintiffs involved in a catastrophic workplace injury that left our client with a mild brain injury and severe post traumatic syndrome. The defendant initially rejected liability, so we moved quickly to file suit and secure expert testimony that clearly demonstrated the negligence of the defendant's employee. This helped prompt a policy limits offer of more than $1.9 million to the injured plaintiffs before any depositions were taken.
Outcome - $1.9 Million
Catastrophic Birth Injury
Kentucky Birth Injury Lawyers
August 2018
Outcome - $9 Million
Learn More About Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy
Failure to Address Placental Abruption Causing Death
Medical Malpractice
2017
Outcome - $2.25 Million