$3.75 Million Settlement
A woman and her toddler sued a Holiday Inn hotel following a head-on accident with a hotel van.
On Nov. 18, 2001 Cassondra Pippins, 29, was driving her Toyota Celica on Broadway Avenue in St. Louis during a heavy rain. Her 2-year-old son Jahlen Morris was a passenger.
A Holiday Inn Select van driven by Gerald Betts crossed the centerline and hit Pippins head-on. She suffered comminuted fractures to her left and right femurs, left hip, right ankle and left wrist. Jahlen suffered a fractured right femur.
Before the accident Pippins was a Verizon customer service representative making $34,000 a year. Her vocational rehabilitation expert testified that she would be unable to return to work and was occupationally disabled. The defendants' vocational expert said that she would benefit from returning to work immediately because it was good therapy, and her job was mostly sedentary in nature. The defendants' medical expert contended that although Pippins was still experiencing pain she could return to work.
At mediation, the parties settled for $3.75 million, with $3.6 million going to Pippins and $150,000 to Jahlen.
Type of Action: Automobile accident
Type of Injuries: Multiple fractures
Court/Case No./Date: St. Louis City Circuit Court/022-00129/October 2003
Caption: Pippins, et al. v. St. Louis Hotel Limited Partnership, et al.
Judge, Jury or ADR: Jury
Name of Judge: Michael David
Special Damages: $250,000 past medical expense, $50,000 to $1.1 million future medical expense, $94,000 past lost wages, $0 to $1.3 million future lost wages (for Cassondra Pippins); $12,000 past medical expense (for Jahlen Morris)
Verdict or Settlement: $3.75 million settlement
Allocation of Fault: N/A
Last Offer: N/A
Last Demand: N/A
Attorneys for Plaintiffs: William K. Holland and Jeffrey S. Singer, Fox, Goldblatt & Singer, St. Louis
Insurance Carrier: Not disclosed
Plaintiff's Experts: Dr. Fallon H. Maylack, Florissant (orthopedist); Dr. Donald R. Vogenthaler, Boulder, Colo. (vocational economist); Tracy Wingate, Olathe, Kan. (life care planner)
Defendant's Experts: Dr. John A. Gragnani, Chesterfield (psychiatrist); Dr. Edward Workman, San Clemente, Calif. (vocational rehabilitation)
November 24, 2003
