CVN screenshot of plaintiff attorney Christian Morris delivering her opening statement
Las Vegas, NV - A Nevada state court jury heard opening statements Thursday in a lawsuit claiming a collision between a van and an RV on a highway near Las Vegas left a man suffering from extensive back and neck injuries, and the full trial is being webcast gavel-to-gavel by Courtroom View Network.
Plaintiff Todd Hussey sued Yoshi Tahira and tourist transport company Nevada Kanko Services following an accident in 2017, when Tahira collided with Hussey’s RV while making a lane change. The accident did relatively minor damage to each vehicle, but Hussey claims the impact left him needing spinal fusion surgery with more procedures planned. The defense maintains Hussey’s neck problems are unrelated to the collision.
Hussey’s attorney, Christian Morris of Christian Morris Trial Attorneys, told jurors they would need to decide whether a 46-year-old man with no history of neck pain suddenly requiring spinal fusion surgery in the aftermath of a car accident is a coincidence.
She explained that Hussey, an asphalt worker, isn’t prone to making complaints about physical discomfort and only sought out medical treatment in the weeks and months following the collision when neck and back pain and worsening numbness in his hands became a serious problem - despite lacking any symptoms immediately following the accident.
Morris told jurors Hussey’s past and future medical treatment and inability to work like he did before the accident has taken a substantial toll on him while serving as a live-in caregiver for his elderly parents.
“As a result of this, undergoing this surgery, not being able to use his body as he normally would affected his ability to feel like a whole person,” Morris said.
Representing Tahira and Nevada Kanko Services, attorney Tom Winner of Winner & Booze told jurors that Hussey suffers from naturally occurring conditions like arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome , and that the “minor accident” in 2017 has nothing to do with his present condition.
"No matter how thin you slice the brisket it still has two sides," Winner said.
CVN screenshot of defense attorney Tom Winner delivering his opening statement
Winner stressed that Hussey didn’t mention any numbness in his hands during more than four months of treatment with a chiropractor after the accident, and that when he finally did receive a neck MRI it showed evidence of conditions that supposedly took years to develop.
“There’s no sign of trauma, but a lot of signs of arthritis and degeneration,” Winner said.
The trial is taking place before Jude Eric Johnson, and CVN's gavel-to-gavel video coverage will continue for the duration of the proceedings.
The case is captioned Hussey v. Tahira, case number A-18-783396-C in Nevada's Eighth Judicial District Court.
E-mail David Siegel at dsiegel@cvn.com