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Atlanta, GA— Jurors Thursday awarded a Georgia woman $584,000 for the 2017 armored truck crash that shattered her arm. Hall v. Hollis, et al., 18EV003141.
The Fulton County State Court jury deliberated about five hours before handing down the verdict for Kirche Hall, whose car was struck by a Loomis Armored-owned truck. The truck’s driver, Jabari Hollis, had failed to stop for a traffic signal when turning at an Atlanta intersection.
The crash left Hall with a butterfly fracture to her arm that required surgery, ongoing treatment, and past medical expenses alone running nearly $100,000.
Loomis and Hollis admitted fault for the crash, setting up a three-day trial on damages.
During Thursday’s closings, Hall’s attorney, Joseph Wilson, of JL Wilson Trial Law, noted that Hall needed a 9-10-inch-long plate to surgically repair her arm and that her treating physician outlined the far-reaching impact of what he considered a permanent injury.
That injury, Wilson said, rendered Hall unable to continue her career as a certified nursing assistant and left her with long-term pain and facing debilitating arthritis. “This is something she’ll have to deal with for the rest of her life. This is not a temporary injury that’s going to go away,” Wilson said in requesting about $3.7 million. “It’s permanent.”
But Loomis maintains Hall has largely recovered in the years following the crash. During Thursday’s closings, McGrew, Miller, Bomar & Bagley’s Heather Miller argued testimony showed Hall had recovered most of the strength in her arm and would likely not need further surgery. And she noted Hall, who had started teaching, was making more money as of last year than she had as a CNA in Georgia.
“By all accounts Ms. Hall has recovered well from this injury. Do we think that she is back to being as she was before this? No, we do not think that,” Miller told jurors, in suggesting a range of potential damage awards that factored in Hall’s medical expenses. “But we do know from [Hall’s treating physician] that she recovered well. We do know from her that she recovered well.”
After the verdict, Wilson told CVN the jury's award reflected the severity of Hall's injury. “Kirche is a great client; a very sweet young lady and ultimately the jury wanted to help her. From speaking with [the jurors] they all understood and were convinced that she couldn’t work as a CNA anymore, and also understood that this was a lifelong injury that she would have to deal with,” Wilson said via email. “The defense acknowledged she was injured but never would admit that it was permanent.”
Miller also said she was satisfied with the jury's decision. "My clients had offered to resolve this case long ago," Miller said via email. "We are quite pleased with the jury’s verdict and believe they got it right."
Email Arlin Crisco at acrisco@cvn.com.
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