Rear End Auto Accident Lawsuit Results in $9M Verdict

A California jury has awarded $9 million to two women who were seriously injured in a 2008 auto accident. 

The personal injury lawsuits were filed by Susan Lutz and Clarice Brewer, both of Fresno, against Hussmann Corp., a refrigeration equipment company. According to the complaint, Hussmann truck driver Jason Mudford rear-ended Lutz’s pick-up truck after making a lane change, forcing Lutz’s truck into the back of Brewer’s van on April 11, 2008.

As a result of the injuries sustained in the rear-end auto accident, Brewer lost the use of her legs and now uses a wheelchair due to the accident. Lutz has been diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury that has placed her in a permanent state of vertigo.

According to a report by The Fresno Bee, following a four-week trial, Brewer was awarded $5 million for pain and suffering and $2.36 million for medical expenses. The Fresno County Superior Court jury awarded Lutz $1 million for pain and suffering and $981,770 for medical expenses.

Defense attorneys attempted to argue that Brewer may not have been wearing a seatbelt, which would have reduced Hussmann’s liability if true. However, the jury voted 9-3 that Brewer was wearing her seatbelt at the time of the accident.