Man suffers brain injury, judge awards nearly $18 million

Maryland residents might be familiar with the story of an out-of-state man who suffered a brain injury last year by falling off a golf cart. He was recently awarded close to $17.88 million. This personal injury verdict regarding the traumatic brain injury came after a non-jury trial before a judge. It was against a local company that managed the golf course, an affiliated apartment complex as well as its related entities.

The original incident occurred on the night of Sept. 7, 2013. The victim, a 28-year-old man, was riding on a golf cart on a country club’s golf course. The man, who was seated backwards on the front hood of the cart, fell off backwards. His head struck the concrete golf path when the cart driver — who was an agent of the country club and an employee of the apartment complex — suddenly came to a swift stop.

The judge found that the driver operated the cart negligently and, additionally, acted with gross negligence by not immediately calling an ambulance. Although the victim was later admitted to a local medical center in Norman, Oklahoma around an hour later, an ambulance could have arrived within five minutes if called for immediately after the accident. This severe delay was found to have compounded the man’s injuries, based upon the testimony of a medical expert. The man will require a guardian for the rest of his life as the brain injury will not allow him to live independently or perform any life-sustaining activities that are commonly associated with daily living. The amount awarded was earmarked for present and future medical expenses, lost wages, as well as punitive damages and pain and suffering.

This tragic accident sadly underscores the fact that a traumatic brain injury can haunt victims for the rest of their lives. When such an injury occurs due to another’s negligence, the victim has legal recourse and may choose to consult with an experienced personal injury attorney to assess the validity of a personal injury lawsuit. A successfully navigated claim in a Maryland civil court, based on evidence of negligence, often leads to a financial award to help alleviate the associated financial setbacks incurred.

Source: newsok.com, “Judge awards Cleveland County man nearly $17.88 million for head injury“, Randy Ellis, Oct. 31, 2015