While driving on Idylwood Road in Falls Church, Virginia our client was struck by a vehicle driving in the opposite direction and attempting to make a U-turn in front of her. There was no traffic light, no stop sign and heavy traffic. Our client did not request an ambulance or visit the emergency room. Instead, she followed up with her primary care physician and then underwent an extensive course of medical treatment. Her initial complaints were neck pain with radiation into the shoulders and weakness, tingling and numbness in her hands. She did not recover well and eventually underwent an anterior cervical decompressive discectomy and fusion surgery.

Unfortunately, immediately following the surgery, while still admitted in the hospital, she developed dysphagia, which caused her condition to slowly deteriorate until she passed away. We filed suit against the responsible driver and his employer at the time of the accident and worked with our client’s physicians to prove that her death was the proximate result of the injuries and treatment caused by the motor vehicle collision. As a result, the parties agreed to private mediation and settled the case prior to trial.