FORT WORTH, Texas, July 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Experienced trial lawyer C. Kyle Pugh of C. Kyle Pugh PC Attorneys at Law in Dallas won a $26.5 million judgment for a Grand Prairie, Texas, man who was left quadriplegic after a U.S. Postal Service truck struck his car while reversing down his residential street.
The final judgment, handed down on July 24, 2023, by the Hon. Judge Reed O’Connor in the Fort Worth Division of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, followed a four-day bench trial in April. Mr. Pugh represented Michael Le and his wife, Dung Le, in the lawsuit against the United States of America, based on the life-changing injuries Mr. Le suffered in the crash.
Evidence showed that a U.S. Postal Service worker, delivering mail in the rain on a residential street, could not fit a parcel into a community mailbox. Instead of exiting her vehicle and walking the parcel back two houses to the intended residence, she reversed her postal truck, striking Mr. Le’s vehicle. Mr. Le had just backed out of his driveway to pick up his son from school.
Mr. Le had a pre-existing condition, ankylosing spondylitis, which resulted in brittle vertebrae. Although the collision was low impact, it resulted in a severe fracture to Mr. Le’s cervical spine.
Mr. Le was transported to a local hospital and then taken by helicopter to Baylor Hospital in Dallas, where surgeons attempted to repair his severed spine. The severe fracture, coupled with Mr. Le’s pre-existing condition, resulted in Mr. Le becoming quadriplegic. He remained in the hospital for months before returning home.
Prior to the accident, Mr. Le was gainfully employed and actively raising two high school aged sons with his wife. Mr. Le ran several miles a week and spent his free time at his son’s sporting events. He now requires round-the-clock care from his wife and their two sons.
“We proved that this tragic accident was foreseeable and preventable,” Mr. Pugh said. “While this judgment in no way makes the Le family whole, it will assist them in providing the best care possible for Mr. Le and his family. Negligence occurs every day and lives are forever changed. I am humbled by the strength and character of the Le family.”
The final judgment issued by Judge O’Connor includes nearly $24 million based upon Mr. Le’s past and future medical expenses, loss of earnings, and intangible damages. Mrs. Le was awarded more than $2.6 million for past and future loss of consortium and loss of services.
Dallas attorneys Kellie McKee, John Schulman, and Margaret Schulman served as co-counsel to Mr. Pugh.
Dallas’ Kyle Pugh represents individuals and their families in serious personal injury and wrongful death cases. For more information, visit www.kylepugh.com.
SOURCE C. Kyle Pugh P.C.