A 70-year-old grandmother was driving to the store when her vehicle was broadsided by a truck driven by Dennis Svec, an employee of Berry Electric. Svec was lost and looking at his Blackberry device when his vehicle entered the intersection. Witnesses testified that Svec ran the red light although one witness disagreed. Mrs. Barnes suffered multiple traumatic injuries including a C4-5 distraction injury and dura tears requiring anterior and posterior fusion surgeries, multiple pelvic fractures requiring external fixation surgery, punctured heart, rib fractures, closed head injury and cranial nerve palsy.
The case settled immediately before opening statements one year to the day of the crash. The case was advanced to trial after Mr. Cavanagh took over 30 depositions in twelve months.
