Chain Reaction Crash Leads to Causation Dispute

The Plaintiff, Thomas Hadley was driving his vehicle in Graham, NC and stopped behind a car making a left turn in front of him. Another driver stopped behind the plaintiff safely, but was re-ended by the Defendant, Cindy Perry. The impact caused the driver behind the Plaintiff to rear-end the car in front of him and to rear-end the car in front of them. The Plaintiff claimed this was a substantial impact that caused damage to the front and back of his vehicle. The Defendant admitted liability for causing the accident and the case proceeded on the issues of causation and damages.

The Plaintiff was a 58 year old married male who worked as a laborer for Purina. Mr. Hadley alleged he sustained serious neck and back injuries, which were ongoing to the date of the trial. He acknowledged a pre-existing degenerative condition that he claimed was aggravated by this impact, but also claimed that he suffered from new injuries.

The Defendant, Ms. Perry contended that Mr. Hadley was not injured in the accident, his condition preexisted this impact and his continuing complaints were unrelated to the crash.

The Verdict was $7,000 plus attorney fees of $3,500 and $3,000 in costs for a total judgment of $13,500.