The plaintiff, a 22 year old police officer, suffered multiple injuries, including a skull fracture and subdural hematoma, in a jet ski accident. He was taken to a rural community hospital by ambulance. In preparing the plaintiff for transport from the community hospital to a major trauma center, he was negligently intubated and suffered a profound anoxic brain injury. He remained in a coma for several days, followed by emergence into a vegetative state.
At the time of the settlement, the plaintiff remained in a permanent vegetative state and was suffering from serious recurrent infections. It was the opinion of the various experts that the plaintiff’s life expectancy was substantially limited. Subsequent to the settlement, but prior to the scheduled trial date, the plaintiff died.
Plaintiff’s lawsuit was brought in a rural county of North Carolina. Prior to settling the case, plaintiff’s counsel conducted an extensive focus group/mock trial, which was quite helpful in determining the range within which to settle the case.
