Mr. Demas represented Santos M., a detention officer for a private company that contracted with Homeland Security, in connection with neck and back injuries he sustained in a September 2016 motor vehicle collision. The defendant driver was operating a large medical transport van for his employer, an ambulance company when he failed to stop at a red light at an intersection in Downtown Sacramento. At that same time, Santos was entering the intersection on a green light and was unable to stop, when he collided with the side of the transport van in the intersection.
Santos sustained injuries to his cervical (neck) and lumbar (low back) spine. Over the next four years, Santos underwent an array of pain management treatments, including spinal injections and ultimately a discectomy, a type of lumbar spine surgery. He reluctantly was forced to medically retire from his job a year ahead of schedule.
The defense, in this case, attacked from all angles, presenting many challenges for Mr. Demas and his team. They initially argued that their driver had in fact not ran a red light and was legally in the intersection. Mr. Demas and his team disposed of this contention primarily by locating an independent witness who completely contradicted the driver’s story. Next, the defense attacked Santos personally, claiming he had been lying about the significance of his injury because he continued to work for so long after the collision.
Finally, the defense attempted to claim that Santos did not sustain any significant injury, and alternatively, that any injury he did sustain was not due to the collision. The defense went as far as to hire a doctor from San Luis Obispo, who they assumed would support their position, to evaluate Santos. The defense attempted to hide this doctor’s results; however, it was ultimately revealed that their doctor ultimately agreed that Santos had sustained a significant injury as a direct result of the crash.
As the case approached trial, Mr. Demas assembled a team of medical experts to establish Santos’ future care needs at trial. Prior to this point, the highest offer by the defense had been $300,000.00. One by one each pillar of the defense case collapsed and ultimately Mr. Demas secured a $1,800,000.00 settlement for Santos on the eve of trial.
