The woman, Ann C. Redford, 52, was a passenger in a car driven by her husband on Aug. 25, 1998, when it was struck from behind by a truck driven by Clarance Vincent, said Redford’s attorney, Stephen M. Smith of the Brain Injury Law Center. The truck was owned by Rack Room Shoes, Inc., of North Carolina.
Mrs. Redford suffered injuries that did not become apparent until about five months after the accident, which occurred on Virginia Route 199 in James City County, Smith said.
“She had not complained of loss of consciousness at the scene or at the emergency room,” Smith said. “However, a few months after the accident, she began showing symptoms of a mild traumatic brain injury, including severe headaches, short-term memory loss and the inability to perform more than one task at a time.
“These are classic symptoms of a mild brain injury,” said Smith.
Mrs. Redford had very little earnings history as she was a full-time home-school teacher to her son, Smith said.
The defendant admitted liability in the accident, but produced several experts who would have testified that Mrs. Redford did not suffer from a brain injury, rather from thyroid problems. In addition, the defendant’s investigator performed 34 hours of surveillance on Mrs. Redford, which showed her on videotape going outside of her home for only seven minutes.
The case was filed in Circuit Court for the City of Williamsburg and James City County. The settlement was reached Monday.
If you have been involved in an auto accident and have suffered mild brain injury as a result contact the Brain Injury Law Center today. Toll-Free (877) 840-3431.