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An Eye Injury Lawyer Talks About Eye Injuries

It’s the “vision thing”. No, I’m not talking
about George H. W. Bush. I’m talking
about vision loss and legal rights. I
recently handled a piece of litigation
involving a woman who suffered
permanent damage to one of her eyes
after being struck by a car. She was left
legally blind in that eye, although she
retained “light perception”, that is, the
ability to discern the source of light
through that eye. Everything else is
just an extreme blur.

This unfortunate elderly woman made
a very poor decision. She chose to
cross busy City Avenue in Philadelphia
just as the light for vehicular traffic
turned green. Although she was struck
at low speed, the force of the collision
caused her to flop onto the street face
first.

The case ultimately settled for $325,000.
This was quite a feat given that she began
crossing this four-lane street when it was
not safe to do so. Crucial to the
settlement was the manner in which I was
prepared to demonstrate to the jury how
drastically this woman’s life was changed
by the accident.

It was essential that I rebut any defense
attempt to minimize loss of vision in one
eye. I anticipated that the defense attorney
would point out that some jet pilots fly with
only one good eye. Individuals from all
walks of life are able to live normal lives
even though they are legally blind in one
eye.

Crucial to the large settlement of this case
was the manner in which I was prepared
to demonstrate to the jury how drastically
this woman’s life was changed by the
accident.

I used two novel techniques to put the
jurors in this woman’s shoes, to literally
see through her eyes. I retained an expert
in vision loss from Pennsylvania College of
Optometry to craft goggles that simulated
my client’s vision impairment. With a
simple pair of goggles and some plastic
wrap, we were able to motivate the
insurance company to settle the case for
what I believe was fair value. Fear of a
large jury verdict is the strongest motivator
when it comes to insurance companies.

See http://www.pco.edu/ for the Pennsylvania
College of Optometry website.

Imagine the jurors putting on the goggles
and trying to maneuver through the
courtroom. The goggles create a jarring
effect on the wearer. The first reaction is
dizziness. Once the wearer regains her
composure, she is confronted with the task
of moving through open doors, down steps,
up ramps, etc. Simple tasks of daily life
take on new complexities when one loses
depth perception and full field of vision.
Try closing one eye. Notice how your
depth perception immediately disappears.

I also had an expert produce photographs
that simulated the client’s blurry vision and
loss of peripheral vision. This evidence was
very important in convincing the insurance
company to settle this case.

If you or someone you know has suffered
vision loss due to someone’s negligence,
please contact me. I can help.

For more information about Evan Aidman work with clients with eye injuries click here: Eye Injury Lawyer

Evan Aidman is the founder and principal of the Law Offices of Evan K. Aidman. Mr. Aidman received a Bachelor's Degree in psychology from the University of Florida where he was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society after compiling a near perfect scholastic record. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, an Ivy League Institution, in 1983.

Click Here for Attorney Aidman's website: Eye Injury Attorneys
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