A Philadelphia Eye Injury Attorney 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.

Crucial to the 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.

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 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 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.