Type of Case: Personal Injury & Workers Compensation Facts: Mark Wolfe took over the appeal of this case after a jury returned a verdict in favor of the Defendant. (The lawyer who had represented the vicim at trial did not want to file an appeal.) The case was reversed and remanded by the Alabama Supreme Court based upon an incorrect jury charge and was settled in mediation for $220,000.00 in advance of the new trial. Read the full opinion here.
Voivedich v. Douglas CV 01-1630
Type of Case: Motor Vehicle Collision Facts: This case involved a motorcycle collision with a small farm tractor. The accident happened when Mr. Voivedich ran his motorcycle into the back of a small farm tractor being operated by the Defendant on a rural Mobile County road. Mr. Voivedich received extensive injuries including the loss of part of his right foot. There was a dispute as to the lighting conditions at the time of the accident. The tractor was being operated without any lights or reflective warning devices but the Defendant contended that it was dusk and there was enough light that Mr. Voivedich should have seen the tractor. Mr. Voivedich stated it was dark at the time of the accident and his testimony was later verified by an independent witness. The case then settled for the full policy limits of the Defendant, $301,000.00. Mark Wolfe handled the case for the firm.
Lockwood v. Hicks and Nationwide Ins. Co., CV 05-4256
Type of Case: Motor Vehicle Collision & Workers Compensation Facts: At about 6:30 am on April 18, 2005 the Defendant lost control of is car. His car went off the roadway at over 50 miles per hour and across an apartment complex parking lot. The car hit a van parked in front of the Plaintiff’s apartment. The force of the impact launched the van into the Plaintiff’s apartment where the Plaintiff was sitting on his living room sofa having a cup of coffee and checking his morning office e-mail on his laptop. The van partially landed on the Plaintiff shattering his collar bone and severely injuring his foot as well has hurting his back and neck. The Defendant claimed he blacked out because of a sudden medical emergency, which is a defense to a claim of negligence under Alabama law. During the discovery phase of the lawsuit, it was determined that the Defendant’s “black-out” was caused by his misuse of medications. Mark Wolfe represented the victim in his liability case as well as his workers’ compensation case. A policy limits settlement was reached in the liability case and the victim received a Permanent Total Disability award on the workers compensation claim.
Westbrook, et al v. Jones, CV-00-1173
Type of Case: Wrongful Death-Motor Vehicle Collision Facts: This tragic accident occurred on June 20, 1999 in Mobile County, Alabama when a drunk driver ran a red light at a high speed and crashed into a van occupied by the Westbrook family and friends as they were returning from a trip to Disney World. Four year old Joia White was killed in the accident and her grandfather, Elmore Westbrook, Jr. died about two weeks later from complications of his injuries. Because there was limited insurance coverage available, Mark Wolfe did not charge a fee for his services. A 2.5 million dollar judgment was obtained against the drunk driver for the victims and their families.
Holmes v. Progressive Halcyon Insurance Company, U.S. Federal District Court No.1:07-487
Type of Case: Motor Vehicle Collision Facts: On July 29, 2005 Dewana Holmes of Mobile was driving in Montgomery. As she was stopped in traffic her vehicle was rear-ended by another driver. At first, she did not think she was injured bad enough to require a trip to the emergency room. However, after a few days the pain complaints in her lower back had gotten worse and she sought follow up care from her family doctor in Saraland. This began a long and arduous course of care and treatment which ultimately required surgery for a herniated disk in her lower back. The surgery did not fully relieve her pain complaints and she ultimately had to stop her work as an insurance billing clerk for an area dentist. The insurance company for the at-fault driver eventually paid the limits of their liability insurance coverage, but that amount was inadequate to compensate Dewana for the totality of her injuries. Because of this she filed a lawsuit against her own automobile insurance carrier (Progressive)for underinsured motorist benefits. Progressive vigorously denied her claim for benefits and aggressively defended the case. At trial, the Progressive attorney told the jury that Dewana and her husband were trying to “put one over” on their insurance company. The jurors did not believe that and after only 30 minutes of deliberation they returned a verdict for Dewana in the amount of $205,721.07 which was the exact amount requested by BF&W attorney Mark Wolfe in his closing argument.
Tyler v. WillBros Group Inc., CV 08-900951 – Mobile County
Type of Case: Motor Vehicle Collision Facts: Early on the morning of November 27, 2007 Mr. Tyler was on his way to work. He was traveling on St. Stephens Road when a vehicle coming the opposite direction suddenly swerved into his lane of travel striking his vehicle head-on. The vehicle that struck Mr. Tyler was being operated on behalf of the Defendant, WillBros Group, Inc. Mr. Tyler suffered numerous injuries including a complex fracture to his hip that required surgery and hardware to repair. He was out of work for almost a year recovering from his injuries. Mr. Tyler, through his hard work, was able to return to his pre-collision employment with no physical restrictions. He was also lucky enough to have an employer who held his job open for him during his recovery and rehabilitation. Mark Wolfe of BF&W represented Mr. Tyler in the matter. A settlement of $650,000.00 was reached shortly after the mediation and a few weeks before trial.