Catastrophic Injury

Defending Mass Litigation and Single Claims

Wrongful death, brain injury, quadriplegia, amputation and persistent vegetative state are among the conditions commonly encountered by our Catastrophic Injury Practice Group. Cases range in scope from a single injury to mass litigation. 

Our seasoned trial attorneys argue before juries in some of the toughest jurisdictions, and often with very difficult sets of facts. We vigorously seek the most favorable verdict or outcome under the circumstances, and in doing so, our attorneys have helped limit damage awards for clients—even in cases where liability defense options were, at best, significantly limited. 

Weinberg Wheeler Hudgins Gunn & Dial is often called in immediately or soon after a catastrophic event, to provide counsel and guidance. Prior to any claims, members of our Catastrophic Injury Practice Group guide investigative and risk management activities to ensure, among other things, the identification and preservation of critical evidence. Our attorneys interact with governmental and regulatory authorities to prepare for the litigation that is likely to result from such events, and we utilize long-standing relationships with qualified experts to examine these cases and provide beneficial testimony on liability, causation and damages. From our offices in Atlanta, Miami, Las Vegas and Orlando, our trial attorneys have litigated catastrophic cases in 40 states.

Recent Catastrophic Injury Cases  

• In a $25 million distracted driving trial in Florida, WWHGD successfully defended a global package delivery service from wrongful death claim involving alleged cognitive distraction arising from an employee's use of a mobile device.
• In a five-week trial, WWHGD achieved a favorable judgment for the defense. The award was millions less than the final settlement offer at trial. The case involved a physician and his wife, who, while guests at a Wyoming resort hotel, were asphyxiated by carbon monoxide. The physician died; his wife suffered brain damage.
• A defense verdict was achieved by WWHGD trial lawyers despite $17 million request by plaintiff's counsel. In this case, a Texas oil man died from yellow fever after returning from a company-sponsored fishing trip to Brazil.
• WWHGD’s client was awarded a directed verdict in a trial that lasted just two days. Plaintiff sought more than $12 million in damages for her claim of severe and debilitating injuries from an alleged assault by a Las Vegas casino employee in a ladies’ restroom.
• A jury in Jacksonville returned a defense verdict in a three-week trial. The case involved a 10-year-old girl who suffered paralysis in Florida, resulting in seven negligence claims against four physicians in a medical malpractice trial.

We have defended clients from a variety of industries, such as: construction, childcare, education, healthcare, hospitality, product manufacturing and transportation. 

Clients of the Catastrophic Injury Practice Group include, but are not limited to: 

• Apartment complexes
• Bus companies
• Day care centers
• Health care providers
• Hospitals
• Hotels
• Nursing homes
• Physicians
• Product manufacturers
• Schools
• Trucking companies