The Kansas City car accident lawyers at Wendt Law Firm P.C. regularly represent people who have been injured in motor vehicle accidents. We recently settled a tragic motor vehicle accident case on behalf of our client, Petar Kuzmanov. Petar was involved in a multiple-impact car accident in November, 2011 near Joplin, Missouri. Since that time, we have worked tirelessly to protect Petar’s rights and have recently obtained a $10,300,000 settlement to help Petar move forward with his life. It is our honor to represent those unjustly injured. If you or a loved one has been injured by the negligence of others, please contact us to discuss how we can help.
A young man who suffered a traumatic brain injury while trapped in an overturned car struck by three other vehicles settled with a series of defendants for $10.3 million, according to his attorney.
At about 1:30 a.m. on Nov. 11, 2011, Petar Kuzmanov, 23 at the time, was a passenger in a 2008 Toyota Scion that lost control while westbound on Interstate 44 in Lawrence County.
The Scion traveled off the left shoulder onto the median, then slid back across the westbound lanes, overturned onto its top, struck a guard rail and came to rest upside down in the right westbound lane near a bridge. The driver, Hristo Hristov, and the front seat passenger, Lauren Weiner, escaped the vehicle with only minor injuries, but Kuzmanov remained inside.
An approaching 2011 Dodge Ram pickup truck struck the Scion. According to Kuzmanov’s attorney, Sam Wendt of Wendt Law Firm P.C. in Kansas City, the truck was traveling 8 miles per hour over the speed limit and had its bright headlights on but didn’t stop in time. The pickup driver’s girlfriend, Amy Rhoades, who was following in a 2009 Dodge Caliber, said the Scion bounced off the right-hand guard rail, came back and hit her vehicle in the front.
Finally, a fully loaded tractor-trailer came upon the scene. The driver, Larisa Morosanu of Maktrans Logistics, testified she saw the hazard lights from Rhoades’ Caliber and realized both lanes of the highway were blocked. She tried to slow down but collided with the overturned Scion.
The other accident victims found Kuzmanov unconscious and partially ejected from the front windshield of the Scion. He was taken to Mercy Hospital in Springfield with a closed head injury with subdural hematoma, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and multiple punctuate hemorrhages. He also suffered a degloving of the right foot, traumatic amputation of the left index finger, and a right femur fracture requiring open reduction and internal fixation, as well as serious abrasions and lacerations all over his body.
He remained comatose for several months. After many months of rehabilitation, Kuzmanov made significant progress, Wendt said. His cognition improved, his speech became more intelligible, and he was later able to move with minimal assistance. Expert testimony established that Kuzmanov was permanently disabled and that he requires assistance with activities of daily living, Wendt said.
According to Wendt, the various defendants settled for a total of $10.3 million but a confidentiality clause barred him from providing a breakdown. He also declined to identify the driver of the truck that initially struck the Scion or the driver’s employer, which owned the pickup and was named as a defendant.
Kurt Schmid, an attorney for Maktrans and Morosanu, and Keith Cary, an attorney for Rhoades, confirmed that their clients had settled. Attorneys for Hristov and Weiner didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Wendt also said he could not name the court in which the lawsuit was resolved. However, Case.net records show that the case was pending in Barry County Circuit Court, where it had been transferred from neighboring Lawrence County.
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$10.3 million global settlement
Motor vehicle collision
Venue: Barry County Circuit Court
Case Number/Date: 13LW-CC00096-01/July 27, 2015
Mediator: Charles Atwell
Special Damages: $530,000 in past medical expenses
Caption: Georgi Kuzmanov, as Conservator and Guardian of Petar Kuzmanov v. Maktrans Logistics Inc., Larisa Morosanu, Hristo Hristov, Lauren Weiner, Amy Rhoades, and confidential driver and company
Plaintiffs’ Attorney: Samuel M. Wendt, Wendt Law Firm P.C., Kansas City; R. Denise Henning, The Henning Law Firm, Kansas City
Defendants’ Attorneys: Joseph Swift and Kurt Schmid, Brown & James, St. Louis (for Maktrans and Morosanu); M. Todd Moulder and James Morrow, Morrow Willnauer Klosterman Church, Kansas City (for Hristov); James Bingley, Farmers Insurance (for Weiner); Keith Cary and John Mullen, Franke, Schultz & Mullen, Kansas City (for Rhoades)