Jury finds for man injured in low speed crash

David Baugher//April 26, 2023

A low impact rear-end crash that left little damage resulted in a $750,000 jury verdict for a St. Louis County motorist.

Chris Finney of Finney Injury Law said his expert “argued that the force felt by our client was the equivalent of one-third the force you would feel when you fell into your favorite chair.”

Matthew Frizzell was struck in mid-2020 by an employee of HVAC contractor C&R Mechanical. Finney said the company admitted they were negligent but denied almost all the damages.

Finney said that the case was complicated by the misreading of the initial MRI at the hospital. He noted that seemingly minor impacts can create substantial injuries.

“We had that reread and, sure enough, it showed damage the day of the crash and that matched up to an MRI that was taken a year and a half after,” he said.

He said the plaintiff was still treating up to the day of trial for spinal issues and chronic lower back pain, while defense experts argued the problems were largely degenerative and the plaintiff was functionally in good shape.

Jon Morrow and Killian Walsh of Knight Nicastro MacKay represented the defense. Walsh deferred comment to Morrow, who did not return a call on the matter.

$750,000 verdict

Motor Vehicle Collision

Venue: St. Louis County Circuit Court

Case Number/Date: 21SL-AC17744-01/Jan. 11, 2023

Judge: Krista Peyton

Defendants’ Experts: Michael Chabot, St. Louis (medical); Nathan Lombardo, St. Louis (engineering)

Last Pretrial Demand: None

Last Pretrial Offer: $70,000

Insurer: FCCI

Caption: Matthew Frizzell v. C&R Mechanical

Plaintiff’s Attorneys: Chris Finney and Alex Ledbetter, Finney Injury Law, Brentwood

Defendant’s Attorneys: Jon Morrow and Killian Walsh, Knight Nicastro & McKay, St. Louis