Bilateral Rotator Cuff Tears After Right-of-Way Crash Settle for $404,642 in Jackson County

In 2023, a confidential plaintiff was driving in Jackson County when a defendant motorist failed to yield the right of way and struck her vehicle with enough force to cause significant driver-side intrusion and deploy the side curtain airbag. Paramedics had to extract her through the passenger side.

At the emergency department, she reported pain across both shoulders as well as her arm, elbow, wrist, and hand. MRI imaging later confirmed what clinicians suspected: a high-grade tear of the right supraspinatus tendon along with severe tendinosis and tearing in the left shoulder. Because the plaintiff relied on her right side for most daily tasks, the bilateral injuries hit hard. Dressing, bathing, cooking, cleaning, running errands, and caring for family members all became difficult in ways that persisted across multiple years of treatment.

Initial care included physical therapy and corticosteroid injections to the right shoulder. Roughly a year after the crash, she underwent surgical repair. Post-operative treatment continued with additional physical therapy and sling immobilization. Because the plaintiff divided her time between Kansas City and Florida, her medical providers spanned both states and her billed medical expenses totaled $155,762.14.

Attorney Laurie Del Percio of Horn Law Firm in Independence, Missouri handled the case. No defense attorney filed an appearance in the Jackson County Circuit Court proceeding. The parties reached a settlement in March 2026 for $404,642.