$2.2 Million Verdict for Summerville Plumber Rear-Ended at Traffic Light

Terence Weese was a plumber and father of three working in the Summerville area when a rear-end collision on Bacons Bridge Road upended his career. In 2016, he was driving south on that road and came to a full stop at a traffic light. Samantha Johnson, a teenage driver traveling behind him, failed to stop and struck his vehicle from the rear.

The impact herniated discs across four of Weese's upper cervical vertebrae and compressed his spinal cord. He underwent a three-level spinal fusion surgery, a procedure that fused segments of the cervical spine to relieve the compression and restore stability. Surgeons told him that procedure was unlikely to be the final intervention his condition would require: ongoing management and a probable revision surgery lay ahead. For a tradesman whose daily work involves bending, lifting, and sustained physical effort in confined spaces, those limitations were permanent and direct. His medical team documented $353,000 in past bills and projected another $170,000 in future care.

Mark Bringardner, a senior member of the Joye Law Firm's trial team in Charleston, brought the case before Dorchester County Circuit Court Judge Diane Goodstein in November 2018. The defense, led by Nickisha Woodward of Turner Padget in Charleston, contested the claim on two grounds. First, it argued that Weese's cervical condition traced to pre-existing degenerative changes in his spine rather than to the crash. Second, it challenged whether Johnson had been distracted by a cell phone at the moment of impact. Bringardner responded with medical evidence establishing the causal connection between the rear-end force and the herniations, and presented the full projection of past and future treatment costs.

After a three-day trial, the jury deliberated for two hours. On November 28, 2018, it returned a verdict of $2.2 million. The result was believed to be the largest personal-injury verdict arising from an automobile accident in Dorchester County's history.

Johnson's insurer initially declined to pay the full judgment. Bringardner pursued enforcement through post-trial legal action until the carrier ultimately satisfied the award.

South Carolina Lawyers Weekly ranked the case as number 15 among the state's top verdicts and settlements for 2018.