Jury awards professor $17 million in car crash
A jury awarded a UNLV dental school professor $17 million Thursday in his personal injury lawsuit against a rental car company.
Dr. Michael Sanders, a professor of clinical studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ School of Dental Medicine, sued Dollar Rent A Car and its parent company after their employee, Constance Volk, driving with a suspended license, crashed a company car into Sanders’ vehicle in March 2004.
Sanders was pulling out of the Thomas & Mack Center parking lot when he collided with the rental car company’s vehicle at the intersection of Swenson Street and Thomas & Mack Drive. According to court documents, Volk did not see Sanders as his vehicle crossed the intersection.
Sanders, a former football player for West Point, sustained serious injuries and later had to undergo cervical spine surgery, said Sanders’ lawyer, Don Campbell.
Sanders also has perpetual ringing in his ears as a result of the accident, Campbell said.
Sanders and his insurance company shelled out more than $118,000 for Sanders’ medical and rehab expenses. He had a high-risk spinal surgery that fused two of his vertebrae together and has needed 12 weeks of rehabilitation therapy so far.
The jury award was for compensatory and punitive damages, with the punishment aspect of the judgment pushing the total so high.
“It’s a very significant jury verdict for a non-paralysis punitive damage case,” Campbell said. “But then again, the facts here were very outrageous.”
Thomas McGrath, the attorney representing Dollar Rent A Car and its parent company, Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group of Tulsa, Okla., did not return phone calls Thursday.
In court documents, McGrath argued that Sanders was responsible for the accident and not entitled to substantial damages.
A temporary employment service supplied employees to Dollar Rent A Car, which relied on that temp agency to ensure that the employees it provided had valid driver’s licenses, McGrath noted.
But, Campbell said, in addition to not making sure that the employees it was using had valid licenses, Dollar Rent A Car also did not ask them background questions about criminal convictions and drug use. Volk, had previous drug and grand larceny convictions, according to court documents.
“The jury sent them (the companies) a very strong message that they can take home to Tulsa, Oklahoma, and that is that you have to follow the law in the state of Nevada,” Campbell said.
Sanders could not be reached for comment Thursday.
Contact reporter K.C. Howard at khoward@reviewjournal.com or (702) 380-1039.