Accidents occur and affect everyone equally, even celebrities. Read about four well-known people who, after being involved in a personal injury lawsuit that was not their fault, knew enough to contact a personal injury lawyer.
Brett Michaels
Having been hit on the head by a descending backdrop, TV personality and Poison’s former frontman filed a lawsuit against the Tony Awards and CBS in 2009. He claimed the incident led to a brain hemorrhage, a broken nose, and a cut requiring stitches.
According to the lawsuit, the producers instructed Michaels where he needed to stand for his performance. And according to the producers, he “missed his mark.” Both sides managed to reach an out-of-court settlement after Michaels retained a personal injury attorney. However, the settlement sum was never made public.
Tracy Morgan
In 2014, a Walmart truck crashed into the rear of a limousine Tracy Morgan was riding in. He was traveling at the time with his wife Krista Millea, comedians Ardie Fuqua and James McNair, and his assistant Jeffrey Millea. The crash claimed McNair’s life, and the other passengers suffered critical wounds. Morgan also suffered a broken leg and broken ribs in addition to a traumatic brain injury (TBI).
It was found that the motorist had been driving for a continuous 24 hours before falling asleep behind the wheel. This is against federal regulations for trucking companies, which must limit driving hours to lower accidents linked to weariness. The resulting litigation is said to have resulted in a $90 million settlement.
Michael Phelps
Michael Phelps, the Olympic gold medalist, collided with a woman at an intersection in 2009. By watching video footage and speaking with eyewitnesses, they soon discovered the woman had run a red light and caused the accident. Due to the evidence, Phelps was not to blame for the accident, and he was able to keep his driving record clean during the whole thing.
Naya Rivera
In 2004, this Glee star was found dead in Lake Piru in California, with her four-year-old son left alone on the boat as her body vanished under the water. The suit was filed on behalf of her son against the United Water Conservation District, Ventura County, and Ventura County’s Parks and Recreation Management.
Upon investigation, it was discovered that the pontoon she rented had not been built in accordance with U.S. Coast Guard safety regulations. Additionally, the court documents note that there were no safety warnings posted on the lake and that the boat did not possess any security mechanisms for securing swimmers, such as a ladder, rope, anchor, radio, or any other security device. Worryingly, a later inspection showed that the boat had no flotation devices or other ways to protect swimmers and keep them anchored to their boat, which is against California law. This case is still being investigated.
Fame, notoriety, and money don’t protect you from auto accidents. Consult a qualified auto accident attorney if you’ve been injured in a car accident. If you find yourself in such a predicament, find one of the many local accident attorney websites for dedicated attorneys to begin working on your case.
