Jury Awards Beverly Hills Woman $3.1M for Traffic Accident

A jury has awarded $3.1 million to a Beverly Hills woman injured in a traffic accident three years ago.

The Pasadena Superior Court jury found in favor of 59-year-old Teresa Gamage on Tuesday in her personal injury suit against Estelle Roitblat. The panel deliberated for about four hours.

Testimony showed that on May 10, 2011, Gamage was the front seat passenger in a car that was hit from behind by a vehicle driven by Roitblat. The collision occurred on Spalding Drive near Olympic Boulevard in Los Angeles.

Gamage, then 56, suffered neck injuries. Her treating neurosurgeon determined there was a ruptured disc that was impinging on the spinal cord and causing radiculopathy, according to trial testimony. She underwent conservative treatment, including physical therapy and three epidural injections, before deciding to proceed with a fusion surgery six months after the accident, testimony showed.

Defense attorneys recommended that the jury award Gamage no more than $345,000. But while the jury was deliberating, the parties reached an agreement in which both sides would accept either a low amount of $650,000 or a maximum of $5.25 million and that all appeals would be waived. The jury's $3.1 million verdict fell between those amounts and will stand.

--City News Service