How Morgan & Morgan Secured a $644M Verdict in a Catastrophic Spinal Injury Case with Trivent Legal

The Case in a Brief

On November 25, 2017, the plaintiff suffered a fall of approximately 40 feet down a staircase at Park Social in Winter Park, Florida. Emergency responders found him prone with head trauma, altered mental status, and no movement in his lower extremities.

He was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where imaging and clinical evaluation confirmed multiple fractures, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and a cervical spinal cord injury. The incident resulted in a prolonged and complex medical course involving emergency surgery, intensive care, rehabilitation, and long-term complications.

Why the Trial Team Needed a Stronger Medical Narrative

Morgan & Morgan required a clear and structured damages presentation from a medically dense and longitudinal record set. The liability theory was supported by evidence that the staircase was a known safety hazard and that access to a safer staircase had been restricted. With liability established, the remaining need was to present the medical component of the case in a way that was consistent, complete, and understandable.

Specifically, the legal team needed to demonstrate:

• The plaintiff’s condition prior to the incident
• The extent of acute trauma
• The sequence of treatment and complications
• The long-term functional and psychological impact

While the records contained this information, it was distributed across thousands of pages spanning multiple providers and years of care.

Inside the Medical Complexity

The medical file documented a severe, multi-system injury profile. Initial findings included a type II occipital condyle fracture, C7 fracture, subarachnoid hemorrhage, facial fractures, and significant motor and sensory deficits below the mid-thoracic level. During hospitalization, the plaintiff required cervical fusion and decompression, mechanical ventilation, tracheostomy, and PEG tube placement.

Over time, the records reflected the long-term consequences of the injury, including:

How Trivent Legal Built a Clearer Record

Trivent Legal reviewed 23,908 pages of medical records and developed a structured narrative summary that followed the full sequence of care, from pre-incident history through emergency response, hospitalization, rehabilitation, and long-term follow-up.

What Changed for the Litigation Team

The narrative summary gave Morgan & Morgan one consistent account of the plaintiff’s medical course. It clarified the distinction between baseline health and post-incident changes, helped track the spinal cord injury from initial trauma through long-term management, and reduced reliance on fragmented documentation.

By organizing the medical history into a continuous account, the record could be presented in a way that reflected both the severity and the duration of the injury.

Verdict and Damages Breakdown

Here is what the lead attorney had to say