Verdicts & Settlements

Our client was struck from behind by a commercial truck resulting in her sustaining a closed head injury and a concussion. Our client was employed as a school teacher and had taught in the public school system for a number of years. As a result of the concussion injury, our client experienced some memory loss, vision difficulties, an inability to concentrate, a general sense of “fogginess” and a sensitivity to light. These difficulties required extensive neuropsychological therapy and necessitated that she take an early retirement from the long standing teacher position that she both excelled at and enjoyed. Our attorneys negotiated a $275,000.00 settlement with the trucking company.

Our client was in her residence when a vehicle traveled through her yard and crashed into her residence. The offending driver had a medical condition that resulted in the errant operation of her vehicle and should not have been driving. Our client was actually struck by the vehicle inside of her home and sustained severe injuries to both legs. The leg injuries resulted in multiple surgeries as well as extensive rehabilitation. The at fault driver carried automobile liability insurance of $300,000.00 and our client’s automobile policy provided for underinsurance motorist coverage in the amount of $300,000.00 resulting in a total maximum recovery of $600,000.00.

$1.5 million was recovered for a truck driver that suffered a severe leg injury in a work accident. The injury occurred when our client was delivering materials to a customer. The customer typically unloaded delivery trucks using its’ forklift. Because the forklift was not working at the time of this scheduled delivery the customer asked our client to unload the truck manually, and he suffered a severe leg fracture in the process. The fracture required surgery and developed life threatening complications that put the client at risk of amputation. As a result of his injury the client has constant pain which is permanent, an ongoing risk of amputation, and he is unable to ever work again as a truck driver. One of the defendants settled prior to trial. The case against a second defendant was decided by a jury after five (5) days of trial that included the testimony of seven (7) experts. We prevailed on liability but the jury’s award was inadequate to fully compensate our client. On appeal to the Pennsylvania Superior Court, we successfully argued that the jury’s liability determination was proper but a new trial on damages was appropriate. The case then settled for a significant amount. We were also successful in pursuing a Worker’s Compensation claim which compensated our client for his past lost wages and will provide for payment of his future medical bills due to this injury. As this case demonstrates, our attorneys are willing to go to trial and where necessary take an appeal if we believe our client has not been given a fair award.

Our client suffered serious injuries when a motorized cart she was operating at work tipped over due to poor maintenance and a defective design that increased the risk of a tip-over. Her employer contested her worker’s compensation claim and our attorneys were successful in an appeal that awarded her lost wages and medical bills. Successful claims totaling over $1.5 million were made against both the owner and manufacturer of the cart. The case presented significant challenges including liability, serious, permanent injuries, past and future medical treatment, and past and future earnings. With the assistance of more than eight experts, we overcame the challenges presented through experienced litigation skills and strategy, to achieve a result that will provide our client with compensation and improve the quality of her life as she learns to cope with her injuries.

Our attorneys negotiated a $4.75 million settlement in a products liability case related to a fatal furniture tip-over accident. Standards recognized by the Consumer Product Safety Commission call for furniture manufacturers and retailers to provide tip over warnings and anchoring straps with furniture that might tip over if a child pulls or climbs on it. No warnings or anchoring straps were provided with the furniture involved in this case. A consumer product safety expert was used to explain that proper warnings and anchoring straps are necessary because most parents do not know that furniture tip-overs pose a deadly hazard to young children, and do not know why anchoring straps are needed for child safety.

A $3.1 million verdict was recently obtained in a case against a snow removal service that performed an inadequate job of removing ice and snow from a designated walkway at a local business. The fall occurred on the only pedestrian walkway leading from the customer parking lot to the main entrance. The business owner had specifically requested that the snowplow operator remove snow and salt the walkway when warranted by weather conditions. The snowplow operator had cleared heavy snow accumulation weeks prior to the accident, by piling snow on either side of the walkway. Evidence demonstrated that although no snow had fallen for a week prior to the fall, temperatures led to a thawing and freezing of the piled up snow, leaving a thick accumulation of ice on the walkway and only a two inch clearing for pedestrians. The snowplow operator had been to the location to salt just two hours prior to the fall, but neglected to remove the icy build up on the walkway. The client suffered serious and disabling injuries that interfere with his ability to walk and perform normal activities of daily living. The verdict is one of the highest awarded in Beaver County in an accident of this type.

Our attorneys recently obtained settlement of $1.25 million for an injured construction worker who suffered severe orthopedic injuries to his feet and legs after falling 30 feet at a construction site. The client had a significant amount of medical expenses and was disabled from work for a long period of time. We were able to handle both the civil and workers compensation aspects of the case.

Our attorneys obtained a verdict against PennDOT for its failure to install a traffic signal at an unsafe intersection of 2 state roads. The crash was severe and resulted in 4 fatalities and a severe injury. We retained a traffic engineer who proved that the intersection was dangerous because it met at a skewed angle, making it difficult for drivers to cross through. Our investigation found a significant accident history with many prior accidents and other fatalities. We also conducted a traffic study that confirmed the intersection was associated with speeding vehicles and that the traffic volume and prior accident history met PennDOT’s criteria for a traffic signal.

PennDOT’s defense focused on excessive speed and PennDOT policies. PennDOT called a State Trooper who reconstructed the accident and calculated the speed of one of the vehicles at 116 mph. The Trooper’s speed calculation was contested at trial and our expert noted that speed was one of the problems at this location and one of the reasons a light was needed to protect the public. PennDOT also relied on its longstanding policy to refuse to install a traffic signal until the municipality where an intersection is located agrees to pay for one, even if both roads are state highways. Here, the very small municipality where this intersection is located could not afford to pay for a signal so PennDOT never even studied the need for one, despite the accident history and fatalities that had occurred there.

PennDOT agreed to pay its statutory damage cap of $1 million to be divided among the victims in the event PennDOT was found to be liable.

Our client was a 77 year old resident in a nursing home when he developed severe pressure ulcers or bedsores. Due to a lack of proper medical care, the wounds worsened and eventually resulted in amputation of both legs and a colostomy. Review of the client’s medical records revealed that nursing home staff did not turn and reposition him as they should have and there was no medical assessment of his wounds for weeks, including a ten (10) day period when they worsened significantly. During cross examination at trial, the nursing home’s expert conceded that turning and repositioning should been performed every two (2) hours and that even a single lapse in protocol could lead to a pressure ulcer, particularly in a patient with other risk factors such as circulatory problems and immobility. A verdict in the amount of $850,000 was entered against the nursing home for its negligence.

$697,500 in damages were obtained for a severe leg injury suffered by a truck driver while at work. The client was delivering aluminum pipe weighing more than 3,000 pounds to a fencing company. Due to the size and weight of the load, boards were placed on the bed of the trailer beneath the load so that a forklift could be used for loading and unloading. The pipe was loaded by the distributor using a forklift and was supposed to be unloaded by the customer using a forklift. On the day of the accident, the customer’s forklift was not working due to cold weather, and the customer requested the truck driver to unload by hand. In an effort to comply with the customer’s request, the driver proceeded to push the pipe off of the truck, when one of the boards beneath struck him in the leg, causing a severe fracture that required surgery. The leg then developed life threatening complications known as compartment syndrome, requiring an additional emergency surgery. The injury left the driver with significant, permanent limitations that prevent him from returning to work. Our attorneys reached a settlement in the amount of $412,500 with the company that loaded the pipe, and proceeded to trial against the company that was supposed to unload the pipe. The trial lasted five (5) days and included the testimony of seven (7) experts. A verdict of $500,000 was reduced to $285,000, to reflect the jury’s finding that the driver was also negligent.

Our office obtained a settlement totaling $635,000 for a client who suffered a concussion in a motor vehicle accident. The concussion caused a serious stuttering problem that negatively impacted the client’s employability as a computer analyst, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost future earnings potential. Because the individual that caused the accident did not have enough insurance coverage to fully compensate our client for his losses, an underinsured motorist claim was made against insurance coverage our client had purchased with his automobile insurance policy. Unfortunately his insurance company wrongfully denied his underinsured motorist claim, forcing a lawsuit. We were able to collect significantly more than his insurance coverage limits because we were able to prove that his insurance company acted in bad faith when it refused to pay what it owed under the policy.

We obtained a $600,000 settlement for a client who was injured when his car hit the side of a large black tour bus that was crossing the highway in front of him. Our client sustained multiple injuries and had no memory of the accident. The bus driver testified that when he entered the roadway, he believed he had sufficient time to cross the road safely. The police report indicated our client was initially unconscious at the scene, but once revived told police that he may have fallen asleep. The client had suffered very serious injuries but the insurance carrier for the bus company blamed him for the accident and a trial was scheduled. Because our client was unable to testify as to how the accident happened or explain the statement he made to police, expert testimony was critical to proving liability. Our medical expert was prepared to testify that our client’s statement to police was not a reliable explanation of what had occurred in light of his injuries. Our engineering experts analyzed black box data which revealed that our client was not speeding, but did not brake to avoid the accident. They were prepared to explain that because of dark appearance of the bus and nighttime conditions, our client could not see the bus in the roadway ahead. Being prepared for trial and having the right experts in place was key to getting the case settled.

Our client, age 27, was operating her car when a tractor trailer crossed the center line and crashed into her. Fortunately, she survived, but suffered a disc injury requiring surgery and a prolonged period of recovery. The trucking company subsequently filed bankruptcy and went out of business. The insurance company then tried to avoid paying the claim by improperly alleging that the truck driver was not acting as an employee of the trucking company at the time of the accident. With the use of private investigators the truck driver was located to provide testimony against his former employer and the insurance company. We were then able to file suit against the insurance company and obtained a $500,000.00 settlement for our client.

Our attorneys obtained a $475,000 verdict for a client that suffered a severe ankle fracture in a fall at a local country club. The client fell while walking down the main internal stairway leading from the upstairs primary entrance of the club, to a downstairs dining area. We retained an architectural expert who testified that the steps were not equipped with a proper handrail. The railing in place was a large board that could not be grasped to prevent a fall and the balusters supporting the rail were improperly located so that they prevented users from sliding their hand along the rail as would be necessary for guidance while using the stairs. The client lost her balance but could not stop her fall because she could not grasp the rail or slide along her hand along it for balance. She suffered a severe ankle injury that resulted in permanent limitations and a risk of amputation. An addition to the building included a secondary stairway that was equipped with a proper, graspable handrail, demonstrating that the property owner was aware of the unsafe condition of its older, main stairway, but failed to upgrade its railing with the new addition.

Our client was injured in a motor vehicle accident that resulted in two (2) subsequent back surgeries. The client had back problems that pre-existed the automobile accident, including a surgery nine (9) months before the subject accident. Additionally, our client faced a significant medical lien that needed to be addressed. Unfortunately the insurance policy for the driver that caused the accident was not sufficient to fully compensate him for his injuries, so a claim was made for underinsured motorist benefits available through the client’s auto insurance policy. The insurance company initially (i) argued that the subsequent back surgeries were not related to the automobile accident; and (ii) disputed the amount of the medical lien. Through the use of medical, vocational, and economic experts, a fair settlement was reached and the medical lien was satisfied, permitting our client to be fully compensated for his losses.

Our client was the wife of a man who had been drinking at a bar for over 8 hours. Video surveillance that was obtained from the Defendant bar showed that our client’s husband had become intoxicated but was continuously served additional drinks by the only bartender on duty. Pennsylvania Law prohibits liquor licensees from serving an alcoholic beverage to any person that is visibly intoxicated. Our client’s husband eventually left the bar, got into his vehicle and attempted to drive home. Shortly after leaving the bar his vehicle left the roadway and he was killed. An expert toxicologist indicated that the high level of alcohol made it impossible to safely operate a motor vehicle. After the filing of a lawsuit, the case settled for $300,000.00, which represented the full amount of the bar’s insurance coverage.

We represented a steelworker who suffered wrist and elbow injuries that completely disabled him from working. Settlement of $250,000 was obtained and the client was awarded Social security Disability benefits as well.

Our firm obtained a $120,000.00 settlement for a female client injured in a fall in a parking lot located in a shopping plaza. The area where our client fell was undergoing construction to a pole due to a prior motor vehicle accident. The construction area was roped off with orange fencing, however the fencing was secured to the pavement by thin wires that were barely visible. While walking around the orange fencing, our client was caused to trip over the thin wire and fell to the pavement. Our client sustained a knee injury and required surgery. The Defendants were the owners of the shopping plaza as well as the contractor that was undertaking the work. While the orange fencing served its purpose, the addition of the thin wires extending outward from the fence resulted in a clear tripping hazard.

We represented victims of both the 1994 USAir Airline crash in Hopewell Township, Beaver County, and the 1996 Valuejet Airline crash in the Florida Everglades. Substantial settlements were obtained for the families of the victims in each of these tragedies.