$11,700,000 Motor Vehicle Accident Case

On July 31, 2015, a vehicle carrying a woman and her daughter as passengers was traveling northbound on I-295 in West Deptford Township, New Jersey. Ahead of their vehicle, a cement truck owned by a concrete products company experienced a tire tread failure. The tread became a roadway hazard, causing the plaintiffs' vehicle to swerve, strike a guardrail, and overturn. The injured woman suffered an arm amputation, and her daughter suffered a leg amputation. The tire had been retreaded by tire service companies. The injured woman and her daughter, along with other passengers from their vehicle, filed a lawsuit in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas. The complaint alleged negligence and negligent infliction of emotional distress against the concrete products company, the tire manufacturer, and the tire retreaders, seeking compensatory and punitive damages. The defendants denied negligence. Prior to and during a nine-week trial, several confidential settlements were reached. Following an appellate decision in the plaintiffs' favor, the tire manufacturer and one tire retreader settled for confidential sums. Another tire retreader settled on the third day of trial. The concrete products company settled with the minor child plaintiff and a third passenger during the trial, but did not settle with the injured woman. At trial, the injured woman argued that the concrete products company was negligent in its pre-trip inspection, failing to detect a large bolt in the tire. She also contended the company was negligent for not contacting emergency services, despite the tire tread remaining on the roadway for almost 30 minutes and causing multiple crashes. The concrete products company argued that the driver of the plaintiffs' vehicle was negligent in reacting to the roadway hazard. After three days of deliberation, the jury returned a verdict in favor of the injured woman, awarding her $10.6 million in compensatory damages and an additional $1.1 million in delay damages.

A truck driver filed a negligence claim against another driver and a logistics company following a motor vehicle accident that occurred on August 12, 2019. The defendant driver was an employee of the defendant logistics company and was acting within the scope of his employment at the time of the incident, making the company vicariously liable for his actions. The plaintiff sought compensation for injuries sustained in the collision. The plaintiff presented evidence of past and future medical expenses resulting from the injuries. The defendants contested the negligence claim and disputed the extent of damages sought by the plaintiff. The Court ruled in favor of the plaintiff, finding that the defendants were negligent in causing the motor vehicle accident. The plaintiff was awarded a total of $535,392.41 in compensatory damages, which included $164,484.00 for past medical expenses and $370,908.41 for future medical expenses. The judgment was entered against both the defendant driver and the defendant company.

A collision involving a tractor-trailer resulted in a lawsuit filed by the plaintiff. The plaintiff alleged the incident caused significant injuries, seeking damages for medical expenses, rehabilitation needs, and economic losses. During the proceedings, the plaintiff presented expert testimony from specialists in truck accident investigation and reconstruction, rehabilitation nursing, life care planning, physical medicine and rehabilitation (focusing on brain and spinal cord injuries), and forensic economics. The defendant countered with experts in neuropsychology, orthopedic surgery, trucking operations, and forensic economics, likely disputing the extent of injuries, causation, or the valuation of damages. The case concluded with an award of $15,579,429 to the plaintiff. The substantial award suggests the court or jury found the defendant liable for the collision and determined the plaintiff sustained extensive and costly injuries as a result.

On March 2, 2012, a driver was operating a 2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer, towing a rented U-Haul box trailer, on Interstate 80 in Illinois. The vehicle and trailer reportedly jack-knifed due to a defective condition of the trailer, leading to a collision with a tractor-trailer owned by K&B Transportation, Inc. Both vehicles came to rest in the center grassy median. The driver of the Trailblazer suffered severe injuries, including a traumatic brain injury. In November 2014, the injured driver and their spouse filed an amended complaint in the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, against U-Haul International, Inc., U-Haul Co. of California, Colusa Quick Service Market, and K&B Transportation, Inc. The lawsuit alleged claims of strict products liability, negligence, and reckless conduct. The driver also sought damages for personal injuries, while the spouse claimed loss of consortium. The case was later removed to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and consolidated with another action. An amended complaint was filed in June 2016, adding General Motors, LLC as a defendant with claims for strict products liability and negligence. The plaintiffs settled their claims against all defendants except K&B Transportation, Inc. A jury trial against K&B Transportation, Inc. began in June 2017. During the trial, the parties reached a settlement, and the court dismissed the action with prejudice. The case concluded with a reported settlement of $9,750,000.

A motorcyclist was injured in a rear-end collision on Hunting Park Avenue in North Philadelphia on June 10, 2017. The plaintiff, a restaurant worker, alleged the defendant, driving a sedan, negligently changed lanes abruptly, causing the plaintiff to strike the rear of the defendant's vehicle and be ejected from the motorcycle. The defense maintained that the plaintiff was liable for the collision, citing his blood alcohol level of 0.215 after the accident. A defense expert in toxicology testified that such impairment would have severely affected the plaintiff's reaction time, depth perception, and judgment. The defense argued that the plaintiff was too impaired to have avoided the collision, even if the lane change occurred as alleged. The plaintiff testified that his perception and ability to operate the motorcycle were unaffected despite his inebriation, a claim reportedly corroborated by a friend also riding a motorcycle. The plaintiff suffered multiple facial injuries, including 11 fractures to the mandible, orbital bones, and nasal bone, along with six missing teeth. He underwent three open reduction procedures with internal fixation and made a recovery, noting some scarring and numbness. The plaintiff sought to recover a medical lien of $100,000 and damages for past and future pain and suffering. After a three-day trial, a jury in Philadelphia determined that the defendant was 52 percent liable and the plaintiff was 48 percent liable. The jury assessed total damages at $300,000, which was reduced to $156,000 to reflect the comparative negligence finding.