$3.1 million car accident settlement
A Staten Island letter carrier received $3.1 million in a settlement after he sustained serious injuries in a wreck with an SUV. Steven Watson was parked by the side of the road, sorting mail, when he was rear ended by an oncoming SUV. Watson underwent numerous back surgeries as a result, and will need more in the future. The case was settled prior to opening statements in court.
$2.8 million for death of unborn child in accident
A woman from Hammonton, New Jersey reached a settlement with the city of Deptford, New Jersey over the wrongful death of her unborn child when a police car responding to an emergency call hit her vehicle and injured her in the ensuing accident. After an investigation, the city determined that the officer’s actions were not reckless, and he was not suspended from the department. The 22-year-old reportedly incurred more than $1 million in medical bills after the accident, which combined with the wrongful death to result in the judgment of the $2.8 million settlement.
$350,000 for Auto Accident Caused by Collapsed Culvert
Maureen Bryer from Wilson, New York sued Niagara County for damages after she was injured in an auto accident caused by a collapsed culvert on Wilson Burt Road. Torrential rains had caused a 14-foot-wide culvert to collapse on the road. The culvert struck Bryer as she was driving between 50 and 55 mph. Bryer’s lawsuit claimed that the county was negligent in failing to properly maintain the road and culvert, which was 75 years old. When Bryer filed the suit in 2000, she sought $1 million for injuries, but the settlement she agreed upon was for $350,000.
Settlement Awarded from Beer Vendor for Little Girl Injured by DUI
In a lawsuit that follows a similar line of reasoning to the Dram Shop Act, the family of Antonia Verni, of Cliffside Park, New Jersey, received an undisclosed settlement from Aramark, a beer vendor at the Meadowlands stadium that served beer to a New York Giants fan who crashed into the Verni family and left the 2-year-old Antonia paralyzed. Two years ago, a Bergen County jury found that Aramark was liable for serving alcohol to the driver of the pickup that struck the Verni family, Daniel Lorenzo, and awarded the family $105 million. But the verdict was nullified at an appeals court trial. The new undisclosed settlement arises from a new trial of the case, and will pay for making the Verni home handicapped-accessible and hiring nurses to care for Antonia, now 10 years old.
$289,000 award for motor vehicle accident
A jury awarded a New York bus driver $289,000 after she was hurt when a motorist lost control of his car and broad-sided her parked bus. The force of the accident threw Linda Edwards against a pole inside the bus and onto the floor. The award was for personal injuries, medical bills, and lost wages.