Sample NY Car Accident Cases
New York Car Accident Verdicts and Settlements
Over the past 20 years, I have tried over 100 auto accident cases beginning early in my career when I defended New York City to my career as a solo plaintiff's attorney. Each case is unique and requires an approach specific to that case. Here is a sample of the verdicts and settlements I have delivered to my car accident case clients:
$975,000 Settlement for Car Accident in
the Bronx (Car Accident Case)
The original attorney brought in Ms. Schlitt
to serve as the trial attorney for
this case. The client was a passenger in a car travelling east on
Randall Avenue in the Bronx. When the driver made a left turn on Zerega, the car crashed into a dumpster left in the street. Ms.
Schlitt's client suffered a fracture of his both fibulas, his left
ankle and his left
humerus, each of which required surgery. The driver of the
car admitted liability for his role in the accident, though the
dumpster owner denied all responsibility. That defendant filed for
summary judgment and appealed that matter to the
New York
State Court of Appeals, an
appeal that Ms. Schlitt argued and won.
At the trial, the attorney for the
dumpster company tried to place all the blame on the driver of the
car, but Ms. Schlitt used a combination of testimony, evidence,
research into New York City Highway and Transportation regulations
and a strong opening and closing argument to prove the dumpster
company liable. A jury agreed with Ms. Schlitt and held the dumpster
company responsible for 75 percent of the liability, making them
primarily responsible for the accident. With the verdict on
liability made by the jury, Ms. Schlitt separately negotiated a
settlement for damages of $975,000.
$800,000 Verdict for Car Accident Victim in the Bronx
(Motor Vehicle Accident Case)
On a bright sunny day, a Ford van heading
south on the
Bronx River Parkway collided with a construction truck, careened
across three lanes and struck a passenger van in the right hand
lane. Ms. Schlitt’s client – a passenger in the second van –
suffered significant injuries to his back and neck. Ms. Schlitt
proved that both the driver of the Ford Van that struck the
passenger van and the construction company bore responsibility for
the accident. The jury verdict awarded the client $800,000.
$225,000 Settlement for Torn Earlobe in Motorcycle Accident Caused by a Police Car in the Bronx (Motorcycle Accident Case)
A police car in the Bronx made a sudden
left turn in front of a 19 year-old motorcyclist and crashed into
his motorcycle. The impact of the crash threw the driver of the
motorcycle over the roof of the police car, ripping his ear on the
lights situated on the top of the police car. Attorney Schlitt
assembled a team of experts to help prove the case. The City of New
York pressed ahead to trial, but after hearing Attorney Schlitt's
case and her summation to the jury, the City agreed to settle the
case while the jury was deliberating. The City of New York paid
$225,000 for the torn earlobe.
$150,000 Settlement for Brooklyn Car Crash with a Bus (Auto Accident Case)
A woman boarded a bus in Brooklyn
expecting an uneventful ride. As the bus approached an intersection,
a car ran a stop sign and struck the front of the bus. The
force of the impact caused the woman to fall to the floor and injure
her knee. She required arthroscopic surgery. Although
the Transit Authority
denied any responsibility for causing this bus crash, during trial
the case settled for $150,000 – the full policy limit of $25,000 for
the offending car and $125,000 from the
Transit Authority.
$100,000 Settlement for Vietnam Veteran Hit by Car in East Northport, Long Island (Car Accident Case)
A Vietnam Veteran crossing
Larkfield Road in East Northport, Long Island was struck by a
pick-up truck. The man suffered significant injuries, including a
fractured hip that required surgery and a lengthy stay at the
Northport
Veteran’s Hospital. A part-time construction worker, the man
missed many months of work and was left nearly destitute by the
accident. Attorney Carol Schlitt secured a rapid settlement with the
truck driver’s insurance company without having to go to trial, thus
getting her client a payment as fast as possible. The insurance
company agreed to pay the full limit of the insurance policy,
$100,000.
$75,000 Settlement for Knee Injury in Taxi Collision in Manhattan (Car Accident Case)
A woman and her child boarded a taxi in
Harlem and headed home to the Bronx. While making a left hand turn
at an intersection, a second cab collided with the client’s cab,
leaving her with neck and back injuries and knee damage that
required surgery. The problem? The second cab driver had vanished
and his insurance company had gone bankrupt, leaving no funds to pay
for awards. Attorney Carol L. Schlitt argued the driver of her
client’s taxi bore responsibility because he entered the
intersection before he was able to make the turn, thus violating New
York State traffic laws. Had he waited, he would have avoided the
accident. The defendants agreed to settle the case before going to
trial for $75,000.
$70,000 Settlement for Livery Car Crash in
Bronx County
(Car Accident/Livery Car Accident Case)
A 45 year-old man slid into the back seat
of a livery car expecting a smooth ride. Instead, the livery car
crashed into another car at a Bronx intersection damaging his knee
so badly that it required arthroscopic surgery. The second
vehicle ran the stop sign but that car had no insurance coverage.
Therefore, Attorney Schlitt had to prove that the livery car also
bore some responsibility for the accident. That way the insurance
coverage for the livery car would compensate her client for his knee
injury. On the eve of trial, the livery car settled the case
for $70,000.
$70,000 Settlement
for Car Accident with Taxi in Brooklyn Collision (Taxi Accident)
A man working for the New York City
Transit Authority (NYCTA) drove a Jeep Cherokee owned by the NYCTA
along 23rd Street in Brooklyn. A yellow cab driver ran
the red light driving south on 4th Avenue and struck the
right rear wheel of the jeep. The man suffered injuries to his
lower back and right knee. He had a partial tear of his medial
meniscus repaired by arthroscopic surgery. Ms. Schlitt negotiated a
settlement of $70,000 on the eve of the trial.
$60,000 Settlement for Brooklyn Teenager Passenger in Car Hit by Car Service Car (Car Accident Case/Taxi Accident)
The client, a 16 year-old
girl, rode as a passenger in her friend’s car. A local car service
vehicle struck their car on the side. The client suffered a soft
tissue disc injury and received several months of physical therapy.
What made this case poignant is that the client was a successful
high school basketball player and this injury curtailed her high
school career. Ms. Schlitt built a case around the loss of
basketball playing time and the possibility of playing college
basketball.
$25,000 Settlement for Passenger in Car Struck in the Rear by a Tractor Trailer Truck (Truck Accident)
The client rode as a passenger in car struck in heavy highway
traffic. While waiting in traffic, a tractor-trailer truck struck
the rear of the vehicle. The client suffered soft tissue injuries
that required five months of physical therapy. The truck driver
tried to deny responsibility, but Ms. Schlitt built overcame the
defense arguments and built a strong case on the injuries suffered
by the client. The defense opted not to go to court on the matter
and settled for $25,000.
$25,000 Settlement for Car Accident in
the Bronx (Car Accident Case)
A Bronx man drove his car across the
Macomb’s Dam Bridge during a night time rain storm. He struck a car
that was stopped on the bridge and left without any flashers, flares
or other warning signs. As a result, the driver of the car fractured
two small bones in his right hand. Ms. Schlitt built a case to prove
the owner of the abandoned car negligent. She negotiated a $25,000
settlement, the maximum amount of coverage.
$16,000 Settlement for High School Student Struck by Car on in Nassau County (Pedestrian Injury Case)
A car struck a Nassau County high school student while he crossed
Merrick Boulevard on foot. The accident left him bruised and he
stayed n the hospital for two days for observation, and was
discharged home. He missed one week of school and received three
months of physical therapy. The good news was that the student did
not suffer any permanent damage and minimal injuries. However, this
created a challenge for the case. First, he did not use the
crosswalk and crossed a multi-lane road against traffic. Hs
injuries, while real, were most likely not sufficient to meet the
New York State Threshold Law, so the case most likely would have
been dismissed had it gone to trial. Nonetheless, Ms. Schlitt was
able to negotiate a $16,000 settlement with the insurance company.
$15,000 Settlement for Car Accident in the Bronx on the Major Deegan (Car Accident Case)
A 25 year-old woman drove her car north on the
Major Deegan
Expressway when traffic developed. She slowed her car, yet the
livery car (one of New York’s infamous “Black Cars”) failed to slow
and struck her from behind. The woman suffered soft tissue injuries
to her back and shoulder. The challenge in the case came in meeting
the New York State threshold requirements, which often precludes
people who suffer soft tissue injuries from collecting for damages.
Ms. Schlitt gathered enough evidence and found sufficient legal
cases to force a $15,000 settlement for this car accident.
$5,000 Settlement for Car Accident in Nassau County (Car Accident Case)
A driver ran a
stop sign and broadsided a car driven by a Nassau County woman. The
client had no fractures and did not require any hospitalization, but
did have some soft tissue injuries that created pain in her neck and
back. New York State’s laws require that victims of motor vehicle
accidents meet certain threshold requirements before they can sue.
Failing to meet those threshold requirements will result in
dismissal of the case. Soft tissue injuries usually are not enough
to meet the threshold requirements. While not a large case, Ms.
Schlitt fought very hard for this client and was able to negotiate a
$5,000 settlement.
Carol L. Schlitt - A New York Car Accident Attorney
If you have been involved in a car accident in New York, you may need the advice of a lawyer experienced with handling these cases. If you think you have a car accident case or if you have questions, please call me and I will be glad to discuss your rights, answer your questions and help you with your potential case. You can call me at 1-800-660-1466 or send me an e-mail at Carol@SchlittLaw.com. The consultation is free and I will be glad to help you.
I hope you have found this information
helpful.
Carol L. Schlitt
New York Personal Injury Attorney
1-800-660-1466
Carol@SchlittLaw.com.