$2,450,000 Settlement for Client With Spinal Injuries After a Four-Vehicle Collision

In a serious multi-car accident case, our client was rear-ended by a vehicle which caused him to hit the vehicle in front of him. As a result of the crash, he suffered serious spinal injuries which rendered him unable to return to work. Represented by partners Daniel O’Toole and Frederick Aranki, he received a $2.45 million settlement.

Court and County
Supreme, Queens

Description of Case
The case arose out of a four-vehicle auto accident on fall of 2019.  The Plaintiff was rear-ended by the Defendants’ vehicle causing him to strike the vehicle in front of him.  He was taken by ambulance to the hospital where he was treated and released.

The Plaintiff initially underwent conservative treatment for his cervical spine, lumbar spine, right knee and right shoulder.  An MRI of his cervical spine revealed disc bulges.  An MRI of his lumbar spine revealed disc bulges and a lumbar disc herniation.  The Plaintiff had physical therapy for his injured body parts.  He also underwent manipulation under anesthesia procedures on his cervical spine, lumbar spine and right shoulder.  He had lumbar epidural steroid injections and cervical trigger point injections in an effort to alleviate his pain.

Conservative treatment ultimately failed and the Plaintiff began treatment with a spine surgeon who recommended lumbar fusion surgery to repair the structural damage to the Plaintiff’s spine.  Plaintiff underwent two-level lumbar fusion surgery at the L4-L5 and L5-S1 levels.  The surgery included the implantation of hardware in his spine.  Subsequent to the surgery he continued to have pain in his lower back due to the implanted hardware.  The Plaintiff’s spine surgeon recommended and performed removal of the rear hardware.

If you were injured in a multi-car collision and want to discuss your legal options with an experienced attorney, please reach out to the Law Firm of Block O’Toole & Murphy. Our personal injury lawyers are experts at litigating multi-vehicle accident cases and have resolved well over $1.5 billion for clients in serious accident cases. Call 212-736-5300 or fill out our Contact Form for a free legal consultation. We serve New York and New Jersey.

Injuries/Damages
At the time of the accident the Plaintiff was employed as a vendor for the seven years prior to the accident date.  After the accident he initially missed 3-4 weeks of work and then returned to work out of necessity to support his family.  As his pain and physical restrictions worsened he was forced to stop working three months after the accident and was never able to return to work. The Plaintiff’s spine surgeon opined that he is disabled from employment.  We alleged economic damages for the Plaintiff’s lost income and loss in Social Security Retirement income.  The Plaintiff was also making an allegation for past lost income.

We also alleged that the Plaintiff would be required to undergo lifelong medical treatment related to the injuries sustained in the accident.  The Plaintiff was examined by a medical specialist in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.  This specialist opined that the Plaintiff would require future treatment in the form of visits with a spine surgeon, musculoskeletal and pain specialist, physical therapy, MRIs, EMGs, x-rays.  He also opined that the Plaintiff would need medication to control pain and may require future spine surgery.  This specialist also indicated the current cost of this treatment and the inflation rates for the costs of this medical treatment were applied by the Plaintiff’s expert economist.  The total cost of future healthcare was claimed as part of the Plaintiff’s future economic damages.  If the case had gone to trial, the Plaintiff also would have alleged economic loss for past medical expenses.

Settlement Amount
The parties resolved this case at private mediation for $2,450,000.  This case was handled by firm partners Daniel O’Toole and Frederick Aranki.