LARGEST VERDICT IN THE COUNTY'S HISTORY
On October 14, 2005, a Lawrence County jury returned a verdict of $1,500,000.00 on behalf of a Lawrence County man who was injured as a result of a hazardous condition on a PennDOT highway. According to the Lawrence County Prothonotary, the jury award is the highest in the history of the county.
On September 16, 2000, the Plaintiff was operating his vehicle in a westerly direction on SR 2028 when he saw a dog in his lane of traffic. After steering his vehicle to avoid the dog, the passenger-side tires dropped off the paved portion of the roadway onto the berm. When he attempted to steer his vehicle left back onto the paved surface, it was unresponsive. As a result, the vehicle struck an embankment and rolled over several times.
The law firm of LGKG hired an expert witness who was an employee of PennDOT for 32 years. The expert testified that the PennDOT Maintenance Manual stated that any berm drop off in excess of 2 inches is a hazardous condition. The expert testified that upon inspection of the roadway in question, the berm drop off ranged anywhere from 2 to 7 inches and that such a berm drop off substantially affected the Plaintiff's ability to steer his vehicle safely back onto the roadway.
The law firm of LGKG hired a vocational expert who offered testimony regarding the Plaintiff's loss of past and future wages and loss of earning capacity.
The law firm of LGKG offered the testimony of a physician who specializes in physical medicine and rehabilitation. The physician offered testimony regarding the Plaintiff's limitations as a result of this accident.
The jury deliberated for approximately 2 hours, 15 minutes before returning a verdict in the amount of $1,500,000.00.
AUTOMOBILE DEFECT
The Plaintiff was a male in his 40's. He was employed as an accountant. On his way home from work, the Defendant crossed the center line and struck the Plaintiff head on.
The Defendant argued that his automobile, suddenly and without any warning, broke a ball joint thereby resulting in the vehicle crossing into the Plaintiff's lane of travel. The law firm of LGKG hired an accident reconstruction expert who offered testimony that the defect in the automobile did not occur during the accident but after the collision.
The law firm of LGKG also hired a vocational expert who offered testimony concerning the Plaintiff's loss of past earnings, future earnings and his impairments of his earning capacity. The law firm of LGKG offered testimony from an orthopedic surgeon who testified about the injuries sustained by the Plaintiff as well as the surgical procedures that were necessary to repair those injuries.
The jury returned a six (6) figure verdict in favor of the Plaintiff following trial.
DEFECTIVE TRAILER HITCH
The Plaintiff was the driver of an automobile who was struck when a trailer being pulled by a PennDOT driver crossed the center line traffic.
As a result, the Plaintiff, a woman in her 30’s, sustained an injury to her spinal cord. The law firm of LGKG offered testimony of a board certified orthopedic surgeon who testified as to the nature and extent of the Plaintiff’s injuries.
The jury returned a six (6) figure verdict in favor of the Plaintiff.
CROSS OVER CENTER LINE
The Plaintiff was the operator of an automobile, which collided with a vehicle, which had crossed into his lane of travel. The Plaintiff was life flighted to the hospital where he remained in intensive care for approximately one month.
The Plaintiff’s injuries included rupture of the upper descending thoracic aorta, brain injury, pulmonary contusion, liver laceration, paralyzed vocal cord and sexual dysfunction. The law firm of LGKG hired an economic expert as well as a life care planner. Subsequent to the filing of a Complaint, the case settled for seven (7) figures.
VOCATIONAL AND ECONOMIC EXPERTS HIRED TO ESTABLISH LOSS OF EARNING CAPACITY
In this case, the Plaintiff sustained a torn right rotator cuff. As a result, he sustained a permanent loss of earning capacity. The law firm of LGKG hired an economist/vocational expert to testify at the time of the arbitration. The economist/vocational expert offered testimony concerning the impairment of the Plaintiff’s earning capacity. The Defendant’s insurance company contested the extent of the loss of earning capacity. Following an arbitration in this matter, the Plaintiff was awarded a six (6) figure verdict.
INTERSECTION/PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENT
This case involved an elderly pedestrian who fell and fractured his hip while trying to avoid the Defendant’s automobile. The Defendant’s insurance company contested liability, claiming that although the Defendant’s automobile had entered the crosswalk, it had never actually contacted the Plaintiff. The jury returned a verdict in favor of the Plaintiff.
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