New York Man Awarded $1.5 Million After Debilitating Auto Accident

A man who suffered “a permanent, significant physical limitation” as the result of a serious automobile accident on Route 104 in Ontario, New York, has been awarded over $1.5 million by a Monroe County Supreme Court jury.

The man was stopped at a stop light in 2009 when he was hit from behind by another vehicle.  He was diagnosed with acute lumbar spine injuries.  The defendant’s insurance company, State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co., offered to settle the case for $5,000 and refused mediation or arbitration to settle the case, forcing the case into trial.

InsuranceNewsNet.com reports the man was awarded $1.25 million in past, present and future pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life, along with $321,250 in past and future medical expenses.

About Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys
Munley Law is a Pennsylvania accident and injury law firm that represents car accident victims and their families throughout the state of Pennsylvania and the Northeast, […]

Car Accident Round-Up – PA Woman Dies in Crash

Woman was ejected from the car in the single-car accident

Florida Woman Rescued When Car Plunges into Canal
A Palm Beach County deputy saved a woman from drowning after she crashed her car into a 20-foot-deep canal.  The woman was driving home after working the night shift at Target on Black Friday.  The 36-year-old woman who apparently fell asleep at the wheel near Muck City Road and Conners Highway in Pahokee, FL awoke in the canal and called 911.  She is not able to swim and the deputy arrived in time to pull her to safety.  She was treated at a local hospital and released. 

Fatal NC Accident
An SUV traveling westbound on N.C. 211 unexpectedly slowed and attempted to make a U-turn when it was struck by a tractor-trailer Monday morning.  The driver of the tractor-trailer, traveling behind the SUV, […]

Car Accident Round-Up – Car Plunges into Lake Killing Three

Three pronounced dead after divers pull them out of submerged car

Three Men Drown in Florida When Car Plunges into Lake
Local10.com reports three men drowned after their car ran off the road and plunged into a Pompano Beach, FL lake.  The early Saturday morning car accident occurred when the car was traveling south on Andrews Avenue off Sample Road.  Apparently, the car ran off the road, hit a guard rail then veered into the lake.  Rescue divers pulled the men from the water, and they were then rushed to the hospital where all three were pronounced dead.  Police are continuing to investigate, and autopsies will be performed on all the men. 

Fatal Dayton, Ohio Accident Kills Two  
Two young adults lost their lives in a violent crash early Saturday morning when a car smashed into their Ford Neon while they were stopped at a light in Dayton, […]

Car Accident Round-Up – Teenagers Die in Early Morning FL Accident

Car spins out of control, strikes light post and splits in two killing two teenagers in fatal accident

Two Teens Dead, One Critical After Miami Accident
The Miami-Herald reports a 2:30 a.m. Saturday accident in Miami, FL left two teenagers dead and another critically injured when the car in which they were traveling struck a light post on the highway causing the vehicle to split in half.  The accident, on the Dolphin Expressway near Northwest 17th Avenue, occurred when the car swerved and crossed the inside lane and shoulder, spun and struck the concrete wall and a light post.  The two pieces of the car blocked both the westbound and eastbound lanes of the highway.  The 17-year-old driver and an 18-year-old passenger were pronounced dead at the scene. The second passenger, 18-years-old, was found seat belted into the rear section of the car.  She was taken to Ryder Trauma Center.  […]

Car Accident Round-Up – Three Dead, Four Injured in VA Head-On Collision

Jeep Cherokee crosses center line, causes head-on car accident

VA Accident Kills Three, Injures Four
According to the Roanoke Times, a Jeep Cherokee carrying four people crashed head-on into a Plymouth van carrying three people Saturday afternoon in Bedford, VA leaving three people dead and four injured.  The Jeep was heading eastbound on Virginia 24 when it crossed the center line striking the westbound van.  The driver and front passenger of the Jeep died; the other two passengers were air lifted to a nearby hospital. The front passenger of the van died; the driver and another passenger were taken to a local hospital. 

Fatal Accident in FL on I-95
First Coast News reports an early morning accident on Wednesday closed down northbound lanes on I-95 near US 1 and SR 206 in St. Johns County, Florida.  Although details are unclear, apparently a pickup truck flipped several times after crashing into another vehicle.  […]

Car Accident Round-Up – One Dead, Five Injured in Multi-Vehicle Crash in FL

Out-of-control vehicle spins into oncoming lane colliding with two other vehicles in fatal accident

FL Accident Kills One, Leaves Five Critically Injured
A multi-vehicle crash over the weekend in Frostproof, Florida left one person dead and five others critically injured.  The Miami Herald reports that a vehicle on U.S. 27 northbound ran off the roadway, overcorrected and spun around sending it into the southbound lanes where it collided with two other vehicles.  The driver of the out-of-control vehicle died; her two passengers were taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.  Three occupants of the other vehicles were listed in critical condition. Police were continuing to investigate the accident. 

Heart Attack Kills Driver of Rock Band Bus in Iowa
According to the Ames Tribune, the driver of the charter bus for the rock band Widespread Panic apparently suffered a heart attack while driving the bus on Interstate 35 last week south of Ames, […]

Car Accident Round-Up – Five Die in Fiery Michigan Accident

Both cars catch fire in wrong way car crash killing all five involved

MI Accident Kills Five in Wrong-Way Collision
In a tragic, fiery crash in Detroit, MI early Sunday morning, five people died when a driver traveling the wrong-way on the M-10 crashed head-on into another vehicle.  An SUV carrying four people and a passenger car, with just the driver in the car, slammed into each other causing both cars to erupt into flames killing the occupants of both vehicles.  Police are unsure of the cause of the accident and do not know which car was traveling the wrong way.  The northbound lanes of the highway were shut down for nearly six hours.

Two Die in Multi-Vehicle FL Accident
NorthEscambia.com reports that a Friday morning accident on I-10 near Pensacola, FL took the lives of one adult and a child.  […]

IL Family Wins $36 Million in Fiery Train Derailment Lawsuit

A Rockford, Illinois family will receive $36 million from the Canadian National Railway Company after the wife and mother died as a result of a train derailment near Rockford in June 2009.  The woman’s husband and daughter were both seriously injured in the fiery explosion.

The family was sitting at the railroad crossing when 18 of the 114 cars of the train, which were carrying over 2 million gallons of ethanol, derailed and erupted in flames.  The family car became engulfed in flames.  The woman died as she ran from the car trying to escape the fire.  The daughter, who was 19-years-old and pregnant at the time, suffered serious burns and lost her baby.

The family’s lawyer found that the train’s engineer had been warned that the track was washed out in the direction he was heading.  However, instead of stopping the train, […]

Car Accident Round-Up – Motorcyclists Die in Florida Accident

Motorcyclist and passenger die after being hit from behind and thrown into traffic

FL Motorcyclist and Passenger Die in Multi-Vehicle Accident
Both the driver of a motorcycle and his passenger died when a Ford Explorer struck the cycle from behind on I-4 near mile marker 122 in DeLand, Florida early Sunday morning.  The Sun-Sentinel reports both occupants were thrown from the motorcycle and were run over by approaching vehicles who could not avoid the wreckage.  A third vehicle swerved and hit a tree leading to a fire.  The driver of the Explorer fled the scene of the crash; however, police have identified a woman who is a person of interest.

Teenager Dies in KY Roll-Over Accident
A Monday afternoon car accident in Nelson County, KY, claimed the life of one teenager and sent two more to the hospital.  The 17-year-old driver apparently lost control of her car as she was heading east on Old Bloomfield Road. […]

New Mexico Family Awarded Over $1 Million in Fatal Accident With Police Officer

The City of Clovis, New Mexico will pay the family of a woman who died in a fatal accident over $1 million.  The accident, which occurred in November 2010, involved a city police officer who was dismissed from the police force after charges were filed against him.

The police officer, who was driving 56 mph in a 35 mph zone, ran through a stop sign at Sycamore and Grand streets, then struck the vehicle where the woman was a passenger.  The driver of her vehicle was injured.

The family of the deceased woman and her driver are currently working out an agreement over the split of the award.  The families will split $750,000 which is the maximum amount of the city’s tort.

The former police officer is awaiting a trial on a vehicular homicide charge.

If you have been injured or a loved one killed in a vehicle accident that was caused by another person’s carelessness or recklessness, […]

GA Men’s Club to Pay $1.75 Million for Over-Serving Alcohol Leading to Deadly Crash

The family of a woman who was killed in a vehicle accident with a drunk driver, who had just left a men’s club in Conley, GA, outside Atlanta, will receive $1.75 million from the club.  The driver had a blood alcohol content of .398, nearly 5 times over the legal limit, at the time of the accident.

The drunk driver was driving his Lincoln Town Car the wrong way on I-20 eastbound in July 2008 and slammed head-on into the victim’s car.  Both drivers died at the scene of the accident. A passenger in the woman’s car died enroute to the local hospital.

The lawsuit alleged that Club Blaze should have known the man was intoxicated and should have stopped serving him.  The jury found that the club over-served alcohol to the man.

If you have been injured or a loved one killed in a vehicle accident that was caused by another person’s carelessness or recklessness, […]

Nebraska County Found Liable for Accident Due to Poor Signage

A Nebraska jury awarded a 24-year-old Michigan man $407,000 to be paid by Furnas County, Nebraska for the county’s failure to adequately mark a sharp turn in a road where the man crashed his car leaving him with significant injuries.

The judge in the case found the man 40% liable and the county 60% liable. This reduced the amount of the original award of $678,000 for the county. The man was not wearing a seatbelt and was speeding at the time of the accident.  The judge ruled that the signage at the accident site could not be seen at night, and it was placed too close to the 90-degree turn, giving drivers inadequate time to react.

The accident occurred in December 2007, when the man missed the turn and drove off the road causing his car to flip, trapping in the car for hours.  He suffered spinal cord damage requiring multiple surgeries and weeks of hospitalization. […]

Car Accident Round-Up – Three Die in NY Head-on Collision

Ford Explorer drifts into oncoming lane causing fatal head-on car accident

Three Die in New York Accident
A head-on collision Monday morning between a Ford Explorer and a GMC Jimmy near Bethel, New York killed three people and injured one.  According to police, the Ford Explorer carrying two passengers, was heading east on 17B between White Lake and Fosterdale and drifted into the west bound lanes colliding with the GMC.  The driver of the GMC was wearing his seat belt and his airbag deployed, but he was pinned in the vehicle and died at the scene.  The driver of the Explorer and a back seat passenger, neither of which were wearing their seatbelts, were both ejected and died at the scene.  The front seat passenger was wearing his seatbelt and suffered non-life-threatening injuries. The cause of the accident is still under investigation.

NY Man Arrested for Vehicular Manslaughter After Accident
A Freeport, […]

Pennsylvania Family Awarded $2.9 Million in DUI-Hit-and-Run

The family of a 14-year-old Bensalem, Pennsylvania girl who was killed in a 2004 hit-and-run crash while she was trying to cross a road has been awarded $2.9 million by a Bucks County judge.  The case was decided without a jury.

The 21-year-old driver that struck the girl was driving with a suspended license and was found to be intoxicated at the time of the crash.  The police did not charge him with DUI-related hit-and-run saying that road condition and other factors, not his drunkenness, caused the crash.  The driver, however, was sentenced to three to six years in a state prison for the accident, and is currently in jail.

The family of the deceased brought a civil trial against the driver and the owner of the vehicle the man was driving.  According to PhillyBurbs.com, the judge awarded the plaintiffs $697,749.92 in wrongful death damages against both defendants; […]

Car Accident Round-Up – NJ Town Mourns Four Teenagers

Teen driver loses control of SUV killing four of the eight teen passengers in tragic accident

Four Teenagers Die in NJ SUV Accident
In a tragic single-car accident on Sunday, four teenage football players from Mainland Regional High School in Linwood, NJ lost their lives, and four others were injured, as they headed to a team brunch.  The 17-year-old driver apparently lost control of his SUV, on the Garden State Parkway around 11:45am, as he rounded a crest and came upon heavy traffic, causing the vehicle to flip several times, ejecting two of the passengers.  All eight of the boys, aged 15-17 years-old, were riding in the same vehicle.

NC Accident Kills Three Generations of Women
An SUV carrying eight family members on a return trip home to New York, after vacationing in Florida, crashed on I-95 near Raleigh, NC. According to police, […]

Car Accident Round-Up – Teens Involved in Serious VA and NY Accidents

Car accidents claim lives around the United States

Teenagers Die in VA Car Accident
A car accident in Portsmouth, VA late Saturday night left two teenagers dead and one seriously injured.  The accident that occurred on Elmhurst Lane near Victory Boulevard apparently was the result of speeding.  The car swerved off the road then struck several trees and a utility pole ejecting two of the occupants and pinning the third in the car.  The two girls that died were 16-years-old. The third occupant, a 17-year-old male, was hospitalized with unspecified injuries.  Police are unsure of who was driving the car.

Former KY Governor’s Son Dead After Single-Car Wreck
According to the Lexington-Herald Leader, former Kentucky governor Julian Carroll’s son, Bradley, died in a single-car accident Sunday in Franklin County, KY.  Carroll was traveling south on US 421 near the Versailles Road overpass when his Ford Explorer went off the right side of the road, […]

Car Accident Round-Up – CO Accident Takes Life of TX Billionaire

Texas billionaire broadsided by sports utility vehicle in Colorado

Texas Billionaire Dies in CO Car Accident
Charles Wyly, a 77-year-old Texas billionaire and philanthropist, died near Aspen, CO in a two-car crash on Sunday.  Wyly, who was driving a Porsche, was turning back onto the highway near the airport, when his car was broadsided by a sport utility vehicle. Police believe Wyly failed to yield prior to entering the highway.  Wyly, who was central to building the Dallas Arts District, was pronounced dead at the local hospital.  The other driver suffered moderate injuries.

Rear-end Collision in FL on I-95 Kills One, Injures Two
A car stopped on the northbound lanes of I-95, north of Okeechobee Boulevard near exit 71, was rear-ended by another car early Sunday morning resulting in the death of a passenger, and serious injuries to the two drivers.  The interstate was closed for close to four hours while rescue workers worked at the scene.  […]

California Women Awarded $1.2 Million in DUI Civil Lawsuit

Two CA women receive settlement after being hit by drunk driver

Two women, who suffered permanent injuries after an automobile accident with an assistant district attorney in Los Angeles who was driving drunk, agreed to a $1.2 million settlement in a civil lawsuit against the woman.  The two women had already been awarded more than $1 million in compensatory damages by a jury.

The assistant DA had a BAC of .26, more than three times the legal limit, and admitted that she knew she was drunk. She decided to drive anyway in hopes that she would get home without getting caught.  In the April 2010 accident, she rear-ended the two women near Long Beach, CA resulting in one woman suffering back injuries, facial scars and lost teeth, and the other suffering from back injuries.

The women had sought $2 million, but agreed to the settlement to avoid a second trial and to get immediate payment. […]

MA Teen Dies in SUV Rollover Crash

15 Year old boy was not wearing seatbelt when car rolled over

Teenager Dies in I-90 Accident in MA

I-90 in West Springfield, MA was closed for over four hours last week while police investigated a one-car crash that resulted in the death of a 15-year-old boy.  An SUV driven by a 17-year-old was traveling eastbound in the far right lane of the interstate when the driver moved into the left lane to pass a vehicle.  The driver then attempted to move back into the right lane when she realized another vehicle was in the left lane.  She lost control of the SUV and went off the road onto the shoulder where the vehicle flipped over several times landing on its roof.  The boy, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was pronounced dead at the scene.  The other passengers and driver were treated for minor injuries. […]

Four Teenagers Die in Texas Car Collision

17 year old driver attempts to pass in no-passing zone, swerves into ditch killing four

Texas Accident Kills Four Teenagers, Injures Two

A Wise County, Texas two-car collision took the lives of four teenagers and seriously injured two others.  The 17-year-old driver of a Ford Mustang traveling southbound on Farm Road 730 near Decatur, around 3:15am Saturday morning, attempted to pass a vehicle in a no-passing zone when the car crashed into a northbound Ford F-350 pickup truck. Although both vehicles swerved to avoid the collision they swerved into a ditch and collided.  Four passengers in the Mustang died, the driver of the Mustang remains hospitalized in critical condition, and the driver of the pickup was being treated for non life-threatening injuries.

Man at Wrong Place at Wrong Time Dies in Alcohol-Fueled Road Rage Incident

A man that had left his house Sunday afternoon to run errands was killed by a drunk driver who was also experiencing road rage at the time.  […]