$2,050,000 settlement reached in Wayne County pedestrian accident case

Engineers concluded the intersection was unnecessarily dangerous for pedestrians

On average, a pedestrian was killed every 2 hours and injured every 7 minutes in traffic crashes in 2012, the most recent year for which data was available. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 4,743 pedestrians died in traffic crashes in 2012 and an estimated 76,000 pedestrians were injured. The NHTSA reported that fatalities among pedestrians increased for the third consecutive year (6.4% over 2011).

On August 27, a $2,050,000 settlement was reached in a wrongful death case scheduled to go to trial in Wayne County, Pa. The accident involved the death of 60-year-old Ruthann Malti who was struck and killed by a Ford pickup truck on the corner of 7th and Church Streets in downtown Honesdale, Pa.

A case was filed on behalf of the Estate of Ruthann Malti by attorneys Daniel Munley and Julia Munley of Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys, […]

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Victims Win Record Pennsylvania Wrongful Death Truck Accident Settlement

The victims of a 2010 Pennsylvania wrongful death truck accident recently agreed to a record $26.1 million settlement of their claims against the truck driver, the truck company and other defendants. The accident occurred on June 6, 2010, on Interstate 80 East when a tractor-trailer rear-ended a Toyota Matrix that was stuck in traffic for road construction.  One occupant of the Toyota, the driver’s father, was fatally injured. Two others, including the driver, received serious, life-threatening injuries. Two dogs in the car were also killed.

The driver of the tractor-trailer, who apparently was speeding, said the sun was in his eyes; however, the sun was actually behind him at the time. Because the driver’s recollection of the accident appeared fuzzy, it was alleged that he may have been driving drowsy or even fallen asleep at the wheel, though this was never proven.

Pennsylvania Wrongful Death Actions

The victim of a truck accident has the option to file a personal injury accident lawsuit to recover compensation for any injuries. […]

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Florida Families Settle Wrongful Death Lawsuit in Traffic Accident

The families of two teenagers who died in an accident in Stuart, FL in August 2009 have settled in a wrongful death lawsuit with a construction company that owned the front-end loader the teens’ vehicle struck.  The amount Sheltra & Son Construction Co will pay was not released in the confidential settlement.

Three teenagers were riding in a Jeep Cherokee traveling on Southeast Cove Road around 2 a.m. when they came upon a road-widening project.  A front-end loader was halfway into the eastbound lane of the road without any flagmen or signs to warn drivers to slow for the vehicle.

The Jeep slammed into the equipment killing all three teens.  The Florida Highway Patrol found the 18-year-old driver had a blood-alcohol level of 0.251, more than three times the legal limit, at the time of the accident.  The other teens were also impaired, according to the police. […]

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California Hospital Settled Wrongful Death Lawsuit for $250,000

Hospital gives woman lethal dose of blood thinning medication in wrongful death case

Community Regional Medical Center of Fresno, CA settled a wrongful death lawsuit filed brought against them by a family after their mother died.  The woman mistakenly received an excessive dose of a blood-thinning medication.  The settlement amount of $250,000 is the cap on the amount available in California.

The woman entered the hospital in December 2010 complaining of pain and numbness in her left arm.  She was then admitted to the hospital and underwent routine surgery.  She later died, and her death certificate listed Heparin toxicity “as a significant condition contributing to death.”  Her medical records showed she was given 50 times the ordered amount of the blood thinner.

The hospital released a statement saying, “The settlement is a fair one. And along the way, we’ve instituted improved safeguards on medications.” […]

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Contra Costa County to Pay Over $13 Million in Wrongful Death Lawsuits

Last week, Contra Costa County was ordered to pay over $13 million to settle two separate lawsuits.  In one case they will pay $1.5 million to the family of a man shot by sheriffs in a wrongful death claim.  The second suit requires they pay $11.7 million to the family of a man who died in a crash on a county road.

The county will pay $1.5 million in the case of a man who was shot in 2009 in the emergency room at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center.  The man had checked himself in for the treatment of alcohol withdrawal symptoms.  He became agitated and attempted to cut the restraints off himself with a knife.  His children, who filed the lawsuit, claimed the deputies used excessive force.

In the other case, jurors found the county failed to keep the road safe during road resurfacing work after a man died when he was struck by a vehicle that ran off the road after he stopped to help another driver. […]

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