Our Practice - Automobile Accidents

Automobile Accidents

Automobile accidents cause thousands of deaths and hundreds of thousands of injuries every year and carry the potential for both criminal and civil liability. While the state may only prosecute if someone is killed or if alcohol was involved, the lack of state prosecution does not affect the ability to pursue a civil case.

Automobile accidents can be caused due to unsafe driving, bad road conditions, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and automobiles with faulty or defective parts. A victim and/or his/her dependants are entitled to monetary compensation when injured by an automobile accident and may receive punitive damages in appropriate circumstances.

In Whittlesey, Duffy + Partners obtained a $12,000,000 settlement for their client, Mr. Whittlesey, who suffered quadriplegia from a motor vehicle accident caused by a trucking company. The trucking company, who denied all fault associated with the accident, agreed to the settlement after jury selection. Mr. Whittlesey was able to move from his trailer after having a home specially constructed to accommodate his physical needs. The verdict was reported as one of the largest verdicts in the State that year.

In Nalls, Duffy + Partners secured a $2.65 million settlement for a young off-duty police officer who was forced off the job by injuries he received when the driver of an automobile hit him on his motorcycle, causing injuries to his face, arm and leg.

In Eager, Duffy + Partners secured a $1,950,000 settlement for a woman who sustained a traumatic brain injury, fractures and other injuries in a motor vehicle accident when the defendant's employee crossed the center line at a dangerous curve on a rain slicked road where a number of accidents had occurred over the years.

In Duffy, Duffy + Partners obtained a $1,900,000 verdict for John Duffy, an insurance salesman, who suffered a broken hip following a motor vehicle collision with a police cruiser. The police officer contended he was in a high-speed pursuit of another vehicle, which simply did not pan out to be accurate based upon the police tapes.

In Pakuris, Duffy + Partners obtained a $1,550,000 verdict for a veteran Philadelphia attorney who suffered a torn rotator cuff following a motor vehicle accident in Media. The attorney sought the assistance of Duffy + Partners for the handling of his claim against the defense driver. The defendant contended that the insignificant impact could not have caused the total disruption of Mr. Pakuris’ rotator cuff. Duffy + Partners was successful in having the defendant’s biomechanical engineer precluded from testifying based upon research against the expert that Duffy + Partners had located in other States.