Motor Vehicle Accident - Question of Traffic Lights
Our client, a 68 year old male bus driver, was involved in a motor vehicle accident in an intersection controlled by a traffic light. As a result of the accident, he missed three weeks of work, sustained soft tissue injuries to his back and neck, and required exploratory arthroscopic knee surgery. The defendants contended that our client caused the accident and produced an independent witness who testified that our client ran the red light. Furthermore, our client's doctor stated in his operative report that the knee injuries our client suffered were degenerative in nature. Finally, that the back and neck injuries were caused in an accident that occurred over 10 years earlier, where our client received a substantial award.
Wingate, Russotti, Shapiro, Moses & Halperin, LLP was able to maneuver a settlement at trial after the defendants refused to make any offer at a mediation only two months prior. Our theory was that the time table laid out by the defendant showed conclusively that he was traveling 60 miles per hour at the time of impact, the motor vehicles involved in the accident were both damaged, and the injuries were aggravations of pre existing injuries. Given the possible exposure the defendants faced, they chose to settle the case rather than find out whether the jury believed their independent witness.