Brooklyn Jury Rules For Plaintiff In Motor Vehicle Accident

A Brooklyn jury recently awarded a Plaintiff $130,000 for personal injuries sustained while she was a passenger in her friend’s vehicle.

The subject car accident occurred in November of 2011. The Plaintiff, age 47 at the time of the accident, and her sister were passengers in their friend’s SUV. The vehicle was traveling along Ocean Avenue. When their vehicle reached the intersection of Avenue Y and Ocean Avenue, the vehicle was struck by a second vehicle. The impact from the collision caused the SUV to flip over. The driver of the second vehicle fled the scene of the accident. The driver was ultimately located by the police and the driver of the second vehicle was found and ultimately convicted of driving while intoxicated.

The Plaintiff commenced a lawsuit against the second driver and her friend, the driver of the SUV she was riding in. The Plaintiff claimed that as a result of her accident, she sustained three fractured ribs, herniations in the lumbar spine, herniations in the cervical spine, as well as an injury to her shoulder which required her to undergo surgery. The Plaintiff also claimed that as a result of her accident, she had experienced difficulty breathing, persistent headaches and difficulties with her memory.

During trial, the driver of the other vehicle failed to appear in Court. The defense attorneys for the drivers of both vehicles argued that Plaintiff was not permanently injured and that her injuries from the car accident had been resolved.

The jury issued a verdict in favor of the Plaintiff. The Brooklyn jury found the driver of the second vehicle 60% liable for the accident and the driver of the host SUV 40% liable. The Brooklyn jury awarded the Plaintiff a total of $130,000 for past and future pain and suffering.