Largest Reported NJ Personal Injury Settlement during the Court’s 2022-2023 term

Drunk Driver Causes Front-End Collision—$787,500

In Ossing, New York, a nuclear engineer was driving on Route 9A when he was struck head-on by a drunk driver. The driver was later charged with DWI. The engineer hired Davis, Saperstein & Salomon, P.C. partner Marc C. Saperstein to represent him in his lawsuit against the drunk driver. After personal injury lawyer Marc C. Saperstein proved that driver had been reckless, careless, and negligent, our client won a $787,500 settlement. 

Our client was driving home after finishing a shift at work. While going southbound on Route 9A, he saw a vehicle traveling northbound in his lane of travel. The vehicle hit our client front-end, causing damage to the vehicle and injury to our client. 

The client suffered injuries to his spine and head. The accident caused disc herniations and annular tears at C3-C4 and L5-S1, as well as disc bulges at C5-C6 and C6-C7. He also suffered a mild traumatic brain injury (TBI), and his jaw developed bilateral TMJ capsulitis, myositis, and anterior displacement. The engineer tried chiropractic care, acupuncture, and physical therapy, and he met regularly with a psychiatrist and psychologist to treat his mental health concerns. 

The firm hired medical practitioners and psychologists to serve as expert witnesses and to write reports proving the permanency of our client’s condition. Their verbal and written testimony helped justify our client’s need for financial compensation, specifically for her medical bills and pain and suffering. 

Davis, Saperstein & Salomon, P.C. partner Marc C. Saperstein sued the drunk driver in the New Jersey Superior Court and proved that he had been driving recklessly. He ensured that our client was properly compensated in the form of a $787,500 settlement. 

Settlements are often limited by the total available insurance coverage. Insurance company adjusters and their lawyers often defend cases by claiming that a client was negligent and could have avoided being injured by arguing comparative negligence on the part of an injured client; or that their pain and suffering was caused by pre-existing medical conditions or prior injuries. Despite those defenses, the Davis, Saperstein & Salomon, PC lawyers won their client’s injury claim. Each client’s case is unique. Results may differ because of different facts, circumstances and available insurance coverage.   

Call us now for a free and confidential case evaluation. We are also available 24/7 online at our website, www.dsslaw.com. 

 

Medical Glossary

Disc Bulge: An extension of disc tissue past the edge of the vertebrae.

Disc Herniation: Occurs when the exterior of a disc cracks and its nucleus pushes into the spinal canal and irritates surrounding nerves.

Annual Tear: A fissure that occurs in an intervertebral disc as a result of spine degeneration. 

Bilateral TMJ Capsulitis: Inflammatory response that occurs in both jaw joints as a protective measure.

Myositis: A condition that causes inflamed muscles.

Anterior Displacement: In relation to the jaw, the displacement of the disc that serves as a cushion between the skull and the lower jaw.