Injury Settlement 9 Years After Accident

Just recently in Staten Island a case that has been in process for over 9 years was finally settled. Christopher Litrell Jr who was 9 at the time, was hit by a minivan when trying to cross an intersection that has been known to be slippery during the Winter months. As Christopher was crossing the street, he slipped and was struck by a mini van suffered traumatic brain injury, two broken legs and a shattered pelvis and has had to go through many different types of surgeries.

From these serious injuries, he was suffered serious brain injuries and functions intellectually at a third-grade level. Even though he has gone through so much, he is still getting by. With the case going through the process, just recently there was a settlement between the city of Staten Island who will pay him $1.9 million and two other defendants who will pay $75,000. The city will have to pay the $1.9 million due to the fact that there were things that could of been done at the intersection to avoid this accident. It was reported that a bunch of different things lead to the ice pileup including improper roadway cleanup from an earlier storm as well as ponding.

You hear about these types of accidents quite frequently now a days especially with there not being as much money for cities to do the work that's need to streets and other things. Hopefully with this case finally settled Christopher can go on with his life and live a happy one.

If you have suffered serious injuries in an accident, call an attorney who can help you receive fair compensation for your injuries. 

Toyota to Pay $1.1 Billion for Faulty Car Issues

A couple of years ago, the big news that was going around was the whole Toyota gas pedal issue where cars made by Toyota would not break. The thing that I remember the most about these accidents was a 911 call from a woman who was frantically screaming that she could not get her car to stop and ended up getting into an accident. As you can imagine, there was a class action suit by owners of Toyota's who claimed they suffered economic loss because of these issues. Just this past week Toyota settled this case by agreeing to pay a whooping $1.1 billion.

The settlement for this case is one of the largest ever paid and I'm surprised that it wasn't even more. With the settlement, Toyota agreed to add a brake override system in their cars to avoid acceleration pedals getting stuck in floor mats, leading them to accelerate unintentionally. The company will also set up a fund of $250 million to be paid to former Toyota owners who sold their cars between Sept. 1, 2009, and Dec. 31, 2010, to compensate the owners for the reduced value of the cars from the negative publicity. Until these problems surfaced, Toyota held the top reputation for vehicle quality and safety. But since then, it has been dogged by significant recall problems. It has already announced recalls of more than 10 million vehicles worldwide for various problems so far this year.

When these problems were made public, I remember hearing a lot of people saying that they will never buy a Toyota again but it seems like I'm seeing more Toyota's on the road today than ever before. I am glad that the owners of these cars are getting a settlement they deserve as companies need to be held liable for faulty products. Every year there are companies that bring new products to the market that are faulty and get away with selling a lot of units without having to compensate those who bought it.

If you have been injured due to faulty products,  you should talk to a lawyer like Marc Whitehead who can help you.

Ventura County to Pay $3.2 for Speeding Accident

For law enforcement officers, sometimes they need to speed and hurry to get to a certain location, but when doing this they need to be careful as well. Just recently in Ventura County, a sheriff's deputy while on duty was speeding and rammed into a truck causing the driver to suffer a traumatic brain injury. As a result of this accident, Ventura County will pay the family a settlement of $3.2 million for her injuries.

The California Highway Patrol at first blamed the woman for causing the accident but it was later determined that she was not at fault. At first they believed that the woman turned into the sheriff's car which caused the accident. The officers just completed a traffic stop and was heading down the highway when they struck the truck.

From the accident the driver of the truck suffered broken ribs, head injuries, a broken right hand and wrist, and a collapsed lung. At first the plaintiffs had asked for $16 million but settled for $3 million from the county and $200,000 from the officer.

With this car accident, it just shows that everyone needs to be safe and abide by the laws to avoid causing serious injuries. Click here for more info on working with an attorney if you have been injured in a car accident.

Distracted Driving Leading Cause of Car Accidents

On the roadways there are an increase in cars now a days with everyone rushing to get to their destination. With this there are times when drivers aren't taking the necessary precautions to be a safe driver which could result in an accident. There are a lot of different causes for car accidents but the most common one is a distracted driver.

When it comes to a distracted driver, there are a lot of different things that fall under this category. Some common distractions include text, talking on the phone, eating, changing the radio station and the list goes on and on. Some states have now made it illegal to do certain things like texting to hopefully make sure that drivers aren't distracted. I can speak from experience that one lead distraction can lead to a disaster. When I was driving home one night I went to check my phone to see if I had gotten any new emails and hopped a curb and almost hit a light pole. Drivers need to make sure that they keep 100% of their attention on the road as it only does take an instant to ruin your life or someone elses.

I think driver distraction is getting more attention then what it did before and this is a good thing. The more people talk about it and become aware of it, the less likely that people will do certain things while driving to make sure that they are safe.

If you have been in an accident due to a distracted driver and was injured, make sure you talk to an experienced law firm like this one where they can help make sure that you are taken care of.

Santa Clarita Man Dies in Motorcycle Accident

Without a doubt the most dangerous motor vehicle on the roadways today is riding a motorcycle. There are a lot of perks with owning a motorcycle from being able to save money on gas, gets you to your destinations quicker and is easier to park but it is also for dangerous. Last week a man in Santa Clarita, California died in a motorcycle collision. This accident however may have been due to the man possibly trying to pull over due medical problems.

The driver of the motorcycle was a 52 year old man and the cause of his accident was not due to him going fast but instead it looks like he may have been slowing down. The man was pronounced dead at the scene and the accident is still be investigated by the Santa Clarita Valley Station traffic office.

Being on a motorcycle can be dangerous and there is the high potential that if you get into an accident, it could do serious injury to you. If you have been in a motorcycle accident, you need an attorney who can help you. If you need help from a lawyer, you can try Nolo or here.

Mother of boy killed by Disney bus reaches a settlement

In one of the more the sadder cases, a mother of a boy who was killed by a Disney bus just reached a settlement with Disney. The boy who was 9, was hit by the bus while at Disney World. What happened was the boy was riding a bicycle and steered of the sidewalk into the direction of the oncoming bus. When the boy saw the bus getting closer, he fell off the bike and was runned over by the back wheel of the bus.

The mother sued Disney for driver negligence but Disney shot back saying that the driver had worked for Disney for close to 30 years and hasn't had any problems before. This case was drawn out for 2 years with a lot of back and forth and was just recently settled. The amount was not disclosed but I'm sure both parties are happy to have this over with.

It is sad to see when someone so young dies from an accident like this. If you have been injured in an accident contact a lawyer who can help you out and make sure that you are taken care of. 

Man Gets $500,000 Settlement Against Hawthorne, Tilcon Quarry for Motorcycle Accident

A 59 year old man from Elmwood Park recently won a settlement of $500,000 against the boroughs of Hawthorne and Tilcon Quarry for a motorcycle accident he was involved in back in 2009. What happened was his leg was crushed by his own bike in an accident caused by the road being unsafe on a residential street. The man then sued both boroughs due to the fact that they used heavy trucks to drive through a residential area which damaged the road and made it unsafe for people riding on it. 

The boroughs allegedly knew of this problem with the road being unsafe and mentioned that they were going to fix it but never did. Many of the trucks that drove through also wouldn't put covering over its cargo so there would be rocks that fell out the back and it would be scattered all over the road. For this accident, the motorcyclists skid across a manhole that was covered with gravel which made it very slippery. As a result of this accident, the motorcyclists leg was crushed and he needed emergency surgery to fix it. For the settlement of $500,000, both boroughs will split it and have to pay the man as it was determined that they were at fault for his injuries.

If you have been injured in a motorcycle accident, call the offices of Zinda and Davis who can help you.