Car Accident Settlements

The streets of New York City and the surrounding areas are generally so busy that even the most careful driver can be involved in an accident solely as a result of the recklessness and negligence of another. We represent drivers, passengers, pedestrians and bicyclists who have been injured as a result of many different types of car accident scenarios. Below is a selection of the car accident settlements obtained by our firm.

Below are brief summaries of car accident settlement amounts we have secured for past clients and our clients’ car accident settlement stories.

Nassau County Auto Accident: $1.5 Million
Our client, a woman in her fifties, had a long-standing history of prior injuries including prior surgery to her spine, and extensive care to her neck, back and wrists. These were the precise injuries we secured compensation for.

While New York Law does not permit a recovery for injuries that pre date an accident, it does permit a recovery for the “exacerbation and aggravation” of those injuries. Essentially you must prove a worsening of the conditions attributable to the accident or incident.

Through sophisticated medical analysis, use of top flight experts, and diligent legal work, we were able to establish that our client was asymptomatic prior to the accident we represented her for, despite her 15-year history of treatment.

Our office also scored numerous legal victories that helped secure this outstanding recovery. We obtained summary judgment on the issue of liability. This meant the sole issue the jury would decide would be the amount of damages. We also obtained preclusion of the defendant at the time of trial which meant the defendant could not testify and challenge the plaintiffs version of the incident, the force of the impact, or the appearance of the plaintiff following the accident.

We proceeded to a mediation at NAM (National Arbitration and Mediation). Through aggressive negotiation and a trial presentation we secured a settlement of $1.5 million dollars for an exacerbation and aggravation claim. This money brings our client well-deserved compensation and a pound of justice.

Defective Automobile: Multi-Million Dollar Award
Several individuals were seriously injured as a result of a defective gear shifting device that caused the driver of the motor vehicle to lose control and run over pedestrians inside a New York City park. Our law firm obtained a significant confidential settlement from a major automobile manufacturer because of the defect.

Rear-End Motor Vehicle Accident Aggravates Back Injury: $900,000 Pretrial Settlement
Our client, a 49-year-old freelance photographer, was rear-ended by a truck while he was stopping at a red light. The collision exacerbated earlier injuries that client sustained to his back.

Our client had a long-standing herniated disc that he was previously advised required surgery. Our law firm successfully argued that the collision significantly worsened his condition. The matter mediated on two separate occasions. Andrew Levine and Howard Raphaelson were able to obtain a $900,000 settlement prior to trial of this matter.

Spinal Injury leads to $750,000
Our office represented a 30-year-old woman who was injured in a motor vehicle accident. The car in which she was a passenger was struck by a truck. The driver of the vehicle she was in was attempting to exit a parking spot and was primarily responsible for the accident. As a result of the impact, our client sustained spinal injuries that led to epidural injections and ultimately a laminectomy, a procedure to relieve pressure in the spine due to a herniated disk. The case was particularly difficult because our client had two prior accidents, both pursued legally, with one resulting in a back injury in the same area that our client ultimately underwent the laminectomy. Additionally the truck driver claimed our client was in fact the driver, not the passenger and the police report attributed the complete fault on the car, not the truck. Through aggressive litigation Andrew Levine was able to secure a recovery of $750,000 on the eve of trial. This included $25,000 from the car, which represented the full insurance policy limit. The remaining portion as recovered from the truck. A portion of the sum was placed into a structured settlement thus the client’s ultimate recovery will near $1,000,000. This recovery was featured in the New York Jury Verdict Reporter as a top recovery.

Good Samaritan Injured in Auto Accident: $650,000
A 31-year-old driver traveling along the Henry Hudson Parkway came upon a disabled vehicle that had been involved in a motor vehicle accident. He observed someone injured inside the vehicle. After parking his car on the side of the roadway, he was attempting to assist the injured person when another vehicle, proceeding on the Parkway in an unsafe manner, struck him. The Raphaelson Law Firm, P.C. resolved the case at the time of trial.

Disc Bulge Yields More than Half a Million Dollars
Our firm represented a woman who was injured in a motor vehicle accident. Two vehicles collided in an intersection. As a result of that impact, one vehicle lost control and struck our client. We filed a lawsuit against both vehicles in Queens Supreme Court, which happened to be three blocks from where the accident happened. After two years of litigation and on the eve of trial, the matter was resolved for 550,000. Our client had sustained a disc bulge. Throughout the entire case the Defendants attempted to minimize the extent of her injuries. Andrew Levine said, “This matter was the perfect example of how our office handles our client’s claims. We were committed to making the defendants understand the effect this accident had on our client’s life not what her MRI report said.” That was the difference between the defendant’s initial offer of $10,000 and the ultimate recovery of $550,000.

$500,000 Auto Accident Settlement
A 38-year-old man was pinned between two vehicles while he was unloading groceries from a delivery truck. Our client suffered a severe fracture to his leg, which required two surgeries. Through the use of a forensic economist, we established that the client would not be able to work in his former occupation and that he suffered loss of future income. Howard Raphaelson and Andrew Levine obtained a $500,000 settlement for the injured client.

$500,000 Rear End Car Accident Settlement for Shoulder Injury
The firm represented a woman who was injured in a chain reaction car accident in New York. She was rear-ended and sustained a shoulder injury. After several weeks of physical therapy she was seen by an Orthopedist and advised to undergo Arthroscopic Surgery. Following the procedure she developed stiffness in the shoulder and required a revision procedure where scar tissue was removed. The vehicle that struck her in the rear had a $100,000 insurance policy, which was offered immediately upon filing the lawsuit. Our office then made a claim under the Underinsured Motorist Endorsement of our client’s insurance policy. Prior to the scheduled arbitration Andrew Levine and Dario Martinez personal injury attorneys in New York were able to obtain an additional $400,000 for a total car accident shoulder injury settlement of $500,000 (Half-a-Million Dollars)! Andrew said this case was the perfect example of the importance of having the proper Underinsurance on our policies. Here a client was able to protect herself when the dangerous driver failed to have sufficient insurance. This benefit costs very little in comparison with the benefit it has brought our client. Feel free to forward the Declarations Page of your insurance policy for or office to review.

Six-Figure Soft Tissue Injury Settlement
The firm represented a young man involved in a New York motor vehicle accident. Our client had a prior accident and a subsequent accident before this matter could go to trial. Both the prior and subsequent accidents resulted in injuries nearly identical to the injuries we alleged. Prior to trial the insurance company for the defendant refused to offer more than $7,500. Trial Attorney Jason Krakower took the matter before the jury seeking justice for our client. Jason persuaded the jury that the accident caused all of our client’s injuries and the jury awarded the sum of $200,000.

3-Car Auto Accident in New York City Exacerbates Pre-existing Back Injury: $300,00 Herniated Disc Car Accident Settlement
Although a person who sustained injury to a particular body part may be more susceptible to reinjuring or exacerbating the injury to that same body part in the future, New York Law allows plaintiffs to recover for aggravation and exacerbation of preexisting injuries. This week, the injury lawyers of Raphaelson and Levine recovered a $300,000 settlement for a 32-year-old security guard who was injured in a 3-car accident in New York in 2007. Several years prior to this accident, the client had a car accident and injured his back. His injury was diagnosed as a herniated disc. He received treatment for two years and recovered monies as a result of a lawsuit that was brought on his behalf by another law firm. Following his recent accident, he returned to the law firm that handled his first accident and was advised that he could not recover monies because that part of his body was already injured. He was then referred to Raphaelson and Levine by a friend that our law firm had represented. We advised the client that although the new accident involved injury to the same part of his back as the first accident, we would fight his case as an exacerbation of a preexisting injury. Raphaelson and Levine was able to prove that the injury was exacerbated as a result of the second accident and was able to negotiate a $300,000 herniated disc car accident settlement.

Aggravation of Back Injury Brings Multiple Six Figures: $300,000 Herniated Disc Car Accident Settlement
Our firm represented a young man who injured his back in a motor vehicle accident. He had previously hurt the same portion of his spine and underwent extensive care immediately before the current accident. The MRIs were virtually identical and confirmed he had a herniated disc. In spite of the similarities, Howard Raphaelson was able to establish that the current accident aggravated the condition and would require extensive treatment into the future. Howard obtained a $300,000 settlement on behalf of our client.

Auto Accident Aggravates Neck Injury: $245,000
Our firm represented a woman involved in an auto accident in Washington State. Our client had a prior accident approximately 10 years ago that caused a herniation in her neck. Andrew Levine successfully argued that our client’s neck injury was made significantly worse due to the current accident. As a result, Andrew Levine was able to negotiate a pretrial settlement for our client in the amount of $245,000.

This represented the fourth six-figure result that Andrew obtained in the past four months for clients claiming neck injuries that had prior injuries and accidents.

Car Accident Resulting in Neck Injury: $245,000
The New York car accident lawyers of The Raphaelson & Levine Law Firm in New York represented a man who was injured while traveling as a passenger in his own car. The truck that struck his vehicle had no insurance. Our client sustained a neck injury, which ultimately required surgery. The firm presented a claim pursuant to a clause in our client’s insurance policy. The insurance company claimed that the client’s own doctor said the surgery was not related and was due to his advanced age (over 80) and further that his injuries were in no way related to the accident. Through aggressive litigation, Andrew Levine was able to recover $245,000, which represented nearly the maximum recovery available.

New Jersey Accident Victim Recovers $225,000 for a Fracture
Our firm represented a woman who was in a car accident in northern New Jersey. Our client was struck by a car driven by a newly licensed driver that attempted to make a left turn. As a result of the impact, our client sustained a fracture to her nondominant wrist. The fracture was treated via a surgical procedure. Following the completion of discovery, but prior to the start of trial, Andrew Levine obtained a recovery of $225,000 for our client. Interestingly our firm was able to use Facebook entries made by the defendant following the accident to challenge her claims that our client was speeding and had in any way contributed to the accident.

Truck Accident Victim
Our client was seriously injured when the vehicle he was traveling in was rear-ended by a Tractor trailer on the BQE expressway. While the vehicle in which he was traveling did not have a scratch we proved that his injuries were in fact caused by the accident.

The deck was stacked against us from the start as the police report doubted whether the client was injured based on the fact that no damage resulted. The defendants even hired a biomechanical expert to say that it was physically impossible that the injuries resulted from the accident.

We proceeded to an arbitration and recovered nearly HALF a MILLION DOLLARS. Through diligent trial preparation and skilled advocacy at the Arbitration Hearing we prevailed and established that each injury was caused by the accident and was permanent and debilitating.

Our office has handled numerous truck accidents and are familiar with the Federal motor vehicle safety standards that govern tractor trailers.

Knee Injury from a Car Accident in New York: $100,000
Jason Krakower handled a claim for a client who sustained a knee injury and wrist injury in a motor vehicle accident. The MRI study failed to reveal a torn ligament in the knee, and our client continued to be in pain. Our client underwent an arthroscopic surgery to address his pain. Jason successfully argued that the client sustained a severe knee injury that would cause constant pain for the rest of his life. Jason was able to achieve a $100,000 settlement within six months of the accident. The settlement represented the full available insurance coverage.

Broken Toes from a Car Accident in New York: $100,000
Our firm represented a woman whose foot was run over by a car in Manhattan. As a result she sustained two broken toes. Her foot was placed in a walking boot and the fractures healed within three months. Approximately six months after the car accident she developed a neuroma that required further care. While the case was pending in the Supreme Court of Queens County, Andrew Levine was able to successfully resolve the matter at a mediation for $100,000.

Car Accident Resulting in Vascular Condition: $45,000
Our New York trial attorney Jason Krakower recently received a favorable result in a matter pending in New York County Supreme Court. Our client had been struck by a motor vehicle. She sustained soft tissue injuries that were treated with conservative care for several months. Three years after the accident our client developed a vascular condition in her leg that was struck at the time of the accident. The insurance carrier for the defendant refused to acknowledge that the vascular injury was caused by the accident due to the long delay in diagnosis and treatment.
During trial, Jason Krakower was able to establish that the injury was related to the accident through medical testimony and documentation. Prior to the jury returning a verdict the matter was settled for $45,000. Before the start of the trial the defendant was only offering $7,500. Jason’s excellent courtroom skills allowed our client to obtain an award over five times larger than the pretrial offer!

Drunk Driver Taken to Justice
Raphaelson and Levine represented the surviving family members in a civil lawsuit against a drunk driver who struck and killed our client. Despite the Police report indicating that our client was at fault for the accident, we aggressively pursued the claim. We were able to reconstruct the accident through the use of multiple experts and establish that the driver was intoxicated and speeding excessively. Our firm recovered the policy limit of $250,000. Our aggressive litigation paid off and sent a message that drunk driving is not tolerable.

$200,000 Trial Verdict
Jason Krakower was recently recognized by the New York Jury Verdict Reporter. This publication features top verdicts and settlements obtained in New York. The reporter published a case summary on Jason’s recent victory in New York Supreme Court for a car accident victim who sustained soft tissue injuries. Jason secured a jury verdict of $200,000 despite our client’s involvement in prior and subsequent accidents.

Big Mediation Result: $200,000
Our firm represented a father and son who were injured in a car accident in the Bronx. The son, the driver had to undergo an arthroscopic surgery. The father, the passenger, did not undergo surgery but sustained a knee injury that caused constant pain and limitations in walking. Andrew Levine and Dario Martinez thoroughly prepared this case for mediation. Our firm secured a $200,000 settlement on behalf of our clients.

Auto Accident: $290,000
An 80-year-old man was involved in a two-car motor vehicle accident. Our client was driving his vehicle and made an abrupt left turn in front of the defendant’s vehicle. The police report cited our client for failure to yield the right of way. Through the use of our accident reconstruction experts, Andrew Levine and Howard Raphaelson were able to establish that the defendant was traveling at an unsafe speed and should have seen the plaintiff in time to avoid the collision. After a lengthy mediation the firm received an award of $290,000 for our client’s pain and suffering.

Rear-End Truck Accident Injury: $450,000
A mother and two children were struck in the rear by a truck on a city highway. The injury to her neck required she be taken by ambulance and separated from her children at the scene. Although the children miraculously sustained only minor injuries the mother required extensive physical therapy to her neck. The mother was able to return to work and support her children but required significant treatment for over one year. Her case was settled this week in Kings County for $450,000.00

Raphaelson and Levine have litigated and prevailed on numerous car accident settlements in New York. To speak to an attorney with extensive experience in such a matter please contact us today.