Essex County Accident Litigation

THORNTON v. BAY CITIES LEASING; $525,000:   THE OPERATOR OF A COMMERCIAL TRACTOR TRAILER WAS CARELESS AND NEGLIGENT WHILE TRAVELING ON A HIGHWAY IN MIDDLESEX COUNTY. AS A RESULT, THE TRUCK COLLIDED WITH THE SIDE OF AN AUTOMOBILE BEING OPERATED BY A 49 YEAR OLD MAN, A MR. THORNTON. THIS MAN WAS THE MANAGER OF A CAR WASH IN THE AREA AND WAS COMING FROM WORK. THE VEHICLE SPUN AROUND AND HIT THE CONCRETE DIVIDER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY. MR. THORNTON SERIOUSLY INJURED HIS BACK, NEEDED A MINOR SURGERY AND WAS UNABLE TO WORK FOR SEVERAL WEEKS.  
 
HABIB v. OLSON;  $2,000,000:  OPERATOR OF A MOTOR VEHICLE IN MIDDLESEX COUNTY FAILED TO YIELD AT AN INTERSECTION DESPITE A BLIND SPOT AND THE FACT THAT THERE WAS A SIGN AT THE INTERSECTION REQUIRING DRIVERS TO YIELD OR STOP. DUE TO THIS FAILURE TO STOP, THE MOTOR VEHICLE COLLIDED WITH A MOTOR CYCLE WHICH HAD THE RIGHT OF WAY. THE CYCLE RIDER WAS THROWN THIRTY FEET ONTO THE ROADWAY, AND SUFFERED FRACTURES TO HIS LEGS, DAMAGE TO SOME OF HIS INTERNAL ORGANS AND SEVERE ABRASIONS TO CERTAIN PARTS OF HIS BODY REQUIRING PLASTIC SURGERY.
 
ZAHARIAS v. SMITH;  $570,000:  THE DRIVER OF A CAR THAT WAS PROPERLY STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT AT AN INTERSECTION IN ESSEX COUNTY WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED WHEN A SPORT UTILITY VEHICLE (I.E. A FORD EXPLORER) NEGLIGENTLY FAILED TO STOP AND COLLIDED WITH THE REAR OF THE CAR AT AN ESTIMATED 40 MPH. THE DRIVER OF THE CAR SUFFERED SEVERE WHIPLASH, WITH A PERMANENT INJURY TO HIS NECK. CONSEQUENTLY, HE NEEDED A SURGERY TO REPAIR A CERVICAL DISC AS WELL AS SOME PHYSICAL THERAPY.