$5,025,000 Settlement: Driver Injured in a Three-Car Crash on the FDR Drive

$5,025,000 settlement. Car Accident | FDR Drive, Manhattan | Spinal Surgery | Ranked #4 among New York personal injury settlements of 2022 by TopVerdict.com

What happened

Our client was driving home, heading northbound on the FDR Drive in the right lane, when two other vehicles collided. Both of those vehicles were then pushed into our client's car. The impact between the three vehicles injured our client's spine.

"I'll see how I feel in the morning"

Like many people after a crash, our client did not get medical care at the scene. They were shaken up, but thought they would be okay. They went home, took something for the pain and went to bed to see how they felt the next morning.

The next morning, our client woke up feeling worse and went to the emergency room. They told the hospital staff that the pain had been tolerable at the time of the crash but had become more intense overnight, which is why they came in.

This happens all the time. Adrenaline can mask pain in the hours after a crash, and many spinal injuries take time to show their full effect. Insurance companies often try to use a gap like this against an injured person. It is one more reason to see a doctor as soon as possible after any collision.

The injuries

The pain did not go away. It got worse, and our client needed ongoing medical care and physical therapy. MRIs confirmed that the crash had damaged their spine, both their neck and their back.

Our client went through a course of conservative care for the neck and back, and was then recommended for surgery. They were not eager to have spinal surgery and did not take the first surgeon's word for it. They got a second opinion, and then a third. Ultimately, our client had to undergo spinal surgery because of this collision.

The injuries, the surgery and the long recovery forced our client to give up their full-time job.

Building the case

To show the full cost of these injuries, we retained:

• A life care planner, who examined our client, reviewed the medical records and put together a plan of the medical care and treatment they will need for the rest of their life.
• An economic expert, who used that plan along with our client's W-2s and tax returns to project their past and future economic losses caused by the defendants' negligence.

Keeping the case moving

We tell every client the same thing: we will move their case as aggressively as possible, but the court system moves slowly. New York's courts handle an enormous volume of injury, commercial, contract, family and criminal cases, so the wheels of justice turn slowly.

That is why it is up to us to push at every stage. We filed the complaint as early as possible. When the defendants dug in their heels and discovery stalled, we used every discovery tool available to us, including a motion to strike a defendant's answer. The court did not strike the answer, but soon after we filed the motion, discovery moved forward.

The result

The case settled for $5,025,000. TopVerdict.com ranked it:

• #4 on its list of the Top 10 Personal Injury Settlements in New York in 2022
• #27 on its list of the Top 50 Motor Vehicle Accident Settlements in the United States in 2022

Read our 2022 announcement of the recognition.

That is MooreJustice.

Hurt in a car accident in New York? Learn more about Manhattan car accident claims and New York City car accident cases, or see the case result.

Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. This page describes a past matter for general information and is not legal advice.