Injured Person – $2.5 Million Settlement

A pedestrian, standing at the double-yellow line waiting to cross the street, was struck by a driver’s side-view mirror of a CCT connect truck. The pedestrian suffered brain injury as a result of being struck and recovered due to the thorough investigation by Christy Adams, Esquire. The pedestrian was in a nursing home and unable to remember the accident, necessitating the testimony of eyewitnesses about what happened. The client was then reunited with his family in Mexico where the settlement monies were used to pay for ongoing care. Adams Renzi Law took the extraordinary step to help reunite him with his family and arrange for travel on the airline.

Injured Person – $1.8 Million Settlement

The tractor trailer driver was standing inside the trailer of his 18 wheeler cleaning out debris when he was rear-ended by another tractor trailer. The driver was thrown against the wall of the trailer and sustained a disc herniation in the neck at C3-4 and in the lower back at L5-S1. Plaintiff had a cervical discectomy and fusion at C3-4 due to cord compression. A settlement of $1.25 million was achieved to compensate him for his pain and suffering and wage loss.

A pizza deliveryman suffered serious injuries to his foot and ankle when another driver made a left-hand turn and plowed into his motor vehicle. He underwent numerous surgeries and was unable to return to work. The parties were deposed and the negligent driver's insurance carrier tendered its $1 million policy limits.

A cement mason descended a job-built ladder on a construction site when the top rung pulled loose, causing him to fall 15 feet to the ground, sustaining a severe hand injury. The sub-contractor who built the ladder for the job site was held responsible for using weak nails, causing the ladder rung to pull loose when pressure was applied. Upon learning of the incident, attorney Christy Adams, immediately responded by going to the construction site and asking the job to preserve the ladder for inspection. Due to the preservation efforts, we were able to determine the cause of the fall due to weak nails.

Our client was an experienced laborer foreman working on a project installing water main pipes for Aqua, a water company. Since the project was on an active roadway, the trench had to be filled everyday and the road re-paved for traffic. Our client was working in the trench when 100 pounds of dirt collapsed from the wall and buried him up to his knee. The trench required bracing due to its depth, but the defendants failed to properly brace it, causing the collapse. OSHA has strict standards and regulations for construction sites to ensure the safety of workers. These regulations include excavation safety. The OSHA regulations state that if a trench is 5 feet deep or greater and not in stable rock, then the walls of the trench must be supported by some type of bracing, such as timber shoring or a trench box. Adams Renzi Law hired Stephen Estrin, a top notch expert in construction site safety who has 40+ years experience in the construction field. Estrin testified that the company violated the OSHA regulation because the trench was at least 5 feet deep and required some type of shoring, which was not done. Our client had a lumbar fusion surgery with Richard Kanoff, M.D., a neurosurgeon at Mercy Fitzgerald, and a replacement of his ankle joint by Dr. Harold Schoenhaus. There was a jury verdict finding Miniscalco Construction 75% at fault, Aqua 12.5% at fault and Plaintiff 12.5% at fault for the incident. Partners, Nicholas Renzi and Christy Adams tried this matter to verdict for one week in Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.

Worker tripped over warped floor covering caused by negligent maintenance at construction site. Our client was assembling the baggage carousel at the new International Terminal of the Philadelphia Airport. As Plaintiff was pushing a tool called a roust-about, he tripped on a warped piece of masonite that was used to protect the terrazzo floor. When he fell, he struck his left shoulder directly on the roust-about. The Plaintiff sustained a rotator cuff tear that required surgery. The contractor for the terrazzo floors was held responsible. The contractor placed 1/4 inch thick sheets of masonite over the flooring to protect it. They had notice by memorandums that the masonite was in poor condition, warped and damaged by water. By contract, they were responsible for the maintenance of the masonite and ultimately held liable for Plaintiff's injuries.

$1,000,000 settlement to roofer with crush injury to right foot. Our roofer client was struck in the right foot with a propane tank weighing approximately 250 pounds that fell from a forklift. The forklift operator failed to secure the propane gas cylinder to the forks of the forklift so as to prevent it from rolling forward. The risk was increased because the forklift truck was not on level ground and was actually tilting forward due to the slope of the sidewalk where the incident occurred. Defendant had no written safety program nor did it require its general manager to perform any safety management tasks. Our client testified that on prior occasions when he picked up roofing supply materials at Defendant’s premises, the propane tanks were fastened to the forks by way of “2 x 4” piece of wood. On the day of the incident, he believed that the propane tank (which was hidden underneath a large piece of plywood) was fastened/secured to the forks. As soon as he lifted the plywood from the forks, the propane tank rolled off and struck him on the right foot.

A factory worker severely burned his hands necessitating multiple surgeries as a result of the operation of a laminating machine that lacked proper safety shield mechanisms and warning signs.

Herniated disc with fusion surgery

A delivery driver for a bakery was seriously injured when an uninsured drunk driver plowed into him. The delivery driver sustained serious injuries to his lower back and neck when he was rear-ended by the drunk driver. We brought an uninsured motorist action against the delivery driver’s auto insurance carrier and at a Binding Arbitration, he was awarded $875,000.00.

A mechanic was on business at a manufacturing plant in South Jersey when the unfastened door of a large shipping container struck him on the left shoulder causing serious injury to his left shoulder in the form of a rotator cuff tear which rendered him disabled from employment. We were able to prove that the Defendant failed to properly enforce a number of OSHA regulations.

A highway worker, was seriously injured when a large truck struck his work vehicle on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

An emergency room nurse suffered debilitating injuries including lumbar disc herniation and torn rotator cuff of the surgery, injuries resulting from defective footwear required to be worn in the operating room

Our client was rear-ended by a Brink’s motor vehicle and sustained disc herniations at C5-6 and C6-7. After consultation with Christian Fras, M.D., orthopedic spine surgeon, he elected to have a cervical fusion at the two levels. The parties engaged in mediation prior to trial with a very experienced mediator, but the offer was only $150,000. It appeared to Adams Renzi Law attorneys that the out-of-state insurance carrier was looking to settle the matter in the range of $250,000. This amount would not adequately compensate the Plaintiff. A jury verdict found in favor of Plaintiff in the amount of $770,000. The verdict was then paid by the Defendant.

Christy Adams, Esquire obtained a $750,000 jury award to a man who was assaulted by two other men at the tail end of a drinking binge. She brought a lawsuit against the two bars who served the men. The bars were held accountable for serving them while they were visibly intoxicated. The case was rare, if not unique, because it involved an off-the-premises assault, as opposed to a motor vehicle accident or a bar room brawl.

A worker’s arm was pulled into an asphalt grinding machine, causing serious injury. This machine lacked any type of safety mechanism to prevent injury to a person if their arm was pulled into the grinder.

The plaintiff was injured, suffering back and neck injuries, from the property owner’s failure to erect a proper railing.

Our client had a rotator cuff tear with surgery.

Carbon Monoxide victim settles case for $400,000. Carbon monoxide (CO2) is an odorless gas that can be deadly. Carbon monoxide cases can be very complex because an expert is required to determine the source of the carbon monoxide. Once you determine the source of the carbon monoxide, there can be multiple defendants who are responsible for the problem. For instance, if a dishwasher is improperly installed and causes a carbon monoxide leak, you must determine who is at fault for the leak. Generally, a possessor of land is subject to liability for physical harm caused to its invitees if he knows, or by the exercise of reasonable care, would discover the condition. The property owner may be responsible because it has a duty to inspect its premises on a regular basis to ensure that the premises are safe. However, other responsible parties could be the installer, designer, contractor or sub-contractors, among others. Also, the product itself may be defective. The injuries caused by carbon monoxide vary according to exposure. In this case, the victim felt ill and passed out. He was taken to the Emergency Room and placed in a hyperbaric chamber. He had cognitive problems and loss of hearing in one ear. It is important to know the Carboxyhemoglobin level in the blood to determine the concentration of carbon monoxide.

The driver was rear-ended and suffered a head contusion and whiplash followed by severe headaches and sickness. The Plaintiff was ultimately diagnosed with a cribiform plate fracture in her head, causing a cerebral spinal fluid leak. This case was complicated by a large delay in diagnosis of over one year.

$359,017.51 verdict against Comcast that was paid with post-judgment interest and costs, totaling $374,726.97. Plaintiff was walking in the back yard of a condo complex when he tripped and fell on a temporary cable line placed on the property by Comcast and its sub-contractor. The cable line was a tripping hazard because it was not secured to the ground and there were no warning signs. Comcast put profits ahead of safety because they wanted to immediately provide cable to a new customer. In doing so, they created a tripping hazard. This verdict was secured in Superior Court, Camden County, New Jersey after a week long trial. The client struck his chin on the ground, causing his neck to jam and herniating discs. He also had aggravation of a pre-existing foot injury necessitating surgery. Comcast only offered $150,000 to the Plaintiff prior to trial. The Plaintiff rejected this offer and let the jury decide the value of his injuries who awarded him over double the offer.

$350,000.00 settlement to man who falls in uncovered water box. The hazardous condition created by the subject uncovered water box was a violation of the Philadelphia Property Maintenance Code. If the Defendant properly inspected the subject sidewalk, the hazard would have been discovered and easily corrected. The subject water box was several feet deep and it was filled with debris almost to the top consistent with the water box being uncovered for quite some time prior to the man’s fall. The man sustained a fractured ankle requiring surgery with plates and screws. However, a subsequent infection required multiple debridement surgeries and removal of the hardware.

A forklift ran over Plaintiff’s great toe causing him to be plagued with infection and subsequent surgeries to remove the infection. Plaintiff was a business invitee at a food distribution wearhouse.

Route 1 also know as "The Boulevard" in Philadelphia can be a very dangerous road, especially when other vehicles disregard the traffic control lights. This is what happened to our injured driver who was struck by a vehicle crossing the Boulevard attempting to beat a red light. After the initial impact, there was a second impact with a light pole. Our client sustained an injury to the hand, called DeQuervain tenosynovitis and had surgery to resolve the problem. He also had a C6-7 disc herniation. After surrender of the minimal $15,000 policy of the responsible vehicle, the client recovered $300,000 from his underinsured motorist carrier to compensate him for his injuries. This is an example of why it is important to have uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. This type of coverage will compensate you when the responsible vehicle's insurance will not.

The hand of an operator of a scrap metal bricking machine became lodged in the door of the machine while the operator was attempting to dislodge a jam. This caused amputation of the middle finger, amputation of the ring finger below the first knuckle, and amputation of the pinky finger below the first knuckle. The machine did not have adequate safety guards.

A truck driver was making a delivery in the course and scope of his employment at a commercial facility in Northeast Philadelphia when his foot went into a pothole in the parking lot causing him to sustain ankle injuries requiring surgery.

The plaintiff slipped and fell on ice and snow on the sidewalk suffering severe shoulder injuries requiring surgery.

$250,000 settlement against the City of Philadelphia to client who fell in a hole in the street next to a curb. The client sustained a right ankle fracture and required surgery with plates and screws. A subsequent surgery removed the hardware in the ankle. The client also had wage loss from a part-time job.

The plaintiff slipped on ice located on sidewalk, sustaining a broken hip.

A laborer was thrown to the ground when the bucket of an excavating machine dislodged and struck him in the head and shoulder. The bucket had a “quick coupler” that made it appear to the operator that the bucket was attached to the machine. When the operator tried to dig, the bucket fell off the excavating machine striking our client in the hole.

Plaintiff stopped at the stop sign and was proceeding straight through the intersection when he was violently struck by the police car who was traveling at a high rate of speed responding to a radio call for a man with a knife. Defendant's police car did not stop at the stop sign and attempted to go through the intersection with lights on, but no sirens. Following the incident, the police car exploded into fire and a good Samaritan pulled the police officer to safety. As a result of the incident, the good Samaritan and the police officer appeared on numerous television shows due to the good Samaritan's heroic effort, including the Ellen DeGeneres show. There is a police Directive 9.7 that requires all Philadelphia Police Personnel, when responding in emergency driving mode, shall come to a complete stop to ensure an intersection is clear and any and all oncoming traffic has stopped or yielded, prior to entering an intersection and disregarding any stop sign or red traffic signal. The directive also indicates that the privilege is granted only when the vehicle is making use of audible signal and visual signals (lights and siren). Eyewitness testimony proved that the police car did not come to a complete stop and did not have its sirens on at the time of the incident. The Plaintiff was hospitalized after the incident with multiple contusions to the head and face. The Plaintiff treated for L4-5 & L5-S1 disc herniations and C4-5 & C5-6 disc herniations.

The plaintiff suffered torn shoulder muscles and a herniated cervical disc after the defendant negligently dropped a large sign which was in the process of being erected.

The plaintiff was rear-ended by a truck and sustained a shoulder injury consisting of a rotator-cuff tear, with subsequent surgery. Prior to the trial, the offer was only $75,000. This was not enough to compensate our client victim. A jury agreed that it is worth more than the offer.

$175,000 for trip and fall due to an elevated water vent on the sidewalk. This trip was caught on surveillance videotape showing our client fall onto her arm, fracturing it and requiring surgery with plates and screws. The water vent was missing a lid and was elevated, causing a tripping hazard. The owner was responsible for the defective condition.

Don’t let the postal service and the government deny payment to your valid claim. In Nelson v. United States, a United States postal truck went around pedestrian Plaintiff and then cut in front him while he was pushing a handcart in the street while delivering packages. The postal truck’s rear tire struck Plaintiff’s handcart, throwing the handcart into the air and causing Plaintiff to fall with an outstretched hand. Plaintiff had surgery to the wrist to repair a TFCC tear. There is a requirement to file an administrative claim in any case against the United States government. After no action was taken on the administrative claim, Plaintiff filed suit against the United States postal service. Prior to trial, Plaintiff rejected an offer of $120,000 from the postal service. After a contentious trial, Plaintiff was awarded $164,700 plus bill of costs.