Car Crash Lawyer Gets $3.55M Settlement for Driver Whose Car Struck Damaged Guardrail on NJ Interstate Ramp
By Dean I. Weitzman, Esq. on July 28th, 2020
A Paterson, N.J., driver who suffered serious spinal injuries when her car struck a damaged and protruding guardrail on a highway ramp in 2017 was awarded a $3.55 million settlement in her case.
Judith Garris, who was 55 years old at the time of the June 17, 2017 crash, turned her vehicle onto an on-ramp to I-80 near Beckwith Avenue and Lewis Street in Paterson when the car struck a damaged, protruding guardrail, according to a recent story by Law.com.
The guardrail was damaged in a previous accident but was not immediately repaired. It protruded into the roadway and sliced into Garris’ car as she attempted to enter the highway ramp, the story reported.
Garris’ lawsuit alleged that “a nearby resident had repeatedly notified government authorities of the dangerous guardrail, but the issue was not addressed,” the story continued. Her lawsuit originally included the New Jersey Department of Transportation, Passaic County and the city of Paterson, but later dropped the state DOT and county when it was determined that the area where the guardrail was protruding was the responsibility of the city.
Garris suffered spinal, shoulder and knee injuries in the crash and underwent two-level fusion procedures at the cervical and lumbar level, according to the story. She continues to have mobility issues due to her severe injuries and will likely require further surgery.
The settlement includes a $545,000 payment from the City of Paterson and $3,005,000 from its excess insurance carrier, Lloyd’s of London.
About $1.2 million of the settlement will cover medical bills Garris has incurred so far, according to a story by NorthJersey.com.
Legal cases like this one occur around the nation every day and are examples of similar kinds of car crash cases that MyPhillyLawyer attorneys regularly work on tirelessly for our own clients. Often, we are not able to discuss the cases we are actively working on due to confidentiality requirements, so we discuss other relevant cases in the news such as this one to illustrate the legal situations people find themselves in every day.
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