Heavy traffic caused an owner-operator truck driver to unexpectedly stop his 22-foot truck while entering a southbound tollbooth at Exit 14A on the New Jersey Turnpike. After coming to a complete stop and resting near the EZ-Pass booth for about one minute, the truck driver reached for a water bottle on the passenger side of his car. The next thing he remembers is briefly waking up in an ambulance and later again in a Jersey City, New Jersey emergency room. The business owner would soon find out that he was rear-ended by a fully loaded cement truck. He left the scene of the accident slipping in and out of consciousness.
The team of truck accident lawyers at Davis, Saperstein & Salomon, P.C. assisted the truck driver and business owner who received a $1.5 million dollar payment from the cement truck company.
The business owner was propelled forward inside the car, causing him to hit his head against a hard object. He did not fully regain consciousness and become aware of his surroundings until he was being cared for by medical personnel. As a father, his first reaction was to have someone call his children, not to focus on himself. However, as time passed, he realized that he had suffered numerous injuries: accident-related hearing loss, a complex tear of the posterior horn in his knee, muscle tears in both shoulders, significant neck pain associated with left upper extremity cervical radiculitis, aggravated degenerative stenosis at C5-C6 and C6-C7 with bilateral foraminal stenosis, and a paracentral herniated disc. These injuries led the client to consult nearly 20 different doctors and undergo 5 different surgeries.
Before the accident, the client worked a job that required physical labor. He also enjoyed bike riding, walks, and spending time with his family, including his 5 grandchildren. The accident affected his ability to continue with that lifestyle. Davis, Saperstein & Salomon, P.C. partners Garry R. Salomon and Adam B. Lederman hired expert witnesses, including a forensic damages expert and an occupational assessment expert, to attest to the losses that the accident created for their client.
Because the client was working at the time of the accident, Steven Cohen, the Davis, Saperstein & Salomon, P.C. Chairman of the Workers’ Compensation Section, filed an accompanying Worker’s Compensation claim and successfully handled that case separately.
Medical Term Glossary:
Bilateral: having on or affecting both sides
Spinal Stenosis: one or more bony openings within the spine begin to narrow and reduce space for the nerves; puts pressure on the spinal cord