1.4 Million Dollar Settlement for Injured Doctor
A 37 year old doctor from Sayreville, sustained severe and disabling injuries when her Chevy Cobalt was rear ended by a Honda Accord. At the time of the accident, the driver of the Honda was delivering pizzas for a local Domino’s franchise.
The victim was taken to the Emergency Room at the Raritan Bay Medical Center by ambulance where she complained of pain in her neck and shoulders. Over time, her complaints progressed to include radiculopathy and numbness and tingling in the fingers of her right hand. She also experienced chronic back pain. The woman was ultimately diagnosed as having suffered herniated discs at C5-6 and C6-7 and a disc bulge at L5-S1, according to her attorney, James Maggs of Maggs & McDermott, LLC, of Wall, New Jersey.
Initially, the client attempted to address her injuries with conservative treatment, including physical therapy and epidural injections. Later she underwent an anterior cervical discectomy, decompression and disc replacement at C5-6 and C6-7.
The victim was in her final year of a podiatric surgical residency at Trinitas Regional Medical Center when the accident occurred. After the accident, she persevered in finishing her surgical residency and attempted to start a career as a podiatric surgeon. Unfortunately, her deteriorating condition ultimately prevented her from being able to perform surgeries. According to Maggs, she took a more sedentary job as a Program Director for a local hospital, at a lower annual salary. As a result, the victim claimed a significant economic loss, which was the difference between what she was currently earning as a Program Director and what she would have earned as a podiatric surgeon. According to Maggs and employment experts her economic loss over her projected work life was $2,347,674.00.
The driver who rear ended our client, had $25,000.00 in insurance coverage. However, his employer had an underlying business auto liability policy with $500,000.00 in coverage and an excess policy with $1,000,000.00 in coverage. The victim had medical bills of $172,781.83.
The lawyers at Maggs & McDermott negotiated a settlement of 1.4 million dollars for her claim for injury and economic loss.
*Results may vary depending on particular facts and legal circumstances