Levinson Axelrod Managing Shareholder Mark Kuminski recently secured a $600,000 settlement for a client who suffered multiple injuries in a motor vehicle accident.
The case, which was handled out of our Edison office, involved a three-car collision which occurred when an oncoming car attempted to make a left-hand turn, thereby causing the initial collision with our client’s vehicle. Following to the initial impact, our client’s vehicle was subsequently struck from behind by a second vehicle. The vast majority of the property damage sustained by the vehicles was caused by the initial impact, while the damage from the subsequent impact was relatively minor.
As a result of the collision, our client suffered multiple fractures, including fractures of the ankle which required that he undergo multiple ankle surgeries.
In litigating the case, Mark encountered difficulties involving the insurance company’s reluctance to fairly compensate our client. Both defendants were insured by the same insurance carrier with equal policy limits of $300,000, and the insurer attempted to argue that our client’s injuries resulted from the first accident and not the second, which would have limited the amount of liability insurance coverage available to our client.
Ultimately, Mark was able to secure a $600,000 settlement, which represents the total amount of liability insurance coverage for both defendant drivers.
This settlement was significant for the fact that the client had very serious injuries, for which one defendant's liability insurance coverage was simply insufficient. As a result, it was important, despite the limited property damage from the second vehicle's impact, to make sure that we were able to recover the entire policy limits from both drivers.
Mark V. Kuminski has been with Levinson Axelrod, P.A. for his entire legal career. Certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Certified Civil Trial Attorney and our firm’s Managing Shareholder, Mr. Kuminski has recovered millions in verdicts and settlements in claims involving auto accidents, construction site accidents, premises liability claims, and serious personal injuries. Earlier this year, he recovered over $1.6 million in compensation in three separate auto accident cases.