BACK TO BACK CAR ACCIDENTS IN NASSAU COUNTY

On several occasions, we have been confronted with a situation where a client has been in back-to-back motor vehicle accidents. This unfortunate circumstance was recently a reality for our client, NK.

NK was in a serious car accident in January, only to be in the same situation seven months later. She suffered significant injuries in the first accident that were exacerbated, i.e. made worse, in the second accident. Traditionally, two separate actions would be commenced on behalf of NK. The two actions would proceed independently until a motion to consolidate was made, usually by one of the opposing defendants. A motion to consolidate is granted when two different actions involve common questions of law or fact.

In a situation involving two distinct accidents, the motion would be granted since the cause of the plaintiff’s injuries would typically be called into question. Did they arise from the first or second accident?

In order to avoid inconsistent judgments, consolidation is often necessary. In an effort to avoid this type of motion practice, we now allege multiple accidents within one complaint. The facts surrounding each individual accident are alleged separately and we include a paragraph that the named defendants are each joint and severally liable.

In this matter, all parties are fully aware of the facts and circumstances surrounding each accident from the inception of the action. This avoids unnecessary motion practice and allows us to streamline the plaintiff’s causes of action. Also, this can be beneficial at trial if one or both of the insurance company attorneys point the finger at the other party as the cause of the accident. If this occurs, we can then argue we don’t care who caused the injuries, just find in favor of the plaintiff.

CAR RACE INJURY CASE IN SUFFOLK COUNTY- SETTLED AT $1,055,000

$225,000

Our client was injured in a one car accident, when her boyfriend, while racing another Mustang, lost control and struck a tree. She was ejected from the vehicle and suffered a fractured vertebrae, head injury and knee injury requiring surgery. We took this case over from another attorney after he had the matter stricken from the Court’s trial calendar. At that time they had a minimal settlement offer from the insurance company. The case settled for $225,000 out an insurance policy of $250,000 after we corrected the mistakes of prior counsel.

DUI DRUNK DRIVING ACCIDENT IN NYC, VERDICT OF $500,000

$500,000

Our clients, a mother and her two adult daughters, were struck head on by a drunk driver. The indigent drunk driver had stolen the vehicle from a local 7-11 earlier that day. We were able to show that the wife of the owner of the stolen vehicle had left her keys in the ignition with the car running at the 7-11. This was a violation of the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law. As a result of the accident, the driver suffered a head injury, damage to her wrists and back pain. One daughter suffered a broken leg. The other suffered a minor facial scar.

MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT SETTLED AT $2,400,000

Recently our firm was able to negotiate a very favorable settlement of 2.4 million dollars for one of our clients. After years of extensive discovery, mediations and attempts at settlement, the insurance company, on the eve of trial, finally offered our client a fair settlement. The client had suffered very significant injuries in a motorcycle accident. After the accident the client endured years of surgeries, medical treatments and therapies. Despite the excellent medical care, the client was left with many residual problems. After depositions, we had argued that, as a matter of law, the defendants were 100% responsible for the accident. The Judge agreed and granted our request to find the defendants fully responsible for the accident. This was a significant victory because it meant that the main issue at trial would be limited to the amount of damages the client was entitled to. With the use of various experts hired by our firm, including an economist and life care planner, we were able to paint a picture that fully described the impact that this accident had on the life of our client. Our client was very physically active and adventurous before the accident. We were able to demonstrate this to the insurance company by photographs and videos previously take of the client. This settlement will allow the client to obtain all necessary medical treatment in the future.

NASSAU COUNTY GRAND JURY CASE — PEOPLE V.W

In Nassau County for many years Grand Juries were convened by asking potential jurors to volunteer for Grand Jury duty. Mr. Griffin’s work eventually led to the end of volunteers serving on Nassau County Grand Juries which are now selected randomly.

NASSAU DWI “WALL OF SHAME” CASE — B V. SUOZZI

Our client and other citizens were charged with DWI but had not been convicted or gone to trial. The Nassau County executive decided to post their pictures on his self described “Wall of Shame.” Mr. Griffin was successful in suing the county and forcing Nassau County to remove the “Wall of Shame.”

NEW YORK CITY DWI CASE — PEOPLE V. B

Not Guilty

Our client was charged with DWI with a reading of .15. Mr. Griffin brought the case to trial and after a jury trial our client was found not guilty of DWI and found guilty of a non-criminal offense of driving while impaired.

NEW YORK FELONY CASE — PEOPLE V. W

Dismissal

Our client was charged with a B violent felony wherein he faced a minimum of 5 years in jail. Mr. Griffin helped secure a dismissal of all the charges in the case.

NEW YORK MAIL AND WIRE FRAUD CASE — US V. N

No Jail Sentence

Our client was charged with Mail and Wire Fraud in the Eastern District of New York and was alleged to have participated in a multi million dollar fraud. Although the sentencing guideline range for our client was over 48 months, Mr. Griffin secured a downward departure and obtained a no jail sentence for our client.

NY COLLEGE DWI CASE — PEOPLE V. B

Not Guilty

Our client was a 20 year old college student charged with DWI with a reading of .15. Mr. Griffin brought the case to trial and after a jury trial our client was found not guilty of all charges.