By: Richard L. Smith
A Williamstown man has been awarded a $158,532 judgment for a neck injury sustained in a head-on collision after the defendant's insurance company offered a meager settlement of just $29,000.
Officials at the law firm Brandon J. Broderick, Attorney at Law, said the jury delivered the judgment for the 60-year-old plaintiff in a civil trial at Gloucester County Superior Court on April 30.
The accident occurred on July 14, 2020, when a neighbor failed to stop at a stop sign and collided head-on with the man’s Ford F-150 as he was driving home from work.
The impact resulted in a herniated disc in his neck, which required chiropractic treatment and an epidural injection.
The plaintiff's attorney, Christopher Bradley of Brandon J. Broderick, Attorney at Law, stated that the case could have been settled before the trial if the insurance company had offered a reasonable amount.
Despite an arbitrator's suggestion for a higher settlement, the insurer only proposed $29,000. Bradley decided to take the case to trial, resulting in the favorable April 30 verdict.
“It seems fair that the insurance company will now pay the full judgment of $158,532,” said Bradley. “They should have settled this claim for much less money. The policy limit for their insured driver was only $100,000, and now the insurer must pay substantially more because it refused to deal with this claim in good faith.”
Bradley emphasized that personal injury litigation often involves battling large insurance companies that strive to deny legitimate claims.
“We at Broderick always fight the good fight for our clients, and I’m grateful to the jury for offering a just and fair judgment to my client,” he added.
The plaintiff expressed his satisfaction with the outcome.
“My insurance company gave me a lowball offer, which was extremely insulting. I felt they were not working in good faith. We decided to take the case to trial, and I was happy with the judgment. It was five times the amount of what the insurance company offered. My lawyer, Chris Bradley, was incredible. From his opening argument to his closing argument, he was absolute perfection.”
Officials at Brandon J. Broderick, Attorney at Law, said Christopher Bradley, based in Ewing NJ, is an award-winning civil litigator with 25 years of experience in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
He specializes in personal injury cases, including motor vehicle collisions, construction site accidents, medical malpractice, and slip and fall accidents.
