Featured Case Study

Attorney Mike Brown represented a church pastor who was injured in December 2017 when he was acting as a good Samaritan and stopped his vehicle on Interstate 86 near Elmira to help another motorist whose vehicle was disabled in the right lane. The disabled vehicle had been involved in a rear-end crash with a third vehicle that left the scene before police arrived.

Mike’s client opened the other driver’s side door and was leaning in the disabled vehicle, checking on the driver, when a tractor-trailer hit the back of the disabled vehicle, throwing Mike’s client to the ground. The client suffered multiple injuries to his back, ribs, legs, and left hand that required surgery.

Even after many months of physical and occupational therapy, the client still has pain every day in his back and left hand, and he has permanent limitations in the use of his left hand.

Although the insurance carrier argued the truck driver was not at fault because he was unable to switch lanes due to heavy traffic, Mike was able to establish that the truck driver had more than ample time – a half-mile – to move over or slow down prior to impacting the disabled vehicle.

The trucking company’s insurance carrier settled in mediation for $210,000 in 2019.