$4.3M Inquest Award for Highway Shoulder Accident

$4.3 million inquest for this 51-year-old New Jersey resident, who was struck on the shoulder of a Pennsylvania highway, while she was walking to the rear of her car to get a sweatshirt out of her bag. An elderly woman didn’t see her and struck her with the vehicle. The plaintiff suffered a severely fractured leg, a hip fracture, and spinal injuries. She required a lumbar fusion, a hip replacement, and a year of physical therapy. The defendant died of unrelated causes shortly after the accident and initially failed to respond to the lawsuit, leading to an inquest and judgment. Following the decision, an insurance company was found, and tendered their $500,000 in insurance. A collection lawyer was thereafter retained to go after the deceased’s estate for additional funds and was able to procure another $72,000.