Williamstown Man Wins $158,000 Jury Award

A Williamstown, N.J. man was awarded a $158,532 judgment for a neck injury caused by a head-on collision.

A jury delivered the judgment for the plaintiff, a 60-year-old Williamstown man, in a civil trial in recently in Gloucester County Superior Court. The accident occurred on July 14, 2020, after a driver collided head on into the man’s Ford F-150. He was driving home from work and was near his home when the driver, a resident of the same neighborhood, failed to properly stop at a stop sign and crashed her car directly into his pickup while attempting to make a left turn. As a result of the crash, the man suffered a herniated disc in his neck, for which he received chiropractic treatment and an epidural injection into his cervical spine.

Christopher Bradley, a lawyer for Brandon J. Broderick, Attorney at Law who represented the man, said the case could have been settled before the trial. The insurance company for the defendant offered only $29,000, less than the amount suggested by the arbitrator and less than the full settlement value of the claim. Bradley thus decided to take the case to trial, and he was delighted with the verdict.

“It seems fair that the insurance company will now pay the full judgment of $158,532,” said Bradley, “since it 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 than that, solely because it refused to deal with this claim in good faith.”

A majority of cases like this end up with a zero-dollar award, which is why the insurance companies systematically either deny or low-ball settlements. They either do what is called “no or low a claim.” So the fact that the insurance company itself needs to pay is a form of penalty for dealing in bad faith. Imagine all the premium dollars saved by consumers if insurance companies dealt fairly: Less litigation, less runaway verdicts, and more justice for those injured.

“Much of personal injury litigation is driven by these immense insurance companies that spend billions of dollars in their efforts to deny legitimate claims,” added Bradley. “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.”

Bradley, of Wayne, Pennsylvania, is a member of Brandon J. Broderick, Attorney at Law’s personal injury group in Ewing, N.J. He is an award-winning civil litigator with 25 years of experience in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, specializing in matters ranging from commercial disputes to injury claims from motor vehicle collisions, construction site accidents, medical malpractice, and slip and fall accidents.

“My insurance company gave me a lowball offer,” said the 60-year old man, “which was extremely insulting. I felt they were not working in good faith. We decided to take the case to trial. 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.”

The man’s wife, who is a paralegal with 25 years’ experience, said she has worked over the years with innumerable attorneys, but was impressed with Bradley’s professionalism, calm demeanor, and responsiveness.

“The time and attention he gave my husband and our case over the past four years would have led one to believe we were his only clients,” she said. “We never waited longer than a few hours to get a call or email back from Chris, and in our industry that just doesn’t happen.”

When they decided to take the case to trial, she said she had complete faith in Bradley’s ability. But even she was surprised by the outcome.

“During our two-day trial, Chris NAILED IT,” she said. “His trial prep was evident. There wasn’t an item, a diagnostic test, a diagnosis, letter, piece of discovery, deposition testimony, or expert witness he was stumped by. His opening was flawless; his closing even more amazing. He was so likable, knowledgeable and relatable. It just doesn’t get better than that at trial.”

After the testimony was over and the case went to the jury, she and her husband agreed that they loved their attorney and knew they could not have been represented any better.

“That feeling is priceless to a plaintiff because there is nothing worse than leaving your trial thinking your attorney lost it for you,” she added. “Seeing how committed and how hard Chris worked on this trial, my husband and I wanted to win more for him than ourselves. A couple hours later, it was verdict time. Who could have predicted Chris would get us policy limits and 50 percent more! Instead of paying out $29,400, the insurer is now having to pay out $150,000! This is a huge result in Gloucester County. I live and work here; I know this. We were stunned, to say the least, but not surprised given the trial Chris put on. It was the outcome we could only dream of, and our dream came true yesterday thanks to Attorney Chris Bradley. We are forever grateful.”

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Brandon J. Broderick, Attorney at Law, founded in 2012, is devoted to helping injured individuals move forward after sustaining injuries caused by another’s negligence. Our attorneys believe no one should have to pay for the injuries and damages brought on by another, and we fight tirelessly to right the wrongs that have been done to our clients. Our vision is to champion the full potential of every human, everywhere, by ensuring that everyone has a legal advocate with a human-centered approach to protect their best interests.