Attorney(s): Sharon Scanlan
Settlement: $5,000,000
Our client, a trucker, was driving on the northbound side of the Van Wyck Expressway, in Queens. His truck collided with the rear end of a preceding truck that was being driven by plaintiff Juan Sanchez, who was braking to avoid a stopped vehicle that was being operated by Auguste Shurland. The impact crushed the cabin portion of Aguilar’s truck, which later struck a road barrier. Aguilar sustained injuries of a leg, his intestines, his lungs, his pelvis, his sacrum and several ribs.
The jury rendered a mixed verdict: It found that Sanchez was liable for the accident, and liability was not assigned to Alonzo or Shurland.
During the fourth day of the trial’s damages phase, the parties negotiated a settlement. Sanchez’s primary insurer tendered its policy, which provided $1 million of coverage, and Sanchez’s excess insurer agreed to pay $4 million. Thus, the settlement totaled $5 million.