Construction Accident: $5,000,000
The attorneys of FKM, led by trial attorney Kenneth Mangano, obtained one of Long Island’s largest verdicts of the year when a Suffolk jury awarded our client $4,000,000. Our client, a construction worker, was erecting sheet rock at a construction site in 2001 when he fell from a four foot A-frame ladder, landing on his back. The client did not initially report the accident and actually continued working that day. In the following days and months, the pain to his back and neck became severe and eventually caused him to stop working as a carpenter.
After subsequent years of treatment, the client required both back surgery in 2006 and neck surgery in 2009. His doctor, a neurosurgeon in Manhattan, related all to the accident. The defendants argued that the client was addicted to Vicodin and that his injuries, if any, were unrelated to the accident. A total of seven expert witnesses testified at trial.
On summations, one attorney asked the jury return a verdict awarding the plaintiff nothing; the other suggested a combined amount of $450,000. After just one and a half hours of deliberation, the jury awarded the client a combined 4 million dollars. Because of a legal victory on this case three years ago, the defendants were also required to compensate the plaintiff 9% interest for those three years, in addition to the amount of the verdict, bringing the total award to more than 5 million dollars.
Slip and Fall: $3,750,000
A 51 year old man was injured when he fell in his hotel room. The client could not initially recall what caused him to fall. He consulted with and retained FKM one year post-accident. We immediately surveyed the hotel room and performed a reconstruction of the accident. It was determined that the client fell on a defective cord which hung from the wall-mounted air conditioner. The hotel contended the air conditioner was not defective and that the accident could not have occurred the way the plaintiff stated. The client suffered quadriplegia and is wheel-chair bound.
Pedestrian Struck by Bus: $3,300,000
Our client, 93 years old, was struck by a bus as she was crossing the street. The bus driver claimed that the woman walked into the rear of the bus as he was well into his turn thus causing the accident. As a result of this accident plaintiff sustained severe injuries to both her legs and lost all ability to walk. Defendants argued the case had a value of less than one million dollars due to plaintiff’s age and life expectancy. FKM partners were able to persuade a neutral mediator and defendants counsel that it was prudent to settle the case for substantially more than they initially evaluated.
Construction Accident: $2,500,000
Our client, a 28 year old construction worker, was working on a roof when he fell through a hole in a sky light which had been previously cut out and covered with insulation, making it impossible for the client to notice. As a result our client fell approximately 20 feet to ground, sustaining numerous fractures and requiring a splenectomy to repair his internal injuries.
Construction Accident: $1,900,000
Our client, a construction worker, was employed doing new window installations at a public school. He was working on the second floor ledge with an unsecured Bakers Scaffold with the benefit of an assistant. The scaffold moved and rolled off the roof causing the plaintiff to fall to the floor. Plaintiff sustained multiple fractures, including a fractured ankle which had to be repaired with a surgical fusion.
Construction Accident: $1,875,000
The plaintiff, a twenty-seven year old undocumented laborer, was transporting roofing materials via an elevator to the roof of a residential building when the elevator malfunctioned and propelled five flights to the ground floor. Our Client and two other workers were injured. Our Client sustained injuries to his back requiring surgery and causing him to lose substantial time for work. The case was litigated and eventually settled immediately prior to trial. His financial recovery was far in excess of the other two injured workers.
Automobile Accident: $1,650,000
Our firm obtained a verdict in federal court for the sum of 1.65 Million dollars on behalf of a client injured in an automobile accident. The client, 35 years old, suffered a triangular fibrocartilage tear to his left wrist, as well as a herniated disc. The defendant argued that the injuries were pre-existing and not caused by the accident. The jury agreed with our contention that the injuries were in fact causally related to this accident and permanent in nature.
Automobile Accident: $1,296,438
An FKM client, a 35-year old security guard, was rear ended by a Verizon vehicle at an intersection. Liability was conceded by the defendant. As a result of the accident our client sustained injuries to his knee requiring multiple surgeries. Defendants argued the impact of the accident was minimal as evidenced by the property damage and could not have caused the injury. After declining defendant’s insufficient settlement offer the case was tried to completion by Kenneth E. Mangano and the jury awarded our client a verdict for in the excess of the offer.
Road Defect: $1,250,000
Our client was injured while she was traveling in a heavy rainstorm. The road was severely flooded, causing her to lose control of the vehicle and strike a tree. FKM trial attorneys argued that the town failed to safely maintain the roadway to prevent flooding. The plaintiff sustained multiple facial injuries. The town offered $25,000 to settle the case which was rejected. The jury agreed with out contentions and rendered a substantial verdict in the plaintiff’s favor.
Motorcycle Accident: $1,070,000
Our client was riding his motorcycle across Motor Parkway in Hauppauge in 2009 when he was struck by a sedan attempting to make a sudden left turn. The driver of the car told police that he did not see our client until the last minute, and that he did not believe the motorcycle was traveling at an unsafe speed. Our client had to be airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital, where he underwent three surgeries in an effort to save his left leg. Over the course of the next year, our client required extensive physical therapy and three more surgeries, including a bone graft to his left femur. FKM settled the case for the full policy limits available.
Our attorneys decided immediately to litigate this case.
Construction Accident: $1,023,000
Our client, a bricklayer, was injured while working on a scaffold when a wood plank fell, striking his body. The plaintiff sustained a significant back injury that required surgical intervention. The case was moved swiftly by the FKM litigation team and settled pursuant to a voluntary mediation.
Slip and Fall: $1,000,000
Our client, a food service employee, tripped and fell over an exposed electrical bow. As a result of this fall, he underwent conservative treatment for an injury to his back. Eventually, with no relief from the treatment, the client had lumbar surgery to repair a herniated disc. Defendants argued that plaintiff could not have suffered the injuries claimed due to the minimal fall he took. FKM partners, Kenneth Mangano and William Ferro, were successful in proving the causal relationship of the injuries to the accident and secured a substantial settlement prior to jury selection.
Construction Accident: $1,000, 000
Our client, 47 years old at the time of the accident, was a painter working at a water tower facility when he was injured after falling into a hole. He twisted his back and aggravated a prior condition. Defendants argued that the plaintiff was still being treated for the pre-existing condition at the time of this accident and his injuries were not related to fall. The case settled at the conclusion of 5 hour mediation.
Construction Accident: $1,000,000
Our client, a stagehand, suffered total and permanent disability when heavy steel beams fell on him while he was constructing a temporary stage. The defendants argued that his injury was actually caused by an earlier incident, but attorneys William Ferro and Ken Mangano demonstrated that the multiple surgeries that followed were the result of this accident. The property owner and contractor finally settled for a combined $1,000,000.
Auto Accident: $1,000,000
Our client suffered multiple injuries when he was rear-ended by a taxi cab in the Bronx. He endured tremendous pain and discomfort while he treated for over two years, eventually requiring four distinct surgeries. The defendant insurance company refused to offer more than a few thousand dollars to settle this case, even though the client’s doctor’s estimated future care alone would cost up to $200,000. FKM negotiated a $1,000,000 settlement once the case entered litigation.