Car Accident Legal Updates | Schmidt Kramer, P.C. Blog

Distracted Driving Awareness Month Helps Drivers Learn How to Avoid Distractions

Posted on behalf of Schmidt Kramer on April 08, 2016 in Car Accidents

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, which is a special monthly designation aimed at reducing traffic accidents and fatalities caused by distracted driving. it is important to understand what safe driving entails and how to prevent distractions that result in deadly collisions and expensive property damage. A distraction is anything that prevents a driver from […]

Cars and Trucks Killing More and More Pedestrians Each Year

Posted on behalf of Schmidt Kramer on April 06, 2016 in Car Accidents

A new report by the Governor’s Highway Safety Association reveals there has been a rise in pedestrian fatalities. Ten more pedestrians died in 2015 due to trucks, motorcycles, SUVs and cars than in 2014. More alarming research reveals a 19 percent spike in pedestrian deaths between 2009 and 2014. The number of pedestrian deaths rose […]

History of Falling Increases Risk of Auto Accidents for Older Drivers

Posted on behalf of Schmidt Kramer on April 04, 2016 in Car Accidents

Elderly drivers who have experienced a fall have a 40 percent higher risk of causing or being involved in an automobile accident, as opposed to elderly drivers who have not fallen. For senior citizens, a fall can be very dangerous, resulting in serious injuries that hinder their ability to steer or react promptly to unexpected […]

New “Stacked Insurance” Ruling Gains Opposition

Posted on behalf of Schmidt Kramer on March 29, 2016 in Car Accidents

According to a recent court ruling, insurance companies do not have to provide information to policy holders regarding an automatic “opt out” of stacked insurance on their multi-vehicle policy. On March 21, 2016, a three-member panel of the Superior Court determined that both single-vehicle and multi-vehicle insurance policies should contain the same benefit choices when […]

Aggressive Driving, Not Bad Weather, Causes Most Auto Accidents

Posted on behalf of Schmidt Kramer on March 11, 2016 in Car Accidents

Contrary to popular belief, adverse weather conditions are not responsible for the majority of auto accidents in Pennsylvania. While snow, ice, sleet or heavy rains can all contribute to traffic accidents, there are other factors that are not weather-related that greatly increase the odds of a motorist being involved in a crash. Both aggressive driving […]

Large Number of Drivers Still Engaging in Reckless Driving Habits

Posted on behalf of Schmidt Kramer on March 08, 2016 in Car Accidents

According to the results of an annual study released last month by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, the number of automobile accidents caused directly by reckless driving habits is on the rise. A shocking 87 percent of the of the nearly 2,500 drivers who participated in the survey admitted to their own unsafe driving […]

Series of Multi-Vehicle Accidents Throughout Pennsylvania

Posted on behalf of Schmidt Kramer on February 17, 2016 in Car Accidents

Pennsylvania highways were shuttered to a stop for the second time in less than a week thanks to a number of multi-vehicle accidents. The accidents occurred just days after winter weather caused a massive pileup on Interstate 81 on Saturday involving more than 60 vehicles. I-81 Pileup Freezing rain and icy conditions caused an 11 […]

I-78 Pileup Kills Three, Injures 73

Posted on behalf of Schmidt Kramer on February 16, 2016 in Car Accidents

Sixty vehicles, including tractor trailers and personal cars, were involved in a massive pileup on Interstate 78 in Bethel Township on Saturday, Feb. 13. A sudden snow squall moving across the highway caused the deadly crash that killed three and injured 73 people. Witnesses and those involved in the accident reported clear driving conditions before […]

Traumatic Brain Injuries and Road Rage: Is There a Link?

Posted on behalf of Schmidt Kramer on February 01, 2016 in Car Accidents

According to a study published in The Journal of Accident Analysis & Prevention, individuals who have suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) are more likely to display incidents of “road rage” when driving. Such aggressive behavior while behind the wheel of a vehicle can lead to car accidents, property damage, and severe injuries to motorists. […]

New Study says Wintertime Car Accidents Happen More Often But are Less Likely to be Fatal

Posted on behalf of Schmidt Kramer on January 28, 2016 in Car Accidents

Dangerous winter weather conditions, such as snow, sleet and ice, account for nearly 500,000 car accidents in the U.S. each year. Following the winter storm that blanketed the east coast recently, many of Pennsylvania’s roadways were covered with thick snow and layers of ice, making it virtually impossible for motorists to drive safely. However, according […]

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$10,043,952.13 Personal Injury
Schmidt Kramer, P.C.partner Gerard C. Kramer won a personal injury action for $10,043,952.13 in Northumberland County on behalf of a volunteer firefighter who was the victim of Intentional Tort. The 50-year-old volunteer firefighter was seriously injured when a barn collapsed, causing a spinal injury which left him a paraplegic. The claim was brought against the arsonist who intentionally started the fire. It is believed that the verdict is the highest ever in Northumberland County.
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$4,034,000.00 Personal Injury
Yesterday a Judge in Union County (Lewisburg, PA) awarded a couple from New Berlin, Pennsylvania, over $4,000,000 because the husband was shot while turkey hunting.You might ask yourself, how does a turkey hunting accident end up with that type of verdict? In order to understand the verdict you would have to know our clients. They are good people who had their life wrecked. Plus, you would have to know the defendant, who should not have been hunting with a gun because he was prohibited after a previous criminal conviction.It is a good verdict, because the Judge was able to do two things with his decision. First, he communicated to two very good people that their losses were something that those of us on the outside could appreciate and value. Mike Hobbins (our client) is a 51 year old guy who lost his sight because a convicted felon --who should not have even possessed a gun-- went hunting illegally, and broke with impunity the most fundamental rule in hunting: identify your target before you pull the trigger. The Judge accepted the financial loss Mr. Hobbins' suffered, but listened closely to the evidence of less tangible losses. When Mike broke down on the stand, because his daughter would end up walking him down the aisle at her wedding, as opposed to how it was supposed to go, the Judge was listening. When Mike could not keep it together, because of how emasculating it was for him not to be able to provide financially for his family, the Judge was listening. It was facts like these that the Judge cited to support the $2,000,000 award for non-economic damages. Second, the Judge wanted to send a message. Union County is a hunting county. Many of the residents hunt there, and people from outside the area come to Union County to hunt. It was my impression, from the Judge's statements as he rendered his decision, that he wanted to send a message to the people in Union County to protect them in their sport. The rules in place to restrict people convicted of crimes not to have a gun are not to be broken. Hunting is serious and you have to identify your target before you shoot. When you turn your back on the rules that are set to provide safety in a sport, you risk being an example. Here, the $1,000,000 punitive damage award sends that message loud and clear.When it really comes down to brass tacks, the right action was taken against a Defendant who may never truly appreciate what kind of impact his reckless choices caused.At Schmidt Kramer, we are injury lawyers. That means we work with people who were hurt in car accidents, who were hurt by the neglect of nursing homes, or those that were seriously injured because of the reckless, thoughtless acts of others. If you or a loved one have been injured in Pennsylvania, we may be able to help. While the verdict yesterday is not one that is representative of every case we do, it does show that serious and dedicated representation can bring good results.Joe ChapmanJanuary 18, 2013
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$2,200,000.00 Auto Accidents
On Monday, January 6, 2014, Schmidt Kramer accident lawyer Scott Cooper obtained a verdict on behalf of his client who is the widow of a man who died in a fiery crash on Interstate 78 in Lebanon County. The awarded verdict of $2.2 million was in a nonjury proceeding before a federal judge in the Middle District of Pennsylvania. That verdict includes $100,000 in punitive damages assessed against the owner of the trucking company.Kamilah Claxton won summary judgment in November after the defendants, Sukhwinder Singh and the trucking company for which he worked, failed to file a brief in opposition to Claxton's motion, which was made in September. The verdict in Claxton v. Singh was issued after the court held a non-jury assessment of damages earlier this month."Mr. Sukhchan Singh, the employer, is liable on the basis of respondent superior, but was also grossly negligent in failing to maintain his vehicle in compliance with state and federal law, particularly with regard to having required safety inspections and correcting defects in its braking equipment," said U.S. District Judge William W. Caldwell of the Middle District of Pennsylvania in his opinion accompanying the verdict."He was also grossly negligent in entrusting his vehicle to Sukhwinder Singh, an inexperienced truck driver who had failed the written test and driving test multiple times before finally earning his commercial driving license," Caldwell said.
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$1,200,000.00 Personal Injury
A Dauphin County jury has awarded a $1.2 million verdict to the parents of a 5-year-old who had an anoxic brain injury and stopped breathing after he had a tonsillectomy.2012-06-26 10:00:00 AMDate of Verdict: June 19. 2012Court and Case No.: C.P. Dauphin County No. 2009-CV-14003-MMJudge: Scott EvansType of Action: Medical malpracticeInjuries: Anoxic brain injuryPlaintiffs Counsel: Terry S. Hyman, Schmidt Kramer, HarrisburgPlaintiffs Experts: Dr. Anna H. Messner, liability; Lucille Packer, Pediatric Otolaryngology, Palo Alto, Calif.; Terry P. Leslie, vocations and earning capacity, Lancaster; Dr. Hilary B. Berlin, pediatric psychiatry, Great Neck, N.Y.Defense Counsel: Andrew H. Foulkrod, Darlene K. King, Foulkrod Ellis, Camp Hill, PADefense Experts: James C. Reilly, Pediatric Otolaryngology, Wilmington, DEComment: A Dauphin County jury has awarded a $1.2 million verdict to the parents of a 5-year-old who had an anoxic brain injury and stopped breathing after he had a tonsillectomy.The entire verdict came against Dr. Andrew M. Shapiro, the doctor who plaintiffs Reginald Graham and Tykeisha Metz alleged chose to have the boy monitored at a pediatric ward. The plaintiffs argued Shapiro failed to tell nurses caring for the baby about, and how to care for, the boy's enhanced risk for respiratory failure.The jury came back on June 19 and awarded Reginald Graham and Tykeisha Mets $500,000 in non-economic damages and $686,170 in loss of future earning capacity, according to the plaintiffs counsel.According to the statement, the baby's mother brought him to Shapiro because she was "'afraid that he might stop breathing during his sleep,'" the plaintiffs' pretrial statement said. Shapiro performed a sleep study and observed the baby's Apnea Hypopnea Index to be 43 — four times higher than what's considered severe. A tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy were performed.According to the plaintiffs, the baby's sleep study results put him at an increased risk for post-operative respiratory complications. Despite this, they argued in the statement, Shapiro ordered the pediatric nurses at the Harrisburg Hospital general pediatric ward to observe the boy as they would any other patients — about once every four hours.The pretrial statement said that one in four children who have an AHI in the 40s and oxygen desaturation below 80 have some type of respiratory problem. The younger the child, the greater the risk of a respiratory problem, the statement said.According to the statement, Shapiro took off the child's pulse oximeter, the finger-mounted device used to measure blood oxygen, and ordered a heart and respiratory rate monitor. The child was 11 months old at the time.The plaintiffs pled that the baby was last seen at 4 a.m. There was no record of his oxygen saturation for the next hour and 45 minutes. He stopped breathing a 6:40 a.m., and his brain was without oxygen long enough to cause demonstrable injury on an MRI."Immediately prior to his surgery, [the child] was a normal child, who could say mama, eat finger foods, and was just on the verge of walking," the statement said. "After his code, [he] was like a newborn. He could not lift his head or sit up. He could not talk. He could not move."In his pretrial statement, Shapiro argued that he recognized the child's pre-operative sleep study showed he was driven to breath by decreased blood oxygen saturation, which he said was typical in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.He argued the American Academy of Otolaryngology dictates that admission to the intensive care unit is not the standard of care. In the statement, he said nurses did not observe signs of respiratory distress. No alarms sounded until the child arrested, the statement said.He said the baby likely arrested as a result of hypoglycemia and/or an acute aspiration, which he argued would not have been identified by blood oxygen saturation.— Ben Present, of the Law Weekly
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$1,024,040.80 Auto Accidents
Scott Cooper settled a wrongful death case on behalf of the widow of a police office who was killed in a car accident in the line of duty for $1,024,040.80. The claim against the other driver was amicably resolved before suit was filed for the entire available policy limits for the other driver. The case took place in Adams County, PA.
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Testimonials

Very caring and compassionate
Debra Zervanos
Gerry and his team were very caring and compassionate. Gerry was always very responsive to me whether it be phone calls or emails. He kept me updated every single step of the way. His team and himself worked tirelessly to get me the best possible outcome to my situation. He was able to wrap everything up within two years with a nice bow on it. I will forever be grateful and will recommend him to everyone.
Dakota Cravener
Solid, trustworthy and lucky to have on your side! Dennis Kergick represented me and I was very impressed. Finally a down to earth and easy to talk to attorney . When the time came he was a junk yard dog and I could see the opposing counsel was intimidated. All while maintaining a professional level of respect and courtesy. Would recommend to friends and family. Keep up the good work!!
It’s hard to believe it’s been four years already, but I’m still deeply thankful for my experience with Dennis. Now living in Illinois, I’ve had some similar encounters, and people here are often surprised — and even a bit shocked — when they hear my story. They always end up admitting just how good Dennis truly was. It’s something I didn’t fully realize at the time, but the more I share, the more it’s confirmed to me. God bless, and thank you I came back stronger than ever.
I wanted you to know that I'm so glad that I switched to Schmidt Kramer and that you are my Attorney. I think you are doing a great job for me, and wanted you to know that, A+++Thank you againKen