As a law firm that maintains an active personal injury practice, we work hard to stay up-to-date on recent cases involving automobile and truck accidents where individuals who have been injured. We read a story that appeared on NJ.com this month where a woman was awarded a $600,000 settlement from Gloucester County because of a severe car accident in which she lost her near-term fetus.
The accident occurred nearly six years ago, when a tractor-trailer went through a stop sign, striking the woman’s car. The truck driver claimed that a storm the night before caused branches and sagging leaves to block the sign from view. However, a township police officer noticed the obstructed stop sign two weeks before the accident and had contacted the county about it. The county solicitor, Matt Lyons, said testimony from police indicated that shortly before the accident, the stop sign was no longer blocked.
In addition to losing her 8-month-old fetus, the woman suffered a punctured lung and a broken ankle. She sued the county, East Greenwich Township, the driver of the truck, the trucking company, and the owner of the property at the intersection where the accident occurred.