Awards & Settlements

A careless drunk driver was operating her car in the morning on a winter day when she hit black ice and was unable to control her vehicle causing a crash with our client’s car. After several months of treatment, our client had to undergo neurosurgery because of injury to her spine. Tragically, she developed fatal complications which lead to her death. She had been a good wage earner and had been married for many years to her devoted husband. The drunk driver had minimum bodily injury liability insurance. Our clients had multiple vehicles insured by an auto insurance company, but the insurance company argued that there was underinsured motorist coverage of only $1,000,000.00. Although that was a substantial amount, we were able to challenge the amount of insurance successfully and obtained a settlement against both auto insurance companies in the amount of $3,265,000.00. In order to achieve such a large settlement, we hired highly qualified experts including an economist and a physical medicine specialist for the purpose of documenting the loss in an extensive all day mediation. With compelling evidence, we were able to prevail on behalf of our client’s surviving husband and children and thereby obtain this massive settlement. It was not easy but this family deserved the best possible representation and it was provided.

Despite our client having significant pre-existing injuries which required him to use canes before the low speed collision, Liever, Hyman & Potter attorneys successfully presented a claim that the accident-related injuries substantially worsened the client’s pre-existing condition, and reached a settlement with the defendant driver and her Employer’s insurance company for a lump sum payment in excess of $1,000,000.00, with additional lifetime payouts of over $2,000,000.00. The client was stopped at an intersection and his car was struck from behind at a low speed, with little structural damage to the vehicles. He didn’t immediately seek medical attention, yet we were able to prove that when he did follow up the newly disabling injuries were caused by the latest collision.

A woman who was seriously injured when her vehicle was struck by a drunken driver has won a settlement of $2.5 million. The victim, a middle aged woman, was driving home from work at night when the vehicle operated by an underage intoxicated driver swerved into her path. The woman was life-flighted to a hospital where she was treated for multiple serious injuries, and subsequently required several surgeries, including a joint replacement. She was represented by the Berks County, PA law firm of Liever, Hyman & Potter, who brought suit against the underage drunk driver and the restaurant that was responsible for serving her. Including future payments, the settlement is expected to total more than $2,575,000.

The family of a passenger killed in a one-vehicle accident has received a settlement totaling $1,400,000 from the Pennsylvania Highway Department, the driver’s insurance and the family’s own underinsured motorist coverage. According to attorneys at Liever, Hyman & Potter, “the car was driving down a steep hill on a state roadway when the driver allowed her vehicle to edge off the road surface to the right. There was a drop off and no berm. When she tried to correct her steering she lost control, went across the roadway and crashed in a ditch.”

The wrongful death attorneys represented the estate of a deceased passenger against the driver and the Highway Department responsible for roadway design and maintenance.

Reading, PA — A $1,280,000 settlement has been reached in favor of a retired man seriously injured in an auto accident at a city intersection. The victim, who was represented by the law firm of Liever, Hyman & Potter, sustained injuries to his spleen, liver, ribs and left occipital bone when another vehicle ran a red light during a rain storm. He required tracheostomy and ventilation during recovery, which delayed speech therapy. He also suffered constant pain and sleep disruption as a result of fragments from the fracture of eleven ribs.

The settlement included the entire available bodily injury coverage of $1,250,000, plus the maximum $30,000 in underinsured motorist coverage.

A young and inexperienced driver, disregarded a red light while it was raining and drove her SUV into an intersection causing a two-vehicle crash. Our client was rushed to the hospital and was admitted to the intensive care unit. He had 11 rib fractures. He also had an acute pulmonary emboli (blood clot) and a significant loss of blood. He continued to suffer from respiratory failure. For a time he was ventilator dependent. He had to have a stomach tube implanted to eat. Because of his injuries he needed speech therapy and had to address swallowing difficulties. He was diagnosed with traumatic brain injury. He did ultimately enjoy a partial recovery but was left with serious ongoing difficulties. All available bodily injury liability insurance and underinsured motorist coverage were demanded and after extensive negotiations, all available funds were paid resulting in the settlement of $1,280,000.00.

This impressive result was reached for a pedestrian who was hurled down by a turning pick-up truck in a busy business district. We successfully proved that additional reconstruction surgery was required because of his injuries as a pedestrian, even though the client later fell and reinjured himself at work. We were also able to get the client a substantial payment for that work injury.

Our client was a passenger in a two vehicle crash. Her husband was driving when their car was struck by an oncoming vehicle which went out of control and entered their lane of travel. Our client suffered a crush injury to her left knee and she thereafter underwent a total knee replacement almost a year later. She also suffered from what is known as “complex regional pain syndrome.” Our client was in her early 60s and as a result of this crash she was permanently disabled and was limited to sedentary activities. She needed a cane to get around and she had difficulties sleeping. The responsible motorist’s insurance company had only $100,000.00 in coverage but our client had substantial underinsured motorist coverage and after an extensive mediation and continuing negotiations, a settlement was achieved in the amount of $870,000.00 which was of great help to our clients as they moved forward toward retirement.

A middle age mother and college employee was driving carefully when a reckless driver in a pick-up truck who had been working for a local corporation performed a dangerous U-turn directly into our client’s car causing injury to her neck. Although our client had a good recovery following successful surgery which fused her neck bones, she was at risk to develop serious future problems which were fully documented by both an expert hired by our firm who was a specialist in physical medicine and also by her treating surgeon. Our client was able to return to her job a short time after surgery but because of these very serious future concerns, a case was prepared for trial. At the time of trial, after seven different settlement offers, the case was finally settled in the amount of $400,000.00. It was a good and fair result for our client.