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Truck/Commercial Vehicle Accidents

 

$7 Million Settlement Delivery Truck Accident

A man was seriously injured when a teenage delivery driver was not paying attention to the road and struck our client as he was removing luggage from the trunk of his vehicle after he pulled over to the side of the road. By engaging accident reconstruction experts, a lighting expert, and a nationally recognized lifecare planner we were able to show the full extent of our client’s brain injury and future impairment. The insurance company tendered its full policy limit of $7,000,000

$7 Million Settlement Tractor Trailer Accident

A man was seriously injured when his vehicle was struck by a tractor trailer.

$5 Million Settlement Truck Driver At-Fault for Wrongful Death

A family lost a loving husband and father when a truck driver acted carelessness and needlessly endangered the lives of all Ohio drivers. The insurance company that insured the truck explored numerous avenues to escape its responsibility to pay the full value of the case. After several depositions, a video that included testimony from our client’s grieving wife and children, several expert reports, and a surveillance video that was uncovered showing the true facts surrounding the crash, the case was settled for $5,000,000.

$4.85 Million Settlement Approved for family of man killed by police during traffic stop

We represented the Administrator of the Estate of an African American motorist who was gunned down by a white police officer during a routine traffic stop. The traffic stop was initiated by the officer because Mr. Dubose was missing a front license plate, which in Ohio carried only a $100 fine. Within seconds of encountering Mr. Dubose, the officer shot him after violating several police policies, including reaching into the vehicle to try and take Mr. Dubose’s keys. The case received tremendous local and national media attention. Our attorneys helped to secure a $4,850,000 settlement on behalf of Mr. Dubose’s 13 children, parents, and siblings and were the primary architects for how the settlement proceeds would be divided amongst the beneficiaries. The Hamilton County Probate Court adopted nearly all of the recommendations made by our attorneys.

$3.5 Million Settlement Truck Accident

Confidential settlement involving a rear-end commercial vehicle crash.

$3 Million Settlement Landscape Truck

A young boy was killed after a landscape truck ran him over in the street. The insurance company claimed the child “darted out” in front of the driver. We established the company failed to follow commercial trucking safety regulations and reconstructed the crash which prompted a settlement for the full policy limits of $3 million.

$2.8 Million Settlement Semi Truck Crash

A young man was driving with his father in a small car on a local highway. A tractor-trailer driver made a lane change without checking his fender mirror. Fender mirrors on tractor trailers reveal blind spots that door mirrors will not show. Truck drivers must always look in both a door mirror and a fender mirror before each lane change. The crash killed the young man’s father. The semi-truck company tried to blame the young man for his own father’s death. Following depositions and a mediation, the case settled for $2.8 million.

$2.5 Million Settlement Disputed Liability Truck Wreck

Our client was injured when his vehicle, which was disabled on the shoulder of the roadway at night without lights on, was struck by a tractor trailer.

$2 Million Settlement Truck Accident

A woman suffered a serious brain injury when a tractor-trailer struck her vehicle. Worried that liability would be disputed, her family retained us the day of the crash. As a result of being hired promptly, we were able to secure video of the crash, obtain multiple witnesses’ statements, map the crash scene, download the electronic data from our client’s vehicle, and inspect the tractor-trailer almost immediately. By acting quickly, we were able to show the insurance company that the truck driver was solely at fault. 140 days after being retained, we secured a $2 million policy limits settlement for our client.

$2 Million Settlement Truck Wreck

A father of 3 was killed when a steel coil, which was not properly secured to a tractor trailer, came off the trailer and crushed his vehicle.

$1.25 Million Settlement Truck Accident

A young girl was a passenger in a vehicle that pulled out in front of a truck that was “bobtailing” (driving without it’s trailer). The case settled for $1.25 million.

$1 Million Settlement Tractor Trailer Accident

A woman suffered significant facial lacerations after a tractor trailer crossed a median and struck her vehicle head on.

$1 Million Settlement Tractor Trailer Accident

A woman was killed after a tractor trailer failed to stop at a stop sign. Liability was disputed as the trucking company argued that the truck driver did in fact stop and that our client’s wife was driving 20 miles over the speed limit at the time of the crash.

$800,000 Settlement Semi-Truck Rear-End Crash

Our client and her husband were passengers in a vehicle that was rear-ended on the highway by a tractor trailer. Our client suffered a closed head injury. Despite the traumatic brain injury, it was difficult for the defendants to understand the harm they had caused because our client looked and acted healthy. People who knew her prior to the crash understood her injuries. The case settled before trial for $800,000.

$700,000 Settlement Pennsylvania Tractor Trailer Crash

A truck and car collided in a head-on collision on a two-lane road in Pennsylvania. The truck driver claimed our client came into his lane before swerving back to his own lane. The toxicology report indicated our client had marijuana in his blood and the black box data showed that his speed was roughly twenty miles per hour over the speed limit. Our accident reconstructionist report indicated the truck was at-fault for the crash despite the marijuana in our client’s system and our client’s speed. The case settled for $700,000.

$416,000 Settlement Truck Accident

A young woman was injured in a head-on truck crash with a lumber truck. She suffered a broken foot and ankle as a result of the crash. Rittgers Rittgers & Nakajima settled her claim out of court for $416,000.

$325,000 Settlement On-the-Job Accident

A man working for a waste removal company was injured when a driver crashed into a garbage truck. The man suffered a leg and pelvic injury and was hospitalized for one week. Rittgers Rittgers & Nakajima handled the third-party claim against the negligent driver. Our client received $325,000 for his injury.

 

Nursing Home & Medical Malpractice

 

$7.9 Million Jury Verdict for Brain Injury

Case was turned down by well-known established law firm prior to our appearance as not winnable. No offer case with a life-long brain injury to an 18-year-old male, former musician and aircraft pilot.

$6.9 Million Jury Verdict Against OB/GYN

In Scott v. Fenninig tried five days in Butler County with Judge Matt Crehan presiding. OB/GYN advised female 51-year-old patient to stop her blood thinner three days prior to a D&C and not to restart until he notified her. A week went by and patient’s phone call to his office about restart went unanswered. On day eight, patient had a massive embolic stroke leaving her unable to walk, incontinent and not able to talk. Large Butler County firm turned down representation prior to our acceptance.

$5.4 Million Jury Verdict in Northern Kentucky Federal Court

Young RN went for a light chemical peel prior to having her wedding soon to be photos taken. Compound pharmacist who would compound the acid for this surgeon attended a Texas seminar where he was told to mix acid weight to weight not volume to volume. The advice caused the acid to be highly potent and caused 3rd degree burns all over her entire face. Had to wear a full-face pressure mask 24/7/365. Very small offer prior to trial. Patient had more than two years of treatment and was thankfully able to overcome and have a wonderful life.

$2.1 Million Settlement Nursing Home Error

A loving mother and wife was in a nursing home when she suffered a life altering injury as a result of a nursing home employee’s failure to properly secure her in a transport vehicle. She passed away several months later at a local hospital due to other complications. Three insurance companies and policies agreed to pay their maximum policy limits on the case which totaled $2,100,000.

$1.6 Million Settlement Dilaudid Overdose Mistake By Hospital

A middle aged married woman was being monitored in the post anesthesia recovery unit (PACU) following a surgery when the staff improperly doubled the ordered dose of Dilaudid. Her physicians ordered 0.5 mg of the powerful opioid medication but the nurses administered 1.0 mg on three separate occasions. The PACU then failed to properly monitor her oxygen levels over several hours. Oxygen levels dropped from 100% to 85% and oxygen saturation was 73% with a blood pressure of 66/48 causing permanent brain damage. The case settled after a lawsuit was filed and depositions were taken for $1.6 million.

$1.5 Million Verdict For Malpractice of Neurosurgeon

No offer before verdict which was in 2020. Defendant doctor poorly performed spine surgery resulting in limited mobility and ongoing pain. Five-day trial.

$1 Million Settlement Dental Malpractice

Our client was tragically killed as a result of an error made by a technician at a dentist office. The case settled for $1,000,000.

$1 Million Settlement Pain Pill Overdose

A forty-year-old husband and father of three died of an opioid overdose after his doctor prescribed him pain medication for over fourteen years. The defendants blamed the man and his wife for his own death and also claimed he died of a heart attack rather than acute overdose. The case settled for $1 million before trial.

$1 Million Jury Verdict After Zero Offer

A woman went to a GI institute in Northern Kentucky for a routine colonoscopy. In her pre-procedure preparation, she suffered an IV extravasation at the hands of a nurse who was pushing D50. The extravasation caused lifelong pain, numbness and reduced use of her hand. Despite years of litigation, the defense made no settlement offer before the jury trial. Lindsay Lawrence and Charlie Rittgers did not present any economic loss at trial. In 2023 a Kenton County Kentucky jury returned a verdict of $1 million which was exclusively a non-economic verdict.

$147,270 Arbitration Nursing Home Negligence

A 61-year-old woman was in a nursing home after a surgery for a ruptured cerebral aneurysm and for subsequent respiratory failure when she fell forward from her wheel chair and struck her head on the floor. As a result, she suffered an acute subdural hematoma that took her life. The nursing home denied any wrongdoing and the case was forced into binding arbitration through a clause in the contract the family had signed with the nursing home. Rittgers Rittgers & Nakajima lawyer Eric Allen handled the arbitration. After arbitration, the nursing home was found to be liable and ordered to pay $147,270.

 

Motorcycle Accidents

 

$15 Million Verdict Construction Zone Accident

Following a summary jury trial in federal court, the jury returned a verdict of $15,000,000 in total damages and 40% comparative fault for a seriously injured man we represented who was injured while riding through a roadwork construction zone and blamed for his own injuries. The verdict was reduced to $9,000,000 because of Ohio’s comparative fault laws and the case settled confidentially the morning following the trial.

$1 Million Settlement Motorcycle Crash

A young man lost his leg below the knee when a pick-up truck pulled into his lane of travel. Our client was accused of driving without a headlamp on his motorcycle which could have caused or contributed to the crash. Charlie M. Rittgers searched a nearby soy bean field with a treasure hunting expert he hired who brought a metal detector. They found the headlamp and settled the case for the insurance policy limits of $1 million shortly thereafter.

$350,000 Settlement Motorcycle Accident

A grandfather was driving the speed limit and following all the safety laws while driving his motorcycle with his granddaughter. Another driver rolled a stop sign and pulled in front of the motorcycle, killing the granddaughter and severely injuring the grandfather. Rittgers Rittgers & Nakajima represented the grandfather and settled his case for $350,000; the granddaughter’s case settled for $1.1 million.

$250,000 Settlement Motorcycle Accident

A man was injured as a result of a motorcycle crash when the driver of an SUV failed to yield to the motorcycle. The case settled for the maximum recovery under the at-fault driver’s auto insurance, $250,000.

$240,000 Settlement Drunk Driver Strikes Motorcyclist

Our client was riding his motorcycle on I-71 when a female driver who was impaired as a result of pain medications rear-ended his motorcycle. Our client suffered serious road rash and other injuries. He returned to work quickly despite the pain and other than scarring from road rash he has recovered from his injuries. We settled his case for $240,000.

$175,000 Settlement Married Couple Injured on Motorcycle

A husband and wife were traveling on a motorcycle in South Carolina when a negligent motorist struck their bike from the rear. Both husband and wife suffered medical expenses, lost wages, and injuries. Thankfully, both have returned to work and recovered from their injuries. The man who was at-fault had a maximum recovery under his insurance policy of $100,000 per injured person. We recovered $100,000 for the wife and another $75,000 for the husband.

$100,000 Settlement Teen Driver; Motorcycle Accident

A man was injured while riding his motorcycle when a young driver pulled out in front of him. Our client suffered a broken arm. The case settled for $100,000.

 

Premises Liability

 

$3 Million Verdict Slip And Fall

Our client suffered a broken knee cap resulting in surgery after falling on a knocked down wet floor sign laying flat on a multi-colored floor inside of a Casino. Surveillance video confirmed that a casino employee walked by the sign, without picking it up, eleven seconds before our client fell. It was the Casino’s position that the fall was solely our client’s fault. A Hamilton County jury disagreed finding that the sign was not open and obvious under the circumstances, that the Casino was 100% at fault and delivered a verdict of $3 million.

$2.75 Million Settlement Child Injured During Sporting Event

A young child’s life was changed forever after a head injury at a sporting event. Facing an uphill battle because of numerous laws that restricted the chance of recovery, the case was resolved through a mediation that resulted in a $2,750,000 settlement that will be structured and guaranteed throughout our client’s life.

$1 Million Settlement Brain Injury – TBI

A man was injured while on the job at a store. After the injury, he and his wife consulted with two law firms. One refused to accept his case and the other was unable to get a settlement offer and dismissed his case. We got involved and settled the case for $1 million.

$1 Million Settlement Dog Bite

A woman was seriously injured when a dog bit her at a local business. We recovered the entire $1 million policy limit.

$1 Million Settlement Dram Shop

A young woman was injured after a local bar served a minor driver who left the bar and caused a car crash injuring more than five people. We were the only lawyers who pursued the bar and recovered the entire $1 million policy limit.

$147,270 Arbitration Nursing Home Negligence

A 61-year-old woman was in a nursing home after a surgery for a ruptured cerebral aneurysm and for subsequent respiratory failure when she fell forward from her wheel chair and struck her head on the floor. As a result, she suffered an acute subdural hematoma that took her life. The nursing home denied any wrongdoing and the case was forced into binding arbitration through a clause in the contract the family had signed with the nursing home. Rittgers Rittgers & Nakajima lawyer Eric Allen handled the arbitration. After arbitration, the nursing home was found to be liable and ordered to pay $147,270.

$500,000 Settlement Golf Course Injury

A man was injured on a golf course. Despite difficult liability, we were able to settle the case for $500,000.

$385,000 Verdict Slip and Fall

A 78-year-old woman was injured when she tripped and fell over a cement parking block outside a condominium complex. A jury awarded our client $385,000 for her closed head injury.

$191,674 Verdict Slip and Fall

A 49-year-old over-the-road truck driver was injured when he stepped backwards in a sporting goods store after an employee directed him to look at a shelve which was above eye level. A loose barbell was on the floor just outside the aisle causing the man to fall and tear his rotator cuff. Facing a conservative jury in Campbell County, Kentucky the insurance company did not make any reasonable offers. Rittgers Rittgers & Nakajima attorney Barb Strady, with co-counsel, took the case to a jury trial and received a verdict that included $52,125.18 for past medical expenses, $9,549.04 for past lost wages, $90,000.00 for past mental and physical pain and suffering, and $40,000.00 for future mental and physical pain and suffering. The award totaled $191,674.22 and was reduced by 15% for comparative fault.

$95,000 Settlement Dog Bite

A young child’s face was scarred as a result of a dog bite. The child received a $95,000 settlement for the injury.

$75,000 Settlement Trampoline Accident

A boy was playing with three other children on a neighbor’s trampoline when he broke his leg. The children were unsupervised and all jumping on the trampoline at the same time. The case settled for $75,000 before trial.

 

Car Accidents

 

$825,000 Verdict Car/Pedestrian Crash

A woman suffered a broken ankle with permanent injury after she was struck by a car while walking on the sidewalk. The at-fault driver’s insurance company offered only $125,000 to settle the case. Matt Nakajima and Lindsay Lawrence took the case to a jury trial in February 2021 in Warren County Ohio and received an $825,000 verdict.

$500,000 Settlement Car Crash

A mother and daughter were injured in a car accident. The mother suffered herniated discs and a broken wrist and the daughter broke both her femurs. The at-fault driver had insurance, as did our client. The maximum recovery under our client’s uninsured/underinsured policy was $500,000. The case settled for $500,000.

$350,000 Settlement Failure to Yield Crash

A pickup truck driver failed to yield at a two-way stop. As a result, our client slammed into the trailer the pickup was towing. Our client was riding a motorcycle. Our client was a retired truck driver with a clean driving record. He had a pelvic fracture, spinal fractures, and hand and foot fractures. The case settled for $350,000.

$265,000 Settlement Car Crash

After hiring Rittgers Rittgers & Nakajima , a mother and daughter involved in a car crash recovered $265,000 (policy limits) for medical expenses and pain and suffering. Following the accident, the daughter suffered a rotator cuff tear and experienced muscle aches. Her mother had a broken vertebrae and broken ribs, but was not incapacitated.

$105,000 Settlement Car Crash

A teenage driver caused a car crash when she pulled out of a private drive and struck our client’s car. Despite having a displaced scaphoid fracture and a fracture at L1, our client’s total adjusted medical bills were $10,529, both fractures healed within six months, and no surgical intervention was required. Attorney Eric Allen was able to settle the case for the maximum insurance policy limit of $100,000 with a complete waiver of the medical payment lien of $5,000 for a total recovery of $105,000.

$100,000 Settlement Uninsured Driver Accident

A Hamilton County resident, while vacationing out of state and driving a rental car, was injured when an uninsured motorist struck his car. Rittgers Rittgers & Nakajima recovered $100,000, the maximum amount of money available under our client’s uninsured motorist policy.

 

Victims’ Rights/Civil Rights

 

$3 Million Judgment

2021: On behalf of woman physically assaulted at bar when bouncers failed to properly search violent patron. (Latoya Luckey v. Nephews, LLC – Hamilton County, Ohio – A 2001544)

$1 Million Settlement

2020: Against Catholic diocese for sexual abuse of minor by priest. (John Doe v. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus – Franklin County, Ohio – 18CV-5724)

$800,000 Settlement

2022: Against Catholic Diocese for sexual abuse of minor perpetuated by priest.

$500,000 Settlement

2021: Against Catholic diocese and high school for abuse perpetuated on minor by teacher and coach.

$350,000 Jury Verdict

2019: For minor sexually abused by adult family friend (M.P. v. Judd Ellinger – Fairfield County, Ohio – 2017 cv 62)

$200,000 Settlement

2022: In civil rights case on behalf of two brothers who were unlawfully detained and subjected to excessive force by local police officer and department

$200,000+ Settlement

2021: In civil rights case involving claims on behalf of group of students hazed on school trip by upperclassmen

$150,000 Settlement

2019: In civil rights case on behalf of client unlawfully detained, arrested, and charged by local police officer.

Confidential Six Figure Settlement

2018: Of claims by child who was sexually abused by religious leader.

Confidential Six Figure Settlement

2018: On behalf of woman assaulted by co-worker placed at job without adequate background check.

Confidential Six Figure Settlement

2019: Of claims on behalf of minor who was sexually abused by her step-father.

Confidential High Five Figure Settlement

2019: On behalf of minor who was sexually abused by adult met who met him online.

 

Wrongful Death

 

Confidential Settlement Wrongful Death

Rittgers Rittgers & Nakajima has successfully orchestrated multiple multimillion-dollar wrongful death settlements under confidentiality agreements but the confidentiality agreements prohibit us from disclosing the details of the case.

$4.85 Million Settlement Approved for family of man killed by police during traffic stop

Konrad Kircher and Ryan McGraw represented the Administrator of the Estate of an African American motorist who was gunned down by a white police officer during a routine traffic stop. The traffic stop was initiated by the officer because Mr. Dubose was missing a front license plate, which in Ohio carried only a $100 fine. Within seconds of encountering Mr. Dubose, the officer shot him after violating several police policies, including reaching into the vehicle to try and take Mr. Dubose’s keys. The case received tremendous local and national media attention. Konrad and Ryan helped to secure a $4,850,000 settlement on behalf of Mr. Dubose’s 13 children, parents, and siblings and were the primary architects for how the settlement proceeds would be divided amongst the beneficiaries. The Hamilton County Probate Court adopted nearly all of the recommendations made by Konrad and Ryan.

$2.1 Million Settlement Drowning Death

A seven-year-old boy drowned at a members only organization pool as a result of poor staffing and inattentive lifeguards. The case settled for $2.1 million dollars.

Confidential Settlement Truck Crash Wrongful Death

A thirty-eight-year-old mother was killed when a semi-truck carrying steel for AK Steel failed to yield at an intersection in Middletown. The truck driver was cited for Failure to Yield and Vehicular Manslaughter. The case settled confidentially without a trial.

 

Brain Injury

 

$7 Million Settlement Brain damage

A man suffered permanent brain damage after being struck by a delivery driver who was not paying attention to the roadway.

$3 Million Settlement Brain Injury

The victim sustained a hypoxic brain injury resulting from a near drowning.

$2.1 Million Settlement Brain Injury

The victim was in a car crash resulting in a frontal lobe brain injury.

$1.25 Million Settlement Two-vehicle collision

A young girl, who was a passenger in a vehicle, sustained a severe brain injury in a two-vehicle collision. The case settled for policy limits of $1.25 million.

$1.1 Million Settlement Moderate brain injury

A young woman suffered a moderate brain injury while riding as a passenger in a car being operated by an impaired driver. We collected policy limits from the at-fault driver, two underinsured motorists’ carriers and the policy limits from the bar that overserved the at-fault driver.

$1 Million Settlement Being hit on the head

A man suffered a brain injury after being hit on the head while on the job at a store. After the injury, he and his wife consulted with two law firms. One refused to accept his case and the other was unable to get a settlement offer and dismissed the case. We got involved and settled the case.

$1 Million Settlement Cranial nerve damage

A woman suffered cranial nerve damage after being bitten in the face by a dog. We successfully proved that our client suffered a brain injury as opposed to just a facial laceration and successfully recovered the $1 million policy limits.

$800,000 Settlement Closed head injury

Our client and her husband were passengers in a vehicle that was rear-ended on the highway by a tractor trailer. Our client suffered a closed head injury. Despite the traumatic brain injury, it was difficult for the defendants to understand the harm they had caused because our client looked and acted healthy. People who knew her prior to the crash understood her injuries. The case settled before trial for $800,000.

$475,000 settlement Mild traumatic brain injury

A teenager ran across a three-lane roadway against a do not walk sign and was hit by a car. As a result, the teenager suffered a mild traumatic brain injury. We were able to successfully prove that the driver was not paying attention to the roadway as he approached a school and recovered the remaining policy limits of $475,000.

$300,000 settlement Mild traumatic brain injury

The operator of a tractor trailer crashed into a vehicle in front of him that was stopped in the middle of the roadway, at night, with no lights on. As a result of the impact, our client suffered a mild traumatic brain injury amongst other injuries. After filing suit because of a liability dispute, we were able to resolve the case for the $300,000 policy limits

 

Other Injuries

 

$560,000 Settlement Defamation/Slander

A father and his son were harmed as a result of malicious, false, and defamatory statements made by the father’s ex-wife and daughter. A jury awarded our clients $500,000 and the court awarded over $60,000 in attorney’s fees.