Recent Wins for Clients

Just prior to scheduled trial, SUGARMAN’s personal injury attorneys were able to obtain a substantial settlement for a patient who suffered catastrophic blood loss when the defendant surgeon pierced the patient’s aorta with a surgical instrument during a surgery to treat diverticulitis. The surgery occurred at a hospital near Worcester, Massachusetts. The patient’s blood loss led to the development of severe neurological injuries and personality changes that ended his work career and had a devastating effect on his marriage and family life.

SUGARMAN’s attorneys were able to obtain a pre-trial settlement for a 50-year-old public employee who was rendered totally disabled from work following a severe car accident. A commercial vehicle “t-boned” the employee causing him to sustain permanent back injuries requiring multiple surgeries. He was unable to return to work following the accident and surgeries.

Recovery for 30-year-old woman who lost her balance on an office stairway and was unable to catch herself because the building owner had covered the railing with a curtain, leading to her falling and suffering severe injuries. The client’s claim for personal injuries included her damages for bilateral elbow fractures that required multiple surgeries to correct.

Pre-suit settlement for vacationer who suffered a significant cut to his leg requiring surgery and an Achilles tendon tear when a piece of the stone slab broke away from the kitchen island in the beach house he had rented on Martha’s Vineyard.

SUGARMAN attorneys prevailed at arbitration on behalf of a cyclist who suffered multiple facial injuries requiring surgery. The cyclist was riding in Dedham when a vehicle driven by the defendant turned into him without warning, striking him and causing him to land on the hood of the car before falling to the ground. After a full hearing, the arbitrator found for SUGARMAN’s client and his wife, who had a loss of consortium claim, and awarded significant damages for both claims.

Settlement for gym patron who suffered a traumatic brain injury when an altercation in the gym continued into the parking lot. Plaintiff claimed that the gym’s negligent security and poor handling of escalating argument between gym patrons led to the assault and resulting head injury.

Recovery for client prior to the filing of personal injury lawsuit following a motor vehicle accident in Wellesley, Massachusetts. The plaintiff was rear-ended while stopped at a red light and sustained a detachment of his bicep tendon and other injuries. The recovery was against multiple insurance companies who provided coverage.

Significant pre-trial settlement for truck driver who slipped on a patch of ice at a property in Lynn, Massachusetts while she was making a delivery. Suit was brought against the property owner and the snow and ice contractor who had been hired to perform work during the winter.

SUGARMAN attorneys were able to reached a settlement during trial of a medical malpractice case on behalf of a now young girl and her parents. Weeks after her birth, the infant presented to a Boston-area hospital with respiratory distress. Despite showing signs of continued problems with breathing, the hospital staff discharged the infant home with her parents. Within 10 hours, the infant was found not breathing and suffered a severe brain injury due to lack of oxygen. SUGARMAN alleged through expert testimony that the infant’s brain injury would have been prevented or severely lessened had she been in the hospital when her respiratory condition became critical.

Post-discovery settlement for a runner who was struck by a work truck on the side of the road in Cape Cod. The runner suffered a severe ankle fracture requiring surgical repair and a lengthy rehabilitation.

Soon after initiation of a lawsuit bringing negligence claims under general maritime law as well as the Jones Act, SUGARMAN attorneys were able to settle the claim of a long-time marine vessel steward who suffered a severe patellar fracture requiring surgical repair followed by a total knee replacement. The steward had slipped on untreated ice on the deck of a vessel after arriving at work early in the morning.

Settlement of product liability lawsuit for the family of a young boy who was catastrophically injured when an aerial lift truck he was riding in tipped over due to a defect in its design. The young boy suffered severe brain damage that left him paralyzed and unable to speak or care for himself.

Settlement reached on behalf of a worker who fell 20 feet after being electrocuted, and needed partial amputation of his left arm and leg.

Settlement against hospital workers for a 12-year-old girl who suffered psychiatric injuries after she was coerced into unwanted sexual behavior with two female roommates in a locked child psychiatric unit at a Boston-area hospital.

Settlement from a school van driver’s employer after a 13-year-old special-needs student was sexually assaulted by her driver.

Settlement for client whose attorney failed to file the client’s medical malpractice lawsuit within the applicable statute of limitations, resulting in the court dismissing the client’s claim. In accordance with Massachusetts law, SUGARMAN attorneys not only proved the attorney’s negligence, but also proved the negligence of the client’s doctor in the underlying medical malpractice case.

Settlement arising out of a workplace accident in which the plaintiff suffered crush injuries to his foot after being run over by a forklift. The plaintiff’s original attorneys failed to file suit within the statute of limitations, resulting in the dismissal of the plaintiff’s lawsuit against the forklift operator.

Settlement reached against a transportation company which dropped a disabled 77-year-old plaintiff off at base of driveway instead of escorting him to his door. Patient fell while walking to door.

Settlement for plaintiff against owner of loading dock for failure to properly remove ice from walking surfaces, causing fall and neck injury requiring cervical fusion surgery.

Settlement for a town building inspector who slipped on an icy unpaved driveway while performing an inspection of the defendant’s property, resulting in severe and permanent leg injuries that rendered him totally disabled from performing his job as a building inspector.

Pre-trial settlement on behalf of a woman who suffered a significant ankle fracture when she fell after missing a step while walking down a dark pathway at a beach cottage. The cottage, located in Bourne on Cape Cod, was part of a large condominium association which failed to install lighting on the common pathways that weaved among the cottages, despite recommendations to do so years prior. In addition to the condo association, the plaintiff brought claims against the cottage tenants, as they knew of the poor lighting conditions and knew people would be on the pathway that night, but failed to turn on the exterior lighting for the cottage. The plaintiff underwent four surgeries on her ankle and has residual pain and stiffness nearly four years later.

Settlement for a woman after she slipped and fell on ice which had accumulated on the walkway of her condominium in a 55+ community northeast of Boston. SUGARMAN’s attorneys established that the condo association failed to take proper precautions to salt and sand the areas where residents would walk. The case settled at mediation.

A nursing home resident at high risk for falls sustained a hip fracture when she fell as a result of the nursing home medical staff failing to follow the appropriate fall prevention measures when assisting the patient to the bathroom. Rather than reporting the incident, the medical staff placed the patient back in her bed with a fractured right hip. The patient subsequently suffered a heart attack due to the trauma and died.

Pre-discovery settlement in wrongful death medical malpractice case for family of a 91 year old man who died in a Boston-area hospital as a result of the medical staff giving him a high dose of a psychiatric medication intended for another patient. Soon after filing suit, SUGARMAN’s attorneys served a demand letter on the hospital’s insurer for its failure to make a settlement offer when liability was clear. The case settled soon after.

A patient at very high risk for pressure sores developed several pressure sores just days after being admitted to a nursing home. The nursing home’s medical staff failed to properly implement and follow the patient’s careplan for preventing pressure sores. The patient developed numerous complications as a result of the pressure sores, requiring a below knee amputation of his left leg, and eventually died. The case was settled before trial.