Personal Injury Law Firm Block O'Toole & Murphy, LLP Secured the 10th Largest Settlement in the United States in 2014

    NEW YORK, NY, November 07, 2014 /24-7PressRelease/ -- According to The National Law Journal, the $8,800,000 personal injury settlement obtained by Block O'Toole & Murphy partners Stephen J. Murphy and David L. Scher in January of 2014 was the 10th largest settlement in the entire country for the year 2014.

On the day of her accident, Ms. Krluc was a 51 year old Queens resident, originally from Bosnia, who worked in hotel maintenance and was a loving mother and grandmother. It was an otherwise typical afternoon in early June and Ms. Krluc was walking to pick up her two grandchildren from their elementary school. Suddenly, a collision occurred in the adjacent intersection, between a Ford van and a Chevrolet minivan, which caused the Ford van to jump the curb and strike Ms. Krluc on the sidewalk where she was walking. She suffered numerous fractures and orthopedic injuries, but most significantly a brain injury, which her suit claimed resulted in permanent cognitive deficits, memory problems and mood alteration that had a devastating impact on her happiness and ability to enjoy a normal life.

In addition to suing the two vehicles, and recovering their full insurance policies in the settlement, Murphy and Scher also pursued a claim against The City of New York. The case against the City involved evidence that the cause of the collision between the vehicles was an overgrown tree whose branches partially obstructed the stop sign facing the Ford van at the intersection. The lawsuit claimed that, had the tree been property maintained and pruned, the stop sign would have been fully visible and the incident would never have occurred.

The City claimed in its defense that it lacked prior notice of the overgrown tree branches and that the subject stop sign was nonetheless still visible to the approaching Ford driver. The case proceeded in Queens County and settled on the eve of trial, with The City of New York ultimately agreeing to contribute $7,500,000 toward the $8,800,000 settlement.

Plaintiff's attorney Stephen Murphy noted, "This was a challenging case in many respects, but we were driven to succeed by the knowledge that Ms. Krluc and her family desperately needed our help to get back on their feet. We are sobered by the reality that Ms. Krluc's injuries are permanent, but at the same time very satisfied that this settlement has provided her all of the financial resources she will ever need to receive the highest level of care and quality of life possible."

Block O'Toole & Murphy, LLP is considered one of the elite personal injury law firms in New York. The firm has recovered over $800,000,000 for its clients through hard-fought and often record-setting verdicts and settlements. No law firm in New York secured as many multi-million dollar personal injury awards as Block O'Toole & Murphy for the years 2012 and 2013, according to VerdictSearch results published in the New York Law Journal. The experienced trial lawyers of Block O'Toole & Murphy can be reached for a free consultation by calling (212) 736-5300 or visiting the firm's website at www.blockotoole.com.

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