Case Examples

Westmoreland County, PA, Motorcycle Accident

A 37-year‑old man from Latrobe, Pennsylvania, suffered serious lacerations of his leg and crush injuries of his left foot in a motorcycle accident on State Route 982 near Kecksburg. A truck owned by a construction company coming around the curve when an unsecured 55 gallon drum filled with liquid flew off of the back of the truck, striking our client's motorcycle and impacting his foot. The motorcyclist was thrown from his bike onto the roadway. Our client was life flighted to a Pittsburgh hospital for surgical treatment of several comminuted metatarsal fractures and metatarsophalangeal joint dislocations, also known as a Lisfranc fracture/dislocation. Part of the treatment involved K-wire fixation of the fractured bones. Our client's prognosis included arthritic changes and probable future fusion of his mid foot. A lawsuit was filed in Westmoreland County and a substantial settlement was reached before trial began.

Derry Township, Westmoreland County, PA, Motorcycle Collision

Our client was traveling on State Route 217 near Blairsville, PA, on a motorcycle when a vehicle pulled out onto the roadway directly into his lane of travel. On impact, our client was ejected from his bike. His injuries included head, neck and back injuries, as well as a fracture of the right fibula, a displaced fracture of the left medial malleolus, a significantly comminuted fracture of his left great toe, and other multiple injuries. Repair of these injuries included percutaneous pinning and placement of hardware to aid healing. This hardware had to be surgically removed several months after the accident. The personal injury attorneys at QuatriniRaffertyGalloway obtained the maximum limits of bodily injury liability insurance as well as underinsured motorists benefits.

Indiana County, PA, Fatal Accident Caused by Drunk Driver

QuatriniRaffertyGalloway represented the Estates of two young parents who were traveling on State Route 422 in Indiana County, PA, on a Sunday evening when a drunk driver traveling the opposite direction crossed the center line and collided head-on with their vehicle. The drunk driver survived, but both of his victims were pronounced dead at the scene. They left behind one son and other family members devastated by this tragic, but preventable accident. The drunk driver was sentenced to a multiple-year prison term. Our office represented the Estates of the husband and wife in a lawsuit filed in Indiana County for the benefit of their son. As a result of the civil action, we were able to reach a settlement short of trial for the policy limits available to the drunk driver as well as all underinsured motorist coverage available to the family vehicle involved in the accident. Our firm also assisted the family in applying for benefits through the Victims Compensation Assistance Program and in seeking restitution from the drunk driver through the criminal proceeding.

Westmoreland County, Washington Township, Pa, Head-on Car Collision

Our client was a 32 year old teacher traveling to work at 7:00 a.m. on State Route 66. She was a front seat passenger car pooling with a co-worker. A vehicle coming the opposite direction struck a tractor-trailer which was on the road ahead of the vehicle our client occupied. After impacting the rear of the tractor-trailer, the oncoming car continued to cross the center line and strike our client's vehicle head-on. Our client had to be cut from the wreckage after being trapped for nearly 40 minutes. She had emergency surgery at a Pittsburgh hospital for extensive internal injuries, including lacerations of her liver and a perforated small intestine. She also sustained multiple injuries including trauma to her knee which resulted in chondromalacia. Months after her initial hospitalization, she had additional abdominal surgery to repair an umbilical hernia. She also had surgery to repair her Achilles tendon after that tendon ruptured due to the trauma of the accident which reduced the blood supply to that tendon. After months of rehabilitation, she was able to return to work. After filing a law suit, the attorneys at QuatriniRaffertyGalloway fought to get her a substantial settlement prior to trial.