We have earned a reputation in successfully helping clients obtain sizable settlements and verdicts in the following personal injury practice areas.
A 19-year old woman died when the car she was riding in lost control after encountering an unmarked, dangerous pavement edge drop-off on Interstate 70. The paving contractor failed to put up any warnings about the pavement edge drop-off or make any attempt to alert drivers to the dangerous condition. A pavement edge drop-off of just two inches can cause a driver to lose control.
A client suffered severe permanent lung injuries after losing control of his vehicle upon encountering a four inch pavement edge drop-off. There was no warning of the edge drop-off and no markings on the highway to alert drivers to the dangerous condition.
In what appeared to be a routine traffic accident, our client failed to stop at a stop sign and was struck and killed by an oncoming motorist. After extensive investigation, Nash & Franciskato were able to prove that the intersection was dangerous due to changes made during ongoing construction. The contractors on the project had built large dirt mounds at the intersection that had blocked visibility of the intersecting highway. Additionally, the Highway Department had removed a flashing red light that had been at the intersection for 30 years, and failed to compensate for the removal with any advance warning signs. It was also discovered the Highway Department had received several complaints about the intersection prior to the accident. The contractors settled the case prior to trial for $505,000. The remaining claims were tried against the Highway Department before a panel of three arbitrators, who awarded $2.5 million.
A husband and wife were riding a motorcycle on a highway outside of downtown Kansas City, Missouri when they encountered an unmarked “S” curve on an elevated portion of the highway causing the husband to lose control of the motorcycle. The husband and wife were ejected from the motorcycle and fell between a gap in the median instantly causing the death of the wife and serious injuries to the husband. Investigation revealed there were no warning signs informing the driver of the existence of a sudden sharp right curve and there was inadequate lighting at night. An arbitration panel awarded a combined sum of $3.1 million dollars for the wife’s death and the husband’s serious personal injuries.
