Morgan & Morgan secured $1.1M verdict in Putnam County rear-end collision case

[Carmel, NY] – A Putnam County jury has awarded a $1.1 million verdict to a 65-year-old man for injuries he sustained in a 2023 rear-end collision. Represented by Morgan & Morgan attorneys Shania Felix, Joe Morath and Daniel Watts, the plaintiff secured the seven-figure verdict after rejecting the defense’s final pre-trial settlement offer of $75,000.

The incident occurred on November 26, 2023, on Route 22 in Brewster, NY.  The defendant rear-ended the plaintiff’s vehicle, resulting in severe neck and back injuries that required extensive treatment and caused chronic pain.

Through the litigation, the defense argued that the plaintiff’s condition was due to age-related degeneration rather than the collision. The jury’s verdict, however, reflects the full impact the crash had on the plaintiff’s life.

“The defense spent years attempting to dismiss our client’s pain as inevitable aging,” said Morgan & Morgan founder John Morgan and attorney Shania Felix. “This is a man who built a life as a business owner and remained active into his retirement. Since the crash, he has been unable to maintain the lifestyle he earned through decades of hard work. In his golden years, the simple pleasures of spending time with his family and walking his dogs were taken from him. We are pleased the jury saw the truth and held the defendant accountable to the full extent of the damages.”

The case was heard by Judge Victor G. Grossman of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of Putnam, Case No. 500451/2024. The Defense was represented by Richard D. Bentzen of Cerussi & Spring, P.C.