Each year, some 2.5 million people are injured in motor vehicle accidents in the United States – and more than 40,000 are killed.  Indeed, automobile accidents are the nation’s leading cause of injury and non-disease-related death.  For the victims and their families, these are often life-altering events; physically, emotionally, and financially devastating.  And in many cases, they are the result of someone else’s negligence.

Recovery isn’t just about getting well – it’s about getting answers.  And it’s about getting compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering, lost wages, future losses, and, in the most egregious cases, punitive damages.

For four decades, Babbitt, Johnson, Osborne & Le Clainche has been helping clients to recover.  We have the resources to pursue cases completely and aggressively – not just financially, but in terms of staffing, too.  Our firm includes a full-time investigator – a former career police officer – and two paralegals, who can fully examine and analyze each case we handle.

Recent representative cases include:

• Auto accident/products liability/rollover: $10 million
We obtained this verdict for the parents of a 19-year-old college student who was killed in a rollover of her Kia Sportage sports utility vehicle – a car that, the jurors agreed, was negligently designed.  The vehicle flipped over six times after the victim, who was heading home over spring break, swerved to avoid a car that had entered her lane on the Florida Turnpike.  She was wearing a seat belt and died of head injuries.  At trial, we successfully contended that several design defects contributed to the fatality, including a collapsed roof; a windshield that popped out during the roll; and the vehicle’s inherent instability, which caused the roll in the first place.

• Automobile accident: $1.2 million
This verdict was returned in a case where our client, a 50-year-old postal employee, required multiple-level disc surgery after his work vehicle was struck while he was carrying out his official duties.

• Automobile accident: $1.1 million
We negotiated this settlement for a model in South Beach who, while driving with her boyfriend, was hit by a motorcycle speeding at 90 miles an hour.  She spent four months in the burn unit at Jackson Memorial Hospital.  The case settled for the insurance policy limits.

• Automobile accident: $1.1 million
This award was obtained for the family of a 35-year-old killed in an automobile accident on an interstate highway.  The death resulted from the defendant truck driver’s failure to maintain an appropriate speed.

What victims of motor vehicle accidents often discover – many times when it’s too late – is that a valid personal injury claim isn’t, by itself, enough to win a case.  They need an experienced lawyer, too.  Only an attorney who has handled many cases, and built a record of success, has the mastery of court procedures – and insurance company tactics – that’s essential to obtain a just compensation for injuries and harm. 

Automobile accident cases are rarely simple.  Indeed, even those that do not cause extremely serious injuries can present complex legal issues.  And there are always pitfalls, like discussing the accident with the driver’s insurance company – something a potential plaintiff should never do.  With a knowledgeable lawyer who can navigate the way, a good case can be a winning case – not a lost opportunity. 

At Babbitt, Johnson, Osborne & Le Clainche, our decades handling motor vehicle cases have given us the expertise our clients demand – and our opponents dread.  We don’t just know your case, we know the other side’s strategies, and we exploit that every time we walk into a courtroom.  Whether it’s a serious accident involving injury or death, or a simple rear-end collision, we help our clients obtain fair compensation.  And we help them recover.

Feel free to contact us for a free consultation and case evaluation.  We may be able to help you, too.