Archive for the ‘Patrick E. Dougherty’ Category

Dougherty, Leventhal and Price personal injury Attorneys Patrick E Dougherty, Joseph G. Price and Paul T. Oven settled a motor vehicle accident case against a paving company winning $14.5 million for their client. The client sustained traumatic injuries in the one car crash.

The client turned out of a driveway and traveled about a half mile when the passenger side tires left the road and dropped six inches in an open and exposed dirt shoulder. Traveling at about 45 mph, the tires ran along the dirt shoulder. The client then over-steered the vehicle back into the road, yawed and then struck two trees. The impact of the crash nearly threw the plaintiff through the rear window.

The paving company contracted with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to pave and shoulder more than 40 miles on a number of roads.

Shouldering and paving is a process whereby the edges of the road are prepared and two layers of surface are laid. Afterward, steps are to be taken to immediately restore the shoulders of the road or to protect or warn the public about the open road edge and drop off.

Despite completing the edge and paving work, the paving company did not shoulder the road or protect or warn the public about it at any time prior to completing the shoulder work.

Now a quadriplegic, the client spent months in various hospitals for intensive physical therapy and rehabilitation. A life care plan was prepared outlining the extensive costs associated with future medical care and medical management. The client is now at home under 24 hour care.

A Columbia County jury awarded $1.5 million to the family of a patient whose pulmonary hemorrhage was allegedly misdiagnosed by a Bloomsburg doctor. The law firm of Dougherty, Leventhal & Price filed a medical malpractice suit on behalf of the family of Bruce Whitmire, 43, against the doctor, Donald A. Remaly, alleging he had mistakenly treated Whitmire for pneumonia.

“What killed him was that he was allowed to bleed into his lungs for three weeks,” said personal injury attorney Patrick Dougherty, who along with Attorney Brian Walsh represented the Whitmires. Whitmire, a truck driver, died on April 10, 2000.

A Columbia County jury found Remaly negligent in his care of Whitmire. It awarded $444,000 in damages to the victim’s family, $5,067 to cover the cost of Whitmire’s funeral and $1,050,933 to compensate for his suffering and mental and physical pain. This represents the largest jury verdict in the history of Columbia County.

A Nanticoke couple has been awarded $1.96 million in a verdict returned by a Luzerne County jury against the Tennessee corporation that operates Dollar General stores. The couple, Joan and Jay Urbanski, was represented by personal injury Attorneys Patrick Dougherty, Joseph Price and Brian Walsh of the DLP law firm. Attorney Price believes the verdict to be a record in Luzerne County for that type of case. It also could go higher as a motion has been filed seeking delay damages against Dollar General.

Mrs. Urbanski, 40, was injured in the fall at a Dollar General Store in Hanover Township on Sept. 4, 2000. She fell after stepping on transparent plastic packaging material that had been left in the store aisle. The jury determined Mrs. Urbanski, a nurse, should receive $862,000 for economic damages, including lost income and the costs of ongoing medical treatment, and $1 million in punitive damages. Her husband was awarded $100,000 for loss of companionship. Dollar General admitted negligence relative to Mrs.Urbanski’s fall, but disputed the extent of her injuries and the diagnosis of reflex sympathetic dystrophy, a nerve disorder resulting from the fall, which disables Mrs. Urbanski. Mr. Price said the case and verdict have a component of deterrence. Attorney Price noted :”We wanted to tell this Tennessee corporation that, if they’re going to have outlets and make profits from people in Northeastern Pennsylvania, then they need to operate safe stores”.

A 57 year old paraplegic who sustained right shoulder injuries while staying at the Holiday Inn Express secured a settlement of $750,000.00 based on the negligence of the defendant. The plaintiff, who was represented by Personal injury Attorneys Patrick Dougherty and Brian J Walsh of the DLP Law Firm, suffered a torn bicep tendon, as well as a torn rotator cuff when the safety bar detached from the wall while the plaintiff was alighting from the commode.

As a result of the incident, the plaintiff underwent arthroscopic surgery for his torn rotator cuff. At the time of the incident, the plaintiff was employed by the paralyzed veteran’s association as a wheelchair repair person. Due to the incident, the claimant was deemed totally disabled and was unable to continue his employment.

DLP pursued a theory of liability that the safety rail was inappropriately secured to the bathroom wall. In addition, the complaint filed by DLP alleged that the defendant was negligent for failing to have appropriate inspection measures in place to ensure that the safety rails were properly attached to the wall.

The case settled prior to trial with the plaintiff securing a settlement in the amount of $750,000.00 to compensate for future loss of earning capacity and plaintiff’s pain and suffering.

Over the past 30 years, as the senior and founding partner of the personal injury law firm of Dougherty, Leventhal & Price, LLP, Patrick has obtained outstanding results for victims of automobile, tractor trailer, product liability, dog bite and medical negligence accidents throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania. Recently, Pat was recognized by his peers as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in the State of Pennsylvania. Patrick is Board Certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy, President of the NEPA Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocacy, a member of the Board of Governors of the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association and also a member of the House of Delegates of the Pennsylvania Bar Association.