DISCLAIMER: The results are specific to the facts and legal circumstances of each of the clients’ cases and should not be used to form an expectation that the same results could be obtained for other clients in similar matters without reference to the specific factual and legal circumstances of each client’s case. Litigation co-counsel is listed where appropriate.

 

  • MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT: QUADRIPLEGIC SPINAL CORD INJURY WITH ECONOMIC DAMAGES OVER $12,000,000.00

    Chester Law Group counseled attorney Nick DeGennaro in handling the case of a middle-aged man from Central Ohio who was catastrophically injured when he was hit by a car owned by an employee of a major telecommunications company.

    The client suffered a severe spinal cord injury leaving him a permanent quadriplegic. Medical bills, lost wages and other economic damages are expected to be over $12,000,000.00.

    Settlement: Confidential. January 2021

  • CAR ACCIDENT: BACK SURGERIES

    Our client, a 63-year-old man from Medina, suffered back and neck injuries in a car accident that required surgery. We settled the case before trial with co-counsel Lori Luka.

    Settlement: $850,000.00 – April 2021.

  • BROKEN ARMS: COW IN THE ROAD

    Our client, a 25-year-old female from Western Ohio, broke both her arms which required surgery when an escaped cow crossed the road in front of her. The case settled before trial with co-counsel Lori Luka.

    Settlement:$526,000.00 – June 2021

  • SPINAL CORD INJURY: PARAPLEGIC: MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT; ECONOMIC DAMAGES OVER $5,000,000.00

    Our client, a young male from Northeast Ohio, was catastrophically injured while riding his motorcycle when the driver of a car pulled out from a stop sign. This caused our client to hit the car and propelled our client off of his bike. Our client suffered a severe spinal cord injury leaving him a permanent paraplegic. Medical bills, lost wages and other economic damages are expected to be over $5,000,000.00. The settlement amount is confidential. We ended up also fighting with Medicaid to reduce the amount we have to repay them for accident-related bills they paid because of recent U.S. Supreme Court case law that made Ohio’s Medicaid subrogation statute unconstitutional. That fight lasted until January 2014. Litigation co-counsel was Tom Haskins.

    Settlement: Confidential. January 2014

  • MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT: TORN ARM MUSCLES AND INJURED KNEE.

    Our client was a middle aged Ohio man who was injured in a motor vehicle accident while on the job. He suffered torn muscles in both arms and an injury to his knee that will likely require future surgery. He continues to have pain in his arms and pain in his knee.

    Settlement: $800,000.00 – February 2015

  • KNEE SURGERY | $500,000 FROM OHIO PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEY.

    A Northern Ohio male seriously injured his knee as well as other, less serious bodily injuries when he was hit by a motor vehicle. He required extensive knee surgery as well as rehabilitation of the knee, which is typical in this type of case, to regain mobility in his knee. Recovery for these types of injuries takes longer since the injured person has to keep pressure off of the knee, which severely limits activities of daily living. Luckily, a full recovery was made.

    Awarded: $500,000

  • CAR ACCIDENT: ELDERLY OHIO RESIDENT HURT IN HEAD ON COLLISION.

    Our client was an elderly Ohio resident from Hamden Ohio. He was injured when a second car crossed the yellow line and hit his vehicle head on. Our client suffered injuries to both his hips that required surgery. He underwent rehabilitation and is continuing to have discomfort from his injuries.

    Awarded: $390,000 – February 2014

  • POLICY LIMITS OBTAINED BY NORTHEAST OHIO CAR ACCIDENT LAWYERS.

    Policy Limits – Amount Awarded to 2 (two) 18-year-old Eastern Ohio residents involved in automobile accident causing severe injuries, including a life flight. The young ladies suffered concussions and required additional treatment for their injuries over an extended period of time. Both have made good recoveries and suffer very little long-term physical or psychological damage from the accident. According to the CDC, closed head trauma can occur even if the head is not hit against something in the car. The blunt force trauma to the body forces the head to jolt back and forth, injuring the brain without a mark on the outside of the head. A brain MRI or CT usually reveals the extent of the damage. A neuroradiologist diagnoses the injury and treatment with a neurologist is the usual course of treatment. Not everyone recovers fully from a closed head injury.

    Awarded: $300,000

  • DISC INJURY: $295,000 FROM SUMMIT COUNTY CAR ACCIDENT LAWYER.

    Alliance man injured in auto accident. Client suffered cervical disc injuries requiring surgery. Disc surgeries are not always successful in removing all of the client’s pain. When surgery fails, a more serious type of surgery, known as a fusion surgery, may reduce the pain. If not, the patient is basically left to deal with the pain for life with the help of a pain specialist. Any time you have surgery, there are risks of serious complications, including infection and death.

    Awarded: $295,000

  • MULTIPLE HERNIATED DISCS: $282,000 | LORAIN COUNTY CAR ACCIDENT LAWYER.

    Lorain man injured in motor vehicle collision. Client suffered multiple herniated discs requiring several back surgeries. The insurance company fought hard to not pay the fair amount on this claim, but finally gave in after extensive negotiations on our part. Sometimes one surgery for a herniated disc is not enough. Sometimes the traditional laminectomy does not take away the pain, and so a more serious surgery, called a vertebrae fusion, is necessary. The doctor actually “fuses” the vertebrae together to make up for the missing disc that cannot absorb the shock between the vertebrae any more. Sometimes, even the fusion does not take away the pain, and the person is left to deal with the pain for life with the help of a pain management doctor. A lifetime of heavy pain medication is a very serious injury and horrible to have to deal with. Also, disc herniations can show up above and below the fusion, causing more serious problems down the road for the client.

    Awarded: $282,000

  • INSURER REFUSED TO PAY LIMITS | CUYAHOGA COUNTY CAR ACCIDENT LAWYER.

    Cuyahoga County jury verdict for driver injured in a collision where insurer refused to pay policy limits of $100,000 to settle the claim. Jury verdict of $260,000 forced insurer to pay in excess of policy limits. It is our opinion that the insurance company ended up paying more than policy limits because they did not want a bad faith lawsuit against them from their own insured for not settling within policy limits when they had a chance. This is the risk insurance companies take when they do not pay policy limits on cases that are clearly policy limit cases. Litigation co-counsel was Joe Joseph of Cleveland Ohio.

    Jury Verdict: $260,000

  • MAN HIT FROM BEHIND; SURGICAL NECK CASE.

    Our client was a 43 year old man from Cleveland Ohio, who was involved in an accident in Newton Ohio. Our client was driving on the Ohio turnpike when he slowed down to avoid a tarp in the road. He was then hit from behind be another car and suffered several injuries including a neck injury which required surgery to repair. The client made a full recovery. A lawsuit was filed and a settlement reached before trial. Litigation co-counsel was Lynn Lazarro.

    Settlement: $250,000.00 October 2014

  • FRACTURED KNEE AND WRIST / PARMA, OHIO, PERSONAL INJURY LAWYERS.

    Our client, a 77-year-old woman from Parma, Ohio, was T-boned by another car. She suffered a fractured right knee and a fractured wrist. Chester Law Group Co. LPA was able to settle the claim for $250,000.

    Awarded: $250,000

  • HEEL AND ANKLE INJURIES: $247,500 | CANTON CAR ACCIDENT LAWYERS.

    Canton woman involved in serious auto accident. Client suffered heel and ankle injuries requiring multiple surgeries. The auto insurance company was reluctant to pay what we considered to be a fair amount until the threat of litigation made them reconsider. Lower leg injuries are specially dangerous because they can severely limit a person’s ability to walk. If you cannot walk, you may not be able to work. These injuries also can take a long time to heal, because people cannot help but put pressure on the leg at times, and this can slow down the healing process. Even with crutches, healing can be a slow, painful process. Also, hairline bone fractures may not show up right away on X-rays in my experience, and so it is important to keep your doctor up to date on how you are feeling. Additional tests may be necessary. Sometimes the doctor orders a CT scan to find the hairline fracture missed by X-rays. CT, or Cat Scan, is a sophisticated, computer controlled X-ray. It finds fractures missed by traditional X-rays.

    Awarded: $247,500

  • MULTIPLE INJURIES FROM BEING REAR-ENDED | BRECKSVILLE CAR CRASH LAWYER.

    42-year-old female suffered multiple injuries when she was rear-ended in Brecksville. Client saw multiple doctors and was in treatment for an extended period of time.

    Awarded: $145,000

  • SHOULDER AND BACK INJURIES | CUYAHOGA COUNTY CAR ACCIDENT LAWYER.

    A 64-year-old Cuyahoga County man received nonsurgical neck, shoulder and back injuries when he was rear-ended and subsequently pushed into a third vehicle. The client was in treatment for an extended period of time, and treated by several local doctors. These types of double impacts can cause serious bodily damage. The body is first struck from behind pushing it backwards, then it is struck from the front pushing the body forward. This back and forth “see-saw” motion can force the body to move in ways it was not meant to move. The result are serious neck and back injuries that may not be able to be fixed and may never totally heal.

    Awarded: $105,050

  • SHOULDER TEAR REQUIRING SURGERY | LORAIN CAR ACCIDENT ATTORNEY.

    A 41-year-old Lorain man was injured when his vehicle was struck by a vehicle that changed lanes without caution. Client suffered a shoulder tear that required surgery. The recovery was painful, and the client’s quality of life was interrupted for a period of time. When a client tears a muscle, ligament, tendon or disc, the pain can be tremendous. This pain and suffering is a part of the personal injury case. This can be the main reason that a person gets such a large award. The intensity, frequency and duration of physical pain and emotional suffering helps determine for a jury how much to award a client.

    Awarded: $100,000 (policy limit)

  • BACK, NECK AND HIP INJURIES | OHIO PERSONAL INJURY LAW FIRM.

    $100,000 (policy limits). Client’s vehicle was struck on the driver’s side of his vehicle causing his vehicle to land in a ditch. Client suffered back, neck and hip injuries. We would have attempted to receive more money for this client, but the defendant had no assets and no additional auto insurance was available. In other words, the defendant was not collectible beyond the automobile policy limits. This case is a good example of why it is such a good idea to have a large Uninsured Motorist policy, to protect yourself when the party at fault does not have enough auto insurance to cover all the damages surrounding your injuries.

    Awarded: $100,000 (policy limit)

  • MULTIPLE DISC HERNIATIONS | SUMMIT COUNTY CAR ACCIDENT LAWYER.

    45-year-old Summit County man with multiple disc herniations due to auto accident requiring surgery. Herniated discs can be very painful because the discs have nerves in them and the discs end up pressing on nerves that come off the spinal cord and go to vital parts of the body. Disc injuries can cause nerve damage, which can be detected with neurological tests such as the EMG and NCV. In serious cases, the herniated disc material can press on the spinal cord, causing major pain and disruption of life.

    Awarded: $100,000 (policy limits)

  • MULTIPLE HERNIATIONS REQUIRING SURGERY | MEDINA CAR ACCIDENT LAWYER.

    47-year-old Medina female suffered multiple herniations that required surgery after she was rear-ended on State Route 43 in Streetsboro.

    Herniated discs can be quite painful, and many times require surgery to reduce the pressure that the herniated discs put upon the nerves coming off the spinal cord, as well as the spinal cord itself. When the disc is herniated, it blocks the nerve from exiting the hole in the vertebrae, called the foramen. This is know as neuroforaminal encroachment, better known as a “pinched nerve.” Repeated damage to the nerve can cause permanent damage, and this is a real danger of having a “pinched nerve.”

    Awarded: $100,000 (policy limits)

  • REAR-ENDED | SUMMIT COUNTY CAR ACCIDENT.

    A 37-year-old man from Maple Heights was rear-ended by a man from Ravenna. The accident occurred on Fishcreek Rd in Stow. He suffered minor spinal injuries.

    Awarded: $100,000

  • VEHICLE SIDE-SWIPED COLLISION | NORTHEAST OHIO CAR ACCIDENT LAWYER.

    Client suffered multiple injuries when his vehicle was side-swiped by a vehicle that did not stop at a stop sign. Side-swipe accidents are very dangerous because they impact the side of the vehicle. There is not much metal between the car hitting you and your body, except a small door panel. This is a main reason we see serious injuries arise from side-swipe impacts.

    Awarded: $95,000

  • REAR-END IMPACT | NORTHEAST OHIO CAR ACCIDENT ATTORNEYS.

    Settlement for client who was rear-ended causing the air bags to deploy. Client suffered a laceration to head, fracture of right iliac bone, labral tear, and nondisplaced fracture through right socket of the hip joint. Rear-impact accidents cause serious injuries because the client’s head is thrown back and forth in the vehicle. In addition, the seat moves back and forth creating a ramping motion that can shear the cervical discs and even vertebrae. The impact from the party at fault can travel right into the client’s body, causing broken bones, etc. We have seen serious injuries occur in rear-impact accidents at speeds as low as 10 mph. The bumper will absorb the impact and not even look like there was an impact at all, but the occupants are seriously injured. Sort of like the eggs in an egg carton. The outside of the egg carton looks fine, but you always check the eggs anyway, because they can be damaged even when the carton looks fine.

    Awarded: $90,000

  • CLOSED HEAD INJURY | TOLEDO CAR ACCIDENT LAWYERS.

    Toledo man suffered closed head injury and stitches after motor vehicle collision. According to the Center for Disease Control, a person can receive a closed head injury even if his or her head does not hit anything in the vehicle. Just the violent back and forth movement that occurs in a collision can move the brain so quickly inside the skull that brain damage results. Auto insurance companies almost always look for an impact to show closed head injury, but that is not necessary according to the United States Federal Government. Don’t let an auto insurance adjuster tell you that you cannot have a closed head injury because you did not strike your head on the dashboard or steering wheel. Remember, they are usually not doctors.

    Awarded: $89,000

  • VEHICLE FAILED TO YIELD | LAKE COUNTY CAR ACCIDENT LAWYERS.

    71-year-old Lake County male injured while a passenger in a vehicle when another vehicle failed to yield. He suffered injuries to his ribs, chest and head which required multiple trigger point injections, physical therapy and a splint.

    Such injuries are fairly common when a negligent driver hits our clients at high speeds. People forget how dangerous car and trucks really are. A typical vehicle on Ohio roads can weigh between 2,000 and 6,000 pounds, and when that force hits a soft human body, the injuries can be surprising. By wearing a seat belt, many of the injuries can be reduced or eliminated. Trigger point injections are used to help muscles that are spasming to relax. They are usually administered by a pain management specialist. This is a medical doctor who has undergone special training on how to reduce pain. Many family doctors refer their patients to pain management doctors when they cannot adequately manage the patient’s pain symptoms.

    Awarded: $85,000

  • FAILURE TO STOP AT STOP SIGN | OHIO CAR CRASH LAWYERS.

    Female client injured when struck by a vehicle that failed to yield at a stop sign. Client treated with local doctors for multiple injuries. Stop sign collisions can cause serious injuries because the impact usually occurs on the side of the car, which is not very well protected. The full impact of the blow travels through the door and into the client’s body. Any time a car actually makes impact with a human body, and is not buffered by tons of steel, the results can be devastating. Just look at what happens when pedestrians or motorcycle drivers are hit by cars. Without the protection of the front or back of the car to absorb most of the impact, the two-ton car can easily kill a person. The same is true for side impact accidents, like the stop sign collision. The little door is little protection against a two-ton car traveling at high speed.

    Awarded: $80,000

  • WOMAN RUNS STOP SIGN | WARREN COUNTY CAR ACCIDENT.

    On County Road 23 in Wayne Township a 39-year-old Wooster woman was in an accident when a Wooster woman failed to stop at a stop sign. She sustained sprains and strains in the accident.

    Awarded: $60,000

  • REAR-END COLLISION | AKRON CAR ACCIDENT LAWYERS.

    48-year-old Akron woman who suffered a nonsurgical disc herniation in a rear-end collision. Treatment included multiple trigger point injections, PT and a splint. A herniated disc injury can be very serious. The disc itself has nerves that can cause local pain. If the disc presses on one of the nerves coming off of the spinal cord, this “impingement” can damage the nerve and cause numbness and tingling down the arms or legs, depending on where the disc injury is located along the spine. If the disc is pressing on the spinal cord, serious medical complications can arise. Doctors call discs that have flattened out either bulging, protruding or herniated. There is much debate among doctors as to which term is appropriate, but they all refer to a disc that is flattened out beyond where it should be. Radiologists use MRIs to diagnose herniated discs, and they concern themselves with how large the herniation is and what functional damage it is causing, regardless of what they call it.

    It is a common misconception that if a herniated disc is not impinging on a nerve it is not serious. The pain caused inside the disc can be tremendous, and can limit activities of life greatly. Actually, unless you are a flute player or do detailed work with your hands, impingement on a nerve may not be so important to you as the unbearable pain in your neck and back caused by the herniated disc itself, aside from secondary damage to the extremities. Of course any “radiculopathy” or radiating pain into the arms or legs is serious and should be treated immediately.

    Awarded: $57,500

  • SIDESWIPED SUFFERS FROM SPRAINS | WAYNE COUNTY CAR ACCIDENT.

    A 50-year-old man from Creston was sideswiped on N. Main St. in Creston, when a Holmesville man was too far over in the lane. He suffered minor sprains and strains.

    Awarded: $42,000

  • KNEE INJURIES | MAHONING COUNTY CAR ACCIDENT.

    A 42-year-old Niles woman was rear-ended on US 224 in Canfield. The driver was a man from Columbus. She suffered minor knee injuries.

    Awarded: $39,500

  • PASSENGER SUFFERS SPRAINS | MAHONING COUNTY CAR ACCIDENT.

    A Youngstown man was the passenger in a vehicle when the driver lost control and hit a pole. The 22-year-old was treated for minor sprains, strains and contusions.

    Awarded: $35,000

  • HERNIATED DISC | CUYAHOGA COUNTY CAR ACCIDENT.

    An East Sparta woman was involved in an accident on Lorain Rd. in North Olmsted. The 41-year-old suffered a herniated disc when a Westlake man changed lanes striking her vehicle.

    Awarded: $35,000

  • SPRAINS AND CONTUSIONS | LAKE COUNTY CAR ACCIDENT.

    There was a three-car accident on SR 2 in Painesville involving a 40-year-old man from Geneva and a woman from Perry. He suffered sprains and contusions when the other car rear-ended his truck.

    Awarded: $35,000

  • THREE-CAR ACCIDENT | CUYAHOGA COUNTY CAR ACCIDENT.

    A 48-year-old man from Strongsville was rear-ended in a three-car accident on I-71 in Cleveland. A Bedford female ran into the back of him forcing him to hit another vehicle. He received multiple sprains and strains from the injury.

    Awarded: $33,000

  • THREE-CAR PILE-UP | STARK COUNTY CAR ACCIDENT.

    A 48-year-old woman from Canton was in an accident on US 62 in Plain Township. She was rear-ended when a woman from Louisville hit the car behind her driven by a man from Canton. She suffered minor sprains and strains.

    Awarded: $30,000

  • FAILURE TO YIELD CAUSES CERVICAL SPRAIN | TRUMBULL COUNTY CAR ACCIDENT.

    A 24-year-old female from Niles was involved in an accident when a Fairlawn female failed to yield and turned in front of her. The accident occurred on US 422 in Niles, Ohio. She suffered multiple cervical sprains and strains.

    Awarded: $29,000

  • MULTIPLE SPRAINS AND STRAINS | SUMMIT COUNTY OHIO CAR ACCIDENT ATTORNEY.

    A 43-year-old female from Summit County was in an accident on Ridgewood Rd. in Copley. The Bath woman was rear-ended and suffered multiple sprains and strains. In 2009, according to the ODPS, there were 81,078 accidents where a vehicle was rear-ended. Of those accidents there was a total of 32,813 injuries. Rear-impact collisions are very dangerous because the forces placed on the occupants’ neck and back are tremendous. The seat bends and flexes and creates a ramping effect that can generate shearing forces that cause severe sprain strains or worse. Here, luckily, there were no catastrophic injuries. However, even sore necks and other sprain strain injuries can take months or years to heal, with the resulting scar tissue and ligament laxity leaving lifetime stiffness or soreness, specially during exercise, in the morning, etc. Just because someone suffers a “sprain strain” injury does not mean they it is minor or that the person will always recover in a few weeks or that they will fully recover at all.

    Awarded: $28,000

  • MINOR STRAINS AND SPRAINS | TUSCARAWAS COUNTY CAR ACCIDENT.

    At the corner of SR252 and Spieth Rd. in York an 18-year-old female from Brunswick was involved in a two-car accident, with a man from Valley City where the other vehicle turned in front of her. After the accident she was taken to the hospital via EMS where she was treated for sprains and strains.

    Awarded: $15,000

  • CAR ACCIDENT: ELDERLY MICHIGAN RESIDENT KILLED IN ONE-CAR ACCIDENT. OVER $1 MILLION IN ECONOMIC DAMAGES.

    Our client, an elderly Michigan man, was killed when his friend lost control of the vehicle the friend was driving in Ohio. Our client left behind a loving wife and daughter. Economic damages, such as lost wages, were over $1 million. The insurance company for the party at fault fought liability and injury causation during litigation but a settlement was reached in January 2014 just before trial. Litigation co-counsel was Tom Haskins.

    Settlement: $650,000.00 – January 2014