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September 29, 2014 – Bruce Nagel and Andrew O’Connor were successful in obtaining a $2 million jury award on Sept. 23 in Bears v. Zawadzki. The Essex County jury awarded the widow of a Hackettstown, N.J., man $2 million as compensation for the death of her husband, who died in a motorcycle accident. The motorcycle rider, Joseph Bears, was 32 years old when the accident occurred on Sept. 1, 2011, according to Bruce Nagel, one of the attorneys representing Bears’ wife.
Bears was riding his motorcycle and following his brother-in-law, Michael Pennington, southbound on Route 287 when two trucks owned by defendant InterCounty Paving LLC of Hicksville, N.Y., and driven by two employees, Stephen Kwack, and Richard Dillahunt, attempted to make a lane change, Nagel, of Nagel Rice in Roseland, N.J., said.
Both Bears and Pennington attempted to swerve to avoid the InterCounty trucks, but Bears’ motorcycle overturned and he skidded about 100 feet before being struck by a car driven by Peter Zawadzki of Clinton, N.J., said Nagel, who handled the case with another attorney at the firm, Andrew O’Connor.
Bears, who died at the scene, sustained a brain injury, broken legs, a broken pelvis, and other internal injuries.
Nagel said InterCounty denied any liability. The jury found the company’s drivers 75 percent liable, Zawadzki 12 percent liable and Bears 13 percent liable.
The attorneys at Nagel Rice, LLP represent clients throughout New York and New Jersey in a wide range of matters including personal injury, automobile accidents, brain injuries, medical malpractice, business litigation, and class action cases.