Personal Injury Law Update

The Cost of Negligence: Save $1,500 to Spend $2 Million

Saw this story in the ABA Journal about a company that saved $1,000 to $1,500 by not installing guardrails around a platform at the top of a cargo elevator, as the original design called for, but then got hit recently with a $2.17 million verdict in a lawsuit filed by the widow of a man who died after falling about 20 feet from the platform while repairing the elevator. No surprise there. It's just sheer callousness to pinch pennies when a small expenditure could eliminate a major safety risk in a workplace.

Comparing Personal Injury Verdicts Across Jurisdictions

Ronald Miller, Esq. at the Maryland Injury Lawyer Blog recently posted data comparing the average dollar value of verdicts in personal injury cases across multiple jurisdictions. As Miller notes, the data can be somewhat misleading since different jurisdictions have different rules about when a jury trial is required or allowed in a personal injury case. Still, it is interesting.

Miller has also compared data on results in medical malpractice cases and auto accident cases.