A Montgomery County, Pa. couple has filed a lawsuit against cable giant Comcast for injuries the wife allegedly sustained after getting struck by a company vehicle while she was walking along a scenic trailway.
Norristown, Pa. attorney Frank P. Murphy filed the civil action Sept. 30 at Philadelphia’s Common Pleas Court on behalf of Colleen D’Abbene and her husband, Ronald D’Abbene of Audubon, Pa.
The defendants named in the complaint are Philadelphia-based Comcast Corporation, Boothwyn, Pa.-based Cablenet Services Unlimited, Inc., and Collegeville, Pa. resident Jason Detwiler.
According to the complaint, Colleen D’Abbene was walking along the Perkiomen Trail in Montgomery County back on Jan. 16, 2010, attempting to cross over Cider Mill Road, when she was struck by a defendant-owned vehicle driven by Detwiler.
The suit states that D’Abbene had the right-of-way at the time of the accident, and that Detwiler had been approaching the intersection at a “high rate of speed.”
“The road signage controlling the Defendant Detwiler required him to yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk,” the suit states.
As a result of the accident, the lawsuit claims, D’Abbene sustained physical injuries, psychological injuries, severe pain and suffering, emotional distress and anxiety, scarring and disfigurement, embarrassment and humiliation, loss of enjoyment of life’s pleasures, wage loss and medical expenses.
D’Abbene’s physical injuries, according to the complaint, included a fractured left humerus, a fractured nose, shoulder dyskinesia, and posterior neck, lower back, left leg, abdomen, left pelvis, and left rib pain.
D’Abbene needed to be airlifted to Hahnemann University Hospital for emergency treatment, which included surgery to perform a closed reduction of the left mid humeral shaft fracture.
D’Abbene suffered loss of range of motion in her extremities, she required plastic surgery and she had to undergo “extensive” physical therapy and home therapy, the lawsuit states.
She has also been forced to undergo psychological counseling due to post-traumatic stress, anxiety and “body image issues,” the lawsuit claims.
Colleen D’Abbene demands judgment against the defendants in an amount in excess of $50,000, plus interest and court costs.
Her husband has a loss of consortium count in the lawsuit in which he, too, seeks $50,000 and related costs. Ronald D’Abbene claims his wife’s accident has caused him to have to take time off of work to care for his family members, which has caused a financial hardship. He also claims he has incurred medical expenses related to his wife’s treatment.
Ronald D’Abbene also claims he has been deprived of the society and companionship of his wife.
A jury trial has been demanded.
The case number is 110903831.