Jury awards Phila. man $60K in motor vehicle accident case

A city man was awarded $60,000 in compensatory damages last month in

a motor vehicle accident case in which he claimed he sustained back injuries after being rear-ended on Interstate 676 in Philadelphia.

Court records show that the plaintiff’s verdict was returned late last month after a civil jury trial at Common Pleas Court.

The verdict appeared to only be against defendant Timothy Leonard, one of three defendants initially named in the litigation.

Leonard was the driver who struck the back of a vehicle driven by Bucks County resident Ayelet Meron, who was also listed as a co-defendant in the suit, as was John P. Ruscio, who the court docket shows shares an address with Meron.

The relationship between Meron and Ruscio was not immediately clear.

The chain collision ended up with plaintiff Dontay Tabbs allegedly sustaining lumbar herniation, the Philadelphia man asserted in his civil suit.

At trial, records show, there was a discrepancy with regard to the plaintiff’s injuries, with lawyers for Tabbs arguing that the back problems were a direct result of the multi-vehicle accident, and defense attorneys, citing expert witness testimony, contending that the injuries were pre-existing.

The plaintiff claimed that as a result of the incident, he suffered wage losses due to having to take a lower paying job.

He also sought damages relating to pain and suffering.

Court records show that Tabbs was represented by attorneys from the Philadelphia firm Spear, Greenfield & Richman.

Defense attorneys included those from the Philadelphia firms Hubshman & Flood and the Law Office of Twanda Turner Hawkins.