Demonstrating once again why Ostroff Injury Law is a leader in securing justice for automobile accident victims in Pennsylvania, attorneys Jon Ostroff and Michael Barbiero have obtained a nearly two million dollar settlement for their clients, Tom and Sherry Brintzenhofe.

In May 2008, Tom Brintzenhofe was injured at a traffic intersection when he drove his car into a van that had failed to stop at a stop sign. He chose limited tort on his insurance and was unsure whether he was even entitled to a recovery. He was treated at a nearby hospital emergency room, where he complained of neck pain, shoulder pain, and headache, but the ER doctors found no serious injuries and discharged him the same day.  He missed only one day of work immediately following the accident, but over the next 18 months several doctors examined him in an attempt to determine the cause of  his intensifying neck, shoulder, and head pain. Ultimately, he underwent two surgeries — for thoracic outlet syndrome and for a rotator cuff repair.Tom’s surgeries relieved some of his pain, but left him unable to return to his job as a heavy equipment mechanic.

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Recovering from a serious Pennsylvania truck accident takes time.  It takes money.  It takes dedication.

It is not easy, but as a Pennsylvania truck accident lawyer, I am confident that in some cases truck accident victims can make significant recoveries.

Why do some Pennsylvania truck accident victims recover while others do not?

Of course, some injuries are simply too serious for a victim to make a full recovery.  Other times, however, the degree to which a victim is able to recover is highly dependent on the amount of and quality of medical and rehabilitation services the victim is able to receive.  Unfortunately, the decision about the quality and quantity of medical and rehabilitation services often comes down to money.

As a Pennsylvania truck accident attorney, I can’t promise you that I will make a difference in your physical recovery.  However, I can assure you that I will work hard to fight for the financial recovery that you deserve so that you have the best possible chance of recovering.  Please call me today to discuss your potential case and how I may be able to help you through this difficult and challenging time.

One year ago today Brian R. Huhnke was killed when a drunk driver went the wrong way on I 81 in Lebanon County and crashed into him.  Mr. Huhnke was 49 years old.

Much has changed in a year.  The Huhnke family has had to adjust to life without Brian and both the criminal and civil cases against the drunk driver, Rhonda Gettle, have been concluded.  In December Ms. Gettle was sentenced to between 3 years 3 months and 22 years in prison after she pled guilty to homicide by vehicle, involuntary manslaughter, DUI and other charges.

Even before the criminal case was settled, the Huhnke family had the security of knowing that their financial interests were protected.  Accidental death lawyer Jon Ostroff successfully settled the family’s wrongful death case last October.  It took Jon less than six months to settle the case for all available proceeds.  After completing an extensive investigation, Jon was able to secure a settlement and protect the family’s settlement from estate tax and from the decedent’s creditors.

The administrator of the Estate of Brian R. Huhnke says this of Attorney Jon Ostroff:

“Our family found ourselves lost without a clue as to what to do, during one of the already most difficult and emotional times of our life – losing a parent. Jon and each one of his staff members guided us financially as well as emotionally every step of the way. Words can’t describe how grateful we are for all of their hard work, conviction, and expertise. We wanted an attorney who we felt really came to bat for us – we got that in Jon Ostroff, as well as an genuinely amazing friend.”

If your family is going through a similar tragedy, please contact Jon today for a free consultation.

Insurance adjusters are employed by companies who profit from scaring you away from making a claim, when they would otherwise be responsible for paying you.

Many people contact us because they’ve been in an automobile accident and they chose the “limited tort” option on their insurance policy. They have been told by the insurance company that they are not able to make a recovery because they selected limited tort. Often, we find that we can help people in this situation and ultimately obtain a recovery for them.

Sometimes, it’s a matter of your injury being serious enough that you fall into what’s called the “serious injury exception.” The lawyers at Ostroff Injury Law often have a much different opinion than the insurance company as to whether a client’s injury is serious enough for them to obtain a recovery for their pain and suffering. Perhaps when you first attempted to make a claim with the insurance company, your injury was not as serious as it is now and you’re receiving medical treatment months after the your accident occurred.

Also, there are automatic exceptions to limited tort. There is an exception if you were not in a regular private passenger vehicle when the accident occurred. There is an exception if you were injured by a drunk driver. Your attorney should know all the exceptions. If one of these exceptions applies to you, even if your injury was not serious enough to make a recovery otherwise, we can still obtain a recovery for you.

Whatever the case may be, it is always worth your while to contact our law office to see if you’re entitled to a recovery, even if you chose the limited tort option. Many clients are surprised to learn that we are able to help them when they have been told otherwise by their insurance adjuster or even by other law firms. It’s worth picking up the phone to make one simple call to our office. In a short while, we can provide you with our expert opinion as to whether we can help you.

Next Tuesday, the 2010 Distracted Driving Summit will convene in Washington D.C.  The purpose of the summit is to avoid future deaths and injuries caused by distracted driving.

To further that purpose, and to help people who cannot attend the summit, the U.S. Government is making available a 2010 Drive Safely Work Week Toolkit on its website http://distraction.gov/2010summit/ .  The toolkit includes:

• Fact and tip sheets;
• Communication tools; and
• Downloadable graphics to use when promoting a cell phone policy or distracted driving awareness program.

These materials will only be available for free on the website until September 20, 2010 and may be valuable in your efforts to save lives by preventing distracted driving accidents.  So, please download them today if you are interested in obtaining them.