What Happened?
On June 27, 2013, Tommy was working on a platform of a scissor lift inside the store “Justice for Girls” in the Staten Island Mall. He was employed as a carpenter foreman at the time. While he was on the platform, a wall collapsed on top of him. Tommy fell off the lift which was approximately 20 feet in the air, landed on his head, and went unconscious. He was taken to Staten Island University Hospital following the work-related accident. He remained in the hospital until he was discharged nearly a month later. Tommy was then confined to his bed for months following his return home.
As a result of the accident, Tommy suffered many permanent injuries including:
- Traumatic brain injury including a hemorrhage.
- A fracture of his left parietal bone extending to the left temporal bone.
- A tear of a tendon within his right shoulder.
- Fractures in both his thoracic and lumbar spine.
- Multiple bulging discs and disc herniations.
These injuries caused other serious complications such as:
- Seizures, loss of consciousness, severe headaches, and back spasms.
- Lower back pain radiating to his legs, depression, and anxiety.
- Vertigo, decreased sense of smell and taste, pain and swelling to affected areas, and numbness and tingling of hands and fingers.
When conservative treatment failed to relieve Tommy’s pain, he underwent an epidural injection to the lumbar spine and an anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF – a surgery to remove a disc and fuse the vertebrae in the neck). Tommy will be limited in the scope of activities he will be able to perform for the rest of his life. He will be restricted and prevented from leading a normal life and will require ongoing medical care and attention.
Initially, Tommy hired a different lawyer that did not communicate properly with him. Even when Tommy called for an update, the lawyer would not call back. Tommy needed more in a lawyer, so he decided it was time for a change. That’s when he found Adam Handler at Pollack, Pollack, Isaac & DeCicco! The Case Handler team worked tirelessly for Tommy and obtained a remarkable $5.2 million dollar settlement!
