APRIL 2022: $2,150,000 SETTLEMENT FOR 63-YEAR OLD COLLEGE PROFESSOR WHO WAS HIT IN THE REAR BY A SCHOOL BUS ON THE LONG ISLAND EXPRESSWAY
Mr. Chakmakian obtained this result for our client who was injured as he was operating his vehicle on the Long Island Expressway, when his vehicle was “rear-ended” by a school bus, propelling his vehicle into the center concrete wall. The operator of the school bus admitted to police at the scene that he could not slow down with traffic. The school bus was traveling at a speed of 68 mph at the time of impact. Further, the operator of the school bus was texting at the time of impact. As a result, our client sustained serious injuries, including but not limited to, a subdural hematoma, post-concussion syndrome, bilateral hearing loss, traumatic brain injury, as well as tearing to the right hip requiring surgical intervention. As a result of his injuries, our client spent four (4) days in the hospital. An action was filed by our office against the owner of the school bus.
This hard-fought litigation was resolved prior to trial, for the very significant sum stated above.
MARCH 2022: $2,100,000 SETTLEMENT FOR 50-YEAR OLD WOMAN WHO WAS STRUCK AS A PEDESTRIAN IN MANHATTAN BY A VEHICLE BACKING UP
Mr. Chakmakian obtained this result for our client who was working as a home attendant for a client in the Bronx. Our client was injured when, as she was waiting for a taxi cab, a commercial vehicle backed up, striking our client from her left. There were no warnings of approach, i.e., a horn or alarm. Our client was propelled to the ground as a result of the impact. As a result, our client sustained right knee pathology, including but not limited to, a meniscus tear, requiring two (2) surgical procedures. As a result of the accident, our client was unable to return to her customary occupation. An action was filed by our office against the corporate owner of the vehicle and the operator of the vehicle.
This hard-fought litigation was resolved prior to trial, for the very significant sum stated above.
MARCH 2022: $475,000 SETTLEMENT FOR LOCAL 66 LABORER WHO WAS INJURED WHILE WORKING THE CLEAN-UP, DEMOLITION AND REMOVAL OF DEBRIS AT THE JONES BEACH AMPHITHEATER AFTER SUPER STORM SANDY
Mr. Chakmakian obtained this result for our client who was injured when our client, who was part of a five-man crew assigned to remove a several-hundred pound, triangular-shaped, steel-beam truss. Our client and his co-workers carried said truss with their own strength, when the truss suddenly fell, striking our client, causing him to twist and fall down. An action was filed against the owner and general contractor on site asserting a violation of NYS Labor Law §§ 200, 240(1) and 241(6) since our client and his co-workers were not provided with any equipment with which to lift or hoist the truss or even a dolly to rest it on and roll it out of the room. As a result, our client sustained injuries to his right knee requiring a total knee replacement.
FEBRUARY 2022: $600,000 SETTLEMENT FOR 47-YEAR OLD LABORER WHO WAS INJURED IN A FALL WHILE WORKING AT A CONSTRUCTION SITE
Mr. Chakmakian obtained this result for our client, a 47-year old married father of two, who was working as a laborer at the construction of a residential house located on the east end of Long Island. Our client was directed by his foreman to unfasten the bolts on a beam that was fastened to a column on the structure of the house, utilizing an eight-foot A-frame ladder that was resting against the solid column. Our client was injured when the column he was working on slid out, toppling over and propelling the ladder he was standing on, and our client himself, to the ground below, a distance of approximately twenty (20) feet. As a result of the accident, our client sustained serious injuries, including but not limited to, a displaced fracture to the left scapula, as well as multiple lumbar spine disc herniations. Our client was forced to undergo lumbar fusion surgery and is completely disabled from his customary occupation as a construction laborer.
Mr. Chakmakian was able to secure this settlement after hard-fought litigation and prior to trial.
DECEMBER 2021: $1,000,000 SETTLEMENT FOR LOCAL 66 LABORER WHO WAS INJURED WHILE WORKING AT THE RENOVATION OF THE WALT WHITMAN MALL
Mr. Chakmakian obtained this result for our client who was working as a laborer at the construction site located at the Walt Whitman Mall in Huntington Station, New York. Our client was injured when he was traversing a makeshift plywood ramp laid across a trench, when the mini container (“buggy”) he was working with, weighing 350 to 450 pounds, tipped, causing him to fall into the trench which was an approximately three (3) foot drop from the plywood. An action was filed against the owner of the Walt Whitman Mall and general contractor at the construction site, alleging violations of Labor Law Sections 200, 240(1) and 241(6). As a result of his accident, our client sustained injuries to his left knee, requiring him to undergo three (3) surgeries, including a total knee replacement.
Our office was able to secure a $1,000,000 settlement at the private mediation of the matter.
NOVEMBER 2021: $965,000 SETTLEMENT FOR 55-YEAR OLD MAN WHO WAS STRUCK HEAD ON BY COMMERCIAL TRUCK THAT VEERED INTO HIS LANE OF TRAFFIC, WHILE ON HIS WAY TO WORK
Mr. Chakmakian obtained this result for our client, a married father, who was involved in a serious motor vehicle accident while on his way to work as an engineer. Our client was operating his vehicle when it was struck head on by a commercial truck that veered into his lane of traffic. The drive of the truck admitted to police at the scene that he “started to fall asleep and drifted out of his lane”. As a result, our client sustained serious injuries, including but not limited to, compression fractures to his thoracic and lumbar spine, fractured pelvis, fractured ribs, and tear of the right shoulder, requiring right shoulder surgery. An action was filed by our office against the owner of the commercial truck.
Mr. Chakmakian was able to secure this settlement prior to going to trial.
January 2019: $900,000 Settlement for 54-Year Old Man Who Fell Through a Structure While at Work
Mr. Chakmakian obtained this result for our client who was an employee of a subsidiary of a pharmaceutical company located in Shirley, New York. Our client was injured when he was ordered by his employer to connect a nitrogen line to a “clean room” at the Research and Development plant where he worked. A “clean room” is a sealed room where experiments are done on medicines that are in production. Unbeknownst to our client, the roof of the structure did not support his weight, as it was made up of thin sheet metal panels. As a result, he fell a distance of 8-feet and sustained very serious fracture to his heel known as a “calcaneus fracture.” An action was filed by our office against the manufacturer of the room, who had finished construction at the site some 2 months before our client’s fall. This hard-fought litigation was resolved prior to trial for the very significant sum stated above. We were proud to resolve this case much to our client’s benefit. He will also receive life-long medical coverage for his injuries.
January, 2019: Mr. Chakmakian Asked to Consult on a Series of Articles Regarding Construction Safety on the East End (January 2019)
Mr. Chakmakian has been asked by the East Hampton Star, a well-known, long running, East End weekly paper, to work as a consultant on a series of articles to be run on construction safety on the East End. As recently as January 7, 2019, a carpenter was seriously injured while working on a very expansive house south of the highway in Bridgehampton. This office is prosecuting the case, which arose from our client not being provided a proper safety device. As a result, the ladder he was on collapsed, sending him to the ground, causing him to sustain very serious head injuries. He endured a 7-day hospitalization and had to undergo a craniotomy. He will long suffer the effects of the negligence of the contractor involved and we look forward to vigorously prosecuting an action on his behalf.
We are further proud to participate in any effort to shine a spotlight on the exploitation of workers on the East End, many of whom have families at home or abroad that they work exceedingly hard to support.
Full Victory in Kings County in Cab vs. Pedestrian Case
The jury deliberated for 40 minutes in this case before rendering a verdict 100% in favor of our plaintiff. Our client, who at the time was 15 years old, was crossing a street in Lower Manhattan when he was struck by a hybrid vehicle-cab. The cab driver gave conflicting statements at the scene, in his report to motor vehicles, and at his deposition with respect to whether or not he saw the plaintiff walking or, as he claimed at one point, running. The jury, after due deliberation, rejected the defendant’s multiple version of events, found that he was not truthful about how the accident occurred, awarded 100% on the liability issue to our client. Thereafter, the case settled on the damages issue for a very substantial amount of money. We are gratified and pleased at this result and happy for our clients as always.
$12.3 Million Dollar verdict for Laborer’s Local 1298 Laborer is one of the largest recorded verdicts in New York State for 2016.
Mr. Chakmakian secured this victory for a then 52-year old, married, father of two, roadway construction worker who was struck at high speed by a car and was very seriously injured in August of 2010. At the time of the accident, our client was inspecting an excavated sidewalk where a handicap ramp would be installed the next morning. A vehicle being driven by an employee of a Long Island OB/GYN practice struck our client, after driving at 40 mph up the sidewalk he was working on, propelling him some 20 feet into the middle of the road. Summary judgment was granted on liability against the driver and owner of the vehicle, as well as against the OB/GYN practice. The ruling was affirmed by the Appellate Division, First Department. The case culminated in a 9-week long trial with the jury unanimously awarding a damages verdict in favor of the plaintiff for a total amount of $12,259,661.00. Statutory interest will be added to this verdict going back to the date summary judgment was awarded to plaintiffs, bringing the total recovery to our clients to $16 Million Dollars. We are exceedingly proud of the result, which was reported on the front page of the New York law Journal.
$12 million Verdict Against Company in Employees Crash Upheld.
A $12 million verdict upheld this week in New York County Supreme Court holds a health center liable for the injuries of a pedestrian struck by one of its employees running a company errand. Click here to read article
$11.3 Million Dollar settlement is record in Suffolk County.
Mr. Chakmakian secured every dollar of insurance coverage available to our 18 year-old client who was badly injured in a motor cycle accident. After being ” left-turned” by a minimally insured vehicle, this young man was dragged by a car that was owned by a local dealership in Medford, new York. The driver, a finance manager for the dealership, fled the scene at speeds of up to 100 miles per hour, and was chased by another motorcyclist who forced her to return to the scene. We subpoenaed her cell phone records and proved that she was on her cell phone at the time of the crash. Mr. Chakmakian also produced several of her ex-coworkers who testified at depositions that she would regularly use marijuana while driving the company car-and that the managers of the business knew of this dangerous practice but turned a blind eye toward it, as she was a financial asset to the dealership. He also proved that the dealership, despite being warned to preserve that parts of the car involved within days after the accident, had them discarded or destroyed. “No stone was left unturned for this young man” said Mr. Chakmakian when interviewed by a local publication about the case. “Now this young man can live out his years in dignity and relative comfort”. We are proud of this result and its effect on our client.
$7.8 Million Dollar verdict is one of the largest awarded in New York State.
Mr. Chakmakian secured this victory for two women who were badly injured in a taxicab accident. The New York Jury Verdict Reporter noted that the case was the sixth largest verdict of its kind for that year. This was a particularly difficult case as the bus company, whose bus was struck by the cab, was stopped on the side of the road. However, the jury found the company 100% liable for the accident, and awarded our client this record-setting verdict.
$4.5 Million Dollar settlement in medical malpractice action against Brooklyn Hospital.
Mr. Chakmakian secured this result for his thirty two year old client who lost a new born baby twin shortly after delivery. the surviving newborn was left with brain damage as a result of the hospital and attending doctor’s negligence in not timely responding to their obvious signs of fetal distress. The resulting settlement, to be structured in secure, guaranteed investments, will pay out millions over time to aide this young mother and her child in the difficult years to come.
$2.5 Million Dollar ruling by federal District court judge is entered against insurance company that refused to honor our client’s claim.
The Hon. Steven Robinson, who presided over the prosecution of former NYPD official Bernard Kerick, ruled that Lincoln General Insurance, of York P. A. was obligated to pay our client this sum, some seven years after it first denied the claim. We took a default judgment against the company responsible for our client’s serious truck accident, then filed a separate suit against its carrier. The end of this long and hard-fought battle was especially gratifying to our client, who has long suffered the effects of his accident, and who was victimized twice, by the truck company and then by its carrier who turned its back on this wrongfully injured worker. We are very pleased with this result and we view it as a testament to the court system’s ability to level the playing field for all who enter its doors.
$2.4 Million Dollars paid by defendants on a case that had been dismissed one year earlier.
Our 38 year old client was struck on the head by a forty five pound concrete block while working as a union laborer for Local 66 in Melville. He underwent a cervical fusion surgery and was permanently side-lined from his career in construction. The trial court ruled that the defendant General Contractor was not in violation of any safety rules. Mr. Chakmakian appealed to the Appellate Division who reversed the judge and sent the case to be tried. Just prior to jury selection in June of 2009, the defendants entered into serious settlement negotiations, resulting in this very significant award.
$2 Million Dollar verdict is increased by $500k in interest.
Our 53 year old client slipped on overspray left by fireproofing contractors on a construction site owned by Computer Associates in Islandia, New York, where he worked as a union electrician. After securing a $2 Million Dollar verdict in New York County, Mr Chakmakian defended the verdict in the New York State Appellate Court, where it was unanimously upheld. As a result, the defendants paid an additional half Million Dollars in interest. The total offer to settle this case before trial was $150,000. We are proud that the jury saw through the defense’s “smoke and mirror” tactics at trial.
More than $2 Million Dollar recovery for Local 66 Laborer who was injured on the job.
This case was a hard-fought two week long trial which ended in a great result for our very grateful client. There was no offer whatsoever to settle this claim that arose from a construction accident where our client fell in an unlit area of the site. The jury correctly found that our client bore no responsibility for the accident, and that the owner and General Contractor violated the safety rules that governed the work taking place. Mr. Chakmakian proved that the lights were faulty, and that they shut down over fifty times in the weeks leading up to the accident.
$1.9 Million Dollar settlement for 26 year old union laborer.
This young man sustained a herniated disc when he fell from an I-beam on a building under construction. Because we proved that he was not afforded the proper protection under the N.Y.S. Labor Law, the judge ruled, before trial, that the General Contractor was responsible for his pain and suffering and his economic loss. The case went to a damages trial and settled during trial testimony. Mr. Chakmakian hired an economics professor from Stony Brook University to calculate the loss for the jury. We are proud that, because of our aggressive representation, this young man will be financially secure for his future.
$1.8 Million Dollar verdict for construction worker who was not properly protected on the job.
Our client fell from a roof, suffering a fractured pelvis. The insurance companies’ $300k offer was rejected outright, and the case proceeded to trial. Despite a formidable defense presented by the opposite side, the jury returned this very significant verdict for our very grateful client who, at 53 years old, is now able to care for his family despite his injuries.
$1.6 Million Dollars recovery after 100% verdict in favor of six year old boy.
Our young client was struck by a truck owned and operated by the Salvation Army, in Port Jervis, new York. Just prior to the accident, he was attending classes at a church, and was let out a side door, unattended. The Orange County jury found the Salvation Army driver 65% negligent, and the church 35%. Our client was absolved of any liability and the case settled immediately after the verdict for this very substantial sum, to be paid out over time, resulting in a net recovery for this young child in the Millions of dollars.
$1 Million Dollars verdict in kings County for a 53 year old woman who fell on snow and ice on a city property, sustaining a trimalleolur fracture of the ankle.
This case was taken over from an attorney who tried to convince our client to settle for $30 Thousand Dollars. The City appealed the verdict but our client prevailed and made a very significant recovery.
Over $1 Million Dollar verdict in case where a $35 thousand dollar offer was rejected.
January ’07. Mr. Chakmakian secured a unanimous verdict of over $1 Million form a fork-lift company that neglected to inform our client, a warehouse worker, that the brakes on a machine were not working. After a five day, intensive trial in federal court, the jury awarded exactly the amount asked for in the closing argument presented by Mr. Chakmakian. This was a hard fought battle that was especially rewarding because of the intensity of the defense.
$1 Million Dollars recovered for union laborer pinned by a pallet jack.
Our client was working for a carpenter outfit at the Sachem High school addition. Her coworker, a carpenter apprentice, and she, were using a pallet jack that had been malfunctioning. She was momentarily pinned between it and an “I” beam, causing her to sustain spinal injuries that eventually required surgery. The case was brought under the NYS Labor Law, and alleged violations of the Industrial code provision that requires “heavy equipment” to be in good working order. Our client was particularly gratified that we successfully appealed the lower court’s decision that dismissed the case. After the appellate division reinstated the case, Mr. Chakmakian obtained this result just before the trial began. The results were recently featured in the New York Jury Verdict Reporter. (May 2010)
$875K verdict in Suffolk County for mom who fell on a wet floor at Stop & Shop.
This verdict, rendered in June of 2009, was returned by a jury of four women and two men who saw through the defendant’s attempt to cloud the issue of the relation of the accident to our client’s need for back surgery. The offer before trial on this case was courageously rejected by our client, who was very happy with the jury’s finding at trial.
$850k for injured Laborer.
Our client was pinned between a “lull” and a wall when the lull rolled forward unexpectedly. The defendant, a school district in Nassau County, agreed to pay this considerable sum during jury selection, rather than risk a trial by jury.
$750k settlement where laborer was struck by a falling beam.
Our client was struck by a piece of lumber that was not secured properly with guy wire during the pouring of a slab. The defense denied that the accident happened the way our client claimed. However, we produced a non-party witness who confirmed our client’s version of events, and that the defense knew of his existence and even took his statement.
$750K is the amount received by our client, a 43 year old Millright, who was struck while on his way to work.
Our client’s car was “sandwiched” in between a Snapple truck and the car in front of his on the BQE. We petitioned the court to award judgment on liability before the trial even began. The Court agreed and this trial commenced on damages. The insurance company for Snapple settled in the midst of the trial. Our client was very happy with the result, which will afford him the opportunity for financial security, and allow him to put this difficult time behind him.
$600k settlement reached in accident at Malloy College.
Our client worked for a catering outfit that ran the kitchen in the college’s “Anselma hall”. She sustained nerve damage to her arm as a result of falling in the kitchen during an evening fund raising event that was catered. She had complained several times to representatives of the college and to her employer that rubber safety mats were needed in the area of the kitchen where the accident occurred, but none were provided. The insurance companies involved settled one day before testimony was to begin in front of the honorable Ralph Costello, in the Supreme Court, Suffolk County. (October 2009)
Nearly half Million Dollar recovery for boy who fell from defective staircase.
This young man suffered a fractured skull while visiting his father at work. He fell from a staircase that was in violation of several building codes. The funds were structured to payout in the future with a healthy growth rate, so that the boy’s college and future will be well protected.
Nearly half million dollar recovery for victim of drunk driver.
This settlement was reached during the testimony of our client’s orthopedist in the Supreme Court, Nassau County. Our client’s car struck a telephone pole that was toppled by a drunk driver. She suffered neck and back injuries that required extensive physical therapy. We are gratified that she has now been compensated after this long legal battle. We are also impressed with her courage in taking the stand and telling the jury of her ordeal.
DWI driver to pay for twenty years.
Our client tragically lost her fifteen year old son when he was struck while riding his bicycle in Hampton Bays. The driver, who had her own child in her car, and whose BAC was well over the legal limit, when faced with the prospect of a trial wherein punitive damages would be sought, agreed to payout a settlement every month for the next twenty years. “We are pleased to have obtained a small measure of justice for this devastated family”, said Mr. Chakmakian when interviewed for Newsday. August 2012
Court orders a directed verdict in dog bite case.
Our client was injured while attempting to separate her dog from a neighbor’s who left their fenced in yard and attacked her smaller dog. We proved that the dog had “vicious propensities” in that he had attacked another dog some two years earlier. We also had the defendant admit on cross examination that he had left the latch on the fence’s gate open. The court, upon hearing the liability case, granted Mr. Chakmakian’s motion for a directed verdict, taking the issue of liability out of the hands of the jury. Thereafter, the case proceeded to a damages verdict, with a result that our client was very pleased with. The jury awarded significant past and future damages for pain and suffering, as well as an award of veterinary bills incurred by our client in the treatment of her dog.
Punitive damages awarded in a complete victory in Nassau County Supreme Court for mother and son struck by drunk driver.
Our client, a mother of eight year old triplets, was a passenger in her husband’s minivan when it was struck by a driver of a commercial fish truck. The driver, was arrested at the scene and was charged with DWI and Reckless Driving. Our client sustained a herniated disc, an injury that the insurance carrier claimed was not “serious”.The jury disagreed after a two-week trial, and awarded very significant compensatory and the very rarely awarded punitive damages against the drunk driver.
November 2011. “Tin knocker” recovers for his injury in New York City.
our client fell on debris on an unlit staircase at a construction project in Manhattan. We proved at trial that there were myriad violations of the NYS Industrial code. The jury, after a two week battle against very competent defense attorneys, awarded exactly what was demanded form the insurance carrier to settle the case.
December 2011. Jury rejects Insurance companies claim that our client was drinking and driving.
Our client’s car was struck by an SUV as he attempted to enter the Cross Island Parkway in Flushing. The attorneys for the defense brought in a toxicologist who testified that our client was two times over the legal limit. On cross examination by Mr. Chakmakian, he admitted that he knew nothing of the “chain of evidence” of the blood sample, nor how it was taken, stored or analyzed. The jury rejected the defense and found in favor of our grateful client.