Gunshot Victim Wins Personal Injury Suit
Bucks County Jury Awards $362,015
Last February, Steven Vickers of Morrisville, PA was awarded $362,015 by a Bucks County jury for injuries suffered after being accidentally shot by his friend, Charles Byle, III, of Levittown PA. Following a three day trial in the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas in Doylestown, PA, Vickers won his personal injury claim. The award included compensation for both past and future medical expenses, pain and suffering, loss of life’s pleasures, and disfigurement.
Mr. Vickers attorney was quoted as saying “The verdict was fair. The jury acknowledged the severity of the injury even though Mr. Vickers made a remarkable recovery in a relatively short period of time and is not restricted by his injuries today.”
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The incident began on November 8, 2013. On this date, Vickers went to Byle’s home, supposedly in order to help him clean out his garage. Towards the end of the day, Vickers entered Byle’s room to tell him he was going to leave. Byle, who was in the process of cleaning his gun (a .357 Magnum revolver), pointed the gun at Vickers and, thinking the gun unloaded, pulled the trigger. The bullet traveled with such force that it passed through Vickers’ right bicep and into his chest. A traumatic injury, the bullet passed through Vicker’s right lung deflating it, and lodged into the 5th thoracic vertebrae of Vickers’ spine.
Thinking quickly, Byle staunched the bleeding from Vickers’ gunshot wound, and immediately drove him to Lower Bucks Hospital in Bristol, PA. After Vickers was stabilized, he was airlifted to Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia. There he underwent several surgeries in order to re-inflate his lung and stop the bleeding. After seven days of observation and recovery in Philadelphia, Vickers was discharged. Soon after, however, he was readmitted to St. Mary’s Medical Center in Langhorne, PA. Fluid had filled his chest cavity, and Vickers needed another 9 days in the hospital in order to heal and recover.
In 2013, claiming recklessness, negligence, and assault and battery, Vickers sued Byle. The two parties agreed that Byle was indeed liable for the injuries, but a jury was needed to decide the issue of causation and damages, but the two parties agreed beforehand that Byle would pay no less than $81,000 and no more than $420,000 regardless of the jury’s findings.
The jury ruled in Vickers favor, and, as previously stated, awarded damages for: past medical expenses ($67,015), pain and suffering ($200,000), loss of life’s pleasures ($50,000), future medical expenses ($45,000), and disfigurement ($5,000).
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If you have been injured in any kind of accident including car accidents, construction accidents, premises liability, or motorcycle accidents, having an experienced personal injury lawyer to fight for your case is crucial. Our northeast Pennsylvania lawyers at Cohen & Riechelson will contact expert medical personnel to testify on your behalf, and we have the dedication and perseverance to see your jury trial through to the end, ensuring you the compensation you deserve for your accident.
If you or a loved one has been injured by another party’s negligence or illegal behavior, the law offices of Cohen & Riechelson are ready to secure your future. Contact us online or call our Bensalem, PA offices today for a cost-free consultation.