Defendants DAT LLC and the State of New Jersey together paid $1,950,000 to resolve a lawsuit filed by the families of two brothers-in-law killed in a fiery collision in March 2018.
HAMILTON, N.J., Aug. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Early in the afternoon of March 26, 2018, Arthur "Artie" Reed and Mark Leary, brothers-in-law, were riding together in Artie's car on Route 29 in Hopewell Township, Mercer County, New Jersey, on the way to pick up Mark's adopted son David from school.
They would never make it to David.
At around 12:54 p.m. that day, a 2007 Mack dump truck traveling northbound on Route 29 collided head-on into Artie's car traveling southbound after the truck's driver lost control of his vehicle. The collision pinned Artie's car under the dump truck. Both vehicles burst into flames, trapping Artie and Mark inside. Mark was incinerated alive, while flames engulfed an unconscious and critically injured Artie.
After six years, Artie's and Mark's families finally received some closure as the attorneys representing Artie's and Mark's estates, Stark & Stark shareholders Evan J. Lide and J. Robert Bratman, recently settled the wrongful death lawsuit the estates filed regarding the collision. Defendants DAT LLC, the owner of the dump truck, and the State of New Jersey together paid $1,950,000 to resolve the suit.
"This was a horrific tragedy that we contended was caused by negligence by the dump truck driver and the entity that owned the dump truck, as well as the State of New Jersey's negligent design of that stretch of Route 29, which included a shoulder, clear zone, and a steep drop off from the roadway to the grass abutting the roadway that each fell grossly below applicable standards," said Lide. "Had the driver kept his truck on the road, or had New Jersey designed that stretch of road in a way that complied with state and federal standards, both Artie and Mark would be alive today."
One million dollars of the settlement was a policy limits offer paid by the insurance company that insured DAT LLC. DAT LLC was forced to close its business following this crash. The remaining $950,000 was paid by the State of New Jersey after a long and aggressively litigated case involving the blanket immunities provided by Title 59, also known as the New Jersey Tort Claims Act.
"Being brothers-in-law, this tragedy has caused unspeakable pain and heartache to Artie's and Mark's combined families," added Bratman. "Artie left behind his girlfriend of 13 years and his two adult children. Mark, a U.S. Marine and firefighter, left behind his wife of 26 years (who was Artie's sister) and his five children. Unfortunately, nothing can bring them back to their families. But through the successful resolution of this lawsuit, their families know DAT and the State of New Jersey were held accountable for their deaths."
The case is Ashley Reed, et al. v. James W. Bilton, et al., No. MER-L-1631-19, in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Mercer County.
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