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Ernest Damiani of Monroe, NY, was on his way to a sales call when he pulled onto the Turnpike shoulder in Middlesex County on Aug. 2, 2018, authorities said.
A Ford Excursion then blew a rear tire and spun across several lanes of traffic and into Damiani's vehicle, according to police reports.
Damiani, now 62, was hospitalized for two months. He spent the next nine months at rehab facilities, leaving him unable to return to his job while requiring his wife, Barbara, to leave her job to care for him, according to the Oakhurst law firm of Schibell & Mennie.
The firm represented the Damianis in a lawsuit against the driver, as well as the owner of the spun-out vehicle, Central Jersey Wrecking of North Brunswick. A products liability claim was also filed against Michelin North America.
Attorney John G. Mennie noted that the 14-year-old blown spare tire was put on the SUV several weeks earlier and not replaced.
An attorney for Central Jersey Wrecking countered that the company properly maintained its vehicles and couldn't have known there was an issue with that particular tire, Mennie's firm reported.
A trio of mediation sessions followed before Mennie secured the settlement, which was approved by a Superior Court judge in New Brunswick, the firm reported.
The complaint against Michelin was proceeding, it said.
You can find a more detailed account here: $9M Recovery In Tire Blowout Case (Schibell & Mennie LLC)
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