Almon v. Jackson

58 Pa. D. & C.4th 111, 2000 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 196
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Delaware County
DecidedJune 20, 2000
Docketno. 97-51563
StatusPublished

This text of 58 Pa. D. & C.4th 111 (Almon v. Jackson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Delaware County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Almon v. Jackson, 58 Pa. D. & C.4th 111, 2000 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 196 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2000).

Opinion

SURRICK, J.,

On September 11, 1996, an automobile operated by plaintiff Dennis Almon was struck by an automobile being operated by defendant, Delaney Jackson. On June 19, 1997, plaintiff filed a complaint seeking money damages for personal injuries sustained in the accident. On November 2,1998, the case was tried before a board of arbitrators. The arbitrators found in favor of plaintiff and against defendant and awarded damages in the amount of $22,767. Defendant filed an appeal from the arbitration award. Trial by jury was held on July 7 and 8, 1999.1 The jury returned a verdict in favor of plaintiff in the amount of $150,000. The jury found that defendant was 90 percent negligent in the happening of this accident and plaintiff was 10 percent negligent. The verdict as molded awarded damages to plaintiff in the amount of $135,000.

A timely post-trial motion was filed. The motion requested a remittitur or in the alternative a new trial. Specifically, the motion raised the following issues:

(1) Whether the jury’s verdict was excessive in light of plaintiff’s evidence.

(2) Whether the court erred in allowing Dr. Wells to testify outside the “four comers” of his report.

[113]*113(3) Whether the court erred in allowing Dr. Wells to testify beyond the scope of cross-examination.

(4) Whether the jury’s verdict on liability in favor of plaintiff was not supported by the evidence.

(5) Whether the court erred in not allowing the jury to see the police report.

After review of briefs submitted by counsel and oral argument, defendant’s post-trial motion was denied. The instant appeal followed.

The evidence and testimony at trial established the following facts. Chester Pilce, in the Borough of Glenolden, Delaware County, is a four-lane highway which runs generally north and south with two lanes of travel in each direction. Boon Avenue in Glenolden Borough is a two-lane highway which runs generally east and west with one lane of travel in each direction. Boon Avenue forms a “T” intersection with Chester Pike on the east side of Chester Pike. The intersection is controlled by a stop sign for traffic traveling on Boon Avenue.

Gardner Avenue in Glenolden Borough runs generally east and west and crosses Chester Pike approximately 50 yards south of the “T” intersection of Boon Avenue and Chester Pike. The intersection of Gardner Avenue and Chester Pike is controlled by a traffic light.

On September 11, 1996, plaintiff was employed as a delivery driver for Federal Express. Sometime between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. on that date plaintiff was driving a large Fed Ex van in a westerly direction on Boon Avenue. It had been raining and the roads were wet. When plaintiff approached Chester Pike he brought his van to [114]*114a stop at the stop sign and looked toward Gardner Avenue to see if any traffic was travelling north on Chester Pike. He observed that the light at Gardner Avenue was red for traffic traveling north and south on Chester Pike and there were no vehicles traveling on Chester Pike between Boon Avenue and Gardner Avenue. After making these observations plaintiff started across the intersection with the intention of turning left to travel south on Chester Pike. As plaintiff traveled across the two northbound lanes of Chester Pike, he turned his vehicle to the left to travel south on Chester Pike. As he made this maneuver he saw the defendant, who was traveling north on Chester Pike, slide through the red light at Gardner Avenue. Defendant continued sliding out of control and into the southbound lanes of Chester Pike striking plaintiff’s vehicle head-on in the centermost southbound lane. Both vehicles had to be towed from the scene. Plaintiff’s Federal Express van was a total loss.

Plaintiff is a 44-year-old high school graduate. After high school plaintiff spent nine years as a military policeman in the Air Force. After being honorably discharged from the Air Force, plaintiff joined the sheriff department in his home town in Alabama. Sometime thereafter, plaintiff moved to New Jersey where for five years he worked as a maintenance superintendent. He also did work for Volunteer American in Camden. In 1994, plaintiff moved to Pennsylvania and started working for Federal Express, the job he held at the time of the accident.

Prior to the accident, plaintiff had never had any problems with his neck, shoulders or back and had never suffered any restricted motion, muscle spasm, numb[115]*115ness or tingling in those parts of his body. Plaintiff had never suffered any disability prior to this accident and had never filed a lawsuit or made a claim for personal injury.

Immediately following the accident, plaintiff felt dizzy. After reporting the accident to his employer, plaintiff went to the emergency room at Mercy Catholic Medical Center. At that time he was experiencing dizziness, blurred vision, sharp headaches and pain. Upon discharge from the hospital, plaintiff went home. In the days following the accident the pain did not subside. He was experiencing pain in his neck, shoulders and low back and intermittent paresthesia in his upper extremities. As a result, he sought treatment at the emergency room at Kennedy Hospital on the weekend following the accident. Plaintiff did not return to work for 10 days and when he did return, he returned on what Federal Express calls TRW or temporary disability.2 Plaintiff received medical treatment from the company doctor who referred him to a neurologist. After a period of about five weeks when the pain was not getting any better, plaintiff went to Dr. Wells, his family doctor. He first saw Dr. Wells on November 5, 1996. Dr. Wells, who testified on his behalf at trial, continued to treat plaintiff in the months following the accident.3 Dr. Wells found that plaintiff had restricted range of motion in his neck. Dr. Wells also found muscle spasm bilaterally in the paraspinal muscles in the dorsal spine which caused a straightening of the spine as well [116]*116as muscle spasm in the area of the shoulders and low back. Muscle spasm is an objective sign of injury which cannot be feigned. Dr. Wells diagnosed plaintiff as having acute cervical, dorsal and lumbar myositis. He prescribed pain medication, muscle relaxants and a course of physical therapy for plaintiff. Plaintiff made progress with the physical therapy and on January 31, 1997 he was discharged from therapy.

Although plaintiff was discharged from therapy, his injuries were not completely healed. He continued to have some difficulties with his neck and back and in April of 1997 he had a serious flare-up as a result of the duties of his employment. This flare-up sent him back to Dr. Wells for additional treatment which lasted for several months.4

Plaintiff has continued to have problems even up until the time of trial. He experiences muscle spasm and pain on a regular basis which is aggravated by any lifting or exertion. He has difficulty sleeping and is no longer able to do work around the house that requires any lifting. Dr. Wells testified that as a result of this accident the muscles and ligaments in plaintiff’s neck and back were stretched and tom causing hemorrhaging and resulting in scarring. He indicated that, because of this, plaintiff was a candidate for easy reinjury of these areas and for degenerative changes in the future. Dr.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
58 Pa. D. & C.4th 111, 2000 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 196, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/almon-v-jackson-pactcompldelawa-2000.