Our Case Results

A 53 year old seaman slip and fell, causing his right patellar tendon to rupture.

A 59 year old Massachusetts resident working for a Massachusetts construction company was injured on a job site in Rhode Island because of the negligence of the general contractor. His injury consisted of slipping and falling on debris that was negligently left on the site and not cleaned up, and that was the responsibility of the general contractor.

The 59 year old man sustained a ruptured quadricep tendon that required surgery. He was out of work for nine weeks, paid Workers' Compensation benefits while out of work, and Workers' Compensation paid his medical bills. Karns & Kerrison settled his third-party case against the general contractor in the amount of $128,000.00 after suit was filed and the case went to arbitration.

A 48 year old man, working as an independent contractor on a local Newport estate, was struck by a playful, large dog as he was walking up the driveway of the estate to get to an area he was to paint. The dog was owned by the employee and general manager of the estate. The painter that was injured was an independent contractor working for the estate. Suit was filed against the dog owner and the owner of the estate. This was not a vicious dog attack but simply a very playful, large dog that blindsided the painter, who did not see the dog, knocking the painter to the ground and causing him to suffer patellar tendon rupture necessitating surgery on his knee. Legal issues in the case were, under Rhode Island law, whether or not the dog was in his enclosure when the incident happened. If it were to be ruled that the dog was in his enclosure when the incident occurred then there would be no liability on the dog owner as the dog did not have a history of causing any problems. Because the dog was registered in Providence, where the owner lived, and because the owner would live part-time on the estate and have the dog with him with the owner's permission, the dispute arose as to whether or not the dog was in his enclosure. Suit was also filed against the estate for not providing a safe work place to the independent contractor painter. The estate then looked to the dog owner for indemnification if it were forced to pay.

After multiple depositions the case was settled for $125,000.00

Man suffers heart attack on the job and widow receives $100,000 settlement: A 73-year-old male laborer for a private sewerage company suffered a heart attack at work in Newport, Rhode Island, and was found lying next to his equipment with his work truck running. The post-medical examination showed that he died of anterior sclerosis. This was a worker's compensation case and the issue was whether his death was caused by the natural progression of the anterior sclerosis or by an aggravation in the work place. Research had to be done on the issue of all of his pre-existing medical records and any prior heart or circulatory problems. In addition, research had to be done with co-employees and obtaining their statements. As a result of these efforts the worker's compensation case was settled for $100,000 to the widow.

The best endorsement we can get is a repeat client. Attorney Kerrison previously represented a gentleman in a workers’ compensation claim where he injured his wrist. After settling his case, the client returned to work and carried on with his life. However, while driving on East Main Road in Portsmouth, the gentleman stopped and waited to take a left hand turn on his way home. While he was stopped waiting for traffic to pass so he could turn, he was rear-ended by another vehicle.

The gentleman went through physical therapy and treated with a number of physicians for his neck pain, back pain and terrible headaches which were caused by the whiplash injury to his neck. The insurer defended the claim on the basis that it was a minor impact and there was not a lot of damage to either vehicle involved. However, following some intense negotiations, attorney Kerrison was able to settle the case for $94,000.00 without having to go to Court.

If you’ve been injured in a motor vehicle accident or a work-related injury, call us today and find out why our clients love us so much.

Woman injured by falling snow while at work receives $65,000 for her personal injury: A 46-year-old female office worker was injured while leaving work during a snow storm in Johnston, Rhode Island, when she was struck in the head by snow that fell off the roof. She suffered headaches, concussion, and neck pain. After mediation her case was settled for $65,000 against the third-party owner of the real estate in addition to all of the worker's compensation weekly salary benefits and medical benefits.

A 62 year old woman from Connecticut, visiting Rhode Island, fell on a defect in the area of a crosswalk striking her nose and causing a fracture. There was no surgery involved. Suit was filed by Karns & Kerrison after notice was given against the city involved and also against the contractor and subcontractors who were working on the road. After suit was filed and the matter went to arbitration, Karns & Kerrison settled the case for $57,500.00 against two of the four defendants.

Man suffers fall in rental property and receives $47,500 for injuries: A 54-year-old male who lived on the second floor of his apartment house in Tiverton, Rhode Island, fell as a result of inadequate lighting and the stairway missing a railing at the bottom. The difficulty with the case was that he had lived there in excess of one year. He suffered elbow injuries and his case was settled for $47,500

46-year-old slipped and fell on ice in Newport, Rhode Island resulting in aggravated pre-existing neck and back injury.

Attorney Jude Kerrison achieved a workers’ compensation lump sum settlement on behalf of a client who injured her shoulder while working as a CNA at a nursing home in 2017. The workers’ compensation insurer initially denied the claim, but Attorney Kerrison filed the case with the Workers’ Compensation Court. Attorney Kerrison won the case at a Pretrial Conference to establish liability and the client received her benefits.

Following treatment for her shoulder injury, it was revealed that the pain and other symptoms she was feeling in her shoulder and arm was referred pain from her neck, therefore client had also injured her neck in the work-related incident. The workers’ compensation insurer again denied that her neck was part of the claim so Attorney Kerrison brought them back to Workers’ Compensation Court and won again. Following that the client had surgery on her neck and surgery on her shoulder while continuing to receive a weekly workers’ compensation check for over three years.

Following completion of her medical treatment attorney Kerrison secured a payment for the permanent impairment the client suffered as a result of her shoulder injury. And he also secured over $17,000.00 to compensate the client for her surgical scars.

In all, Attorney Kerrison filed twelve Petitions to secure and enforce $95,000.00 worth of workers’ compensation benefits for his client before the insurer finally agreed to settle her case for $45,000.00.

Woman received $44,000 settlement after injury sustained on rental property: A resident of a home that she rented and had lived there in an excess of one year, tripped and fell on a raised flag stone that was part of the walkway in East Providence, Rhode Island. She was a 42-year-old female. She suffered a labral (hip) injury that required no surgery. She underwent physical therapy. After arbitration her case was settled for $44,000.

Woman suffers back injury on the job and receives $40,000 for her injuries: A 42-year-old mail handler who worked for the Post Office was injured while unloading a trailer in Fall River, Massachusetts, suffering low back injuries. She had a long history of pre-existing low back injuries as well. After mediation her case was settled for $40,000.

28-year-old woman slips on water on a dance floor in a bar in Providence, Rhode Island, and receives a $10,000 settlement: A 28-year-old woman, who slipped on water on a dance floor in a bar just before closing, fractured a toe. There were strong issues of comparative negligence and notice to the bar owner involved. The injury was minimal with minimal medical bills and minimal time out of work. Karns & Kerrison resolved the case as a premises liability case in the amount of $10,000.