Springfield Attorney | Massachusetts Lawyer

PERSONAL SERVICE - COMMITMENT - RESULTS

Alekman DiTusa, LLC has a proven track record of committed representation which produces results for his clients. Below are samples of cases handled by Alekman DiTusa, LLC.

Successful Verdicts and Settlements

Personal Injury

List of notable cases

$1,000,000	A 37 year-old man was severely injured in a head-on motor vehicle collision while driving home from work. Client went on to have three back surgeries, including a two level low back fusion and a permanent nerve stimulator. Client was later determined to be totally and permanently disabled from work as a result of the accident.
$850,000	A 51 year old passenger was injured in a one vehicle car accident. Vehicle lost traction while crossing through an intersection due to liquid calcium chloride left on the road by a construction company fixing the road. Client sustained permanent injuries to her neck, arms and legs.
$675,000	A 29 year-old retail sales clerk, suffered multiple fractures in his right leg and ankle in multiple vehicle collision which occurred on a three lane divided highway. The incident consisted of two separate collisions involving three vehicles. A sedan traveling in the far right lane collided with a tractor trailer which was traveling in the center lane. As a result of contact with the truck, the sedan spun across two lanes of traffic and came to rest against a guardrail in the left travel lane. Plaintiff was traveling in the left travel lane before the collision and struck the sedan traveling at 70 mph. We recovered the majority of the settlement from the owner of the tractor trailer.
$325,000	A 57 year old woman tripped and fell down a defective stairway at work, striking her head. Immediate investigation discovered that the fall was caused by a worn vinyl stair covering. Client sustained mild traumatic brain injury.
$200,000	A 26 year old man was injured while attempting to escape his attic apartment during a fire. On the date of the fire, our client was a tenant living in an illegal attic apartment. The attic apartment had only a single exit (instead of two exits as required by the Massachusetts Building Code). On the night of the fire, the only exit stairway was engulfed in flames and our client was forced to jump out of the third floor attic window. He sustained a fractured left foot, fractured pelvis, left sacral fracture, fractures of the L4-L5 vertebrae and a non-displaced ulnar styloid fracture. We were able to recover against the landlord who had failed to maintain the building in compliance with the Massachusetts Building Code.
$185,000	A 17 year old pedestrian was struck by motorist while crossing the street within the confines of the marked crosswalk. She sustained a fractured leg and fractured arm which required permanent internal fixation.
$175,000	A 34 year old car salesman suffered a permanent back injury in minor car crash at work.
$165,000	A 15 year old girl was bitten by a neighbor's dog which resulted in permanent facial scarring. Dog had no prior incidents of biting.
$155,000	Husband and wife involved in NJ rear end motor vehicle accident. Both occupants sustained soft tissue neck and back injuries which required extensive chiropractic treatment.
$135,000	49 year old woman sustained fractured wrist when a public transportation van crossed into her lane of traffic and struck her vehicle head on. Evidence obtained in litigation determined that the driver of the van was under the influence of prescription pain medication at the time of the collision.
$124,500	A 22 year old male involved in roll over accident sustained a fractured ankle. Ankle required surgery with permanent internal fixation. We filed suit against multiple parties, including claims for products liability and negligent maintenance.

Representative Awards

Insurance Company Offer	Award
$20,000 final offer	$43,900 Arbitration Award - 35 year old hair stylist involved in a rear end car accident.
$7,500 final offer	$26,500 Awarded at Arbitration - woman involved in intersection motor vehicle crash.
$6,000 final offer	$18,000 Awarded at Arbitration - woman involved in rear-end motor vehicle crash.
$0 initial offer	$60,000 recovered at Mediation - 50 year old man who slipped and fell on snow and ice at retail store
$10,000 final offer	$38,000 recovered at Mediation - 12 year old boy injured at a local summer camp.

Criminal Defense

Below is just a sampling of some of Alekman DiTusa, LLC's successes on Motions to Suppress:

Client charged with drunk driving had his charges dismissed after we successfully argued that even though the officer legally pulled his client over for having a broken license plate light, he should not have arrested the client for drunk driving after the client successfully completed two of the field sobriety tests.

Result: DRUNK DRIVING CHARGES DISMISSED

Client charged with possession of cocaine had his charges dropped after we successfully argued that the police officer lacked reasonable suspicion to stop his client after his client entered a building in a high crime area, with a known drug user, and left after a short period of time. Even though the officer found cocaine when he searched the client, the judge found that the search was illegal.

Result: DRUG POSSESSION CHARGES DISMISSED

Client charged with driving with a suspended license and possession of marijuana subsequent offense. Police officer testified that he pulled the client's vehicle over for speeding, arrested him for driving with a suspended license and subsequently found marijuana in his backpack. We had our client testify. The client testified that he
knew the officer was traveling in traffic behind him for several miles and was not speeding. The judge credited the client's testimony and found that the officer's stop of the vehicle was illegal.

Result: DRUG POSSESSION AND OPERATING WITH A SUSPENDED LICENSE CHARGES DISMISSED

Client (a painter) charged with drunk driving second offense. Officer testified that he pulled the client over because he could not read the license plate due to paint partially covering one of the letters. We had our client bring the license plate into court. The officer agreed that the license plate was in the same condition as the night of the arrest. We walked to the farthest point of the courtroom from where the officer was testifying and asked the officer to estimate the distance (a license plate is required to be readable from 60 feet), the officer stated 100 feet. We then asked the officer to read the license plate to the judge, which he did without error. The judge found that the stop was illegal.

Result: DRUNK DRIVING SECOND OFFENSE CHARGE DISMISSED

In Commonwealth v. Carkhuff, a case that was reported in the Wall Street Journal, Springfield Republican, Boston Globe, and other newspapers across the country, we argued that the State Trooper that pulled our client over did so illegally. On October 2, 2001 (shortly after 9/11) David Carkhuff was driving past the Cobble Mountain Reservoir. Unknown to him, the State Police had posted a trooper in the area of the reservoir to stop all traffic. The logic was that the reservoir was a possible terrorist target. Following his orders, he pulled Mr. Carkhuff over. After speaking with him, the trooper arrested Mr. Carkhuff for drunk driving. We successfully argued that the trooper's stop of Mr. Carkhuff's vehicle was without reasonable suspicion and that even if terrorism is a valid reason for a roadblock, the State Police did not follow roadblock requirements (such as public notice). The Commonwealth appealed the district court judge's allowance of our Motion. The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts upheld the suppression order.