$225,000 Commercial Truck Sideswipe | Shoulder Surgery & Spinal Injuries | Linden Law

What Happened

On the Fourth of July, 2025, our client – a young Bronx woman – was driving eastbound on the New York State Thruway when a commercial tractor-trailer changed lanes without warning and sideswiped the passenger side of her vehicle. The impact was sudden and violent. She had done nothing wrong.

The truck was operated by a commercial driver for AC Express Inc. Under federal motor carrier regulations, commercial trucking companies are responsible for the conduct of their drivers. When a truck driver fails to check mirrors, misjudges lane width, or changes lanes without ensuring it is clear, the consequences are borne by the people in smaller vehicles sharing the road.

The Injuries

Our client initially tried to push through the pain – as many people do after accidents, particularly on a holiday weekend. But her symptoms did not resolve. Over the weeks and months that followed, diagnostic testing confirmed what her body had been telling her since the crash: she had sustained serious, objective injuries that required medical intervention.

Left Shoulder

MRI of the left shoulder revealed a partial-thickness tear of the supraspinatus tendon – the rotator cuff structure responsible for lifting and rotating the arm. Conservative treatment failed to restore function. On January 13, 2026, she underwent left shoulder arthroscopic surgery, including subacromial decompression, lysis of adhesions, distal clavicle excision, debridement, and synovectomy. These are not minor procedures. They reflect a post-traumatic shoulder that had been significantly disrupted by the force of the collision.

Left Knee

MRI of the left knee showed joint effusion and tearing of the posterior horn of the medial meniscus. Physical therapy and conservative management failed to resolve her knee symptoms. Her orthopedic surgeon recommended left knee arthroscopy as the next step. That surgery remained pending at the time of resolution.

Cervical & Lumbar Spine

Cervical spine MRI documented disc bulges from C3 through C7 – five levels of the cervical spine affected. Lumbar MRI showed a disc bulge at L4-L5. These findings produced persistent neck and back pain, headaches, vertigo, balance disturbances, and limitations in daily function including difficulty walking, difficulty with stairs, and difficulty with overhead activity.

Treatment & Medical Costs

Our client’s treatment was extensive and ongoing: physical therapy, chiropractic care, pain management, orthopedic specialist visits, diagnostic imaging, prescription medications, injections, and durable medical equipment. Total medical charges reached $92,665. The property damage to her vehicle alone was documented at $17,227.

At the time of settlement, a second surgery had been recommended but not yet performed. That future medical expense was a significant factor in valuing the case.

What This Case Demonstrates

Sideswipe collisions involving commercial trucks are frequently underestimated – by insurance adjusters, and sometimes by injured people themselves. There is no head-on impact, no spinning vehicle, no dramatic rollover. Just a truck making contact and moving on. But the physics of a heavy tractor-trailer striking a passenger vehicle at highway speed can cause exactly the kind of multi-system injuries our client sustained: a torn rotator cuff, a torn meniscus, and multi-level spinal disc injuries.

Because the defendant trucking company was subject to federal motor carrier regulations and the case involved interstate commerce, this matter was litigated in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (S.D.N.Y.) – a federal venue that demands a higher level of preparation and a different set of procedural rules than state court. Commercial trucking companies and their insurers know these cases well. They have experienced claims adjusters whose job is to minimize exposure. Our client’s case required establishing the full scope of her injuries – including the surgery she had already undergone and the surgery still ahead of her – and presenting that picture clearly enough that the carrier understood what a jury would see.

The result was a $225,000 settlement.

If you or a family member has been injured by a commercial truck in New York, call Linden Law. These cases move quickly – evidence disappears, trucking companies preserve records selectively, and time limits apply. Do not wait.