As featured in the NJLawJournal.com, a $1 million settlement was reached in Essex County on June 27 in Noboa v. Onuwa for a couple after the two sustained serious injuries when they were rear-ended by a tractor trailer while exiting the New Jersey Turnpike.

On May 26, 2016, Bertha Noboa and her husband Adrian Noboa were struck from behind by a tractor-trailer, driven by defendant Linus Onuwa, while they were traveling on the southbound exit ramp at 13A on the New Jersey Turnpike, according to Salomao Nascimento and Daniel N. Epstein of Epstein Ostrove in Edison, counsel to Bertha.

As a result of the collision, Bertha, 57, aggravated existing injuries to her lower back which ultimately required her
to undergo a right-sided L4-5 foraminotomy, discectomy and laminotomy. Adrian, who was 49, suffered an aggravation of his preexisting disc bulges in his lumbar spine, which required a lumbar discectomy, the lawyers said.

The couple filed their suit in November 2017 in Essex County Superior Court. The matter was settled on the eve
of trial, on July 27, according to the plaintiffs’ lawyers.

“This settlement is a result of years of hard work and stands as a testament to our dedication to Bertha. It’s rewarding to see those efforts bring about such a positive outcome for her and her husband,” Nascimento said.

Defendants Onuwa and Express Air System Inc. were represented by John Gerard Devlin of Devlin Associates of Philadelphia, who did not respond to a request for comment. Read article.

— Colleen Murphy