A man who suffered severe neck injuries in a motor vehicle accident received a $1 million settlement in his Morris County suit, Cocomello v. Rettagliata, on Dec. 13.

Ronald Cocomello of Montville was driving east on Pinebrook Road in Lincoln Park on April 11, 2017, when his car was forced off the road by another vehicle headed in the same direction, driven by Peter Rettagliata, said Cocomello's lawyer, Anthony Fiore Jr. of Gage Fiore in Lawrenceville.

The accident occurred after Cocomello came upon Rettagliata's car stopped in the travel lane, said Fiore. Cocomello drove around Rettagliata, which apparently angered him, Fiore said. Rettagliata caught up to Cocomello, then crossed the center line into the oncoming lane, where he pulled alongside Cocomello's car, and the right side of Retaggliata's vehicle contacted the left side of Cocomello's, causing him to lose control of his car and go off the road, Fiore said.

As a result of his impact with a ditch, Cocomello sustained severe injuries of the cervical spine that necessitated a cervical discectomy with fusion and instrumentation from C4 to C7, in November 2017, the suit claimed. Cocomello underwent physical therapy but continued to experience pain, and underwent an operation to relieve pressure on compressed nerves in December 2018, according to Fiore.

Cocomello brought a negligence claim against Rettagliata. Cocomello's wife,  Alfonsina, sued per quod.

The parties agreed to the $1 million settlement on Nov. 6, after two mediation sessions with former Superior Court Judge Kenneth Grispin, who is with Javerbaum Wurgaft Hicks Kahn Wikstrom & Sinins in Springfield. Payment was made on Dec. 13.

Cormac Egenton of Weiner Law Group in Parsippany, the lawyer for Rettagliata, did not return a call about the case.

— Charles Toutant

Officer Injured in Crash Paid $750K

McGeehan v. Shah: An on-duty police officer hit by another motorist while driving through an intersection was paid a $750,000 settlement in his Monmouth County suit on Dec. 3.

On Oct. 16, 2014, Kenneth McGeehan, then 39, was on the job for the Marlboro Township Police Department, driving in a police vehicle at the intersection of Conover Road and County Road in Marlboro, when he was struck on the front driver's side by the defendant's vehicle, according to his lawyer, James Maggs of Maggs & McDermott in Wall.

The vehicle was owned by Bayshore Pharmacy of Holmdel and driven by its employee, Ritesh Shah.

The suit claimed that Shah ran a red light at high speed, striking McGeehan's squad car. The defense disputed liability and damages, according to Maggs.

Maggs noted that video of the collision was captured by the dashcam in another police vehicle travelling in that intersection, in the opposite direction of McGeehan's vehicle.

McGeehan was taken to Jersey Shore Medical Center. He sustained a traumatic brain injury, and experienced neurocognitive impairments, ongoing headaches, tinnitus and other symptoms, Maggs said, noting that he is expected to have ongoing pain and effects.

McGeehan was with Marlboro police for 18 years but was rendered unable to work as a police officer in any department following the crash, Maggs said.

The suit claimed $1.76 million in economic damages, and included a per quod claim on behalf of McGeehan's wife.

The parties settled on Nov. 15, following mediation with James Clyne, a retired Superior Court judge with Benchmark Resolution Services of Lambertville. The $750,000 settlement was paid on Dec. 3.

The defendants were insured by Liberty Mutual.

Counsel for the defendants, Denise Tunney of Styliades & Jackson in Mount Laurel, didn't respond to a call and email about the case.

— David Gialanella