A motorist who claimed she sustained spinal injuries necessitating surgery after her vehicle was struck from behind by a truck in traffic on Interstate 80 settled her Bergen County suit, Unkasekvinai v. Sohi, for $1.75 million on Dec. 11.

On July 19, 2016, Christine Unkasekvinai, then 36, had left work and was driving eastbound on I-80 near Totowa, in the center lane. When traffic slowed, Unkasekvinai struck the vehicle in front of her and in turn was struck from behind by a tractor-trailer driven by defendant Karamjit Sohi, according to court documents and plaintiffs lawyer Adam Epstein of Mazie Slater Katz & Freeman in Roseland.

In addition to Sohi, the suit also named TMG Logistics Inc. and Royal Bank Canada. Royal Bank Canada owned the truck and its insurance policy through Insurance Corp. of British Columbia covered the vehicle, according to documents.

Unkasekvinai claimed the impact caused neck and back injuries leading to a two-level discectomy at the cervical level and a one-level microdiscectomy at the lumbar level. The surgeries, she claimed, led to permanent scarring on her neck and back. Unkasekvinai, a finance professional, missed some time at her job but ultimately returned to work, Epstein said.

The defense contested liability and claimed the plaintiff herself was negligent, according to court documents.

On Aug. 30, 2019, Superior Court Judge Michael Beukas granted Unkasekvinai's motion for partial summary judgment on the issue of liability, and the parties went through nonbinding arbitration that led to a $2 million award for the plaintiff, court documents showed.

The parties then went to mediation with Beukas and settled on Dec. 11 for $1.75 million, Epstein said.

Counsel to the defendants, Christopher Brady of the Camassa Law Firm in Wall, didn't return a call about the case.