The Estate of Hanges v. Metropolitan Property & Casualty Ins. Co., A-62 September Term 2009; Supreme Court; opinion by Rivera-Soto, J.; decided June 21, 2010. On certification to the Appellate Division. [Sat below: Judges Wefing, Parker and LeWinn in the Appellate Division; Judge Robert Wilson in the Law Division.] DDS No. 23-1-8307 [29 pp.]
Decedent Nick Hanges was involved in a one-car accident when he crashed his sports car into an underpass wall. Answering questions posed by a police officer, he attributed the accident to a phantom vehicle that cut him off, causing him to lose control of his car. At the hospital, he told medical personnel that he was cut off and crashed into a bridge abutment. The next day, he contacted his psychologist and told her the same thing. On his discharge from the hospital, he went to Florida, where he received additional treatment and told the doctor that he had been run off the road.
