Our Accident Attorneys In The News

Virginia, Washington, D.C., & Maryland

Listed below are examples of press coverage involving Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel, P.C.

In the News

Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel Ethiopian Heritage College Scholarship Fund

In 2008, the Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel Ethiopian Heritage College Scholarship Fund was created in order to help members of the Ethiopian community pay for their college education. The purpose of the fund is to find and then help youngsters with few financial resources obtain a much-desired college degree so that they may then go serve the public. CSCS, P.C. strives to encourage the development of intellect, wisdom, and integrity in those they help, and the firm strongly believes this can be accomplished as can any other goal you long to achieve.

CSCS wins multi-million dollar settlement

The law firm of Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel, P.C. won a settlement of almost $6 million on behalf of our client who was struck in the rear by a drunk driver in Atlanta, Georgia. Our client was referred to us and hired us despite having the opportunity to interview and select lawyers in Georgia. This is because of the client's confidence that Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel, P.C. could represent him fully and completely and assure that he received the highest level of care and competence. We are proud to have represented this family and have achieved full and complete justice on their behalf.

APITLA: Association of Plaintiff Interstate Trucking Lawyers of America

Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel, P.C. is proud to be a part of Association of Plaintiff Interstate Trucking Lawyers of America and is active in its declared mission of ending this national safety crisis. Attorney Ira Sherman is on the APITLA national advisory board. Attorneys Joseph Cammarata and Allan Siegel are chairs of the APITLA Maryland and Virginia state boards.

The main focus of the APITLA is the elimination of unsafe and illegal trucking practices. As a national organization of lawyers committed to making the highways safer for all, APITLA combines education, legislation, and litigation to reduce the number of accidents, injuries, and deaths due to unsafe trucking practices.

Partners Achieve Prestigious Honors

The law firm of Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel, P.C. is proud to announce the recent, impressive accomplishments of its partners, Joseph Cammarata and Allan Siegel.

Joseph Cammarata has been named to Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers 2010 by Law & Politics magazine and was also named to Super Lawyers in 2007, 2008 and 2009. This prestigious honor involves a selection process that evaluates peer recognition and professional achievement.

Partners Joseph Cammarata and Allan Siegel were both named Top Lawyers by Washingtonian Magazine the December 2009 issue. Mr. Cammarata has been named a Top Lawyer every year of the survey since 1997 and Mr. Siegel has been named a Top Lawyer every year of the survey since 2004.

Suit Filed in June 22, 2009 METRO Train Collision

On June 22, 2009, two Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority ("WMATA" or "METRO") trains collided near the Fort Totten Metro Station. The collision occurred when Metro Train 112 violently collided into the rear of Train 214, which had stopped on the tracks. The force of the impact pushed Train 214 forward several feet, and caused two-thirds of the lead car of Train 112 to telescope.

The Metro collision resulted in the deaths of 9 people, and physical injuries to at least 70 to 80 other people. The law firm of Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata, Siegel, P.C. is representing the estate of one of the persons killed in the collision, and is also representing an individual who suffered physical and psychological injuries from the collision.

The law firm recently filed a lawsuit against WMATA and Alstrom Signaling, Inc., an entity involved in providing train traffic control systems to WMATA, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The Complaint filed on behalf of the Estate of the deceased individual seeks compensation for wrongful death, and pain and suffering before death, based on negligence.

As part of the negligence claim, the Complaint charges WMATA/METRO with a failure to warn its passengers, such as our client, that the train involved in the crash was not safe and had a tendency to telescope, eliminating passenger survival space within the train. At least three years before the June 2009 crash, WMATA/METRO was warned by the National Transportation Safety Board that the type of train car involved in the collision needed to be replaced because it was not safe for passengers in the event of a collision.

Owner of Campground Killed When Run Over by a Tractor-Trailer Driver

The law firm of Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel, P.C. has been retained by the wife of a man who was run over by a truck at the Picture Lake Campground in Petersburg, Virginia.  Our client’s husband owned and managed the campground and was working at the time.  The truck driver was trespassing on the premises, and our client’s husband stopped him to determine the why he was on the campground.  Our client’s husband stepped up to the tractor-trailer driver’s window, when the truck driver recklessly pulled away, causing our client’s husband to fall backwards to the ground.  The truck driver did not stop, or make any attempt to determine where our client’s husband was located, but instead continued to drive off,  causing the truck to strike and run over our client’s husband.  Our client’s husband suffered severe traumatic injuries and ultimately died.   He was 57 years old at the time of his death, and has been described by relatives as a quiet family man, who managed and owned the campground.  The law firm has recently filed suit in the Circuit Court for Dinwiddie County, Virginia.

Suit Filed in June Fireworks Tragedy

On June 5, 2009, The Washington Post reported on a tragedy which occurred at a town-sponsored fireworks show in Vienna, Virginia on July 4, 2007 in Vienna, Virginia on July 4, 2007.  Partner Joseph Cammarata was featured in the article which recounted the horror of our clients (a father and son) being injured when the fireworks exploded in the crowd.  Our clients were seated within the town's designated "safe zone". The law firm has filed a lawsuit against the Town of Vienna, the fireworks company and others to seek compensation for our clients' injuries. The suit is pending in the Circuit court of Fairfax County, Virginia.

Following publication of The Washington Post article, there was intense media interest in the tragedy.  Partner Joseph Cammarata and the family of the injured clients held a press conference which was featured on the local affiliate news stations of all major networks, NBC, CBS, ABC, and Fox.

As reported on CBS

As reported on FOX

As reported on NBC

As reported on ABC

As reported in the Washington post

The City Council of the District of Columbia issued a resolution acknowledging the establishment of the Brain Injury Association of the District of Columbia and its affiliation with the Brain Injury Association of America.

Partner Joseph Cammarata, President of the Brain Injury Association of the District of Columbia, and Partner Ira Sherman, Vice President of the Brain Injury Association of the District of Columbia, are pleased to announce that the City Council of the District of Columbia passed a resolution on February 3, 2009 acknowledging a need for the establishment of a Brain Injury Association for the District of Columbia based on the frequency and severity of traumatic brain injuries across the United States and in the District of Columbia. The resolution lauded the establishment of the Brain Injury Association of the District of Columbia, an organization whose goals are to provide information, assistance, and resources to individuals and families that have suffered from traumatic brain injury. The Brain Injury Association of the District of Columbia became an official affiliate of the Brain Injury Association of America when the other affiliate states of the Brain Injury Association of America voted on the application of the Brain Injury Association of the District of Columbia to become an affiliate on December 5, 2008. The District of Columbia City Council recognized the accomplishment and the need to have an established affiliate of the Brain Injury Association of America situated within the District of Columbia itself. The website for the Brain Injury Association of the District of Columbia is: www.biadc.org.

Joseph Cammarata and Ira Sherman to speak at Brain Injury Association of Maryland Seminar.

Joseph Cammarata and Ira Sherman, President and Vice President of the Brain Injury Association of the District of Columbia, respectively have been selected to speak at the convention of the Brain Injury Association of Maryland on April 16, 2009. The topic will be "The Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury". Messrs. Cammarata and Sherman are proud to have been selected to give this presentation.

Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel Ethiopian Heritage College Scholarship Fund

In 2008, the Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel Ethiopian Heritage College Scholarship Fund was created in order to help members of the Ethiopian community pay for their college education. The purpose of the fund is to find and then help youngsters with few financial resources obtain a much-desired college degree so that they may then go serve the public. CSCS, P.C. strives to encourage the development of intellect, wisdom, and integrity in those they help, and the firm strongly believes this can be accomplished as can any other goal you long to achieve.

Partners Achieve Prestigious Honors

The law firm of Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel, P.C. is proud to announce the recent, impressive accomplishments of two of its partners. Joseph Cammarata has been named to Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers 2008 by Law & Politics magazine and was also named to Super Lawyers in 2007. This prestigious honor involves a selection process that evaluates peer recognition and professional achievement.

Washingtonian Magazine Features Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel, P.C.

The October issue of Washingtonian Magazine featured Partners Ira Sherman and Joseph Cammarata. Many of your are aware of the involvement of Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel in the Ethiopian community. The law firm is associated with esteemed counsel of Ethiopian heritage, Aseged Yimer, whose offices are located in Silver Spring, Maryland. The law firm has also established the "CSCS Ethiopian Heritage Scholarship Fund", which will be awarded to the successful applicant in the summer of 2008, providing a subsidy for a successful college applicant entering into their freshman year in the Fall of 2008.

We also have real life experiences helping members of this community. One day, Mr. Cammarata was speaking with the owner/operator of the frankfurter stand at the corner of Connecticut and N Street, N.W. She was complaining that because the high rise building was being resurfaced her stand had been moved down Connecticut Avenue approximately 25 feet. The effect of being 25 feet from the corner was the difference of having shade from the tree at the corner and not having the shade. This was of particular significance to the lady owner of the frankfurter stand. Mr. Cammarata quickly swung into action utilizing his most effective lawyering skills and he convinced the management to return the lady to the shaded spot on the corner of Connecticut and N Street. CSCS prides itself on representing individuals who have valid claims that are significant to them although, they may not have monetary value. All people and every claim that we serve as advocates for, are treated with equal fervor. When a Washingtonian Magazine reporter heard about this, he found it newsworthy and put the story on page 15 of the October edition.

Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel, P.C. Accident Attorneys are Recognized as the Metropolitan Area's Best

• Allan M. Siegel named one of Washington's Top Lawyers (Washingtonian Magazine, December, 2004)
• Joseph Cammarata named one of Washington's Top Lawyers (Washingtonian Magazine, December, 2004)
• Joseph Cammarata named one of Washington's Top Seventy-Five Lawyers (Washingtonian Magazine, April, 2002)
• Joseph Cammarata named one of the Top Forty Lawyers under Forty in the Washington Legal Establishment (Washingtonian Magazine, September, 1998)
• Joseph Cammarata named one of the Top Fifty Lawyers in the D.C. Metropolitan Area (Washingtonian Magazine, February, 1997)

CNN's Larry King Asks Joseph Cammarata to Write an Essay For King's New Book

• Read Mr. Cammarata's "Access to Justice" essay

Ira Sherman to Speak to the American Association for Justice at their Mid-Winter Convention in Miami, Florida

• Press Release

Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel Represent Patient Who Gouged Out Own Eyes While In The Care of D.C

• The Washington Post, Plea Made for Patient who Gouged Out His Eyes, Keith L. Alexander, August 30, 2007
• The Examiner, Fenty Backs $2M Bill to Patient Who Blinded Himself, Scott McCabe and Bill Myers, August 30, 2007

Click here for a transcript of Joseph Cammarata's testimony in front of D.C. Council.

Click here for photos of plaque and dedication ceremony.

• The Washington Post, Fenty Rebuffed in Obtaining Facts In Probe of D.C. Group Home Deaths, Karilyn Barker, March 12, 2006
• The Washington Post , Fenty Urges Investigation of D.C. Care of Disabled, Karilyn Barker, March 7, 2006
• The Washington Post , DC Plaque to Honor Group Home Deaths - Agreement on Memorial Part of Settlement of Lawsuit, Karilyn Barker, March 10, 2004
• The Washington Post , Showing 'Their Lives Mattered' - Plaque Memorialized people Who Died in D.C. Group Homes, Karlyn Barker, September 10, 2004

Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel, P.C. Represents Man Beaten by Prince George's County Police Officers

• The Washington Post , Lawsuit Alleges Police Brutality - Man Accuses Two Prince George's Officers, Rubin Cataneda, March 8, 2002
• Prince George's Journal , Man's suit says officers beat him, Eric Hartley, March 8, 2002

Accident attorney Joseph Cammarata Charges GOP with Abandoning Principles, in Health Care Reform Proposals, on Op-Ed page of The Washington Times

• The Washington Times, "Forget Patient's Rights," Joseph Cammarata, October 7, 1999

Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel, P.C. Represents Man Permanently Disabled as a Result of Being Attacked by Security Guard

• The Washington Post, Man Settles Suit with Hotel, Security Firm, March 9, 1999
• USAE, Lawsuit Over Injury at EconoLodge Settled in Va., Christopher Cole, March 16, 1999

Plaque and Dedication Ceremony

Accident attorney Ira Sherman at plaque dedication ceremony.

Plaque dedicated in memory of those who died.

Print this page