Tim Rayne, partner at MacElree Harvey, was installed as president of the Longwood Rotary on June 28, 2016.

District Governor, Dave Haradon, and outgoing president, Bob Listerman, inducted Tim Rayne and other new board members for the 2016-17 year at the Rotary Club’s regular meeting place, Longwood Gardens.

Chartered in 1997, the Longwood Rotary Club now lists nearly 100 business and professional leaders dedicated to carrying out the Rotary International vision of “Service above Self”.

Tim has been a Rotarian since 2005, serving on various committees and doing volunteer work in and around Chester County. He earned his bachelor’s degree in economics at University of Delaware and his juris doctorate at Widener University. After graduating law school, Tim began to practice law in his hometown of Kennett Square, and attended Temple University at night to complete his masters of law in trial advocacy.

“The Longwood Rotary is a terrific club that does a lot of good work in the community helping others,” he said, “and I’m honored to be chosen to lead the club.”

At MacElree Harvey, Tim focuses his practice on personal injury and wrongful death cases including:

• car accidents
• truck and tractor trailer accidents
• motorcycle accidents and bicycle accidents
• pedestrian injuries
• slip and falls
• medical malpractice
• uninsured/underinsured motorist cases
• dog bites
• dangerous products/products liability
• construction accidents.

For more information about Tim Rayne, click here.

About MacElree Harvey, Ltd.

With offices throughout Pennsylvania and Delaware, MacElree Harvey is a full-service law firm focused on corporate and commercial law, complex litigation and arbitration, estate planning, administration and wealth management, labor and employment, business restructuring and reorganization, trademark and copyright infringement, corporate compliance and criminal defense, federal & white collar crimes defense, real estate finance and tax law, as well as personal injury and family law.

MacElree Harvey Personal Injury attorney Tim Rayne successfully resolved a motor vehicle accident case for a local American hero. To respect his wish for anonymity, we will refer to him only as Larry. The settlement ended a year and a half of legal battles which arose out of injuries Larry suffered in a May 2007 car accident and provided Larry and his family with financial security to help rebuild their lives.

“Larry has the most intriguing life story of any client I have had in my 13 years as an attorney,” says Tim Rayne.

Larry graduated from Neshaminy High School in Langhorne, PA and was accepted into the U.S. Naval Academy. After earning his Bachelor’s Degree from the Academy, Larry served in the Marine Corps. Thereafter, Larry continued service to his country in the Secret Service before beginning his 21-year career with the United States Customs Service (now the Department of Homeland Security). Larry’s duties included chasing drug dealers in cigarette boats and hunting down and deporting violent illegal aliens and gang members.

In 2003 and 2004, Larry was deployed to Baghdad, Iraq on behalf of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and was badly injured (fractured both elbows) during a mortar attack. After his recovery, Larry returned to his job as a Supervisor of Agents with the Department of Homeland Security and was regularly involved in surveillances, arrests and searches involving illegal aliens, drug dealers, gang members and convicted sex offenders.

The Accident

On May 6, 2007, while headed to work on Route One in his prized possession, a 2004 Corvette, Larry fell victim to the careless driver of a Ford Explorer who failed to yield and turned left directly in front of him. Larry slammed on his brakes, but a broadside collision at high speed was unavoidable.

Larry’s Injuries

Larry sustained a serious left mid-foot fracture which required surgery and the insertion of two screws to repair. After therapy, Larry returned to work but, unfortunately, the repair failed and the screws broke. Due to chronic pain, Larry was forced to undergo another surgery in which five screws were needed to repair his foot.

Despite these multiple surgeries, Larry was forced into retirement three years early due to his inability to run or engage in other vigorous physical activities needed for his federal law enforcement position.

The Case

Because the driver of the Ford Explorer was negligent in failing to yield and turning left in front of Larry, he and his family had legal claims against her to attempt to compensate him for his injuries and damages. Fortunately, Larry also had the foresight to purchase substantial Underinsured Motorist Coverage (“UIM coverage”) on his own automobile insurance policy. UIM coverage protects you when you are injured due to the fault of another driver who, although insured, does not have enough coverage to pay for all of the injuries and damages caused by an accident. UIM coverage is available to make up the difference between the responsible driver’s insurance coverage and the full amount of injuries and damages.

Shortly after his accident, Larry retained Tim to handle all of his legal claims. Tim began the legal battles by focusing on the other driver’s automobile insurance with State Farm. Persistent pressure and the production of compelling evidence regarding Larry’s injuries and damages resulted in the tender of the driver’s entire policy limits. Tim next turned to Larry’s own UIM coverage with USAA to attempt to close the gap between the compensation he received from State Farm and the full extent of his injuries and damages. Settlement numbers will be kept confidential, but, at the end of the representation, Tim and his assistant, Cheryl McCarthy, were proud to receive a “Thank You” letter which said:

September 25, 2008
Mr. Timothy F. Rayne, Esquire
211 East State Street
Kennett Square, PA 19348

Dear Mr. Rayne:

On behalf of my family and myself, I want to thank you, Ms. McCarthy and your

firm for your support, tenacity and thoroughness in pursuing our claims. From the time you came on board until now, you made us feel we truly had an assertive and competent advocate. You formulated a strategy and set benchmarks. You achieved every goal and, in the end, exceeded everyone’s expectations.

I particularly noted your negotiation with the insurance company. After receiving and rejecting a substantial offer, you called on them to explain why the case should not be settled at our initial demand. You further challenged them to justify their offer by specifying how they arrived at their figure. Perhaps this response was commonplace to you, but I saw it as a brilliant play. The resulting response certainly validated the efficacy of your plan. You demonstrated the value of patience and carefully considered each step before taking it.

Throughout the process you exhibited the highest sense of ethics and honesty. I felt my case was presented fairly and truthfully. You kept me informed of my options and offered valuable advice on how to proceed. Perhaps most importantly, I felt that you truly cared about me and my family. I believed that I could call on you at any time to get an update or just some encouragement along the way. Your staff was always gracious when I called or visited the office.

I thank all of you for your efforts. I shall certainly consider you first should I ever again have need of an attorney.

Sincerely,

Larry

From Tim’s perspective, this was also a satisfying experience. “I think the world of Larry. What he has done with his life in terms of service to this country is remarkable. It was truly a shame that this accident ended his career and had a negative impact on the quality of his life. I am glad that I was able to guide him through the legal system and ensure that he and his family were treated fairly by the insurance companies so that they can rebuild their lives.”

The following article is informational only and not intended as legal advice. Speak with a licensed attorney about your own specific situation. © Copyright 2011 MacElree Harvey, Ltd. All rights reserved.

Most Personal Injury cases can be settled without going to trial. At some point prior to trial, the insurance company will finally evaluate the negligence of the defendant, the injuries of the plaintiff, and offer a fair settlement. But not always. For Erin Jones, who was injured in a car accident caused by Donald Henry’s negligence, her case had to go all the way to a jury verdict to obtain justice.

On April 23, 2007, Erin was driving home from a college internship and was traveling through West Chester Borough on Darlington Street. As Erin drove through the intersection with Patton Alley, her car was struck on the passenger side by Mr. Henry’s car after he failed to stop for his stop sign.

Immediately after the impact, Erin began to feel pain in her neck and back and went to the Chester County Hospital Emergency Room where she was x-rayed, given medication and released. Erin had follow-up treatment with her family doctor and then had three months of physical therapy for neck and back pain and headaches. Although Erin’s symptoms improved, they continued to bother her. However, since Erin had no health insurance, she did not receive any further treatment for 15 months. In January 2009, when Erin obtained health insurance, she resumed her treatment and was seen by an orthopedic surgeon, a neurologist, and was eventually referred to a pain management specialist who treated Erin with medication and spine injections. At the time of the trial, Erin’s pain management specialist testified that Erin’s injuries were permanent and would require ongoing treatment and medications.

Erin retained Tim Rayne of MacElree Harvey to pursue her Personal Injury claims for compensation against Mr. Henry. When the insurance company would not offer a reasonable settlement, Tim filed a lawsuit against Mr. Henry. The insurance company hired an attorney, who vigorously defended the case. Although the defense attorney readily admitted that Mr. Henry’s careless driving was the cause of the collision, he disputed the nature and extent of Erin’s injuries and retained a Defense doctor to examine Erin and comment on her injuries and progress. The Defense doctor indicated that, even though Erin was initially injured in the accident, she was cured after her physical therapy and required no further treatment.

Erin, like most clients, was nervous about going to trial. At the beginning of the case, Tim tried to reassure her by explaining that well over 90% of Personal Injury cases settle before trial. This case, however, was one of the less than 10%.

Erin’s case was referred to a Settlement Conference and a retired judge recommended that the insurance company pay $65,000 to settle, a figure which Erin said she would accept. Truth be told, Erin likely would have accepted half that amount to settle the case and avoid the stress, expense and risk of trial. What did the insurance company offer? $12,000!

Reluctantly, Erin had her day in court. During a two-day trial, Erin, her boyfriend, mother and doctor testified about the accident and the difference between her life before and after the collision. The Defense doctor was the only witness for Mr. Henry. The jury deliberated for two hours and returned a verdict of $50,000, over four times the insurance company’s offer.

“I was extremely pleased with the jury verdict,” explained Tim. “It just proves that, even in conservative Chester County, insurance companies need to treat injured people fairly, or jurors will make them pay.”

Erin states, “I was worried about going to trial and what that could mean, but Tim assured me throughout the process that everything was going to be okay and exuded confidence throughout. I was very impressed with Tim’s ability and the result he achieved for me.”

The following article is informational only and not intended as legal advice. Speak with a licensed attorney about your own specific situation. © Copyright 2011 MacElree Harvey, Ltd. All rights reserved.