… A 49-year-old high school football coach, recovering from open-heart surgery, returned home to find a car crashed into a tree in his front yard.  The female driver was trapped in the car. There was an odor of gasoline and lit cigarette on her chest.  The coach forced the driver’s door open enough to reach in and remove the lit cigarette.  He injured the nerves in the back of his neck because of his rescue efforts.  The driver was sued because she negligently created this careless situation which resulted in the coach’s injuries.  Because she had low automobile liability insurance limits, the coach’s underinsured motorist carrier was also … [Read more...]

… A 73-year-old widow and her 46-year-old daughter were driving on a dark county road when headlights suddenly appeared coming towards them in their lane.  There was a horrific impact between the vehicles, the widow’s aortic artery was torn and she began to bleed heavily.  Only prompt emergency surgery at a trauma center saved her life.  The widow’s medical bills were covered, but there was not enough motor vehicle insurance to compensate her for this terrible injury.  An automotive engineer was hired to determine why the car’s air bags never deployed.  The engineer found that there was nothing wrong with the air bags and they should not have … [Read more...]

… A 78-year-old widow was crossing the street with her wheeled walker. An 88 year old woman, pulling out of a driveway, hit the widow and knocked her to the ground, sending her walker flying. The impact fractured her tibial plateau, the bone where your knee connects with your shin. From the hospital she was transferred to a skilled nursing home for three months of rehabilitation. The fractured bone healed, but the widow had a permanent deformity. Her knee was turned inward, making her prone to falling. A lawsuit was filed. The case settled for a substantial sum after the orthopedic surgeon’s medical deposition was recorded shortly before jury … [Read more...]

… A 45-year-old delivery man was standing in his parked van after making a local delivery.  A driver backed out of his driveway, striking the parked van and knocking the delivery man off his feet.  The delivery man tore the rotator cuff in his shoulder, requiring surgery. He was off work for almost a year.  Because the worker’s compensation insurer had a large claim for reimbursement of medical expenses and lost wages, the driver’s auto insurance was not enough.  After settling with the driver, an additional claim was made with the delivery man’s own insurance company for underinsured motorist coverage.  The claim was settled for a … [Read more...]

… A 49-year-old mechanic was riding on his motorcycle when he approached a broken down bus.  The bus driver signaled a motorist at a stop sign on the intersecting street that it was safe to proceed.  To avoid a crash, the mechanic laid his motorcycle down. He sustained a injury to his right hand and thumb, which made it difficult to do car repairs.  The case settled with the motorist’s insurance company for the policy limits.   … [Read more...]

… A 35-year-old woman and her husband were killed when their car was hit head on by an oncoming pickup truck. The other driver, who was drunk, was returning home from a bachelor party at his hunting lodge. After a lawsuit was filed in the rural county where the crash took place, a substantial settlement was reached with the drunk driver’s insurance company. The settlement proceeds will be used to fund a trust for the woman’s three teenage sons. The drunk driver is serving 6 to 12 years in the state penitentiary.   … [Read more...]

… A 59-year-old airport control tower supervisor was driving home on a winding road. A pilot, driving on his way to the airport in the opposite direction, flew up the road, lost control and crossed the center line. A terrible collision occurred. The supervisor was cut out of his car and rushed to the hospital. He had a severely broken right wrist, right ankle and left forearm. All three limbs required surgery with plates, pins and screws. A lawsuit was filed. Shortly before the trial, the parties agreed to a minimum and maximum that the supervisor would receive. The jury returned a very substantial verdict that was slightly less than the … [Read more...]

… A 50-year-old nurse was a passenger in her husband’s pick up truck when a young driver, talking on her cell phone, changed lanes suddenly in front of them causing a collision. The nurse had “limited tort” auto insurance which meant she could only recover for her pain and suffering if she had a serious injury. She had a long history of depression before the crash. Although her head did not strike the interior of the truck, the sudden acceleration and deceleration caused a brain injury. She had post-concussion syndrome and was permanently disabled. The young driver’s automobile insurance company initially refused to settle for the moderate … [Read more...]

…A 17-year-old girl was a passenger in her boyfriend’s car travelling on a country road. The boyfriend lost control on a curve, crossing the center line and striking an on-coming vehicle head on. The young woman suffered life-threatening injuries, including a torn aorta, the main artery of the heart, as well as broken bones in her face and leg. She stayed almost a month in the hospital and had to repeat her senior year of high school. After negotiations, the case settled for a lump-sum up front cash settlement plus monthly payments for ten years.   … [Read more...]

…A 55-year-old woman had neck surgery after the car she was riding in was rear-ended. The pre-existing arthritis in her neck was aggravated by the car crash, causing severe pain and endangering her spinal cord. A settlement was made with the other driver’s insurance company for the limits of his insurance policy. When the woman’s own insurance company refused to make a fair settlement of her underinsured motorist claim, three arbitrators awarded her substantially more than she had requested.   … [Read more...]