Auto Accident
Our client was a passenger in a car that was hit by another vehicle. Even though the defendant admitted liability, our client’s damages and injuries were denied by the insurance company and its lawyer.
As a result of her accident-related injuries, our client sustained a permanently swollen ankle that was larger than a football, a condition known as venous stasis insufficiency, which made walking difficult and running impossible. Her doctors testified that the only way to minimize the swelling and resulting pain in the foot was to continually elevate the leg, not stand or sit for longer than 30 minutes, take diuretic medications, and wear medical compression stockings. They also testified that she would never be able to return to work because of her injury.
Her doctors—vascular surgeon, family medicine and internal medicine doctor, and chiropractor—also testified that she was at high risk for painful blood vessel disorders, including deep vein thrombosis, thrombophlebitis, cellulitis, and ulcers. The jury was able to view our client’s leg in open court.
After the wreck, the defendant died from causes unrelated to the accident, so the lawsuit was filed against the estate of the defendant. Our client’s medical bills were $8,702, and she was expected to suffer $382,000 in lost wages over the remainder of her expected work life.
All of these losses were vigorously disputed by the insurance company and by the defendant’s defense attorney. On the first day of trial, the defendants made an offer of $25,000. The defendant only had an $100,000 insurance policy, and since the defendant died without any additional assets, this is all of the available money that could be recovered from the case.
The jury returned a verdict for $604,620. Our client was ultimately able to recover all of the available liability insurance coverage, plus her trial costs.