$250,000 Settlement – Cancer Survivor Breaks Both Wrists and Multiple Ribs When Driver Pulls Out in Front of Her

Our 45-year-old client was a school teacher and breast cancer survivor who had recently completed chemotherapy and was looking forward to getting her life back. When she was driving down the road on a clear, sunny day, an elderly woman pulled out directly in front of her and caused a serious crash. Our client’s vehicle spun around and crashed into the wires holding up a telephone pole before finally coming to a stop, splitting the front end of her SUV. The vehicle was totaled, with fluid leaking from it and debris scattered across at least two lanes of travel. All our client’s airbags deployed, and the windshield was shattered.

Because of the other woman’s negligent driving in attempting a left-hand turn in front of oncoming traffic, our client was left with seven broken bones. These included multiple broken ribs, a broken shoulder, and broken bones in both wrists. Our client had to have surgery on both wrists, leaving her incapacitated and unable to conduct any of her normal life activities during an entire summer. Even after leaving inpatient rehabilitation, our client required ongoing home nursing assistance for a long period of time, and she was unable to care for her two young children with special needs. Our client’s shoulder injury was also severe, and although it did not involve surgical intervention, her doctor did not believe she was ever going to return to her full shoulder function. This seriously limited our client’s ability to engage in activities that were important to both her personal and professional life, including playing guitar and dancing. Additionally, our client suffered from PTSD as a result of the crash that occurred due to the other driver’s failure to yield the right-of-way, experiencing panic attacks and flashbacks.

We filed a lawsuit against the at-fault driver in the Lucas County Common Pleas Court. As part of the case, we produced an impact video so our client and her family could tell their stories. This became an important part of the negotiating process and enabled us to reach a $250,000 settlement with the other driver’s insurance company without our client ever having to be deposed.