Settled for $250,000 Policy Limits – Monroe County Rear-End Collision
Our client was lawfully stopped in heavy traffic on U.S. 23 in Monroe County when disaster struck. On a clear day with no visibility issues, the defendant driver took their eyes off the road and failed to stop in time, violently rear-ending our client’s vehicle at a devastating 75 mph. The force of the impact caused our client’s car to spin 180 degrees and collide with multiple other vehicles. Tragically, our client was paralyzed as a result.
Emergency crews rushed to the scene, and our client was transported to a trauma hospital, where she underwent multiple surgeries to address a severe spinal cord injury and brain bleeding. Our client spent 6 months in the hospital. She also required extensive rehabilitation as part of her long and challenging recovery journey. Our client is still learning how to talk again at the age of 39.
Before we received the case, a prominent Michigan attorney encountered a problem with a Michigan statute that denies a plaintiff the right to pursue a personal injury claim unless the vehicle involved in the crash was “insured.” The plaintiff had insurance on her “sold car” but not her “new car.” The Michigan attorney terminated his representation, and we took the case.
Chuck and his litigation team were able to secure the $250k policy limits for our client. Angela Hanna, our law clerk, was able to find a Michigan Court of Appeals case about an exception to the Michigan statute that stumped the previous attorney.
After going through 4 different insurance policies, it was concluded that 1 of the policies covered the crash. Though the settlement was inadequate, we were able to recover the $250k policy limit for our client.
