We were recently able to settle a case involving a rear-end motor vehicle collision for $60,000. Our client was sitting at a stop light, and she was hit from behind at a very low rate of speed, resulting in very little property damage to her truck. To further complicate matters, our client had a treatment history going back more than a decade that included surgery, injections, and pain medication on the exact same body part she injured in this collision. So often we deal with cases where a motor vehicle crash or other incident of trauma causes an exacerbation of a pre-existing injury. Insurance companies typically view these clients as “damaged goods,” and do everything they can to avoid compensating them for the exacerbations these incidents cause. This settlement represented a 4-fold increase in the insurance company’s pre-suit settlement offer that we were able to extract after taking their driver’s deposition and establishing the nature and extent of our client’s injuries.
We tried to settle the case without filing a lawsuit, but the insurance company offered little value because of the small amount of damage to the bumper and the prior medical history. We filed a lawsuit in order to show the insurance company that we were serious about this claim and representing our client. Please contact us if you are involved in a motor vehicle crash.
We recently had the pleasure of representing a gentleman who was injured when he was bitten on the hand while working on a home renovation project at a client’s home. He sustained an injury to his pinky finger that caused him pain, soreness, and various physical limitations. Missouri’s dog bite statute holds property owners strictly liable for injuries caused by dog bite incidents. However, this particular homeowner was insured by an out-of-town insurance company who did not understand Missouri law on the issue and originally denied our client’s claim.
We filed suit, obtained critical legal admissions from the dog’s owners, and then elicited testimony from our client’s treating hand doctor who confirmed that our client’s symptoms would continue to bother him indefinitely and that surgical repair was not a realistic option. The court ordered the parties to mediate the case and that was not successful because the insurance company’s top offer was $30,000. We left the mediation and told the insurance company to prepare for trial. It was at that point that they finally got serious, and we were ultimately able to get the case resolved for $250,000.
What changed in the case to justify the insurance company making a huge jump in their settlement offer? Posture. We showed the insurance company that we were willing to walk away from mediation and take the case to trial. We believed in our evaluation of the case and what was fair for our client. We held strong to our number of $250,000 to settle the case. That is what the client wanted and deserved.
The choice of a personal injury lawyer is important and there is a big difference in personal injury lawyers and law firms. You want a law firm that regularly takes cases to trial. Trials are the only way to hold insurance companies accountable. Sumner Law Group has earned its reputation as a top litigation firm in St. Louis because we try cases and insurance companies are scared of us.
If you were injured through no fault of your own, schedule your free consultation today. Contact us online to get started!
Our client was traveling on North Grand in St. Louis City when another vehicle traveled into his lane of travel. To avoid a head-on crash, our client swerved off the roadway and struck a street pole. The other driver left the scene. As a result of the impact with the street pole, our client experienced pain in his back and neck. He presented to the emergency room for treatment of his pain. We made an uninsured motorist (UM) claim with the client’s insurance carrier. Because this gentleman had a prior history of back pain, the insurance carrier did not initially agree to pay for his ER visit and pain and suffering. Through negotiation, we were ultimately able to obtain a $12,000 settlement for our client.
An Illinois woman was injured on Interstate 64 when another driver attempted to change lanes when it was not safe to do so. Our client injured her neck and back as a result of the impact. Complicating the case was the fact that our client had been in a car crash just two months prior and was still treating for her injuries at the time of the crash at issue. Further, the at-fault driver claimed she was not even aware that there was an impact at all, let alone an impact that could have caused injury. We mediated the case with a retired Monroe County judge presiding. We were able to reach a settlement on behalf of our client for $70,000 which allowed her to pay off her medical bills and seek further treatment for her injuries. Regarding the first crash, which we argued caused the majority of our client’s injuries, our client was rear-ended while driving on Greenmount Crossing Drive. After exchanging written discovery and taking the deposition of the at-fault driver, we resolved the case for $88,000. Our client, received $158,000 total for two crashes that occurred within two months of each other.
As she slowed to make a right turn, our client was rear-ended on the highway. She instantly suffered injury to her head, neck, and knee. Our client treated aggressively for a few months following her car crash until she was told by a physician that there was really nothing further could be done to assist her pain. Over a year passed and she did not get additional treatment. However, at some point she did return to treatment, saw several different medical providers and ultimately underwent spinal injections which helped to improve her pain. The defense argued that plaintiff was “doctor shopping” – going from doctor to doctor despite being discharged. The defense also argued that another injury, not the crash, likely occurred during the year she was not getting treatment. We mediated the case with a retired judge and ultimately, the at-fault adjuster agreed to pay $80,000 to compensate the Illinois woman for her injuries.
Our client was struck by a driver who ran a red light while working for his employer. As a direct result of the crash, our client suffered a concussion which resulted in blurred vision for which she treated for many months. She also suffered a leg injury. The defense argued that her blurred vision and leg symptoms stemmed from uncontrolled diabetes, not the crash. The defense also argued that because many of plaintiff’s medical bills were paid by Medicaid, the amount of bills presented to the jury would be greatly reduced at trial. Through legal research and discussion, we were successful in convincing opposing counsel that his position was legally incorrect. The case resolved for $117,500.
A Ballwin woman was sitting stationary on Manchester Road waiting to make a left turn when she was struck head on by a driver not paying attention. As a result of the impact, our client suffered a broken wrist requiring surgery. When the insurance company argued that the at-fault driver claimed to not know how the crash occurred, we followed up with the police officer and obtained proof that the driver was cited for improper lane usage. Immediately following our demand that the policy limits be paid for this loss,the at-fault insurance company caved and paid the policy limits to our client.
Our client was caused to suffer severe back pain and headaches as a result of a crash on Forest Park Parkway in St. Louis City. The police did not prepare a report of the crash. Wisely, our client took a photograph of the front of the car and the license plate right after the impact. While the at-fault driver presented an insurance card, the card ended up being a fake. We were able to track down the proper insurance company but when we did, the at-fault driver then claimed he was out of town that day and could not have caused the crash. We were able to pull the meta-data from the photograph taken by our client and prove when and where the photograph was taken, thereby, placing the vehicle at the scene of the crash. We successfully obtained the at-fault limits for our client. When we then tried to collect our client’s underinsured motorist coverage, her own insurance company claimed she was likely already hurt before the crash. We spoke with her treating physician and obtained a detailed report outlining how this crash hurt our client. Without litigation, we were then able to secure our client’s underinsured limits as well.
A drunk driver caused a multi-vehicle car crash in Cape Girardeau resulting in serious and permanent injuries to several individuals. Specifically, the drunk driver entered Missouri from out of state after a night of drinking, swerved into a concrete median barrier, overcorrected, left the roadway, overcorrected again, and collided with the vehicle our client was a passenger in. Through quick investigation, we were able to secure video of the drunk driver stumbling and falling on the roadway after the crash and photographs of bottles of alcohol in his back seat. We worked closely with our client’s medical providers to make sure that the medical records properly documented her injuries and the trauma she went through to try to recover from such injuries. Ultimately, the insurance company for the drunk driver agreed to pay the full policy limits available for this loss.
Nine day trial on behalf of a man who was beaten nearly to death at a fast food restaurant by eight customers. Theory of liability: negligent security & general negligence. 4thLargest Verdict in Missouri (Missouri Lawyers Weekly) and 82nd Nationally for 2013 (National Law Journal).
