On February 6, 2021, our clients were sitting in a parked car, in Chicago, when an out-of-control driver side-swiped their jeep at a high rate of speed. Certainly startled, but not feeling particularly hurt in the side-swipe accident, they returned home following the collision. Later that evening, they both began to feel some pain and decided it would be best to get assessed by a physician at their local urgent care. Luckily for our client seated in the passenger seat, that was the first and last time she was treated, as she recovered fully within the week that followed. Not as fortunate was our other client who was positioned on the side that was directly hit; he was sent down a course of rigorous and continual pain that required him to undergo several bouts of therapy and ultimately three separate rounds of steroid injections, along with a nerve ablation procedure.
Following initial conversations with the at-fault insurance company, it became readily apparent that they were evaluating this case as a simple strain injury, and their low-ball offers further substantiated that observation. After filing a lawsuit, we were able to prepare and present our clients for their depositions, and of almost equal importance, present our driver-side client’s physician for his deposition. The physician opined that the impact was a direct cause of the “chronic” pain our client had been experiencing and that this event placed significant limitations on what our client was able to do for just over two years.
Following those depositions the carrier once again attempted to resolve this matter; this time with far greater respect and appreciation for what our client had gone through. The offers, although far higher in value than those prior to litigation, still did not meet our evaluation and as such, we decided to press the Court for a trial date. Almost immediately following that effort, we were finally met with a number of offers that ultimately led to our $255,000.00 settlement.
We are proud to report that this number represents more than 10 times the initial offer conveyed by the carrier.
