Recoveries rarely exceed the amount of insurance available. Every case is different, but hearing auto accident settlement stories from the Platta Law Firm give clients an idea of what to expect in their case. In a particularly instructive case on point, the Platta Law Firm settled a pedestrian knockdown case for $1,100,000.
The Platta Law Firm Pedestrian Knockdown Accident Settlement
This case involved a pedestrian knock-down accident of 49-year old woman. On a winter morning the plaintiff was walking on a sidewalk approaching a T-intersection in Queens. When plaintiff reached the corner, there was a green light for traffic and a white pedestrian walk signal. Before entering the intersection, plaintiff stopped and looked in both directions.
After seeing that there were no vehicles approaching the intersection from any direction, she began to walk into the crosswalk. Plaintiff took several steps and traveled more than halfway through the crosswalk when struck from behind by a minivan owned and operated by the defendants. The impact of the auto accident was heavy. The vehicle struck plaintiff in the back causing her to land on the hood of the car with her back before falling on the concrete. The Platta Law Firm filed her auto accident lawsuit.
The plaintiff sustained a cervical herniation which required a series of cervical epidural steroid injections and eventually an anterior cervical fusion surgery. She also sustained herniations at in her lumbar spine which required acupuncture. Plaintiff moved for summary judgment against the defendants on the issue of liability. The Court granted plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment on the issue of liability against the defendants in full. As the case headed to trial on the issue of damages only, the case settled at private mediation for $1,100,000. Because of the significant insurance coverage, The Platta Law Firm was able to secure a large settlement on this auto accident case.
Rear-End Accident Settlement
Other cases with smaller policies settle before or shortly after a lawsuit is started. In one case, a vehicle rear-ended one of our clients. The impact from the rear-end collision pushed her vehicle into the vehicle in front of her. She lost consciousness briefly. As a result of the accident, she broke her wrist and had whiplash injuries in her neck and back. The wrist fracture did not require surgery.
The Platta Law Firm engaged in intensive settlement negotiations before filing the lawsuit. The defendants had $100,000 in insurance coverage. Given the good liability and the fact that the plaintiff broke her wrist, the personal injury attorneys at The Platta Firm would not settle her auto accident case for less than $100,000. The defendants held firm, so the Platta Law Firm filed the lawsuit. After initial discovery occurred, but before either side conducted depositions, the case settled for $100,000. If you are involved in an auto accident and want to hear settlement stories from the Platta Law Firm, call us today.
