This year there will be an estimated six million motor vehicle accidents. From those, there will be approximately three million people injured. Two million of those will be permanent injuries. That is an average of one permanent injury from a motor vehicle accident every sixteen seconds.
Attorneys experienced in handling motor vehicle accident cases understand that each case brings with it its own unique circumstances and challenges. Below we examine three different cases to see what lessons can be learned from them.
Case Study 1:
In this case involving a motor vehicle accident, while his view of a stop sign was obstructed by a truck that was parked in a no-parking zone, a driver from a local Pizzeria failed to stop the a stop sign. Entering the intersection, he broad-sided another car. The driver of that car sustained left-hand nerve damage, and herniated discs in both his neck and lower back. He had to undergo a total of four surgeries for his neck and back and an additional surgery for his arm. He was not able to play sports, something he had previously greatly enjoyed, after the accident. The law firm that handled this case reported a combined settlement in the amount of $900,000 from the driver, the owners of the truck, and the pizzeria.
Case Study 2:
In this case, the driver lost control of her car, crossed lanes, and hit a car coming in the opposite direction in a head-on collision. The driver of the car that was hit suffered injuries to both her cervical and lumbar discs, and tore both the lateral and medial menisci of her right knee. She
had to undergo surgery for her knee injury. The driver only carried $100,000 of coverage in her insurance policy. The case went to trial and the law firm that handled the case reported that the jury awarded $625,000 to the victim. It was not clear from the report whether the full amount was recovered..
An important lesson that can be learned from these cases is that there may be individuals or even entities other than a driver who has at least partial responsibility for the accident. In the first case, for example, the driver was in the course and scope of his employment for a pizzeria at the time of the accident. As such, the pizzeria was also liable for the negligence of its driver. The owners of the truck that obstructed the stop sign while parked illegally were also partially at fault and thus were also liable.
Another important lesson is that victims of motor vehicle accidents can suffer serious injuries - injuries that can require extensive and expensive medical treatment, that can force the victim to lose time from work, and that can leave permanent disabilities. As a result, the recovery can be significant.
Finally, it is important to realize that most drivers do not have sufficient insurance coverage to adequately cover serious injury. Most drivers actually have only the minimum coverage required by law. One should thus carry sufficient uninsured and underinsured coverage in one's own insurance policy go guard against the risk of a serious or even catastrophic injury. Increasing one's coverage in this way is a relatively minor expense compared to the risk of what can happen if one is not adequately insured.
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