A 39-year-old mother of four was struck in a T-bone crash while leaving her Herndon neighborhood. The driver who hit her was unlicensed and ran a red light. The impact of the crash caused a one-foot intrusion into the driver’s side of her car and she had to be cut out by EMTs.
She was diagnosed with displaced pelvic fractures and spent two days in the hospital before being released with a rolling walker. While the fractures healed, she was also diagnosed with a left hip labral tear. Over the course of the next two years she underwent three surgeries to repair the hip tear. She incurred more than $160,000 in medical costs.
Even though the Defendant had pre-paid his traffic ticket, State Farm denied liability for the crash and no offer was made pre-suit. Through the discovery process, we learned that the Defendant did not have his own auto insurance policy. However, we were able to find a $300,000 policy on the vehicle he was driving and an additional $25,000 in coverage via the “resident relative” rule because he was living on a cousin’s couch at the time of the crash. This was all the available insurance coverage and the case settled for $325,000 before depositions were taken.