In December 2010, a husband and wife were walking to the Sprint Center in downtown Kansas City to attend a holiday concert. The couple had entered the crosswalk on Grand Boulevard just north of 14th Street when they were struck by a car headed northbound. The impact was so violent that it threw them into the air.
The driver who struck the couple told the police officers who had arrived to investigate the accident that she didn’t see any pedestrians. However, witnesses to the accident stated that other vehicles had stopped to allow concertgoers to cross the street.
The husband broke his left wrist and sustained multiple fractures to his right hip which required open reduction internal fixation with two metal plates to put back together. He was not released to go back to work until five months after the accident.
The wife sustained fractures to her right upper arm/shoulder, left fibula and right ribs. One of her front teeth was broken in two and a fragment had to be dug out of her lower lip which required multiple stitches to close. Due to her injuries, she was unable to work at her job for 39 days.
Brown & Crouppen lawyer Joseph R. Hillebrand represented the injured couple. On Dec. 9, 2011, Hillebrand submitted a demand letter to the insurance company that insured the vehicle involved in the accident. On February 23, 2012, without admitting liability, the insurance company agreed to settle the claims for $400,000.
