Our client was driving home from work on October 22, 2020, when another vehicle began merging into his lane of travel. This forced him into the grassy median separating the north- and south-bound lanes of the rural highway on which he was traveling. There was minimally visible damage to the passenger side of his vehicle, and he did not seek any medical care until the next day when he visited a chiropractor due to pain in his neck and lower back.
Due to persistent symptoms, our client was eventually referred for an MRI imaging study which revealed a herniated disc in his lower back. Neither injections nor continued chiropractic and physical therapies resolved his symptoms, and he underwent spine surgery in April 2021. Although our client is doing much better now, he sits at a computer all day, which oftentimes makes his job uncomfortable.
Amanda Sher and her team initially worked up the file. They and Crissy Goodpaster were instrumental in getting our client into Gateway Spine and Joint, whose medical professionals took over his care in early 2021. Amanda offered to settle our client’s claims against the other driver in return for State Farm paying its liability limits of $250,000.
When State Farm failed to respond after having our settlement opportunity letter for over 30 days, I was asked to analyze whether it made sense to pull our offer to settle and instead file suit against the other driver. Stephen Bishop and I met with the client a couple of weeks ago and, as a result, he authorized us to give State Farm a firm deadline to tender its limits. State Farm initially offered a car accident injury settlement of $120,000 and wanted additional information. We answered the adjuster’s questions and gave her an additional 48 hours to reconsider her position. Because I never believed State Farm would accept our offer to settle, we began preparing a lawsuit against the elderly gentleman who ran our client off the road.
State Farm assigned its file to defense counsel in Kansas City, who called me three hours before our deadline expired. Less than an hour after my phone call with defense counsel, State Farm tendered its full liability coverage of $250,000. Our client and his wife were thrilled with the news and the realization that they were able to avoid several years of litigation. Moreover, Gateway readily agreed to a nearly 50% reduction in its outstanding charges, which will mean considerably more money in Ed’s bank account once the funds are distributed.
If you or a loved one has been injured in an auto accident, get help from a Kansas car accident lawyer at Brown & Crouppen Law Firm by requesting a free case evaluation. Call our law office at (816) 670-4701 to get started with your case. Our personal injury attorneys work on a contingency basis, meaning there are no upfront costs or legal fees – we only get paid if we win.