Our client was on the side of the road assisting her son because his truck had broken down. While she was leaning into her son’s truck, a drunk driver struck the truck from behind. This pushed the truck across the median with the client hanging out. Amazingly, the client was never ejected from the truck.
Upon arrival at the scene, the investigating officer found the defendant with a strong odor of alcohol on her breath. Her eyes were watery, bloodshot, and dilated, with a slow reaction to light, and her speech was slurred and incoherent. The breath test returned a blood alcohol content of 0.155%, almost twice the legal limit.
Our client suffered a torn ACL in her right knee and received physical therapy as treatment. State Farm initially told us, only verbally, that the applicable policy limit was $250,000. When that was tendered by State Farm, we demanded that they produce a declarations page and have their insured sign an affidavit attesting that there was no other insurance.
Upon receipt of the affidavit, State Farm’s insured inquired as to the applicability of a $1 million umbrella policy that they also had with State Farm. After review of that policy, State Farm agreed that it provided coverage and agreed to pay $450,000. The client will net over $260,000 after payment of fees, expenses, and medical bills. Special thanks go to Jody Gelbach, who has also assisted the client with some matters unrelated to the case along the way.
If you or a loved one has been injured as a result of a drunk driver, get help from a St. Louis car accident attorney at Brown & Crouppen Law Firm by requesting a free case evaluation or calling (314) 501-9510. 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.
