Examples Of Significant Settlements In Cases In Which Victims Suffered Fractures And Other Injuries In A Automobile Accident
By: J. Hernandez
Submitted: 2010-09-29 16:31:42 | Word Count: 646
One of the most prevalent sort of injuries sustained by victims of auto accidents are fractures. Fractures often occur to the legs, arms, pelvis, ribs, spine and skull. And with bone fractures generally come various other injuries that can result in irreversible disabilities. Lawyers who prosecute these lawsuits should realize how to determine all the loses sustained by the the injured party (including future losses) and be able to totally pursue all potential defendants and sources of recovery.
In one case a man was out along the side of a road walking his dog when he was hit. The road did not have a sidewalk. The man suffered a fractured ankle. The pedestrian also suffered a ruptured spleen which brought on extensive internal bleeding and ended in renal failure. Only fifty-seven years old, he is now a candidate for a transplant and will require dialysis until he can get a transplant. The law firm that helped the plaintiff revealed that a $2.5 Million settlement was reached for the victim.
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The next incident happened in an intersection where a motor vehicle that was properly in the intersection was hit on the passenger side by a different one. At the time of the accident sitting in the front passenger seat of the automobile that was struck was a 44 year old female. The impact resulted in fractures to her clavicle, to various of her ribs, and to her pelvis. Her bladder was lacerated. In addition, she sustained closed-head trauma. She incurred approximately $85,000 in costs for medical expenses. The plaintiff was unable to return to work where she had been an administrative assistant making approximately $18,700 per year. This amounted to a loss of earning capacity totaling over $600,000. The motor vehicle insurance policy's personal injury protection coverage paid $36,000. The law firm that helped the victim reported that they reached a settlement in the amount of $1.1 Million. Another $36,000 was paid out by the personal injury protection portion of the motor vehicle insurance policy.
A comparison of these 2 cases brings out that they have various elements in common. The plaintiffs in these two claims both sustained various serious injuries beyond bone fractures. The injuries left the plaintiffs with permanent disabilities. The injuries also resulted in a loss of income or loss of earning capacity. Medical costs in many cases can come to tens of thousands of dollars or even more. Victims may also need future medical treatment.
Skilled lawyers know how to take a large number of aspects into account including the number and seriousness of the injuries, any lifelong disability or scarring, the amount of past and future medical costs for treatment of the injuries, the total of lost income or loss of earning capacity, the sort of witness the victim and the driver will make, and even the history of other lawsuit settlements and recoveries in the case's venue. Experienced attorneys additionally know to pursue all feasible sources of recovery including not only the driver(s) but also anyone else who may have contributed to the accident or be vicariously liable, for example, the driver's employer.
In case of inadequate insurance it might be possible to tap into uninsured or underinsured provisions of any policies that cover the victim. Under some circumstances it may actually be necessary to go beyond insurance policies to other assets. In the end an experienced attorney might make all the difference in the amount recovered.
Author Resource:-
Joseph Hernandez is an Attorney accepting car accident cases. For additional information about
motor vehicle accident matters and about other matters including pedestrian accident visit the websites
