Our client was driving on Tara Boulevard in Clayton County, GA, as an on-duty law enforcement officer when a Clayton County EMS ambulance attempted to turn left in front of him. Unfortunately, the EMS driver misjudged whether it had enough time to turn and was unable to make it across the road before crashing into our client's car. Our client was found with his arm through the glass of the driver's side window of his car - completely disoriented and confused.
He sustained serious injuries including a concussion, rib fractures, a shattered ankle, a fractured knee, and multiple lacerations. After enduring multiple surgeries and a painful recovery journey, his hospital bills exceeded $300,000. A healthy and active 50-year-old, our client was working in law enforcement at the time of the crash. He had to leave the police force after being an officer for almost 25 years because of his injuries.
As soon as our client hired The Champion Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.C., we immediately began work investigating the crash. We hired an accident reconstructionist to download the event data recorders from the ambulance and our client's car to show that the other driver was at fault and that our client did nothing wrong. We also identified all sources of available insurance for our client. We were able to find three separate State Farm uninsured motorist policies that provided $350,000 in additional coverage for our client. Those uninsured motorist policies applied, even though our client was in a work vehicle and was working at the time.
As our client continued to treat for his injuries, we sent a demand to Clayton County for $500,000, which was the total amount available for our client's claims against the County. The County initially tried to resolve the case for $350,000, but we rejected the offer and insisted on the full $500,000. Clayton County agreed to accept our demand for $500,000 with a limited liability release, which allowed our client to pursue his uninsured motorist coverage with State Farm.
Our next step was to demand the full $350,000 in uninsured motorist coverage. One challenge was that State Farm was entitled to an offset for any damages that our client received from workers' compensation. We were able to show that, even with that offset, our client was still entitled to the full insurance limits. State Farm agreed to accept our demand. The total amount of all settlements equaled $850,000.
About The Champion Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.C.
If you or someone you know is injured through someone else’s negligence, contact The Champion Firm today for a free case consultation. Our contingency fee structure means you only pay for our services if and when we win your case.