I have tried many, many cases involving bad drivers hurting good people. You would think this to be a simple and short process, but often it’s not.
The bad drivers may feel at fault for what they did, although some deny it ‘til their last breath. Then the insurance company gets involved and starts to deny everything. I have a joke with my friends that insurance companies would deny they ever knew you… until the premiums are due, and then they love you.
Mary Meyers* was one of my clients in a case of “Bad Driver Hurts Good Person.” Mary was a pedestrian struck in a crosswalk by a northbound vehicle driving in a southbound lane. The driver was late for an appointment so she got around the stopped traffic by going the wrong way in the wrong lane.
Mary wanted nothing more than to get well, return to work, and recover her wage loss and her medical bills. Mary was an hourly employee with limited benefits; she lost wages and had to pay out-of-pocket for her copays and a significant deductible. The driver refused to acknowledge her guilt so the case went to trial. The insurer took a hard stance and stated: We will make no offers, we will accept no offers.
RESULT: Verdict for Mary, $212,000.
*Name is changed
