Recently, a client of the Babcock Law Firm fully settled her car accident case – all told, she received $670,000 in compensation for injuries, surgeries, car damages, wage loss as well as pain and suffering.
In October, 2008, Babcock Law Firm car accident client (Sue) was involved in a pretty serious rear-end collision while trying to turn left onto Hwy. 83 near Parker, Colorado. While waiting for traffic to clear in her 4-door sedan, Sue was rear-ended by a ¾-ton truck at a high rate of speed. Not only did this collision total her car, it caused a pre-existing condition (neck fusion) to reappear.
Once the at-fault driver’s insurance (Geico) learned Sue required surgery to correct these problems, they offered to settle for the maximum amount the driver’s policy would pay – $100,000.
Denver car accident attorney R. Mack Babcock considered this to be a good offer at the time it was made.
With this initial settlement in-hand, Sue went to her first surgery. But when doctor’s attempted to wake Sue up after this risky procedure, she flat lined and remained in a coma for several days. What initially was supposed to be a 2-day hospital stay turned into an 11-day stay and a $250,000 medical bill. Sue had to undergo an additional surgery to fully fix the cushioning discs in her neck damaged by the accident.
“We’re glad we were finally able to obtain the rightful compensation for Sue so she can have the resources she needs to rebuild her life,” comments R. Mack Babcock, the primary Denver car accident attorney representing Sue.
Besides the $100,000, Sue also qualified for compensation through her own insurance company through what’s known as underinsured motorists’ coverage (UIM).
But Sue’s insurance company wasn’t entirely cooperative in being quick and responsive in handling her claim – what we call ‘good faith.’
What happened is the insurance company claimed Sue only had $100,000 in UIM coverage. After more delay and some investigation, it was discovered Sue had $400,000 in UIM coverage (due to ‘stacking,’ Sue could combine all of the policies in her household for this coverage).
With this revelation, an insurance bad-faith suit was filed since the insurance company initially misled and needlessly delayed paying Sue’s claim.
Fortunately for Sue, her insurance company paid the $400,000 along with an additional $170,000 for the bad-faith suit.
We wish Sue the best of luck going forward and are confident she ultimately got the funds needed to move on with her life.
This case should serve to make a point – don’t settle for a lesser amount. Be sure you’ve explored all avenues to ensure you get the resources needed to fully recover from a bad car accident. Attorney’s at Denver’s Babcock Law Firm can review your case with you for free and let you know what options are available to you.