Lawsuit by State Farm Seeking $95,000 Settled for $10,000

Facts:

My client is a young man who was headed to work on 4th St. in St. Petersburg. As he headed south at the intersection of 38th Ave. N, a vehicle turned in front of him. He was unable to stop in time and collided with the car. The impact sent him spinning into a van. His mother arrived at the scene and took him to St. Anthony’s Hospital. The other driver was cited for failure to yield to oncoming traffic.

Injuries and Treatment:

He immediately had headaches, dizziness and pain to his neck, shoulders, and knees. He was diagnosed with a concussion and released from St. Anthony’s. He was ordered to follow up with a Dr. and neurologist.

He hired my office and we referred him to a chiropractor who was very close to him. He was also sent to a neurologist who prescribed him medication.

He was referred out for MRIs to his neck and back. Both of the MRIs revealed disc herniations.

When conservative treatment with his chiropractor did not resolve the pain to his neck, he was referred to a pain management doctor. He received a left cervical facet diagnostic block with the pain management doctor. He had no further treatment.

The Case:

We sent out a demand to the insurance company for the at-fault driver for their policy limit of $100,000. The response was not sufficient. During this time, the Florida Legislature passed the HB 837 law and we were forced to file suit. We agreed to put the case on hold while we continued to negotiate.

The Result:

Shortly after we decided to pause the lawsuit, the insurance company tendered the full $100,000. We accepted and then demanded the additional $10,000 in Underinsured Motorist coverage from his own policy. It was also tendered for a total settlement of $110,000.00.

We were even able to get some of our client’s bills reduced to increase the amount of money in his pocket. Our client was thrilled with the amount of money that he received. It was life-changing money for a young man.