Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog
The Chicago car accident lawyers at Abels & Annes, P.C., working with co-counsel, recently received an award on behalf of one of their clients, a young woman who was the victim of a rear-end collision. The case was heavily disputed and defended by an insurance company that only offered $3,000 in settlement of the case. A retired judge presided over a $30,000 high, $3,000 low arbitration of this matter. The judge agreed with Abels & Annes, P.C. and our client, awarding the young woman an amount greater than $30,000 for her injuries.
This case stems from a car accident on I-90 in Chicago, near the Montrose exit. Our client was in stop and go traffic and was traveling at a slow speed. The defendant was behind our client and in the same lane, also stuck in traffic, but the defendant failed to pay attention to the speed of traffic and rear-ended our client. Our client described the impact as significant while the defendant, a doctor, said the crash was minor.
Shortly after the crash, our client sought medical attention and eventually was instructed to undergo MRIs of her neck and lower back. The MRIs revealed a bulging disc which her doctor believed was caused by the collision and was causing her neck and back pain. Additionally, our client also suffered from headaches and wrist pain that negatively affected her ability to engage in activities of daily life. Our client began a program of physical therapy and chiropractic treatment to treat and manage her pain but unfortunately, she did not fully recover. Physicians recommended a course of steroid injections in our client’s neck to reduce the swelling and potentially provide some pain relief but since there was no guarantee of its effectiveness, our client chose to forego the invasive procedure and continue with conservative treatment. Her pain level eventually improved and no further treatment was necessary.
During the course of our client’s claim against the other driver, the insurance company vigorously defended the at-fault driver and never made more than a nominal offer to our client to settle. Knowing our client’s case was worth much more than what the insurance company offered, we continued to fight on her behalf and eventually obtained a fair and appropriate award that was 10 times the amount offered by the insurance company.
Our client obtained a good result in this case because she refused to settle for less than her case was worth. As personal injury lawyers, we regularly see insurance companies try to settle claims quickly for a fraction of their value, relying on an injury victim’s lack of knowledge as to the true worth of their case. That is one of the many reasons we recommend that accident victims speak with an attorney before agreeing to any settlement with an insurance company.
At Abels & Annes, P.C., we make it our mission to fight for each of our clients so that they can receive the maximum recovery possible. We offer a free, no obligation telephone consultation to all injury victims simply by calling (312) 924-7575 or toll free at (855) 529-2442 and we are standing by 24 hours a day to take your call. If you have been hurt in an accident, call the car accident lawyers today and let us help you down the path toward financial recovery.
Prior Blog Entries:
Semi Truck Driver Killed in Rollover Crash, Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog, published September 11, 2013.
Police Say Driver was Impaired When He Caused Fatal Eisenhower Crash, Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog, published September 9, 2013.