One weekday morning, a 49-year-old self-employed tavern owner was driving to 7 a.m. mass. As he was stopped at a red light, a car smashed into the back of his vehicle—leaving him stunned and injured.
The driver who rear-ended him left his car at the accident scene and took off running. The tavern owner couldn’t get out of his car to follow him, but the police tracked the other driver down.
The tavern owner pursued a claim against the other driver’s insurance. Unfortunately, that driver was underinsured. With Matt’s help, the tavern owner was only able to recover $25,000 from the other driver’s insurance company for his concussion, neck, and lower back injuries.
Not the End of the Tavern Owner’s Legal Recovery
Medical care and lost wages add up quickly, so $25,000 was not enough to fully compensate the tavern owner for his injuries. He lost a significant amount of money because of the crash. For months after the accident, he was only able to work part-time at his tavern. He had to hire—and pay for—extra help at work. His life was totally disrupted.
Eventually, he got back to work full-time, but his neck injuries left him suffering from daily headaches that he did not have before the car accident.
He tried to get his own insurance company to pay for the car accident damages that the underinsured driver’s insurance did not cover. The insurance company refused and instead requested that the tavern owner pay back his own insurance company for medical bills.
Our client’s own insurance company refused to settle the claim, and the case went to trial. Attorney Matthew Lathrop gathered evidence and witnesses to present at trial. Not only did a doctor testify about the extent of the tavern owner’s injuries, but nine other witnesses, including friends, relatives, and co-workers, testified about the tavern owner’s headaches. All nine of these witnesses testified that he seemed like he was always talking Advil—at work, at home, and on the go. He had slowed down after the wreck.
The jury found the witness testimony compelling and awarded the tavern owner an additional $50,000 for his car accident injuries. Additionally, a judge found that the insurance company should not have denied the tavern owner’s claim and awarded him attorney’s fees. That meant that our fee was paid by the insurance company and not out of the tavern owner’s recovery.
A Tale of Two Hit and Runs
The tavern owner felt that he was the victim of two hit and runs. The first occurred when the driver left the scene of the crash, and the second happened when his own insurance company refused to pay his damages.
He felt his insurance company was bullying him. The tavern owner’s accident recovery not only provided him with financial compensation but also made him feel vindicated after this traumatic period in his life.
Let Us Protect Your Rights After a Nebraska Car Crash
The insurance company is interested in maximizing its profits and not providing you with a fair car accident recovery. You need someone on your side who will gather all of the evidence and who isn’t afraid to go to trial to get you the full and fair financial recovery that you deserve. Contact the Law Office of Matthew A. Lathrop today for a free consultation to see if you have a car accident case worth pursuing.