After a 1-day trial in Howard County, our client received a verdict of $90,000, which was 12x the offer of $7,500. Our client was a tow truck driver on his way home from work when an underinsured driver struck him head-on.
Drivers have “uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage” on their auto policies to protect against this very scenario. When you’re the victim of someone else’s negligence, and that person has no insurance or too little insurance, your insurance company agrees to step in and make sure you’re compensated for your loss.
Rather than honor their policy and rightfully pay my client (their own insured), the insurance company fought us all the way through the trial. They argued that our client’s injuries fully healed long ago despite his last PT visit, noting intermittent residual pain in his back. Our expert testified that his ongoing symptoms were related to the crash, but the insurance company told a jury not to believe my client or our doctor.
The defense told the jury this wasn’t a “lottery ticket,” and our client wasn’t still suffering. They tried to make this case all about money. Our client didn’t ask for this crash; it was thrust into his life due to no fault of his own. This was no way to win the lottery. The only party making this about money was the insurance company, who gladly accepted their hefty premium payment every month and wanted to keep every penny they could of it rather than pay what they promised they would.
The jury took their job seriously and, after an hour and a half of deliberations, returned a verdict of $90,000, letting their verdict speak the truth. Another wonderful verdict for our client and another expensive lesson for the insurance company!