On August 14, 2011, Bill Smith, an executive with USAA Insurance Company, was riding his Harley Davidson to the office on a Saturday when a teenage driver turned in front of him at an intersection. The resulting collision left Bill with eleven fractured ribs, a collapsed lung, fractures to his left femur, left tibia and left wrist, and a severe laceration to his left knee. Fortunately for Bill, he was wearing a leather riding jacket and a helmet, or he may not have survived the collision at all.
Bill spent 38 days in the hospital. He was originally confined to his bed and was later transferred to a wheelchair. Over time, he graduated to crutches and ultimately to a cane. However, Bill’s injuries were life changing. Even though he did not lose any pay from his high-profile job, and in fact began working from his hospital bed within a few weeks, the accident derailed many other aspects of Bill’s life.
While in the hospital, Bill Smith asked his fellow executives at USAA to recommend a top notch injury attorney to handle his case. After consulting with the legal department, Bill was given one name – Tom Crosley.
“I could really relate to Bill,” Crosley said. “He was like an older version of me: physically active, driven to succeed both at work and at play.” Crosley continued, “I pledged to do everything within my power to ensure him the best outcome possible from his legal case. I told Bill and his wife to focus on Bill’s health and to leave the worry and hassle of the legal claim to me and my team.”
The teen driver that struck Bill initially denied responsibility for the accident, claiming he had a protected left-turn arrow and that is why he turned in front of Bill. Crosley Law Firm was able to disprove that by visiting the accident scene and interviewing several eyewitnesses. After a few months of work, our attorneys were able to get the teen’s insurance company, Farmers Insurance, to pay its policy limits to settle Bill’s claim.
Next, we turned to Bill’s personal automobile insurance policy. He had underinsured motorist’s coverage with AAA and our efforts were ultimately successful in getting AAA to pay its insurance limits as well.
Finally, we discovered that Chubb Insurance Co. had issued underinsured motorist’s coverage for the benefit of certain USAA executives. We filed a claim against Chubb, but Chubb initially took the position that the client’s previous settlements with Farmers and AAA were sufficient to cover his injuries and damages.
“Tom Crosley has been outstanding,” Bill Smith said. “He aims for excellence in everything he does, and he delivered in my case. Also, his staff is outstanding too. Robert Soliz [paralegal] was a consummate professional, as were the other people I dealt with at the Crosley Law Firm.”
