Brenda was driving on U.S. Highway 281 during rush hour. When the flow of traffic slowed, she did the right thing and slowed down too. Suddenly, she heard a loud crash, which was quickly followed by a violent rear-end collision. Brenda’s car launched forward.
When Brenda exited her car, she realized she’d been involved in a multi-car crash. A Ford 150 pickup had first collided with another vehicle, and the driver of the second vehicle had tried to avoid hitting Brenda’s car and steered into the left lane. However, the pickup hadn’t stopped. Instead, the pickup’s driver kept going and smashed into her sedan, seriously damaging her vehicle.
The Distracted Driver’s Story Doesn’t Match Up
When the San Antonio Police Department arrived at the scene, both Brenda and the other victim’s stories were very consistent. Both women reported that they had slowed down with traffic but never stopped moving. The first victim described her violent collision and how she tried to avoid striking Brenda’s car before watching the pickup smash into Brenda’s vehicle.
However, the driver of the pickup told a different story. He reported that he was driving along when suddenly, everyone slammed on their brakes. He claimed that he just couldn’t stop in time. The police officers didn’t agree with the pickup driver’s version of the events, and they cited him for distracted driving and failing to keep a safe distance.
Brenda Develops Severe Neck Pain After the Collision
Immediately after the crash, Brenda didn’t report any severe pain, although she was upset and shaken up. Several days later, however, she began to notice severe pain in her neck and back. She saw her doctors, who prescribed medications and monitored her condition. Eventually, they scheduled Brenda for an MRI, which showed herniated discs in her neck.
None of Brenda’s medical care, including physical therapy and injections, helped resolve her severe neck pain. Her doctors eventually performed a two-level anterior discectomy and fusion – a complicated and painful surgery that left her with screws and other hardware in her spine.
Brenda’s doctors told her that her neck would need ongoing medical care for years, maybe even the rest of her life. They also linked her herniated discs and other injuries to the rear-end collision. However, when Brenda filed a claim with the distracted driver’s insurance company, she got nowhere. Frustrated and worried about her rapidly growing stack of medical bills, she called Crosley Law.
Crosley Law Mediates a Six-Figure Settlement for Brenda
Crosley Law’s injury lawyers went straight to work, identifying all the insurance policies that covered Brenda’s claims and collecting evidence that clearly placed blame on the distracted driver. During a deposition, Crosley Law even got the reckless driver to admit his negligence. However, the at-fault driver’s insurance company still wouldn’t offer a reasonable settlement.
Crosley Law prepared Brenda’s case for mediation, which is an informal process where each side presents their case to a trained professional (the mediator) and try to find common ground. Brenda’s legal team built a well-researched mediation presentation that documented her past and future medical needs, offered accident reconstruction data, and highlighted many of the weaknesses in the distracted driver’s story.
The team’s hard work paid off. Brenda agreed to settle her car wreck claims for roughly $300,000.
“The team’s hard work paid off. Brenda agreed to settle her car wreck claims for roughly $300,000.”
Crosley Law: Fighting for Crash Victims in San Antonio
“Our firm’s aggressive approach, willingness to hire qualified experts, expertise in trucking litigation, and our relentless pursuit of justice in the civil arena led to a very favorable settlement for Jill and her daughters.”
