Side impact auto accidents often cause serious injuries to front seat passengers. One such incident was settled out of court. The settlement for the plaintiff was $2,650,000.
In this case, a woman visiting the area from Bolivia was seriously injured in a side impact auto accident. Plaintiff was visiting to attend the wedding of a family member. She was seated in the front passenger seat of a small SUV. While driving on a neighborhood street, a pickup truck ran a stop sign and crashed into the side of the SUV. The pickup truck was traveling at roughly 40 miles per hour. The force of the impact overturned the SUV, causing it to land on the driver’s side.
When the SUV landed on its side, plaintiff was trapped and left suspended by her seatbelt. At some point, a witness to the crash was able to extract her from the seatbelt. Numerous witnesses called for emergency assistance. The local fire and rescue service arrived on the scene in mere minutes. They transported the plaintiff to the local hospital immediately.
Hospital Emergency Room staff identified a number of injuries of a traumatic nature. Plaintiff suffered subarachnoid hemorrhage, thoracic aortic injury, liver laceration, lung contusions, and multiple fractures affecting her clavicle, ribs, pelvis, leg and ankle. While hospitalized for several weeks, plaintiff had eight surgical procedures to address her injuries. Eighteen months after the crash, she was still receiving rehabilitation therapy.
Resolution of this case was complicated by several factors. First, plaintiff was receiving ongoing care and treatment in her home country of Bolivia. Defense attorneys pointed to significant differences in cost between the U.S. and Bolivia. They argued that future medical costs should be calculated according to costs of treatment and rehabilitation within the Bolivian health system. Second, the driver of the SUV in which the plaintiff was a passenger was cited for DUI.
A financial settlement was reached in mediation two months before a court trial was to begin. The amount of the financial settlement was $2.65 million to the plaintiff. Same side crashes are reported to have higher serious injury and fatality rates compared to other crash types (Samaha and Elliott 2003). [source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5045916/] Many side impact accidents cause serious injuries and result from another driver running a stop sign or a traffic light.
This side impact accident caused serious injury to a foreign visitor. Injuries sustained in side impact auto accidents are often quite serious, requiring multiple surgical procedures, great pain and suffering, and extended periods of rehabilitation.
If you or a loved one is injured in a side impact accident, you may be entitled to financial compensation for your hurts and harms. The first step in obtaining this compensation s to talk with a trusted personal injury or auto accident attorney, such as Bettina Altizer. In your initial consultation, she will help you to understand the Virginia laws relevant to your case. If you hire Bettina to represent you, the entire team at Altizer Law, P.C., will begin to work on your legal case. You may be assured that your attorney is a fierce litigator and a strong negotiator – exactly the kind of attorney you need on your side. Call Altizer Law, P.C. today.
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