Rebekah was a full-time college student in April 2015 when she was run over while in a marked crosswalk. She was thrown onto the windshield of a Jeep Cherokee, knocked to the ground, run over with the front tires, and then dragged about 20 feet. The vehicle came to a stop with the back-passenger tire on top of Rebekah’s back. Several bystanders were able to lift the vehicle up to remove Rebekah from being trapped.
The injuries Rebekah sustained in the accident were significant. She was treated for a lacerated liver, torso abrasions, a partially collapsed lung and severe road rash. She was left with memory issues and fatigue as a result.
Rebekah’s family contacted Davis Law Group, P.S., just days after the incident. Pedestrian accident attorney Chris Davis and his award-winning legal team quickly began investigating and preparing a claim against the at-fault driver. We learned that shortly before the collision, Rebekah had been offered a job at her school. To support her claim of lost employment, we were able to secure a letter from the school administrator that documented the position that had been offered to her prior to the collision.
In addition to a loss of potential wage earnings, we also requested consideration of the loss of benefits as well, including health, pension, vacation, etc. To do this, we asked the prospective employer to provide a benefit rate/percentage of the annual salary. Rebekah also missed a substantial amount of time from her studies, and we obtained a letter from her academic counselor outlining her class schedule for that specific academic year. Rebekah’s injuries forced her to discontinue her planned class schedule, thus, incurring additional tuition fees.
Rebekah’s mother also incurred wage loss having to care for her daughter, and provided wage verification for the insurer to consider as well.
We made an aggressive initial demand for damages on Rebekah’s behalf to the at-fault driver’s insurance company. Her extensive injuries, combined with lost wages for both her and her mother, made for a strong case. While the policy limits were never disclosed, the insurance company continued to offer less than we were asking for. When it was clear we would file suit on Rebekah’s behalf and go to court, the insurance company agreed to settle for $262,000.
