Children Ultimately Get $4 Million Settlement
SEATTLE, WA. Seattle attorney Chris Davis, who specializes in cases involving wrongful death and catastrophic injury claims, recently turned down a $1 Million settlement offer from the insurance company of a local business that is being sued for the wrongful death of a mother of four children.
The case is still in litigation so many specific details of the case are not being disclosed at this time. But the death occurred when a corporation's employee fell asleep at the wheel, went off the road and t-boned another vehicle at a high rate of speed. The other driver, a 41 year old woman, died at the scene. The woman left 4 surviving children, including three minors who had to be split up to live with different relatives.
A few months after a lawsuit was filed against the other driver and the corporation employer, the corporation's insurance company offered to settle the case for the entire automobile policy limit of $1 Million. But Mr. Davis was very suspicious that the company might have also carried another insurance policy to cover catastrophic injury claims. The offer was therefore rejected with the consent of the estate's personal representative. Then during discovery Mr. Davis' suspicions were confirmed after he learned that the corporation also carried a $10 Million umbrella policy. There is now insurance coverage of $11 Million available for this catastrophic loss. The discovery of the $10 Million umbrella policy would never have occurred had the initial $1 Million offer been accepted. The case is scheduled for trial in early 2009.
Mr. Davis has been practicing law for 15 years. He has written and given lectures about wrongful death claims in Washington State. The Davis Law Group has litigated and settled many wrongful death claims over the past several years.