After being hurt in a bad car accident in South Carolina, our client’s life and health were thrown into disarray. She faced mounting medical costs, and worse, her insurance company offered her nowhere near a fair amount for her accident. But this isn’t a story of defeat, it’s one of triumph, where tenacity and legal know-how forced a stubbornly resistant insurance company to deliver a just and fair settlement.
We sat down with Alex Fadoul, one of Farah and Farah’s top accident attorneys in Macon, to learn how he was able to turn a low-ball offer into a $325,000 win for this deserving client.
A Simple Car Trip Turns Into a Nightmare
Our client was driving in South Carolina on an ordinary day when suddenly a driver swerved right into her and violently collided with her vehicle on the driver’s side. After the accident, she started having a litany of issues with her left side, especially in her hip. Previously, she’d had no troubles with her hip, and despite being advanced in years, she led an active life, including working as a swim instructor. Seeking treatment and filing a claim with her insurance company would be just the beginning of our client’s battle for fair compensation.
Fighting Through Multiple Insurance Companies
After months of getting the runaround from her insurance company, our client turned to Farah & Farah for help with her car accident claim. The initial offer from the at-fault driver’s insurance company was a disappointingly low amount of just $17,000. Recognizing that this amount was insufficient to cover everything our client was facing, our team continued to fight for fair compensation. We immediately issued a policy limit demand to the at-fault driver’s insurance and used what’s called a time-limited demand to force them to the table. Thankfully, they did the right thing and tendered the $25,000 limits of the policy.
Unfortunately, that amount barely scratched the surface of the medical bills and other costs our client faced, which is why our team seeks every possible avenue to maximize recovery. Alex Fadoul continued to dig, and with diligent research, he found $300,000 in underinsured motorist (UM) coverage. However, he kept getting pushback from the insurance carrier for this vital coverage, so he pressed on. Alex continued building a stronger case, incorporating updated medical bills and the client’s ongoing pain management plan.
“There was a lot of back and forth with the adjuster,” Alex recounted. “They were being difficult, even attempting to improperly offset the payout with medical payments we had already secured for our client. We stood firm, asserting that they could not do this.”
Finding the Crucial Evidence
When the insurance company continued to resist a fair settlement, we drafted and filed a lawsuit for fair and just compensation. The litigation process involved extensive discovery, including taking depositions of our client and the at-fault driver. Throughout the process, our client continued medical treatment. A crucial aspect of the case was receiving a narrative report from her treating physician explicitly stating that she would need left hip surgery and that this was due to the injuries she received from the accident.
While evidence like the crash report and significant damage to her vehicle were telling, one of the biggest issues faced was proving that the accident caused our client’s injuries. Again and again, the defense questioned whether the accident truly caused our client’s hip issues. The clear and direct causation letter from her doctor and having an order for her ensuing hip surgery were critical elements that helped secure victory.
How Justice Was Finally Served to This Deserving Client
When the defense team received the doctor’s letter detailing how the accident had caused her hip issues and saw her order for hip surgery, they knew they were out of time and immediately tendered the full $300,000 from the policy. With the $25,000 from the at-fault driver’s policy, our client would receive $325,000 in total recoveries.
“Once we wrapped up our client’s case, she was incredibly appreciative,” recalled Alex. “But more so, she felt both relieved and validated. Relieved to be free of the stress and anguish of seeing medical bills accumulate and being unsure how she was going to pay them, and validated that the law saw that her injuries were real, no matter what the insurance company tried to say.”
Throughout the ordeal, Alex built a strong rapport with his client. After the case, he continued to follow up and check on her progress after surgery and recovery. He was ecstatic to learn that she’d received the treatment she needed to recover and was back to teaching her swim classes.
Feeling Like the Insurance Offer Is Low? Go Over Your Claim With a Car Accident Attorney
If you’ve been in a car accident and feel like the adjuster’s report doesn’t cover everything the accident took from you, contact our attorneys at any time of the day or night. Our car accident attorneys know how to interpret all the fine print in car insurance policies to hold insurance companies accountable for what they owe. You can contact us 24/7 to go over the details of the accident and see what options you may have–all at no cost to you.
