The personal injury lawyers at Lipkin & Apter have represented hundreds of clients throughout the state of Illinois, with extensive experience in auto accident cases. With over 20 years of experience, our attorneys have worked hard for our clients to earn them a fair personal injury settlement. In some instances, we are able to negotiate fair and reasonable compensation for our clients without lawsuits. Read more about one such case, today:
S.B. contacted us following his involvement in a serious truck accident he had been in three weeks earlier. His car had been struck by a tractor-trailer while on I-55 in DuPage County, and as a result, our client was thrown from his car approximately 150 feet. He suffered multiple rib and spine fractures, but miraculously, did not require surgery. He was hospitalized for three weeks, and after discharge, S.B. received minimal medical care-- only two follow up appointments with his primary care physician. When asked for details about the auto accident, S.B. was not certain as to how the accident happened.
Witness statements taken by the Illinois State Police Department were divided. Two statements faulted the tractor-trailer driver for driving too fast, and improper lane change, causing it to sideswipe S.B's vehicle. The third witness indicated that a few miles before the crash site, S.B. was driving recklessly- swerving in and out of lanes, driving too fast, and driving on the road shoulder.
Worse still, the Police Crash Report indicated that S.B. was cited for driving under the influence. Medical records confirmed that S.B. had been driving while intoxicated, and with illegal drugs in his system. If evidence of his intoxication/drug use were admitted into evidence at trial, especially in a conservative venue like DuPage County, the jury would most probably return a not guilty verdict, and S.B. would receive nothing.
Attempting to settle an auto accident case like this without a lawsuit is extremely unlikely. Insurance companies will sometimes focus solely on evidence favorable to the defendant, and ignore evidence favorable for the injured party. In this case, we were forthright in our settlement efforts. We did not try and hide S.B's intoxication and illegal drug use. In fact, we sent medical records evidencing this to the insurance company, along with the favorable and unfavorable witness statements. We suggested a compromise settlement, based on the thought that this was a 50-50 case; in other words, either party could win or lose.
Lipkin & Apter was fortunate in that we were dealing with an insurance adjuster who saw the case like we did. After negotiations, he offered $200,000 in settlement after negotiations, and S.B. was quick to accept. Only three months went by from the time of accident until the time of pay-off.
If you are involved in an auto accident in the state of Illinois, whether you were driving under the influence or were the victim of someone who was, let the attorneys at Lipkin & Apter work to get you the settlement you deserve.