A day at the beach should normally be quite relaxing. Sadly, things can change in an instant.
Imagine that a driver pulling into a parking space at the beach loses control and drives through a small partition separating cars on the other side. A man is on the other side getting things out of his trunk and is crushed by the car.
Unfortunately, this happened to a client of Leav & Steinberg LLP. By completing an immediate investigation, securing the evidence, and then pursuing the legal claim, L&S partner Dan Leav was able to obtain the full limit of insurance for the responsible car.
Sounds good? No, because the policy was only $100,000.00
When you consult with a personal injury attorney, it is important to consider their experience and record of good results. That said, Dan Leav and his paralegal Alison Fumo investigated and located underinsurance, which is extra insurance the injured party kept on their own automobile.
Thankfully, we not only discovered this but also preserved it and made a claim for it. Partner Daniel Leav recently secured $1.8M by utilizing what’s known as underinsurance as another avenue to secure relief for our client.
If you or a loved one has been injured, contact our New York car accident attorneys for a free consultation to understand all of the means available to recover from your injuries.
Working to Compensate Our Client’s Car Accident Injuries
Our client suffered serious injuries to his legs, which had been trapped between the front of the driver’s car and the back of his own. Ultimately, this incident resulted in him being taken to a hospital and subsequently airlifted to another due to the seriousness of his injuries.
This man was treated for many complex fractures in each of his legs. Unfortunately, several complications resulted from this initial surgery, and our client needed to undergo numerous other surgeries, including the need for an external fixator (pictured) before focusing on other forms of treatment.
Since this accident occurred in May of 2022, our client has been unable to walk on his own and has suffered serious physical, emotional, and compensatory damage caused by his injuries.
Shortly after this accident, the loved ones of our client contacted the Leav & Steinberg office for a comprehensive review of their case and to help the client and his family seek recovery options.
A Complicated Case – How Leav & Steinberg Helped This Client Recover
Immediately after taking on the case, Leav & Steinberg had an engineer secure the scene and meticulously document all corroborating evidence pertaining to the case. Once we received full and complete documentation, it became time to evaluate insurance availability and potential recovery options for our client.
It came as a surprise when the L&S team realized that the responsible vehicle only had $100,000 of insurance available for our client. Where most other law firms would advise the client to settle with that, our personal injury attorneys utilized a separate concept to recover a more complete settlement for our client than what was provided by the responsible car’s insurance.
This concept is known as underinsurance, written into an injured person’s insurance policy, which allows them to recover in the event that they are injured by a driver without sufficient insurance. Allstate defines Underinsured Motorist Coverage (1) as the following:
“Underinsured motorist coverage helps pay your expenses if you’re hit by an underinsured driver. In some states, uninsured and underinsured motorist coverages are bundled together as a single coverage on your auto policy.”
Each state has different laws pertaining to the amount of uninsured or underinsured injury insurance that may be carried by drivers. In New York, both uninsured and underinsured bodily injury insurance is required as a line item on your auto policy.
In the case of our client, the total tender of his underinsured bodily injury claim resulted in an additional $1.7 million of compensation for his injuries. Thanks to the hard work of our team of attorneys, our client was able to recover significantly more due to the underinsurance coverage on his own policy.
Injured? Let Our New York Car Accident Attorneys Help You Understand Paths to Recover
The road to full and adequate recovery from injuries resulting from car accidents can be extremely complicated. Don’t let an inexperienced attorney present you with inadequate paths to compensation.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident, contact an experienced team of New York car accident lawyers who can help you understand your options and fight to make sure you recover the fullest lawful amount based on your case.
For a free consultation, contact us here or give us a call at 347-919-1361 today.
