Attorney Brian Dumeer of Carlson & Dumeer has recently secured more than half-a-million dollars for a car accident claim client who was first offered just a fraction of the total settlement amount won.
The case originated from a multicar rear end accident on the 91 Freeway in Meriden, Connecticut. Our client – who will be referred to as the alias Jane to keep her identity confidential for privacy reasons – was headed southbound when she noticed another vehicle had completely stopped near exit 18. She safely brought her vehicle to a stop as well to avoid a collision. However, a driver a few cars behind her was apparently not paying as much attention.
The driver – who will be referred to only as the tortfeasor, or one who commits a tort – did not stop his vehicle in time and slammed into the back of a vehicle behind Jane. The secondary vehicle was hit with enough force to shove it forward, crashing heavily into the rear of Jane’s own vehicle. She suffered immediately injury as a result of the multicar collision.
Many of Jane’s diagnosed injuries severely afflicted her back, including:
- Cervical spondylosis (C5-C6 and C6-C7)
- Cervical foraminal stenosis
- Cervical radiculopathy
- Disc bulge at C5-C6 with posterior osteophytes
- Moderate-sized focal right paracentral lateral disc protrusion
Acknowledging the tortfeasor’s negligence as the source of the accident, the tortfeasor’s own insurance company offered $100,000 in compensation, which was the exhaustive policy limit. Jane’s injuries were quite extensive, however, and the $100,000 policy limit would not be enough to cover all of her experienced damages. Recognizing the need for additional coverage and working with Attorney Dumeer, Jane also sought recovery from the UIM (underinsured motorist) carrier.
Due to the extent of her injuries, Jane had to undergo numerous courses of physical therapy, treatment with orthopedists, extensive imaging studies, and several epidural injections. She also required surgery consisting of an anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (C5-C6 and C6-C7) using PEEK interbody cage with OsteoAMP, and anterior instrumentation (C5-C6 and C6-C7). Her physicians assigned a 15% permanent impairment to her cervical spine due to the car accident-related damage to her back.
Attorney Dumeer, who has become well known throughout Connecticut for his tenacious nature when dealing with the opposition in injury claims, dug in to stand up for our client’s rights. We are proud to say that he enabled the matter to be settled for the tortfeasor policy limits of $100,000 and with the UIM carrier for $450,000. With a grand total of $550,000 in recoveries, Jane will be able to comfortably afford her treatments and find peace of mind after such a jarring accident.
Want to know more about Carlson & Dumeer, or do you require the legal assistance of a Hartford personal injury lawyer for a claim of your own? Please feel free to contact us online or call (877) 795-5594 to get in touch with our team. We are always happy to hear from new clients during free case evaluations.