$21,000 Settlement for Mother of Two Involved in a Car Accident with a False Police Report

A woman traveling south bound on Route 3 in St. Clair County, Illinois, stopped at a red light at the intersection of Camp Jackson Road, and waited to turn left.  After getting a green left turn arrow, she started into the intersection.  As she did so, another driver traveling north bound ran a red light and crashed into her vehicle.   The woman was rushed to the hospital by ambulance, and her car was totaled.  She suffered soft tissue injuries to her neck, back and both knees, experienced headaches, and required chiropractic treatment after the accident.   The police officer who investigated the car accident blamed the accident on the woman without actually getting a statement from her.  The officer sided with the other driver from the beginning and used a statement from a witness to justify the findings in the police report.  Medical bills were coming in, the woman’s car was totaled and the insurance company was denying her claim.   Desperate for help, this mother of two came to Chris Geldmacher at Sauter Sullivan.  Chris contacted the witness cited in the police report, and found out that the statement attributed to the witness in the police report was incorrect.  Mr. Geldmacher took a statement from the witness that was recorded in which the witness explained that the police report was false and that Mr. Geldmacher’s client was not at fault.   He also located a second, independent witness who corroborated his client’s story.  After fighting with the insurance company and ultimately filing suit against them, Mr. Geldmacher convinced the insurance company that the police report was wrong and that its insured was at fault.  In the end, Mr. Geldmacher worked out a $21,000 settlement on behalf of his client.