FAST RESULTS: $25,000 Settlement for a One Vehicle Collision

A 23- year old man was driving in downtown St. Louis when a vehicle coming at him from the opposite direction crossed into his lane.   The man swerved and avoided the head-on collision but ended up driving onto a sidewalk, hitting a sign and ultimately running into a brick building in a one vehicle collision.  The impact caused him to hit is head and lose consciousness.    The other driver that crossed into his lane was never identified.   Fortunately, someone at the scene called 911.  EMS arrived, got him out of his damaged vehicle and took him to the ER.   Luckily he did not sustain a head-injury despite his loss of consciousness, but he did suffer contusions and lacerations to his face, including a deep cut to his lip that required stitches.  Various scans and x-rays were performed but were all negative, so fortunately, the abrasions and lacerations were the only injuries he sustained.  He didn’t require any follow-up treatment but the bills from EMS and the ER were very substantial.   The man was very nervous about the medical bills coming in, and given the fact the other driver was never identified, he wasn’t sure what to do.   Months after the accident, his mother referred him to Carolyn Caruthers, who took his case and filed an uninsured motorist claim with his insurance company.   Carolyn was able to set up a recorded interview and ultimately convinced the man’s insurance company that a phantom vehicle that left the scene was the cause of the accident.   Within 90 days of taking the case Carolyn got the insurance company to agree to pay a settlement of $25,000 in uninsured motorist coverage, and she was also able to get his medical bills submitted through his health insurance to help defray the costs.  This was a great relief to her client because his medical bills actually exceeded the amount of his uninsured motorist coverage in the one vehicle collision.