Month: July 2022

Texting Teenager Causes Collision

Posted on by Charles E. Martin

• A texting teenaged girl slammed into our client’s vehicle as he was stopped at a traffic control light. She alleged that she was only going five miles per hour at the time of collision, but the damage to the vehicles indicated a higher speed.
• The damage to the client’s vehicle was greater than originally stated on the repair invoice. He continued to find damage on his vehicle that was not addressed by the repair shop. The repair shop was chosen by at fault insurance company, USAA.
• Our client was in severe pain after the accident and went to the ER at Swedish Hospital.
• The pain medication prescribed at Swedish was not effective, so he went to the ER at Harborview the next day.
• As a result of this accident, our client suffered an L4-5 annular tear causing a central protrusion of the ventral thecal sac and an L5-S1 disc bulge effacing 15% of the thecal sac and touching the left S1 nerve root, all as revealed on the MRI. This explains the severe pain he has endured since the accident and the need for extended medical treatment.
• The accident has caused panic attacks, anxiety, headaches, and insomnia. He has been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder resulting from the accident. His anxiety level was rated as 10/10. His prior stress and anxiety conditions were under control and causing him no difficulty, but the accident has caused a recurrence and exacerbation of the pre-existing conditions.
The fact that there were minimal damages to the vehicles was raised by the insurance adjuster to minimize the value of the claim. The first attorney that the client consulted informed him that $1,000 was the most he would be able to recover and that he should handle the claim himself. The client then contacted attorney Chuck Martin after seeing his webpage. After two months preparing the settlement package, the claim was settled for $36,000.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a motor vehicle accident, call attorney Chuck Martin for a free consultation and an evaluation of the value of your case.

At Fault Driver With “Daylight Driving Only” Restriction

Posted on by Charles E. Martin

• Our client was stopped in traffic on Meeker Street in Kent when the negligent driver slammed into the rear of his vehicle causing him to hit the vehicle in front of him. He thus suffered two impacts.
• It is noteworthy that the negligent driver had a “Daylight Driving Only” restriction on his driver’s license. The accident occurred at 17:40 (5:40 pm), which in January in the Pacific Northwest it is already dark.
• Due to intense neck pain and a spliting headache, our client went to the MultiCare Urgent Care Clinic where he was treated with Toradol for pain and Flexeril, a muscle relaxant. He was diagnosed with cervical sprain, muscle spasms, headaches with radiation around the sides of the head, and nausea.
• As stated in the Patient Instructions, a cervical (neck) sprain or strain is a tear of a muscles or tendons around the neck. It can take up to six weeks to recover.
• The Urgent Care report indicates that our client was excused from work.
• The enclosed lost earnings statement from his employer shows his lost income. The supplementary statement from his supervisor describes the physical problems he was having on the job.
• His condition did not improve and he returned to Urgent Care. The report indicates that he possibly had a brief loss of consciousness at the time of the accident. He continued to have headaches in the back of his head, dizziness, feeling “out-of-it” and spacey. CT scan of the head found bilateral nasal bone fractures.
• The significant diagnosis of the January 15 visit was “concussion syndrome” with referral to the Concussion Clinic. It was also noted that he continued to suffer from the cervical sprain/strain and spasms previously diagnosed.
• The Urgent Care notes for January 31 indicate that he continued to have problems and was calling for an appointment.
• The notes from his next appointment on February 5 indicate that his headaches were continuing to be a concern. The doctor describes the headaches as pain starting at the neck and causing pressure around his head. The headaches are constant.
• His next encounter was on February 19 for a two week renewal of his medications.
• He endured several weeks of pain and headaches, and suffered the consequences of a concusion. The effects of concussions often cause problems for years after the injury.

Attorney Chuck Martin was able to negotiate a substantial settlement for this client. If you or a friend or family member have been injured in a motor vehicle accident, you should contact the law firm of MartinLaw as soon as possible. Statistics compiled by the Insurance Research Council show that people with attorneys recover three and a half times larger settlements than those who try to go it alone. This is why insurance adjusters attempt get injured parties to quickly sign a release in return for a substantially lower settlement than what their case is worth.

Parking Lot Accident

Posted on by Charles E. Martin

Our clients, two young females, were sitting in their car at a convenience store when a large pick-up truck slammed into the back of their vehicle on the driver’s side. It hit them so hard that it caused the passenger to lose bladder control. Their car was parked and not moving as the driver had just gotten back into the car after returning from the store. In fact, the engine of their vehicle had not been started.
The driver of the pick-up truck got out and told them he was sorry, that he didn’t see them, provided his insurance information, and assured them that everything would be taken care of. He later changed his story, decided not to do the right thing, and provided false information about what happened to his insurance company, USAA.
Both of our clients were pregnant at the time of this accident. One of them lost her baby.
The medical records indicated that both ladies had severe back pain and complications with their pregnancies because of this accident.
Parking lot accidents are particularly difficult as they are usually low speed with minimal damage to the vehicles. This is used by the insurance adjusters to minimize the injuries declaring that minimal property damage means minimal injuries to the occupants of the vehicles. Additionally, parking lot accidents almost always have disputed liability as the parties accuse each other of backing into them. That was the case here when the pick-up driver changed his story.
In spite of these challenges, Chuck Martin was able to negotiate significant settlements for both of these ladies.
If you, a love one or a friend have been injured in a motor vehicle accident, call attorney Chuck Martin for a free evaluation of your case.