Motor Vehicle Accident Case Results
Verdicts and Settlements Achieved by Atlanta Car Accident Lawyers
The following are just some of the favorable case results achieved by the Atlanta car accident attorneys at Ragland Law Firm, LLC. Learn more about the law firm’s specialty practice in the area of Car Accident litigation.
$1.3 million verdict / head-on automobile collision / underinsured motorist / spinal cord injury – quadriplegia
A Clayton County jury awarded a verdict of nearly $1.3 million against a negligent driver who caused a collision with a Ford SUV resulting in cervical spinal cord injury and paralysis to its center rear seat passenger. A significant portion of the verdict was collected from the Defendant driver’s auto insurer and two other auto insurers which provided uninsured motorist coverage on the Ford vehicle and other vehicles owned by the injured passenger. In addition, that same jury also rendered a verdict of over $16.4 million against the Ford Motor Company in connection with product liability claims arising from its equipping the rear center seat of the 2002 Ford Explorer with a lap only seatbelt. The jury agreed with the severely injured passenger that her seat occupant restraint system was defective and unreasonably dangerous because it failed to include a shoulder harness. All other seats in the vehicle had both lap and shoulder belts which prevented serious injuries to the driver and three other occupants. After the verdict, Ford agreed to a settlement which it insists be kept confidential. Ragland Law Firm, LLC associated attorneys James E. Butler and George Fryhofer who served as lead counsel in connection with the auto product liability claims against Ford.
$650,000 (present value) structured settlement / drunk driving crash / hip and leg fractures
As a result of mediation, an insurance company which covered a drunk driver with both an automobile policy and excess liability policy agreed to a pretrial settlement of a Gwinnett County, Georgia lawsuit involving a minor child who sustained hip and leg fractures in a crash caused by an intoxicated motorist. The lawsuit also sought punitive damages because of the defendant’s drunk driving which affected the amount of the settlement. The minor child will receive a lump sum and future periodic payments beginning on her eighteenth birthday totaling nearly $1 million.
$630,000 (present value) structured settlement / car accident / drunk driving / negligent highway construction / multiple fractures
A road construction contractor agreed to settle a Clayton County, Georgia lawsuit involving claims that its negligent road work created a dangerous condition that caused a drunk driver to lose control, cross a highway median, and collide head on with an opposite bound car causing its driver to sustain serious internal injuries and multiple bone fractures. The fact that the driver of the striking vehicle was impaired by alcohol made it especially difficult to establish liability on the negligent road construction company.
$330,000 lump sum settlement / auto accident / high speed police chase / wrongful death
A county sheriff department in Georgia agreed to a pretrial settlement of a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the wife of a man who was killed when his car was struck by a pick-up truck being chased by a deputy. The chase involved a teenager whose only crime prior to fleeing from the deputy’s attempted traffic stop was a minor traffic violation.
$300,000 lump sum cash settlement / intersection auto accident / employer vicarious liability / traumatic brain injuries
The employer of an at-fault driver agreed to settle a lawsuit involving an intersection car collision in White County, Georgia which resulted in a passenger sustaining traumatic brain injuries. A favorable settlement was achieved despite the existence of a genuine dispute over which driver was at fault in causing the collision.
$300,000 recovery of maximum UM policy limits / high speed car accident / uninsured motorist insurance / serious orthopaedic injuries
An Atlanta man was seriously injured in a Kentucky car accident that was caused by the negligent driving of a “judgment proof” Kentucky citizen who had no automobile insurance. The injured Atlanta man and his wife owned three vehicles which were separately insured by three different State Farm policies. The UM limits of all three policies were “stacked” together and State Farm paid the maximum amount of UM coverage available under all three policies.
$185,000 lump sum settlement / car accident / underinsured motorist / leg fracture
Passenger who sustained leg fracture requiring operative repair as a result of an automobile collision received a pre-suit settlement varying portions of which were paid by the insurance company covering the at-fault driver of the striking vehicle and by the insurance company providing UM coverage on the vehicle in which the insured passenger was riding.
$175,000 lump sum settlement / drunk driving crash / lumbar disc herniation
Auto insurance company insuring a drunk driver agreed to settle a lawsuit involving a Douglas County auto accident in which the Plaintiff sustained a lumbar disc herniation. Because the defendant drove while intoxicated, a claim of punitive damages was asserted which influenced the amount of settlement.
$162,000 lump sum settlement / motorcycle crash / road debris hazard from nearby construction site / leg fracture
After mediation, a construction contractor agreed to settle with a motorcycle rider who lost control of his motorcycle when he encountered sand which the contractor had spilled while working on an adjacent construction project.
$157,500 lump sum settlement / auto accident / underinsured motorist / herniated lumbar disc
Injured passenger in an Alabama car accident recovered the limits of the at-fault driver’s auto policy, plus a significant amount under her own underinsured motorist coverage.
$135,000 (present value) structured settlement / rear-end automobile collision / drunk driving / lumbar disc bulge
Just prior to trial, the auto insurer for a drunk driver agreed to settle a lawsuit filed in Fulton County, Georgia by a mother, father and their teenage son due to injuries they each sustained when a drunk driver rear-ended their minivan. The most serious injury was a lumbar hematoma and minor disc bulge suffered by the teen boy. Medical expenses for all three victims were about $28,000. A significant portion of the settlement was paid to end the Plaintiffs’ claim for punitive damages due to the Defendant’s consumption of alcohol prior to the crash. Under the structured settlement, the minor will begin receiving a series of future yearly payments to fund his college education after his eighteenth birthday.
$132,500 lump sum settlement / car accident / employer vicarious liability / bulging cervical disc
Regional waste management company agreed to settle a Fulton County, Georgia lawsuit involving an auto accident caused by one of its employees as he was traveling to an out of state training workshop. The lawsuit named the employer as a defendant and alleged that it was vicariously liable for its employee’s negligent driving under the doctrine of respondeat superior.
$125,000 lump sum settlement / car accident / drunk driving / broken ankle
Mediation resulted in the pre-suit settlement of a claim for a broken ankle suffered by the passenger of a vehicle struck by a drunk driver in Clayton County, Georgia. The threat of a lawsuit which would have included a claim for punitive damages due to the at-fault driver’s use of alcohol contributed to the favorable outcome of this case.
$100,000 recovery of maximum auto policy limit / tire failure / single-car SUV rollover accident / wrongful death
Auto insurer for negligent SUV driver agreed to pay the maximum limits of liability coverage under its automobile policy to reach a pre-suit settlement of a wrongful death claim by the mother of a student passenger who was ejected and killed when a tire blew and caused the SUV to rollover on I-16 in Treutlen County, Georgia. Ragland Law Firm, LLC also investigated and had experts evaluate the merits of potential product liability claims against the manufacturer of the tire which suffered a blow-out and the maker of the SUV which experienced a rollover following the tire failure.
$100,000 policy limit settlement / motorcycle accident
Auto insurer which covered an SUV and its negligent driver paid the maximum amount of its liability coverage to obtain a pre-suit settlement of personal injury claims asserted by a motorcycle rider who was struck by an SUV in Clayton County, Georgia.
$75,000 lump sum settlement / auto accident / drunk driving / minor injuries to passengers
Auto insurer for drunk driver agreed to settle a DeKalb County, Georgia lawsuit against its insured who was intoxicated and left the scene of an automobile accident which caused minor injuries to two passengers in the other vehicle. The passengers sustained only minor injuries, but the threat of a punitive damage verdict (arising from the drunk driving) influenced the amount of settlement.
$72,000 lump sum settlement / rear end automobile collision / meniscus injury to knee
After mediation, auto insurer agreed to settle Pickens County, Georgia lawsuit involving a rear end collision resulting in injury to a passenger’s knee meniscus.
$70,000 lump sum settlement / drunk driving crash / underinsured motorist / cervical injuries
A drunk driving victim settled his Bartow County, Georgia lawsuit after the defendant’s auto insurer agreed to pay its limits of liability coverage ($25,000) and the plaintiff’s own auto insurer agreed to pay an additional $45,000 under the underinsured motorist coverage. The lawsuit sought punitive damages because the at-fault driver was intoxicated and attempted to flee the scene.
$45,000 lump sum settlement / intersection auto accident / fractured hip
On the eve of trial, defendant’s automobile insurer agreed to settle a Rockdale County, Georgia lawsuit involving the intersection collision of an SUV and van, and resulting serious injuries suffered by the plaintiff. Both drivers vehemently contended that the other was at fault. In fact, the police cited the plaintiff with running a red light and blamed her for the accident. Obtaining a significant recovery was difficult given the disputed liability.
$40,000 lump sum settlement / low speed rear end automobile collision / shoulder injury
Just before trial, the insurance company for an at-fault driver agreed to settle a Cobb County lawsuit involving a low speed rear end automobile accident which the plaintiff claimed caused him to suffer a “frozen” shoulder requiring an outpatient arthroscopic procedure. Before suit was filed, State Farm made a low-ball offer of $1,000. A lawsuit was immediately filed, a video deposition was obtained from plaintiff’s orthopaedic doctor, and the case was fully prepared for trial. This led to a recovery 40 times greater than the amount initially offered by the defendant’s auto insurer.
28,000 Settlement / Bicycle accident / the case involved an automobile driver who failed to properly navigate a roundabout in Cobb County.
Consult with an Experienced Atlanta, Georgia Auto Accident Lawyer
As these case results demonstrate, each Atlanta trial attorney at Ragland Law Firm, LLC has extensive experience handling motorcycle and automobile accident cases. Although our law offices are located in Atlanta, Georgia, we have a statewide practice and can serve car accident victims anywhere in Georgia including Woodstock, Cartersville, Gainesville, Conyers, Jonesboro, Riverdale, Stockbridge, Peachtree City, Newnan, LaGrange, Stockbridge, Griffin and Statesboro, Georgia. Contact us to discuss your personal injury or wrongful death claim with a qualified car accident lawyer at no charge. We are willing to handle your auto accident case on a contingent fee basis if you desire.