Hollywood Auto Accident Victim Obtains $120,000 Despite Minimal Property Damage
A 45 year old mother of two learned quickly that it is important to take pictures immediately after being injured in an automobile accident. Car insurance companies love to argue that a person cannot be injured in a car accident if their vehicle has minimal changes. In this case, the victim had just finished pumping gas into her car. As she was driving out of the lot, she stopped at the edge of the driveway until traffic cleared in the street she was about to turn onto. She began to accelerate to make a right turn onto the highway when she realized that she would not be able to turn safely onto the road. She had no choice but to abruptly press her brakes. The truck directly behind her on the driveway did not realize that the victim had abruptly pressed her brakes and struck her rear bumper. The victim got out of the car and noticed a dent in her bumper. The victim called the Hollywood Accident Attorneys Dell and Schaefer from the scene of the accident. Our firm quickly told her to take as many photographs as she could of the scene of the accident and the damage to her car. On our advice, the victim took a clear picture of the dent in the bumper. This photograph would ultimately save her case.
The Evidence Proving The Impact Disappears
After the accident, the victim drove to our office to hire our firm to represent her. After she signed the necessary paperwork, our private investigator went outside to take photographs of our client’s vehicle. It was at this time that we realized that the dent in her bumper had popped back! Our investigator was unable to see any dent in the bumper because the road trip from the scene of the accident caused the dent to repair itself. Fortunately our client heeded the advice of our attorneys at the accident scene by taking pictures of the dent. She quickly developed the pictures she took at the scene of the accident and delivered it to our office. This photograph was the key to obtaining a reasonable settlement.
Our Client Undergoes Surgery
After the accident our client felt pain in her neck and back. After a few weeks of physical therapy with minimal success, our client was referred to an orthopedic surgeon. The orthopedic surgeon examined our client and determined that the accident had caused permanent injuries to her neck and shoulder. Surgery was the only option to repair her injuries. After discussing her options with the doctor, our client decided to undergo the surgeries. Fortunately our client had health insurance which paid for the majority of the medical bills. Immediately after the surgery, our firm filed a bodily injury claim against the insurance company for the truck. Our firm sought monetary and compensatory damages for bodily injury, aggravation of a preexisting injury, pain and suffering, loss of consortium, disability, mental anguish, property damage, past and future medical expenses, lost wages, and impairment of ability to earn future wages. The insurance company responded with a denial of our claim. They informed our firm that a few days after the accident the insurance company sent an inspector out to inspect the damage to our client’s vehicle. Their photographs showed no damage to our client’s bumper. The insurance company denied the claim alleging that there was no impact with our client’s vehicle since there was no damage to her bumper.
Our firm quickly tendered over the photographs which showed not only the dent to her bumper, but it also showed the insurance company’s client’s truck in the background of the photograph. That proved that the dent was a result of the accident! Completely shocked that we were able to show clear concrete evidence of actual damage to our client’s vehicle, the insurance company quickly reconsidered their decision to deny the claim. After a lengthy negotiation process the case settled for $120,000.00. Our client was absolutely thrilled that she hired our firm. Some people say that a picture is worth a thousand words. In this case, a picture was worth $120,000. If it was not for the advice of our attorneys to take pictures at the scene of the accident, our client would not have been able to prove any causal relation to the impact of the accident and her injuries.
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