This is a continuation from my last blog titled, “Automobile Accident that Causes a Chain Reaction brings a Georgia Plaintiff a $ 5.475 Million Dollar Recovery, but not without some mystery to the case ~ part 1,” where I began my discussion of a case that appeared to be one thing, but turned out to be another.
The case in point was a multi-vehicle accident that occurred in March, 2013 when Plaintiff Tricia Burke’s car was struck by a van who had been hit by Defendant Suzanne Myers who was trying to make a left turn when she hit the van. Plaintiff Burke was severely injured in the crash resulting in her spending months at Grady in Georgia and The Shepherd Center in recovery.
She now has damage to her nerves that is permanent and has made it impossible for her to return to work. Ms. Burke’s medical bills and injuries were catastrophic and substantial, and her case was worth anywhere from $ 5 Million or more. It appears that these facts were not in dispute.
It also appeared that the accident report was not in dispute as it stated that Defendant Myers failed to yield the right of way to the van. The complaint that was filed in the accident was based on the information in the accident report as well as conversation’s with the driver of the van and his insurance company during the initial investigation.
Throughout the investigation of the case, it was also not in dispute that Defendant Myers was at fault in causing the accident, at least not until a surprise witness seemed to appear out of nowhere who was adamant that it was the van driver, James Siders, who ran the red light and failed to yield to Defendant Myers which, if true, would mean that the accident was not Myer’s fault, but the van driver’s fault along with his company.
What became even more confusing and disconcerting in this case is that when the Plaintiff’s Attorney deposed this mysterious witness the witness was lofty, and when asked by one of the attorney’s during the deposition whether or not he could remember a meeting that took place earlier in the case, the witness held up his hands and said, “You look familiar to me but I wouldn’t swear under oath that I’ve met you before other than today in this room.”
Although Defendant Myer’s Attorney maintained that the mysterious witness with memory problems had not changed his recollection of the events of that day, he, nonetheless, agreed to settle the case for $ 5.25 million, and was gracious enough to say, “The young lady had a bad injury and we wish her the best. We felt the issues were best resolved by protecting the insured.” For a variety of other reasons, mainly to do with cost, the van driver and his company also settled with the Plaintiff for $225,000, but did not admit liability.
The take away from this case is to make sure that the accident investigation in any case is through and complete no matter what the circumstances. It is imperative that investigations of Motor Vehicle, or any other type of, Accidents are done in a very methodical manner and that is where our expertise will shine above the rest.
At Julie A. Rice, Attorney at Law, & Affiliates we are experts and experienced at representing people in many case scenarios in Motor Vehicle, and other types of, Accidents so our investigation skills and expertise are the best in the business.
If you or your loved one has been involved in a Motor Vehicle Accident of any kind, then please Contact Us today for your free legal consultation, and we will begin working for you and investigating your case to the highest standards in the legal industry.