Our client in this case was a 24-year old woman who was injured in a rear-end collision caused by a drunk driver. The responsible driver was arrested and cited for extreme DUI (an alcohol concentration of .15 or more). In the hours following the accident, our client experienced increasing pain in her neck and back, which was diagnosed as muscle pain and inflammation. Vicodin was prescribed for the pain.
Our client treated conservatively with both a physical therapist and chiropractor for the pain in her neck and back. When her condition failed to improve after several months of treatment, her chiropractor ordered an MRI of her lumbar spine (lower back) which revealed, among other things, a disc protrusion and disc bulge.
Our client was referred to a pain management specialist, who recommended that she undergo a series of epidural steroid injections, blocks, and a radiofrequency procedure to reduce pain.
Based on the information we were able to develop (through the use of an expert) about our client’s future medical costs, the drunk driver’s insurance company offered to settle the claim for the full policy limit of $100,000. We then collected another $100,000 under our client’s underinsured motorist policy, for a total settlement of $200,000.
