Our attorneys settled a case for $46,000 for a Georgia man who suffered strains and sprains of his neck and back in a tractor-trailer accident in Cherokee County, Georgia. The settlement was with Carolina Casualty Insurance Company, which insured the tractor-trailer company and driver.
Mr. W was driving on Knox Bridge Road early one morning and was stopped behind several cars due to construction work up ahead. Two tractor-trailers approaching Mr. W’s truck from the rear were driving too fast and not paying attention. The first tractor-trailer slammed on his brakes but the driver realized he wasn’t going to be able to avoid hitting Mr. W’s truck so he swerved into the lane to Mr. W’s left and avoided hitting Mr. W. The second tractor-trailer driver also slammed on his brakes, but wasn’t able to stop in time and crashed into the rear of Mr. W’s truck. The force of the wreck pushed Mr. W’s truck into a car in front of him and caused that car to hit a motorcycle in front of it, throwing the driver off the motorcycle and breaking his leg.
The accident bent the frame of Mr. W’s truck and did over $7,600 worth of damage to it. His insurance company ruled that it was totaled. Here’s a picture of his truck after the wreck:
Mr. W immediately felt pain in his neck and back after the wreck and was so dizzy he could barely stand up. He was taken by ambulance to a local hospital. Doctors at the hospital took CT scans of his head, cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine to rule out any fractures and diagnosed him with acute sprains and strains of his cervical and lumbar spines. The doctors instructed him to follow up with an orthopedic surgeon if he continued to experience pain.
Unfortunately, Mr. W continued to have neck and back pain and went to see an orthopedic surgeon, who also diagnosed him with strains and sprains of his cervical and lumbar spine and prescribed him physical therapy for six weeks. After completing physical therapy, Mr. W was experiencing very little pain and his doctor discharged him with orders to follow up as needed.
Mr. W’s medical bills totaled more than $10,000. We sent a settlement demand to the tractor-trailer’s insurance company outlining the facts of the wreck and Mr. W’s injuries. After several rounds of negotiation, the insurance company offered $46,000, which Mr. W accepted.