Ohio Car Accident Attorney

INSURER REFUSED TO PAY LIMITS | CUYAHOGA COUNTY CAR ACCIDENT LAWYER.

Cuyahoga County jury verdict for driver injured in a collision where insurer refused to pay policy limits of $100,000 to settle the claim. Jury verdict of $260,000 forced insurer to pay in excess of policy limits. It is our opinion that the insurance company ended up paying more than policy limits because they did not want a bad faith lawsuit against them from their own insured for not settling within policy limits when they had a chance. This is the risk insurance companies take when they do not pay policy limits on cases that are clearly policy limit cases. Litigation co-counsel was Joe Joseph of Cleveland Ohio.

Jury Verdict: $260,000

MAN HIT FROM BEHIND; SURGICAL NECK CASE.

Our client was a 43 year old man from Cleveland Ohio, who was involved in an accident in Newton Ohio. Our client was driving on the Ohio turnpike when he slowed down to avoid a tarp in the road. He was then hit from behind be another car and suffered several injuries including a neck injury which required surgery to repair. The client made a full recovery. A lawsuit was filed and a settlement reached before trial. Litigation co-counsel was Lynn Lazarro.

Settlement: $250,000.00 October 2014

FRACTURED KNEE AND WRIST / PARMA, OHIO, PERSONAL INJURY LAWYERS.

Our client, a 77-year-old woman from Parma, Ohio, was T-boned by another car. She suffered a fractured right knee and a fractured wrist. Chester Law Group Co. LPA was able to settle the claim for $250,000.

Awarded: $250,000

HEEL AND ANKLE INJURIES: $247,500 | CANTON CAR ACCIDENT LAWYERS.

Canton woman involved in serious auto accident. Client suffered heel and ankle injuries requiring multiple surgeries. The auto insurance company was reluctant to pay what we considered to be a fair amount until the threat of litigation made them reconsider. Lower leg injuries are specially dangerous because they can severely limit a person’s ability to walk. If you cannot walk, you may not be able to work. These injuries also can take a long time to heal, because people cannot help but put pressure on the leg at times, and this can slow down the healing process. Even with crutches, healing can be a slow, painful process. Also, hairline bone fractures may not show up right away on X-rays in my experience, and so it is important to keep your doctor up to date on how you are feeling. Additional tests may be necessary. Sometimes the doctor orders a CT scan to find the hairline fracture missed by X-rays. CT, or Cat Scan, is a sophisticated, computer controlled X-ray. It finds fractures missed by traditional X-rays.

Awarded: $247,500

MULTIPLE INJURIES FROM BEING REAR-ENDED | BRECKSVILLE CAR CRASH LAWYER.

42-year-old female suffered multiple injuries when she was rear-ended in Brecksville. Client saw multiple doctors and was in treatment for an extended period of time.

Awarded: $145,000

SHOULDER AND BACK INJURIES | CUYAHOGA COUNTY CAR ACCIDENT LAWYER.

A 64-year-old Cuyahoga County man received nonsurgical neck, shoulder and back injuries when he was rear-ended and subsequently pushed into a third vehicle. The client was in treatment for an extended period of time, and treated by several local doctors. These types of double impacts can cause serious bodily damage. The body is first struck from behind pushing it backwards, then it is struck from the front pushing the body forward. This back and forth “see-saw” motion can force the body to move in ways it was not meant to move. The result are serious neck and back injuries that may not be able to be fixed and may never totally heal.

Awarded: $105,050

SHOULDER TEAR REQUIRING SURGERY | LORAIN CAR ACCIDENT ATTORNEY.

A 41-year-old Lorain man was injured when his vehicle was struck by a vehicle that changed lanes without caution. Client suffered a shoulder tear that required surgery. The recovery was painful, and the client’s quality of life was interrupted for a period of time. When a client tears a muscle, ligament, tendon or disc, the pain can be tremendous. This pain and suffering is a part of the personal injury case. This can be the main reason that a person gets such a large award. The intensity, frequency and duration of physical pain and emotional suffering helps determine for a jury how much to award a client.

Awarded: $100,000 (policy limit)

BACK, NECK AND HIP INJURIES | OHIO PERSONAL INJURY LAW FIRM.

$100,000 (policy limits). Client’s vehicle was struck on the driver’s side of his vehicle causing his vehicle to land in a ditch. Client suffered back, neck and hip injuries. We would have attempted to receive more money for this client, but the defendant had no assets and no additional auto insurance was available. In other words, the defendant was not collectible beyond the automobile policy limits. This case is a good example of why it is such a good idea to have a large Uninsured Motorist policy, to protect yourself when the party at fault does not have enough auto insurance to cover all the damages surrounding your injuries.

Awarded: $100,000 (policy limit)

MULTIPLE DISC HERNIATIONS | SUMMIT COUNTY CAR ACCIDENT LAWYER.

45-year-old Summit County man with multiple disc herniations due to auto accident requiring surgery. Herniated discs can be very painful because the discs have nerves in them and the discs end up pressing on nerves that come off the spinal cord and go to vital parts of the body. Disc injuries can cause nerve damage, which can be detected with neurological tests such as the EMG and NCV. In serious cases, the herniated disc material can press on the spinal cord, causing major pain and disruption of life.

Awarded: $100,000 (policy limits)

MULTIPLE HERNIATIONS REQUIRING SURGERY | MEDINA CAR ACCIDENT LAWYER.

47-year-old Medina female suffered multiple herniations that required surgery after she was rear-ended on State Route 43 in Streetsboro.

Herniated discs can be quite painful, and many times require surgery to reduce the pressure that the herniated discs put upon the nerves coming off the spinal cord, as well as the spinal cord itself. When the disc is herniated, it blocks the nerve from exiting the hole in the vertebrae, called the foramen. This is know as neuroforaminal encroachment, better known as a “pinched nerve.” Repeated damage to the nerve can cause permanent damage, and this is a real danger of having a “pinched nerve.”

Awarded: $100,000 (policy limits)

REAR-ENDED | SUMMIT COUNTY CAR ACCIDENT.

A 37-year-old man from Maple Heights was rear-ended by a man from Ravenna. The accident occurred on Fishcreek Rd in Stow. He suffered minor spinal injuries.

Awarded: $100,000

VEHICLE SIDE-SWIPED COLLISION | NORTHEAST OHIO CAR ACCIDENT LAWYER.

Client suffered multiple injuries when his vehicle was side-swiped by a vehicle that did not stop at a stop sign. Side-swipe accidents are very dangerous because they impact the side of the vehicle. There is not much metal between the car hitting you and your body, except a small door panel. This is a main reason we see serious injuries arise from side-swipe impacts.

Awarded: $95,000

REAR-END IMPACT | NORTHEAST OHIO CAR ACCIDENT ATTORNEYS.

Settlement for client who was rear-ended causing the air bags to deploy. Client suffered a laceration to head, fracture of right iliac bone, labral tear, and nondisplaced fracture through right socket of the hip joint. Rear-impact accidents cause serious injuries because the client’s head is thrown back and forth in the vehicle. In addition, the seat moves back and forth creating a ramping motion that can shear the cervical discs and even vertebrae. The impact from the party at fault can travel right into the client’s body, causing broken bones, etc. We have seen serious injuries occur in rear-impact accidents at speeds as low as 10 mph. The bumper will absorb the impact and not even look like there was an impact at all, but the occupants are seriously injured. Sort of like the eggs in an egg carton. The outside of the egg carton looks fine, but you always check the eggs anyway, because they can be damaged even when the carton looks fine.

Awarded: $90,000

CLOSED HEAD INJURY | TOLEDO CAR ACCIDENT LAWYERS.

Toledo man suffered closed head injury and stitches after motor vehicle collision. According to the Center for Disease Control, a person can receive a closed head injury even if his or her head does not hit anything in the vehicle. Just the violent back and forth movement that occurs in a collision can move the brain so quickly inside the skull that brain damage results. Auto insurance companies almost always look for an impact to show closed head injury, but that is not necessary according to the United States Federal Government. Don’t let an auto insurance adjuster tell you that you cannot have a closed head injury because you did not strike your head on the dashboard or steering wheel. Remember, they are usually not doctors.

Awarded: $89,000

VEHICLE FAILED TO YIELD | LAKE COUNTY CAR ACCIDENT LAWYERS.

71-year-old Lake County male injured while a passenger in a vehicle when another vehicle failed to yield. He suffered injuries to his ribs, chest and head which required multiple trigger point injections, physical therapy and a splint.

Such injuries are fairly common when a negligent driver hits our clients at high speeds. People forget how dangerous car and trucks really are. A typical vehicle on Ohio roads can weigh between 2,000 and 6,000 pounds, and when that force hits a soft human body, the injuries can be surprising. By wearing a seat belt, many of the injuries can be reduced or eliminated. Trigger point injections are used to help muscles that are spasming to relax. They are usually administered by a pain management specialist. This is a medical doctor who has undergone special training on how to reduce pain. Many family doctors refer their patients to pain management doctors when they cannot adequately manage the patient’s pain symptoms.

Awarded: $85,000

FAILURE TO STOP AT STOP SIGN | OHIO CAR CRASH LAWYERS.

Female client injured when struck by a vehicle that failed to yield at a stop sign. Client treated with local doctors for multiple injuries. Stop sign collisions can cause serious injuries because the impact usually occurs on the side of the car, which is not very well protected. The full impact of the blow travels through the door and into the client’s body. Any time a car actually makes impact with a human body, and is not buffered by tons of steel, the results can be devastating. Just look at what happens when pedestrians or motorcycle drivers are hit by cars. Without the protection of the front or back of the car to absorb most of the impact, the two-ton car can easily kill a person. The same is true for side impact accidents, like the stop sign collision. The little door is little protection against a two-ton car traveling at high speed.

Awarded: $80,000

WOMAN RUNS STOP SIGN | WARREN COUNTY CAR ACCIDENT.

On County Road 23 in Wayne Township a 39-year-old Wooster woman was in an accident when a Wooster woman failed to stop at a stop sign. She sustained sprains and strains in the accident.

Awarded: $60,000

REAR-END COLLISION | AKRON CAR ACCIDENT LAWYERS.

48-year-old Akron woman who suffered a nonsurgical disc herniation in a rear-end collision. Treatment included multiple trigger point injections, PT and a splint. A herniated disc injury can be very serious. The disc itself has nerves that can cause local pain. If the disc presses on one of the nerves coming off of the spinal cord, this “impingement” can damage the nerve and cause numbness and tingling down the arms or legs, depending on where the disc injury is located along the spine. If the disc is pressing on the spinal cord, serious medical complications can arise. Doctors call discs that have flattened out either bulging, protruding or herniated. There is much debate among doctors as to which term is appropriate, but they all refer to a disc that is flattened out beyond where it should be. Radiologists use MRIs to diagnose herniated discs, and they concern themselves with how large the herniation is and what functional damage it is causing, regardless of what they call it.

It is a common misconception that if a herniated disc is not impinging on a nerve it is not serious. The pain caused inside the disc can be tremendous, and can limit activities of life greatly. Actually, unless you are a flute player or do detailed work with your hands, impingement on a nerve may not be so important to you as the unbearable pain in your neck and back caused by the herniated disc itself, aside from secondary damage to the extremities. Of course any “radiculopathy” or radiating pain into the arms or legs is serious and should be treated immediately.

Awarded: $57,500

SIDESWIPED SUFFERS FROM SPRAINS | WAYNE COUNTY CAR ACCIDENT.

A 50-year-old man from Creston was sideswiped on N. Main St. in Creston, when a Holmesville man was too far over in the lane. He suffered minor sprains and strains.

Awarded: $42,000

KNEE INJURIES | MAHONING COUNTY CAR ACCIDENT.

A 42-year-old Niles woman was rear-ended on US 224 in Canfield. The driver was a man from Columbus. She suffered minor knee injuries.

Awarded: $39,500

PASSENGER SUFFERS SPRAINS | MAHONING COUNTY CAR ACCIDENT.

A Youngstown man was the passenger in a vehicle when the driver lost control and hit a pole. The 22-year-old was treated for minor sprains, strains and contusions.

Awarded: $35,000

HERNIATED DISC | CUYAHOGA COUNTY CAR ACCIDENT.

An East Sparta woman was involved in an accident on Lorain Rd. in North Olmsted. The 41-year-old suffered a herniated disc when a Westlake man changed lanes striking her vehicle.

Awarded: $35,000

SPRAINS AND CONTUSIONS | LAKE COUNTY CAR ACCIDENT.

There was a three-car accident on SR 2 in Painesville involving a 40-year-old man from Geneva and a woman from Perry. He suffered sprains and contusions when the other car rear-ended his truck.

Awarded: $35,000

THREE-CAR ACCIDENT | CUYAHOGA COUNTY CAR ACCIDENT.

A 48-year-old man from Strongsville was rear-ended in a three-car accident on I-71 in Cleveland. A Bedford female ran into the back of him forcing him to hit another vehicle. He received multiple sprains and strains from the injury.

Awarded: $33,000

THREE-CAR PILE-UP | STARK COUNTY CAR ACCIDENT.

A 48-year-old woman from Canton was in an accident on US 62 in Plain Township. She was rear-ended when a woman from Louisville hit the car behind her driven by a man from Canton. She suffered minor sprains and strains.

Awarded: $30,000

FAILURE TO YIELD CAUSES CERVICAL SPRAIN | TRUMBULL COUNTY CAR ACCIDENT.

A 24-year-old female from Niles was involved in an accident when a Fairlawn female failed to yield and turned in front of her. The accident occurred on US 422 in Niles, Ohio. She suffered multiple cervical sprains and strains.

Awarded: $29,000

MULTIPLE SPRAINS AND STRAINS | SUMMIT COUNTY OHIO CAR ACCIDENT ATTORNEY.

A 43-year-old female from Summit County was in an accident on Ridgewood Rd. in Copley. The Bath woman was rear-ended and suffered multiple sprains and strains. In 2009, according to the ODPS, there were 81,078 accidents where a vehicle was rear-ended. Of those accidents there was a total of 32,813 injuries. Rear-impact collisions are very dangerous because the forces placed on the occupants’ neck and back are tremendous. The seat bends and flexes and creates a ramping effect that can generate shearing forces that cause severe sprain strains or worse. Here, luckily, there were no catastrophic injuries. However, even sore necks and other sprain strain injuries can take months or years to heal, with the resulting scar tissue and ligament laxity leaving lifetime stiffness or soreness, specially during exercise, in the morning, etc. Just because someone suffers a “sprain strain” injury does not mean they it is minor or that the person will always recover in a few weeks or that they will fully recover at all.

Awarded: $28,000

MINOR STRAINS AND SPRAINS | TUSCARAWAS COUNTY CAR ACCIDENT.

At the corner of SR252 and Spieth Rd. in York an 18-year-old female from Brunswick was involved in a two-car accident, with a man from Valley City where the other vehicle turned in front of her. After the accident she was taken to the hospital via EMS where she was treated for sprains and strains.

Awarded: $15,000

CAR ACCIDENT: ELDERLY MICHIGAN RESIDENT KILLED IN ONE-CAR ACCIDENT. OVER $1 MILLION IN ECONOMIC DAMAGES.

Our client, an elderly Michigan man, was killed when his friend lost control of the vehicle the friend was driving in Ohio. Our client left behind a loving wife and daughter. Economic damages, such as lost wages, were over $1 million. The insurance company for the party at fault fought liability and injury causation during litigation but a settlement was reached in January 2014 just before trial. Litigation co-counsel was Tom Haskins.

Settlement: $650,000.00 – January 2014