6 Figure Settlement Awarded In Truck Accident Case

At Hammack Law Firm, we take pride in our diligence and attention to detail when pursuing a case for our clients—like for Sherry H, who sought our help after being disappointed with the care of another lawyer.

The Accident and Background Details

Sherry suffered a T-12 vertebral fracture in a motor vehicle accident after being broad-sided by a trucker running a red light in North Carolina. After plowing through Sherry’s vehicle, the truck struck a guardrail and then burst into flames, and he barely made it out. That showed the force of the collision. Due to her injuries, however, she found herself unable to continue her work as a housekeeper—a job that she loved and had been performing for the past 20 years.

Sherry’s previous counsel neglected to perform their own scene investigation, or any investigation of the trucking company or its driver, causing them to request a settlement far below the value of her case. They rationalized that she may be found 1% negligent for failing to observe the truck barreling through the red light. North Carolina has something called “contributory negligence,” which means that if Sherry is found to be even 1% negligent, it would bar any recovery. Given all of this, the insurer offered only $56,000 to settle the claim and indicated that it had little room to negotiate.

How We Helped

When we took over the case, we withdrew all prior negotiations and got to work. Shortly after our involvement, we received an unsolicited offer of $75,000 as their “top offer,” or else we should file suit. After a thorough investigation, we learned that the driver had prior accidents and speeding tickets, and he likely should not have been driving the truck at the time of the collision.

We also conducted a full scene investigation and found that the driver had an unobstructed view of the intersection for approximately ¼ mile and that he also had at least 8 seconds to react to the red light before entering the intersection.

The Settlement Result

Despite relatively low medical bills and difficult North Carolina law, we were able to obtain a multiple six-figure settlement on behalf of our client. We were also able to negotiate her medical liens down to a point where she netted a substantial six-figure settlement.

In the end, Sherry walked away with many times over her original “top offer.” Needless to say, she was thrilled with those results and even brought in brownies to the closing!

Final Thoughts

At the Hammack Law Firm, our goal is to always do our best to provide the highest quality counsel possible to ensure the best settlement and a happy client. While we cannot guarantee these exact results for every case, this case does stand to prove that hard work, thorough investigation, and perseverance can really pay off for our clients—and that effort is something we absolutely can guarantee.

A huge thanks to the entire team for caring for our client and bringing this home!

Paul E. Hammack