Motor Vehicle Collision

The motor vehicle crash happened in La Pine at a signal-controlled intersection on US 97. Our client was stopped at the light, and when it turned green she started through.

The other driver entered the intersection against the light and struck the driver's side of her vehicle. He was hauling a boat. The impact spun her car and left heavy damage on the driver's side, with significant front-end damage to the other vehicle.

This wasn't just a matter of showing the other driver ran the light. The case also required getting the injury story across clearly enough that it could be valued fairly, first under the other driver's bodily injury coverage, and then through our client's own UIM coverage.

Once the bodily injury portion was exhausted, the focus shifted to the UIM claim. That meant building the claim in a way that addressed the full course of treatment and the symptoms that didn't resolve quickly, especially the concussion-related care and ongoing neck problems.

• Fault was not accepted at the beginning, and at least one key witness did not see the actual light color at impact.
• Our client's treatment didn't end quickly: she continued with physical therapy and speech-related therapy, and she underwent additional diagnostics, including an MRI and a nerve study.
• PIP benefits were limited ($15,000) and exhausted, which shifted medical billing to other coverage while treatment continued.
• The recovery required working through two separate parts of the case: the other driver's bodily injury coverage and then a UIM claim for the remaining harm.

The case resolved through negotiation rather than trial. We gathered the information needed to support what happened in the intersection and, just as importantly, what the crash changed afterward — ongoing therapy, concussion-focused care, and neck injury findings that didn't match a “quick recovery” narrative.

The other driver's bodily injury coverage resolved first for $100,000. The remaining portion of the claim then proceeded as a UIM claim, which ultimately resolved for $200,000.

The total recovery was $300,000:

• $100,000 from the at-fault driver's bodily injury coverage; and
• $200,000 from our client's underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage.

This result addressed the harm from the red-light T-bone collision, including concussion-related treatment, significant neck injury care, and the disruption that came with extended therapy and missed work.

For our client, the recovery mattered because it reflected what the crash actually turned into: ongoing treatment decisions, time away from work, and medical bills that didn't stop when the early benefits ran out. Resolving both the BI and UIM claims gave her a way to close the case and move forward without the next round of care feeling like a financial gamble.