Motor Vehicle Collision

On a winter morning in Oregon, our client was driving westbound on Highway 26 when an eastbound vehicle lost control on an icy stretch of road, slid across the center line, and struck him nearly head-on.

At the scene, both drivers reported pain. In the days and weeks that followed, it became clear our client's symptoms were not resolving on their own and the motor vehicle crash was going to have a lasting impact on his health and routine.

The other driver's insurance coverage was limited. That meant the first part of the case, resolving the liability claim, was not the end of the story. To fully address what the crash had done to our client's life, we also had to pursue underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage under our client's own policy.

That second claim required a full presentation of the injuries, treatment, and how the symptoms affected daily function and work.

• The at-fault driver's liability coverage was limited to $25,000, which did not match the scale of the harm our client was dealing with.
• The injuries were concussion-related and neurological in nature, including ongoing post-concussive symptoms and concerns about seizure activity, issues that often require deeper medical documentation to be taken seriously.
• Because the recovery depended on UIM coverage, the case required a more complete proof package, including medical records and wage-loss support, rather than a quick liability-only resolution.

We pursued the at-fault driver's policy limits first, using the available medical documentation to push the liability carrier to tender the full amount available under that policy.

From there, we pursued our client's UIM claim. We provided supporting records and wage-loss information and pressed the UIM carrier to evaluate the claim at its true value. The case ultimately resolved through settlement, without trial.

The case settled for a total of $275,000.

That result included:

• $25,000 from the at-fault driver's insurance (the full amount available under that policy), and
• $250,000 from our client's underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage.

The settlement resolved our client's injury claims arising from the Highway 26 collision.

This result mattered because it gave our client a way to deal with the practical fallout of a serious crash — medical care, time away from work, and the uncertainty that comes with lingering concussion symptoms — without being boxed in by the other driver's limited insurance.