Driver’s Back Injury from a Car Accident Prevented Him from Returning to Work
When a back injury from a car accident causes a good, hard-working man to lose his job and become unable to support his family, we look to the insurance companies to do what is right.
In this particular case, our client was a professional driver who made his living sitting in a commercial truck making deliveries. After a serious accident, his future career was in jeopardy and he looked to Buttafuoco and Associates for help.
Back Injury, Surgery, and the End of a Career
Our client was involved in a serious accident that caused a severe back injury. Eventually, this injury progressed to a critical state that required extensive back surgery to alleviate the pain. Unfortunately, because of the accident, our client was unable to continue working at his truck-driving job because the act of sitting in his truck for long periods aggravated the injury.
With no current source of income and no way to afford the surgery, things looked bleak for our client until he called our office. After discussing his situation, we used our good history with a trusted financial institution to secure an advance of funds for the client. We also negotiated for one of the top spinal surgeons in New York to perform the surgery at a lower cost.
The surgery was necessary to remove the pressure of an injured disc in his back. This disc had slipped its position between the vertebrae and was putting constant pressure on the spinal nerves. An injury like this causes chronic pain and can make simple tasks like sitting or standing unbearable.
Even though the surgery alleviated a considerable amount of our client’s pain, he was still unable to sit and drive for long periods of time. This caused him to retire from commercial truck driving and left his family without a steady source of income. When the husband was unable to find any other line of work, his wife became increasingly worried that they would soon fall behind on their living expenses.
Buttafuoco & Associates Steps Up To Fight for a Settlement
Throughout the recovery process for our client, we were preparing an injury claim to help him pay for the surgery and recover the lost wages from the accident. The insurance company was fighting us on this case, and meanwhile the family needed money to live on until we could obtain a settlement.
Again, we were able to secure interim loans to keep the family out of financial trouble while their case progressed. Finally, the insurance company answered the claim with an offer of $200,000. After repaying the loans and deducting other expenses, the remainder of the settlement would be insufficient to cover our client’s future damages due to his inability to work due to the accident.
The insurance company would not increase the settlement so we took them to trial. Most law firms would have taken the initial offer and called it a day, but Buttafuoco and Associates will not rest until our clients receive fair and adequate compensation for the full range of damages.
The jury found that our client’s case was worth $1,300,000. This settlement not only covered our client’s current debts but also provided enough for his family to live on until he was able to reach retirement age and collect Social Security. His family was ecstatic and soon our client returned to his community and became involved with his church again.
We continue to keep up with our clients after their cases settle, and shortly after his case ended, we received a beautiful Christmas card from the family. They thanked us for the love and care our firm showed through their ordeal and let us know that through our efforts, their lives were free from financial worry.
