$50K Policy Limits Settlement
A 51 year-old cyclist who was riding a charity bike ride in San Mateo County was a hit by a car making a left turn into a parking lot. The cyclist was proceeding straight with the right of way when the motorist traveling in the opposite direction cut off his right of way and turned left in front of him.
Apparently, the driver did not see the cyclist due to “sun in his eyes”. As a result of the accident, the cyclist suffered serious injuries that required an ambulance to take him to the emergency room at Stanford Medical Center. His injuries included a broken ankle and fractured tibia which were repaired by surgery.
Bicycle Accident Case (Left-Turn Collision) in San Mateo
He also underwent months of physical therapy after the surgery. He sought recovery of his medical expenses and a modest loss of earnings. He opted to settle quickly for the $50,000 insurance policy limits prior to completing all of his medical treatment. (The motorist only carried the minimum liability coverage limits allowed in California – $15,000.)
The cyclist carried $50,000 in underinsured motorist coverage, so he recovered the full $15,000 from the motorist and $35,000 from his own policy.
See how you can protect yourself from underinsured drivers like this.) Prior to acceptance of the policy limits offer, Sally Morin San Francisco Bay Area bicycle accident attorney confirmed that the negligent driver had no significant assets from which to recover further settlement monies.