An emergency room doctor is usually the one providing lifesaving medical care for the community’s injured people. But in this bicycle vs. auto accident story, the doctor is the injured patient!
A 32-year old ER doctor was riding his bicycle near the intersection of Arguello Boulevard and Cornwall Street in San Francisco, California. Suddenly, a car made an abrupt left turn through the intersection and struck him, knocking him off his bike.
Severe Trauma for This Injured Cyclist
The doctor suffered severe injuries in the crash, including a fractured hip that led to compartment syndrome. Compartment syndrome occurs when a blunt force trauma or crushing blow causes deep fractures and bruising. It’s a slow-healing injury that typically extends a patient’s recovery time significantly.
As you can imagine, these injuries left the doctor with an extremely painful, traumatic, and drawn-out health situation. Although he tried to focus on resting and recovering from his injuries, the huge distraction of an insurance claim nagged at him.
His medical bills were starting to stack up, plus he discovered that the other person’s insurance company was blaming him for the accident. He was quickly becoming overwhelmed with all of the paperwork and hassle, so he contacted Sally Morin Personal Injury Lawyers to talk about his case.
Bicyclists Often Face Challenges to Compensation
Have you ever noticed that cyclists in California face a burden of scorn and stereotypes? Vehicle drivers often think they own the roads and cyclists should stay out of the way, despite numerous laws supporting cyclists’ rights to share the road.
This case was no exception. The driver who hit our cyclist client disputed liability, blaming him for failing to have proper lights on his bicycle. But a lack of bicycle lights doesn’t give someone the right to ram into a cyclist!
Another challenge was that the doctor’s own health insurance plan included strict rules for reimbursement. It meant he’d need extensive documentation to convince the health insurance company to pay for treating his injuries.
The team at Sally Morin Personal Injury Lawyers stepped in to help and started by fully documenting the doctor’s pain and suffering. We also put a proper value on his significant loss of earnings from being out of work during his recovery period. We helped him gather overwhelming evidence that proved his damages and maximized his case value.
Our law office pushed the insurance companies to cover the accident to the fullest extent of the policy limits, despite the liability dispute. We also worked with his healthcare providers to negotiate his medical bills down and reduce the total amount he owed.
The Result: $300,000 Settlement and Less Stress
In the end, our client gained a $300,000 settlement that alleviated his stress and allowed him to focus on getting his life back to normal. He ended up with $110,000 in his pocket after paying his medical bills, and he was glad he hired us.
Here’s something you should know about Sally Morin Personal Injury Lawyers: Most of us are avid cyclists. We understand what it’s like to ride among vehicle drivers who care little for your safety. We cycle along California’s streets every day!
That’s why we’ll work passionately to help you after someone hits you on your bicycle. You could secure a valuable settlement that eases your stress and allows you to finally focus on moving forward from your bike accident.
We Handle Your Personal Injury Claim So You Can Focus on Your Life
After an injury, contact the attorneys at Sally Morin Personal Injury Lawyers. We handle many areas of the law, including bicycle accidents and car accidents. We believe you should be able to focus on recovering while we handle the legal details.
We truly care about the people of California. Contact us today for a free online case evaluation.
