Client vs. Insurance Company

Outcome: Settled for policy limits.

Description: My client was injured when riding as a passenger on a motorcycle in West Virginia. She is a resident of Columbus, Ohio. She suffered a broken wrist that required surgery. The operator of the motorcycle had insurance limits of $20,000. My client was prepared to accept the offer of $20,000 to settle, but fortunately she consulted with me before accepting the settlement. I explained to her that she was also entitled to pursue a claim for underinsured motorist coverage under her own policy. I also explained that in order to preserve the underinsured motorist claim that certain procedure needed to be followed. She retained my services and in addition to the $20,000 originally offered by the driver's insurance company I was also able to obtain a settlement with her company on the underinsured motorist claim for an additional $50,000. I was then able to negotiate a reduction with her medical insurance company on the amount to be reimbursed to them (a concept known as subrogation). My client was very pleased with the results of my efforts.