Our client was traveling south on Highway 97 in Bend, Oregon. She was seated in the front passenger seat of her 2005 Jeep Cherokee, which was driven by her husband. They had come to a full stop at the traffic signal at the intersection of Highway 97 and Powers Road, behind a Ford F350 truck. At the same time, a 2014 Kenworth standard tractor-trailer approached from the rear and failed to stop the semi truck behind our client’s Jeep, crashing into the rear of it with such force so as to push it into the stopped Ford F350 ahead.
The semi truck driver thereafter drove away from the scene without exchanging information, waiting for emergency personnel or otherwise rendering aid to our client. He was later apprehended by police over 30 miles away. He was cited and charged with four felonies and nine misdemeanors arising out of the collision. However, he later skipped bail and failed to appear for his court hearings.
As a result of the crash, our client suffered severe neck and back injuries, which required multiple surgeries. She also suffered emotional damages on account of being left stranded, while injured, on the side of the road. We were soon hired to represent our client, gathered her medical records, worked with her doctors to determine her course of treatment, and filed suit in the hopes of collecting as much evidence as we could through discovery before it was gone. It worked.
During litigation, Tim Williams was able to track down the insurer for both the semi-truck driver, as well as the trucking company he worked for. Both insurance companies hired insurance defense lawyers who vigorously defended the case. Ultimately, he convinced the insurance companies and their attorneys to enter into a mediation.
During the mediation, it became apparent that the insurance companies did not reserve enough money to settle the case. As a result, we left the mediation without a settlement. However, after much effort on our part, we convinced each insurance carrier to significantly increase its respective share of the settlement offer, and were ultimately able to settle the case for $725,000.
