On his way home from work one day, our client was stopped at a busy intersection, waiting for the traffic light to change. Another driver approached the intersection and, failing to notice the red light, crashed into the rear of our client’s car. The other driver had been going fast enough for the impact to be significant: property damages in the auto accident amounted to almost $10,000. In addition, our client suffered whiplash injuries common in such an accident.
A police officer responded to the accident, and during his investigation he determined that the at-fault driver had been driving not only recklessly but also under the influence of intoxicants. The other driver was arrested for DUII.
When our client contacted the at-fault driver’s insurance company, the company claimed that the driver’s state of intoxication at the time of the accident didn’t matter. That just didn’t seem right to our client, who thought that the accident – and his resulting injuries, pain and suffering – could have been prevented had the other driver not been under the influence. Our client had heard that personal injury attorneys could help in a case like his, and he contacted our experienced DUII accident attorneys.
I explained the process of pursuing a claim involving a DUII driver to our client and set a fair value for the claim he should get from the at-fault driver’s insurance company. The insurance company made their first offer, which was way too low. I continued to negotiate aggressively on behalf of our client, pushing the insurance company towards a better offer by reminding the adjuster that we could claim punitive damages and file a claim in court. Punitive damages means we would file for compensation basically to punish the driver who was in the wrong, in addition to the claim to cover the driver’s negligence in causing an accident. This got the insurance company’s attention, and they came back with an offer at the top of the range I’d given the client.
Ultimately, we were able to secure a better settlement for our client – one that took into account the at-fault driver’s state of intoxication – than he would have been able to get on his own.
If you’ve been involved in an accident involving a DUII driver, and you’re not getting fair compensation, we can help. One of our expert Personal Injury Attorneys will be happy to discuss your Oregon Personal Injury case with you. Call us now: 541-617-0555