A bad crash on the road can quickly turn into a legal dispute — not only with the other driver, but with your own insurer. A three-year running battle between a military veteran and his insurance company over the extent of his injuries resulted in a Denver jury verdict this month, ordering the company to provide additional compensation to the plaintiff to deal with long-term costs associated with the accident.
The plaintiff was represented by the law firm of Franklin D. Azar & Associates.
The case is the result of a 2019 crash on a rural road in the eastern part of El Paso County. The Azar client, a man in his late thirties and a veteran of multiple tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, survived a T-bone impact by a vehicle that failed to heed a yield sign. He sustained broken ribs and a head injury and was transported by Flight for Life to a hospital, where he stayed for several days.
The other driver was cited for failure to yield. The Azar client, who had little memory of the incident, filed a claim to address his medical bills and other damages and received $250,000 from the other motorist’s insurance, the maximum limit of his policy. However, concern over a need for future care because of the head injury also led the client to file a claim under his own insurance policy’s underinsured motorist coverage. The man had suffered a previous traumatic brain injury during his military service, which raised the prospect of significant complications from the subsequent head trauma.
The insurance company offered $15,000 to settle the case before trial. “The company took the position that he had already been fully compensated,” says Azar senior attorney DezaRae LaCrue. “But there were real concerns about his future care and whether he could do certain activities after an injury like this.”
At trial LaCrue and the Azar legal team presented evidence regarding the circumstances of the crash, the resulting injuries, and the likelihood of future medical needs. The jury awarded the plaintiff close to $35,000 in damages; with interest and costs, the total judgment is expected to be around $75,000. LaCrue says her client was pleased with the result.
“My guy is a soldier,” she says. “He wants to get on with his life, and we want to make sure he has the means to do that.”
THE CAR ACCIDENT ATTORNEYS AT FDAZAR
For more than thirty years the attorneys at Franklin D. Azar & Associates have helped thousands of injured people obtain complete and timely compensation for their losses. Our proven track record and expertise have allowed us to grow into the largest personal-injury law firm in Colorado, with offices in Denver, Aurora, Thornton, Fort Collins, Greeley, Grand Junction, Colorado Springs, and Pueblo. If you’ve been injured in a bus, car, truck, bicycle, or motorcycle accident, you may be entitled to compensation. Please call the car accident attorneys at FDAzar day or night at 800-736-9032, or contact us here for a free consultation and no-obligation evaluation of your case.
