A New Jersey woman who rejected a $50,000 insurance settlement from State Farm after she suffered permanent neck and spine injuries following an automobile accident was awarded $2.75 million on Feb. 3. Her husband’s loss was recognized as well with an award of $750,000.
The accident occurred on Sept. 16, 2010 in Warren County. A woman crossed the center line and hit the other woman head-on.
The trial occurred in Somerset County, and it was one of the largest awards for personal injury that a jury in that county had ever given. The attorney for the injured woman stated that the insurance company had tried to trivialize the woman’s injuries with their settlement offer and that this was an ongoing problem with insurance companies. In contrast, the attorney expressed gratitude for the jury’s recognition of the plaintiffs’ suffering.
Individuals who are injured in a motor vehicle accident may wish to consult an attorney because although insurance companies may offer to pay out, they may not offer enough to cover the cost of injuries and loss of income. Furthermore, the amounts offered might fail to address the degree of financial difficulty a long-term or permanent injury can cause to the life of an individual and to the individual’s loved ones.
Because of this, it may be important for the victim of an accident to contact an attorney. By litigating a case in court, an attorney may be able to help a client receives a sufficient sum to cover medical expenses, ongoing rehabilitation and loss of income.
Source: NJ.com, “Somerset jury awards couple $3.5 million for injuries in car crash,” Dave Hutchinson, Feb. 5, 2015
