McGowan & Associates obtained a settlement for our client, a bicyclist who was struck by a vehicle that inattentively rolled through a stop sign. Road conditions were clear and dry and the adverse driver admitted to the police that she did not see our client prior to the incident, and she was cited. Our client’s road bike was destroyed and the impact caused her to roll several times, resulting in road rash which required irrigation and stitching to lacerations on her knee and elbow.
Our client was unable to participate in a summer program during her period of convalescence and developed significant scarring from her injuries. Her scarring was visible with hyperpigmentation and this caused her to wear long skirts even in the summer to conceal her scarring, and while she had been an avid bicyclist, she lost her confidence to take to the road.
We assembled medical records and assisted our client in finding a plastic surgeon who could discuss various revision options with our client. We then prepared a demand to the inattentive driver, explaining why she was liable to our client and explaining how the incent had impacted our client. The Driver’s insurer first sought to dispute liability and damages, but we were able to line up witnesses to confirm the fault of the driver. We then secured a report from the plastic surgeon that explained the different revision options to make the scarring less visible. We were able to negotiate a significant settlement for our client without the need to file a lawsuit.