Referral from Erie Car Crash Lawyer Settles for Policy Limits

The Erie car accident happened on October 8, 2005. A young man returning from a hockey game failed to stop for traffic on French Street in Erie, Pennsylvania. He rear-ended a vehicle in front of him. The driver of that vehicle suffered an injury to her back, for which she went through extensive physical therapy and conservative treatment until ultimately she had a stimulator surgically implanted in her back.

The injured driver initially went to another Erie injury lawyer who had experience handling Erie car accident cases. The other lawyer did an excellent job of working the case but couldn’t get the insurance company who was defending the case for the young man to make an offer. The original Erie car accident lawyer filed a lawsuit and the case began its progress through discovery and toward a trial.

As the case progressed through litigation, the lawyer who was originally hired to handle the case called on Eric Purchase to help with the depositions of the parties and the ultimate trial of the case, if necessary. Mr. Purchase conducted the depositions of the injured woman and the young man who was responsible for the accident. Mr. Purchase also worked with the client and with her treating providers to ensure that the full extent of her injuries were developed in the record of the case. Mr. Purchase ultimately took over negotiations with the lawyer who’d been hired by the insurance company to defend the young man.

In August of this year, the case that began with the insurance company offering nothing to settle ended with a settlement for the full amount of the young man’s policy limits of $100,000. Needless to say, both the client and the original lawyer who hired Mr. Purchase were very pleased with the outcome.

Cases like this one illustrate the challenge faced by injured people in Pennsylvania. The insurance companies who are responsible for paying these claims often will deny and delay as long as they can, even when the injuries are significant enough to merit the payment of the limits of the insurance policy. Many times, insurance companies get serious only when the case is on the brink of trial and the lawyer involved is one who is known to the insurance companies as a lawyer who will try a case and try it well.

Awarded: $100,000 (Policy Limits)