Our client was injured in a rear-end collision near the intersection of 113th Street and Nall Avenue in Leawood, Kansas. Liability for the crash was heavily disputed, and the defense attempted to shift blame away from the teenage driver who caused the collision. After the crash, our client experienced an aggravation of pre-existing medical conditions that ultimately required neck surgery. Initial treatment gaps were exaggerated by the defense, and their 2 retained medical experts.
To fight for fair compensation, our legal team filed a lawsuit and conducted extensive discovery. This included depositions of the parties, witnesses, before and after injury witnesses who knew our client (i.e. family, friends, etc.), medical providers, and several expert witnesses. During mediation, the defense only offered $210,000, arguing that the crash only caused temporary injuries, claiming the surgery would have been necessary regardless of the collision, and that their client was not 50% or more at fault.
We continued building the case and successfully challenged the defense’s hired liability expert and convinced the Judge to prevent that testimony from being presented to a jury. As trial preparation intensified, including expert depositions, motions, oral arguments, and other court filings, the strength of the evidence became more evident – even to the insurance company.
One week before the trial in Johnson County District Court, the case settled for $600,000. This result helped ensure our client received meaningful compensation after the crash significantly worsened her condition and led to medical care to treat symptoms from injuries caused in the collision, which were thrust into our client’s life through no fault of her own.
