Personal Injury Law

Car Accident Lawsuit Leads to $20 Million Personal Injury Settlement

By guest-writer

In 2008, a freak car accident resulted in a severe brain injury for a Wisconsin toddler. A recent personal injury settlement ensures that the little girl’s family will be able to pay her medical expenses for life.

The Green Bay Press Gazette indicate that the personal injury settlement, which was reached between the family and several responsible parties, was worth a total of $20 million. This lofty sum is a record injury settlement in Outagamie County, Wisconsin, topping the previous largest settlement by several million dollars.

The accident that injured the young girl, only two years old at the time, was relatively minor. A large truck owned by a well-drilling company ran a red light but applied its breaks well before hitting the girls’ mother’s minivan.

Even though the impact of the crash was not severe, a pipe rack attached to the truck came loose and several pipes crashed through the windows of the car. One of these pipes tragically struck the young girl in the head. Her family’s personal injury lawsuit alleged that the pipe rack collapsed because of faulty design by the manufacturer.

As a result of the pipe’s impact, the girl suffered permanent injuries, including traumatic epilepsy and blindness. According to reports of the personal injury settlement, the girl’s medical expenses totaled almost $900,000 in the two years since the accident occurred.

The settlement money will be paid by multiple parties. The manufacturer of the pipe rack that failed is on the hook for roughly $300,000. In addition, the driver of the truck and the truck company are liable for about $1 million of the settlement’s total fund. The rest of the total, some $18.7 million, will be paid by the distributor of the pipe rack.

This settlement is intended to cover the girl’s lifetime medical needs, which are expected to be very cumbersome. According to sources that covered the story, she will require 24-hour care for the rest of her life.

In this car accident lawsuit, the split of liability between the truck driver, the truck company, and the pipe rack manufacturer and distributor showed a common feature in many negligence lawsuits. Often, liability is divvied up among several responsible parties.

Of course, not all car accident settlements are this large, nor are the accidents themselves this traumatic. Car accidents, however, occur with an alarming degree of frequency, and often result in serious personal injuries.

If you have suffered an injury as a result of a car accident, the legal system provides a commonly used, justice-oriented means for you to seek compensation. You may be able to recover damages for lost wages, medical bills, and even loss of life enjoyment.

To learn more about pursuing a car accident settlement, contact a local injury lawyer today.

Full post as published by The Injury Blog on November 17, 2010 (boomark / email).