$1.58M Verdict in Thurston County

In May 2014, Frank Ladenburg tried a personal injury case in Thurston County on behalf of a 46-year-old clerical worker.  As a result of a car wreck, the worker suffered a permanent chronic strain/sprain injury to her mid- and low back, and aggravation of pre-existing arthritis in her right thumb.  The force of the impact jammed her right hand into the steering wheel, causing a previous hand surgery to the hand to fail and leading to a second hand surgery, which also did not turn out well.  The worker continued to work with pain, using mainly her left hand, even learning to write left-handed.  She was eventually terminated from her job because of her inability to perform her clerical job as she did before the accident.

Prior to trial, the woman collected policy limits of $50,000 from the responsible party’s insurance company, in addition to PIP (“Personal Injury Protection”) benefits of $25,000 from her own insurance, State Farm. The woman also had a $100,000 UIM (“Underinsured Motorist”) policy with State Farm. State Farm made no offer of any kind on her $100,000 UIM policy, forcing the woman to go to trial.

Car Accident Personal Injury Case Decision

The woman claimed past and future lost wages of over $1 million, and six figures in past and future medical bills and prescriptions. After the five-day trial, the jury awarded $1,581,400.00 in damages. The Court then allowed the woman to amend her complaint to add an Insurance Fair Conduct Act claim against State Farm. That claim is now being litigated. If the woman is successful, the court will determine if she is eligible to receive triple damages.