Facts:

My client is a young woman who was driving North on US 19 N in Pinellas Park. An Amazon delivery truck made a left hand turn in front of her and struck the side of her car. She immediately felt pain and called the police.

Pinellas Park Police responded to the accident scene and they allowed her to leave to go to the hospital. She drove to Northside Hospital with reports of pain to her back and neck.

Her car was deemed a total loss.

Her Injuries and Treatment:

She had pain in her neck and back, so we sent her to a chiropractor. She was sent out for MRIs to the neck and both the mid and lower back. All of the MRIs revealed injuries to the discs. She had multiple herniations. But the most serious injuries were to her lower and mid back.

After chiropractic treatment was not able to relieve her pain, she was referred to a pain management doctor.

At the pain management doctor, she had two rounds of medial branch blocks to her lumbar and thoracic spine. But, the pain in her low back continued. She finally decided to have a radio frequency ablation to her low back. It provided relief. That was the end of her treatment.

The Case:

We made a demand to the insurance company for Amazon to resolve her claim. The negotiations dragged on and then the new tort reform law in March of 2023 went into effect. As a result, we were forced to file a lawsuit in order to protect her claim.

After the lawsuit was filed, the insurance company hired a lawyer. We agreed to put the case on hold while we continued to negotiate.

The Result:

Fortunately, we were able to settle the case for $125,000, which put a nice amount of money in our client’s pocket. We were able to get some of her bills reduced and she is very happy with the result of the claim.