$500,000.00
Late at night, the plaintiff was a rear seat passenger in a car that had just dropped off a passenger at one of the new homes. Construction of other homes and streets were still in progress. The driver, who had never been there before, was getting ready to exit the development. The street he was on dead-ended into a two way through the high way. The intersection should have had a Stop sign and lighting. As the driver was making a left-hand turn onto the through street it was struck by a car coming from its left. The impact was directly where the plaintiff was sitting. The impact was so severe that the plaintiff sustained a ripped aorta which required surgery. The City, Developer, Contractor, Subcontractors, and the drivers were all sued. The driver of the car had minimal coverage and if a finding was made against him alone for making a left-hand turn without making proper observations the plaintiff’s recovery would be limited to his small policy. By retaining a highway Civil engineer we were able to establish liability against all parties and reach a settlement in excess of $500,000.