Collision Case

This case involved a serious automobile collision with large damages, disputed liability, and a minimum-limits insurance policy. The file was handed off by a major personal injury firm that had little interest in resolving it — they believed liability was a lost cause and the case wasn’t “worth the fight.”

After a fresh look and aggressive strategy, we successfully overturned the liability denial and secured the full policy limits for the injured claimant, getting every available dollar into the client’s hands.

The Allegation or Conflict

The plaintiff, Ms. Catlett, was severely injured in a two-vehicle crash involving the defendant. The insurance carrier initially denied liability, asserting their driver had the right of way and that my client was at fault.

The case came with extensive medical treatment and lost wages — well beyond the available policy limits — but the carrier had dug in and refused to make any offer.

Legal Risk / Stakes

The biggest risk: the client could recover nothing. With a disputed liability position and only a minimum-limits policy on the table, the claimant stood to walk away empty-handed despite significant damages.

Time was ticking on the statute of limitations, and no offer was in sight. If the case wasn’t turned around quickly, the client would be left holding the financial burden.

Legal Strategy

Rather than accept the carrier’s denial at face value, we reopened the liability investigation from scratch. We:

• Obtained and analyzed the crash report and diagram in detail.
• Located and interviewed a key eyewitness the adjuster had overlooked.
• Pulled traffic light timing sequences and used a reconstruction expert to challenge the defense’s theory of timing and speed.
• Filed a robust Stowers demand with documentation showing a clear path to proving fault on their insured.

The strategy was simple: shift the liability narrative, prove exposure above policy limits, and force the carrier to act in its insured’s best interest.

Outcome

Liability was ultimately accepted after the renewed investigation and legal pressure. The insurer tendered the full policy limits shortly before suit was filed.

The client walked away with the maximum recovery possible under the law — no reduction, no compromise, no delay.

Key Factors in Winning the Case

• Eyewitness Testimony: A neutral third party confirmed our client’s version of the accident, directly contradicting the insured’s claim.
• Traffic Engineering Evidence: Light sequencing and timing data showed the insured’s story was implausible.
• Legal Leverage: A clear, well-supported Stowers demand put the carrier on notice and created real exposure for a bad faith claim.
• Persistence: Treating a “junk file” like a trial-ready case changed the outcome entirely.

Outcome

There’s no such thing as a small case when someone’s future is on the line. What others saw as a file to close, I saw as a client to fight for.

Sometimes, the key isn’t finding new facts — it’s using the old ones better than the last person did. And in this case, that made all the difference.