Victim of Drunk Driving Crash Recovers $1.6 Million

While driving home on US1, Mike Smith was hit from behind by a drunk driver sustaining traumatic brain injuries and multiple other injuries. [i] Mitchell Panter and the law firm of Panter, Panter & Sampedro was retained to represent the young man and his family in his quest for justice and compensation for the injuries, pain and suffering and disruption of his life.
For starters, contact was made with the State Attorney’s Office to monitor and participate in the criminal prosecution of the drunk driver. Prior to our involvement, the State Attorney’s Office had filed a lesser charge against the drunk driver because they were unaware of the catastrophic nature of the injuries sustained by our client. After several discussions with our firm, the charges were upgraded to include an appropriate analysis of the law and issues in this case, and the family was able to participate in the prosecution and ultimate charges brought against the drunk driver.
The case also required assistance from our firm in determining the driver’s insurance coverage. The drunk driver had a minimal bodily injury policy, which was provided upon demand by Mitchell Panter. Further coverage was discovered through several uninsured motorist (UM) policies and excess coverage policies.
Through months of diligent efforts, medical providers were brought on to examine Mr. Smith as well as to provide him with proper care and treatment for his serious injuries. Medical records, reports, and bills were reviewed and provided to the various insurance carriers in an effort to force them to tender their policy limits.
Initially, several of the carriers provided their policy limits due to the preparation and expertise of Mitchell Panter and Panter, Panter & Sampedro. Through additional litigation, the final portion of the claim was resolved resulting in a $1.6 million recovery for Mr. Smith to provide him with compensation for his injuries.
Mr. Smith and his family trusted Mitchell Panter and Panter, Panter & Sampedro to represent them and assist them through a difficult ordeal. We are honored to assist them and grateful that we were able to provide justice including helping Mr. Smith recover the finances needed to care for his devastating injuries.
[i] The names of all parties have been changed to protect their confidentiality.