Motorcycle Wrongful Death - 2020

$700,000 - Motorcycle-Pedestrian Wrongful Death.  We represented the family of man who was sadly killed by a reckless driver in Maury County, Tennessee.  Our client’s son was riding his motorcycle on rural road between Columbia and Spring Hill when it broke down forcing him to pull to the side of the road and wait for help.  While he was waiting for assistance, a speeding driver came around a curve striking the disabled motorcycle and our client’s son, who tragically died from the injuries sustained in the wreck.  Our clients were advised by others that their claims were not worth pursuing because the at-fault driver had no liability insurance or other collectable assets.  The at-fault driver failed to pay the premiums for his auto insurance and there did not appear to be any insurance coverage insuring his motorcycle.  Fortunately, before giving up, the family contacted our firm.  We were able to discover multiple uninsured motorist insurance policies held in the name of other family members that applied to the wreck under an often-overlooked provision in insurance policies providing coverage for relatives who live together.  We were able to force coverage under multiple Tennessee insurance policies, as well as multiple coverages under an Alabama insurance policy.  Under Alabama insurance laws, insurance companies are not allowed to reduce uninsured motorist insurance coverage for amounts paid by other insurance policies, unlike the harsher Tennessee insurance laws.  After recovering from all available insurance policies, we secured a total recovery for this family in excess of $700,000.  This case was a prime example of why finding the right attorney makes a huge difference.  Many law firms would not have taken this case because insurance coverage was not identified in the crash report and was difficult to find, in which case our clients would have recovered nothing compounding the tragedy suffered by this wonderful family. This case was handled over the course of 2019 and finally concluded in 2020.