Personal injury settlements over $1M for car and truck crashes

Here are the recently obtained, top-reported personal injury settlements our auto attorneys have recovered for our clients

In the last two years, our auto accident attorneys at Michigan Auto Law succeeded in obtaining several personal injury settlements in excess of $1 million for the car accident and truck accident victims we’ve had the honor of helping.

In both 2016 and again in 2017, our car attorneys obtained personal injury settlements that again were among the top-reported settlements and verdicts in Michigan, according to year-end compilations of all million dollar-plus personal injury settlements and jury verdicts by Michigan Lawyers Weekly newspaper.

Some of our attorneys’ verdicts and injury settlements, such as Steve Gursten’s $6.2 million dollar settlement in a truck wrongful death case, could not be reported because they occurred out-of-state, and other personal injury settlements could not be included in the newspaper listing because of agreed upon confidentiality with defendants as part of the settlement terms.

Several of these results were also the top-reported settlements in Michigan for the types of cases and the injuries that were involved. These include:

• A $3.44 million settlement was the top-reported personal injury settlement in a wheel separation auto accident crash in Michigan in 2017.
• A $3.325 million settlement was the top-reported commercial vehicle wrongful-death accident involving tire separation in Michigan in 2016.
• A $2 million settlement was the top-reported rear-end car accident settlement involving an adult driver who was admittedly distracted in Michigan in 2016.
• A $1.63 million settlement was the top-reported truck accident settlement involving multiple semi-tractor trailers in inclement weather in Michigan in 2017.
• A $1.25 million settlement was the top-reported truck accident settlement involving minor vehicle damage and aggravation of a preexisting closed head injury in Michigan in 2017.
• A $1 million settlement was the top-reported car accident settlement involving a teen driver who was suspected of distracted driving in Michigan in 2016.

I’ll discuss each of these accomplishments in greater detail below.

(Sources: Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s “2017 Million Dollar Verdicts & Settlements” and “2016 Million Dollar Verdicts & Settlements”)

Personal injury settlements for car and truck accident cases in 2017

Here are the car accident settlements in excess of $1 million that our auto attorneys obtained for our clients in 2017, as reported in the Michigan Lawyers Weekly “2017 Million Dollar Verdicts & Settlements”:

• $3.44 million car accident tire separation settlement – Attorneys Steve Gursten and Tom James obtained this settlement in a car accident case where a wheel separated from a vehicle, striking the plaintiff and causing severe injuries, including traumatic brain injury with cognitive impairment and facial fractures.
• $1.63 million truck accident settlement – Attorneys Kevin Seiferheld and Jordan Jones obtained this settlement in a truck accident crash involving multiple semi-tractor trailers in a snowstorm, where, as a result of one of the semi-tractor trailer operators losing control, the plaintiff’s vehicle was forced off the road and subsequently struck by several other trucks. The plaintiff suffered injuries to the cervical and lumbar spine.
• $1.25 million truck accident settlement – Attorneys Kevin Seiferheld and Jordan Jones obtained this settlement in a rear-end semi-truck accident case where the at-fault truck driver rear-ended a pickup truck, pushing it into the plaintiff’s minivan. Despite relatively minor vehicle damage, one of the plaintiffs sustained neck and back injuries. The other plaintiff suffered injuries to her shoulder and hip and aggravation of a pre-existing closed head injury.

Personal injury settlements for car and truck accident cases in 2016

Like our top auto accident settlements in 2017, several 2016 results were also selected by the Michigan Lawyers Weekly newspaper as the top-reported in Michigan.

Here are some of the truck accident and personal injury settlement amounts in excess of $1 million that our attorneys obtained for clients in 2016, as reported in the Michigan Lawyers Weekly “2016 Million Dollar Verdicts & Settlements.” Also, as with 2017, there are other settlement results that were reached for our clients that were made confidential as part of the settlement terms with defendants and could not be publicly reported. Nevertheless, these are the settlements that were listed in Michigan Lawyers Weekly top-reported personal injury settlements for 2016:

• $3.325 million tire separation truck accident settlement – Attorneys Kevin Seiferheld and Jordan Jones obtained this settlement in a commercial vehicle wrongful death case involving tire separation. On U.S. 23 near Ann Arbor, the commercial vehicle’s wheel dislodged and separated, traveled across the median, and then struck the roof and windshield of decedent’s vehicle, resulting in his instantaneous death. The decedent was a 20-year-old college student with no dependents.
• $2 million car accident settlement – Attorneys Leonard Koltonow and Jeff Feldman obtained this settlement in a rear-end car accident involved an adult driver who was admittedly and flagrantly distracted while driving. In August 2014, the plaintiff was the restrained front seat passenger in a compact Chevy Aveo. While his vehicle was stopped in rush hour traffic due to road construction on westbound U.S. 10 in Bay County, the defendant, driving a company-owned GMC Yukon SUV, crashed into the rear of the plaintiff’s Aveo. The at-fault driver admitted he was not looking at the roadway while driving at 75 mph (a fact that was confirmed by data downloaded from his airbag control module). Specifically, at the crash scene, the at-fault SUV driver told a Bay County sheriff’s deputy that he had been “messing with his radio” and “looking at the radio controls and didn’t have my eyes on the road.” When the at-fault driver eventually looked up, all the traffic had stopped. At that moment, he slammed into the rear of the plaintiff’s vehicle. The plaintiff suffered a mild traumatic brain injury, a lumbar fracture and a short period of loss of consciousness. Notably, as a result of plaintiff’s counsel’s cross-examination (during depositions) of a number of treating defense doctors, the defense increased its offer one week before trial by 25 percent, thereby resulting in the $2 million settlement.
• $1 million car accident settlement – Attorney Kevin Seiferheld obtained this settlement in a car accident case involving a teen driver who was suspected of distracted driving. A young couple was seriously injured in a head-on car crash near Ann Arbor, which was caused by a distracted, teenage driver. The at-fault driver, who was suspected of having been using her cell phone at the time of the crash, lost control of her car, crossed the median and crashed into the couple. Their injuries included a broken foot, a spinal fracture, a mild traumatic brain injury and rib fractures. Because the plaintiffs were Canadian citizens, plaintiff’s counsel was able to help them with the interplay between Canadian law, Michigan’s auto No Fault law and the tort laws. This was instrumental in their obtaining the appropriate medical treatment through Canada’s health care system.