LaShelle Haynes recovered a total of $125,000 from two insurance policies after she broke her hip in a March 26, 2021 car accident. Ms. Haynes was sitting in the passenger seat of her boyfriend's car as they traveled north on New Halls Ferry Road. As they approached the intersection of Parker Road, the Defendant made a left turn in front of them while under a yellow arrow. The crash caused the Plaintiff’s vehicle to land on its side. Multiple witnesses alleged LaShelle’s boyfriend had caused the crash by speeding. Ms. Haynes was taken by ambulance to the hospital where it was determined she had a broken hip. Her boyfriend and young children were also in the accident but escaped with only minor injuries.
The difficulty of this case arose from the federal reimbursement right of Ms. Haynes union based health plan balanced against relatively minor policy limits that threatened to take away nearly all of LaShelle's recovery. The Defendant had a $100,000 policy limit with Progressive however, the Union was owed $82,378.21 as the actual cost of the $120,187.71 in medical bills plus $3,317.85 in disability benefits.
“A compromise with LaShelle's best interests in mind had to made with the Union,” according to Plaintiff’s lawyer Stephen Gerring of The Gerring Law Firm. “The Union agreed to do right by Ms. Haynes in reducing their federal reimbursement right. I took an accompanying reduction of attorney’s fees, allowing Ms. Haynes to keep a majority of the settlement.”
The $25,0000 policy limits of the boyfriend’s policy was tendered as soon as requested.
Comments