Huge Award Shows Milwaukee Injury Sufferers Value of Punitive Damages
Woman sues insurance company, awarded $1.29 million
On behalf of Milwaukee personal injury attorney Ric Domnitz of Domnitz & Domnitz, S.C. posted in Insurance Claims on Thursday, June 27, 2013.
The idea for car insurance for many Milwaukee drivers is to pay for something they hope to never have to use. However, there is peace of mind in knowing that if there was an accident, there would be insurance in place to pay for the damages. This is, of course, if the insurance claim is not denied.
Recently, a woman was awarded $1.29 million after she sued her insurance company. Her claim was that even though she took out a policy for $1.25 million for if she got into an accident with an uninsured or underinsured motorist, her insurance company denied her claim.
The accident happened in April 2008. A driver, only carrying $10,000 in liability, ran a stop sign and plowed into the side of the woman’s car. This caused her vehicle to flip over.
The woman ended up knocked unconscious in the crash and suffered from back, head and neck injuries, as well as other injuries. Due to her injuries — including two ruptured lumbar discs — her medical bills were more than $300,000.
The insurance company argued that her injuries were not as bad as she claimed, which is why her medical expenses were denied.
In the end, the jurors sided with the woman and she was awarded $1 million in punitive damages and $296,337 in compensatory damages.
In looking at a case such as this one, this is a perfect example of the fact there are times when an insurance company will deny a claim. In these instances, the insurance company is normally hopeful that a person does not know their rights and will just accepted the denial. However, this is where a Milwaukee personal injury attorney can step in order to evaluate the facts of the case in order to dispute the denial and seek compensation.
Source: Sun Sentinel, “Hollywood woman wins $1.29 million in lawsuit against Allstate,” Rafael Olmeda, June 20, 2013