Stacey’s Story

Car accidents are terrifying. Whether you are involved in one, or someone close to you was. The absolute wort case scenario is to receive a phone call that a loved one did not survive an accident that was not their fault. A wrongful death car accident is tragic and so difficult to go through. Especially when the insurance company puts low balls the kind of loss you and your loved ones are experiencing. This situation can be difficult to navigate, but we will lead your case with integrity and compassion.

Wrongful Death Car Accident Background

Stacey and her brother contacted our firm shortly after their mother had been killed in a car accident. They were uncertain how to navigate through the complex process of a wrongful death claim. Both children were extremely close to their 78-year-old mother. Although she had multiple sclerosis and was confined to a wheelchair, their mom was a strong, vibrant, and sharp woman. One of their biggest concerns was that the insurance company would not treat the claim fairly because of their mom’s advanced age and medical condition.

We believed that the best way for the insurance company to get to know their mom was through her family members and close friends. So, we interviewed many of them and created a DVD and sent it to the insurance company. The adjuster could see the kind of person she was and the tremendous void that her passing left. We also met with their mother’s primary doctor, who confirmed that she had many years of life left in her.

Offensive Insurance Offer

The insurance company made an insulting offer to settle the claim. We demanded arbitration, where the matter was decided by an arbitration panel. We received the arbitration award, which was nearly double what the insurance company had initially offered.

The amount of the award–$517,373.03–sets a precedent for the value of these types of claims in Utah and will help others in the future who lose elderly family members due to another’s careless conduct.

This claim was never about money for Stacey and her brother. “I would give back every penny to have one more precious moment with my angel mom,” Stacey said.

Of course, no award could ever serve as an adequate substitute for the remaining years that our clients would have enjoyed with their mother, but it did force the insurance company to recognize how valuable those “golden years” are. We were humbled by Stacey’s comments after the claim was resolved.

“Thank you for taking the time to get to know my mom throughout the case,” she said. “It was an honor to have you represent her. You did her proud!” We are grateful for Stacey and her brother’s trust in us, and for the opportunity to get to know their mom through her children’s eyes. We are also optimistic that the result we were able to obtain will help insurance companies to look at those who have been seriously injured or killed in accidents as real people, not just numbers, and place a fair value on their claims.