When the Innocent Are Blamed
Published on August 25th, 2017 by The Illinois Hammer Injury Law Firm
It could happen to anyone. You follow the rules of the road, and are an alert and responsible driver, but that doesn’t mean everyone is as observant as you. Recently the law offices of Dworkin & Maciariello received a case where the victim was falsely identified as the at-fault party in a severe car accident. Due to the seriousness of the client’s neck and back injuries she was unable to give a statement regarding the accident until after she arrived at the hospital.
Once there, our client’s heart sank when she discovered that the police report claimed she ran a stop sign, causing the car accident. Not only was she incorrectly named as the at-fault party, but the insurance of the car that actually ran the stop sign was denying her claim, due to the incorrect police report. At this point our client faced a citation on her record, a long physical recovery, and also paying medical bills and getting her car fixed for an accident that was not her fault. She was overwhelmed and distraught. That’s when Dworkin & Maciariello sprang into action!
We did some detective work and learned that, in fact, the only stop sign at that intersection was positioned at the corner of a one-way street that the other driver was traveling on. The evidence proved that the other driver, and not our client, ran a stop sign and caused the terrible collision. We sent the other driver’s insurance company images of the intersection that were timestamped with the date of accident, and also had an investigator go to the intersection where the collision occurred to take pictures of the stop sign’s placement. After reviewing the documentation, the other driver’s insurance company finally had to accept their liability. In the end, we were able to negotiate a large settlement for our client.
While money doesn’t undo the pain and suffering, having the finances covered does give a victim peace of mind, allowing them to focus on their health and getting on with their lives. We are so grateful we were able to help this client and right the wrongs she experienced.