Our 24-year-old client was a passenger in her boyfriend’s car in the middle of the night. When the boyfriend driver made a left-hand turn at a traffic light intersection, an oncoming vehicle (driven by a tourist who didn’t speak English) traveling in the opposite direction crashed broadside into our client’s passenger compartment, severely injuring her.  Our client lost consciousness and was airlifted by helicopter to a nearby trauma center, where she was diagnosed with internal organ injuries and bleeding which required emergency surgery and drainage tubes. She was hospitalized in the ICU and several days later had to undergo another abdominal surgery, which left her horribly scarred. After our client was discharged from the hospital, she continued to have significant pain and problems for more than a year.

Liability was disputed because there were no eyewitnesses to the crash.  The tourist claimed he had the right-of-way and that the boyfriend failed to yield when he made a left-hand turn.  The boyfriend and his insurance company claimed he had the right-of-way, and that the tourist ran a red light.

We hired an expert accident reconstructionist to prove the boyfriend driver made an illegal left-hand turn when he failed to yield to oncoming traffic. We also hired an expert trauma surgeon to prove our client’s long-term abdominal pain was due to adhesions, which put her at significant risk for future medical complications and problems. After a lawsuit was filed and we prepared for trial, the boyfriend’s insurance finally paid the policy limits. We also filed a UIM claim with our client’s insurance, which also paid policy limits.

*Ms. Chalfant’s successful settlements do not guarantee the same or similar result for every case but are presented to demonstrate her knowledge of medicine, auto accident/personal injury litigation skills, and successful track record. Every case is unique with varying facts and circumstances.