Craig Injury Law Dispatch: September 2022

At Craig Injury Law, we define success by our ability to resolve cases favorably for our clients, many of whom were not born in this country or may not speak English as a native language (which can add significant challenge to navigating the legal system). We’re honored that our clients choose us to represent them in their personal injury cases, and we’re pleased to announce that we’ve had a very successful month on their behalf. Specifically, seven cases in litigation in our Sandy Springs office resulted in settlements for our clients in the past thirty days. The following outcomes were notable:

• $80,000 settlement in Kennesaw in a Motor Vehicle Accident (MVA) for a Pakistani-American man who suffered a low back injury from the accident. 
• $75,000 settlement in Gwinnett County in an MVA for an Hispanic man who suffered neck injuries from the accident, along with $35,000 settlement for his female passenger sho suffered a low back injury from the accident. 
• $45,000 settlement in Marietta in an MVA for an Hispanic family whose children were riding in the SUV when the accident occurred. 
• $60,000 settlement in Gwinnett County in an MVA for an Hispanic Man, including $35,000 additional recovery from his uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. 
• $45,000 recovery in Gwinnett County in an MVA for an Hispanic woman against her uninsured motorist carrier, in a case where the vehicle that caused the accident and left the scene and was never found.  

The last two resolutions on this list were ones in which we pursued uninsured/underinsured (UIM) motorist coverage for our clients. While UIM coverage is most often included with “full coverage” insurance policies, we suggest to clients and family members that everyone should ask their agent for a substantial UIM coverage increase. In Georgia, the minimum coverage limit is $25,000, and many people maintain only this minimal coverage. But if a person has UIM coverage that is greater than the $25,000 minimum, we can pursue that coverage in addition to the at-fault person’s $25,000 coverage. 

Why is this additional coverage important? UIM protects you and your family in the event of a bad injury or death as the result of an irresponsible driver that has low policy limits or even leaves the scene (as they did in the case of our $45,000 settlement listed above). And pursuing UIM DOES NOT EVEN RAISE YOUR INSURANCE PREMIUMS because you were not at fault in the accident.

We suggest everyone take a look at their insurance policy and RAISE your UIM coverage for this critical additional protection. And please note the following Pro Tip: when you do raise your UIM coverage, you will be given a choice online or with an agent about whether you want your UIM “REDUCED BY” or “ADDED ON” in case of an uninsured motorist claim. You always want to choose “ADDED ON.” If you choose “REDUCED BY,” the UIM coverage you are entitled to will be offset by the coverage of the at-fault party and could result in a zero payout of your own UIM coverage. 

Craig Injury Law has been successful in representing a wide range of clients in cases like these for nearly three decades. We are committed that our clients benefit from the wealth of experience we have amassed in this field, and this also means protecting them before they need us!