Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog
To paraphrase an oft-quoted saying: “Automobile insurance companies can sometimes work in strange ways.” To most people who have ever experienced a car, truck or motorcycle accident first hand, that would have to be an understatement. As automobile accident attorneys, we might have to agree, at least from the standpoint that many laypeople do not understand the inner workings of auto, life and health insurance firms.
As Maryland personal injury lawyers, our job is to help victims of car and commercial trucking collisions (or their families) make sense of the law governing personal injury as pertains to traffic-related accidents. We are also here to assist victims and their families recover costs arising out of serious or fatal roadway collisions. Long after the initial pain and suffering of a car crash, many financial loose ends typically remain, making daily life after a bad car or truck wreck difficult at best to get through.
For families who have little or no savings, the cost of medical care and physical rehabilitation can be overwhelming both in terms of finding the financial resources to cover those costs as well as the psychological impact that such a monetary drain can place on the surviving family and relatives. Being there to guide a spouse through the maze of legal issues and fiduciary responsibilities is another part of the process.
In terms of getting to the bottom of a contentious lawsuit, many people would find that the wheels of justice turn sometimes at a glacial pace. A wrongful death case that was settled not long ago had many people around the country wondering if justice would actually be served. According to news articles, a cloud of indignation hung low over a case in which Progressive Insurance had, in some people’s minds, taken the side of the driver who allegedly caused the death of a young woman in the Baltimore area.
However, after a lengthy and deriding blog posting by the victim’s brother, Progressive apparently came forth and settled the case just days following the rant that had hundreds of people cursing the name of the insurance company. Based on reports, the recent settlement will prevent the brother of the woman from filing any additional complaints against the company with Maryland’s Insurance Commissioner.
Based on articles, the victim’s family has already won a case against the driver who caused their daughter’s death; the amount was in excess of $750,000. The award came after a courtroom trial that detailed the accident that left Kaitlynn Fisher dead after her vehicle was hit by an SUV driven Ronald Hope at an intersection in Charles Village two years ago in June.
According to court records, the victim’s Progressive Insurance policy covered her up to $100K in the event of being struck by an uninsured / underinsured motorist. Following the fatal crash, Hope’s insurance company paid out $25K to the Fisher’s family. The victim’s family, alleging that the negligent driver was underinsured then sought anther $75K from Progressive; however, the insurance carrier refused to pay.
As a result, the Fishers filed a civil suit against Hope, about which the victim’s brother complained publicly on the internet when attorneys for Progressive were slated to represent the defendant. While Progressive explained their position as “defending the company’s interests,” the public apparently began to see things differently when the victim’s brother posted on his blog that his sister essentially “paid Progressive Insurance to defend her killer” in a court of law.
Following resolution of the issue, the brother stated that he and his family were pleased with the prospect of finally collecting his sister’s insurance; grateful, no doubt, that the people he touched on the Internet gave him an even louder voice than his family originally had.
Progressive settles with family of woman killed in Baltimore who became center of internet movement, BaltimoreSun.com, August 17, 2012