Accident Overview
On August 10, 2013, at 5:00 PM, at Alhambra Avenue and its intersection with Alhambra Way in Martinez, California, our client was obeying the rules of the road while riding her bicycle when a car hit our client causing a serious accident. The accident resulted in the loss of work, serious injuries, and large medical bills leaving our client in a state of uncertainty.
About the Accident
This was an accident between an automobile and a bicycle, causing serious injuries for our client who was the bicycle rider. The driver of the car that caused the accident was driving a 1998 Jeep Wrangler.
There were no adverse road conditions.
After the accident, our client suffered from severe back pain as well as left elbow pain as a direct result of the car accident. She was transported by ambulance to John Muir Hospital in Concord, California; where she underwent treatment for her severe back pain and elbow injuries.
The driver of the car that caused the accident was insured by Farmers Insurance.
Case Facts
Our client needed ongoing medical treatment after the case including very specific physical therapy. At first, Farmers Insurance relied on the statement of their own client – that she was not at fault and not willing to pay for our client’s medical bills and other damages. Our client missed a significant amount of work and was charged large medical bills from this accident.
Based on this information she reached out to GJEL Accident Attorneys to see if she was entitled to compensation and to have her questions answered. She wanted to know:
- Who is responsible for my medical bills?
- How will I pay these bills and the loss of work?
- What if I have permanent lifelong damage to my body?
The staff at GJEL were able to quickly evaluate the case over the phone and offered to have her come to the office after she was recovered or have a staff member go to her home. She chose to have a staff member go to her home. Based on the serious injuries from this accident and the mounting medical bills, our client decided to retain GJEL Accident Attorneys to help get her life back on track after this tragic accident.
The staff at GJEL started a full investigation which started with getting the police report from the Martinez Police Department. The police report showed that the other driver was 100% at fault and responsible for the accident.
At First, Farmers insurance offered our client $80,000. As the firm continued to collect evidence and file a lawsuit, it became clear to Farmers Insurance that the accident was in fact the fault of their driver and the injuries were severe.
Attorneys Jim Larsen and Andy Gillin helped our client through this difficult time and ultimately settled the case. In the end, our client was awarded $250,000 for this accident by Farmers Insurance company after aggressive representation.
| Insurance Company Names: | Farmers |
| Police Report | Martinez Police Department |
| Vehicle Types | 1998 Jeep Wrangler, bicycle |
| Accident Locations: | Alhambra Avenue at Alhambra Way, Martinez, CA |
| Hospitals and Medical Centers Visited | American Medical Response, John Muir Medical Center, CA Emergency Physicians, John Muir Trauma Physicians, Bay Imaging Consultants, Alta Orthopedic Med Group, Hayashida and Associates Brook Phillips DPT, Santa Barbara Extremity MRI, Central Coast Radiology Assoc., Cottage Center for Advanced Imaging, Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital |
| Types of Injuries (Specific as possible) | lumbar fracture, L elbow bruising, and bleeding |
Andy Gillin received his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of California at Berkeley and his law degree from the University of Chicago. He is the managing partner of GJEL Accident Attorneys and has written and lectured in the field of plaintiffs’ personal injury law for numerous organizations. Since 1972 he has been helping seriously injured victims throughout northern California fight & win their personal injury cases. Andy is one of the top awarded & recognized wrongful death lawyers in northern California.