Representative Cases
Brain Injury
The firm's client, a 41-year-old mechanic, was a passenger in an automobile that was struck in the rear by a pickup truck at a stoplight. The truck fled the scene, the client followed, and suddenly the truck stopped alongside the road. The client exited his vehicle and walked toward the truck to talk to the driver. The truck suddenly sped forward, striking the client, who sustained a brain hematoma and other serious head and facial injuries. The truck fled the scene, and the driver was never identified.
Suit was filed against the client's own motor vehicle insurance company whose settlement offer of uninsured motorist coverage benefits was wholly inadequate. The client was able to return to work a few months after the accident. Freking & Betz was able to prove that the client suffered invisible, but permanent psychological and neurological deficits that would impact his future earning capacity and personal relationships. The client's insurance company eventually paid fair compensation.
Hit & Run
The firm's client was struck by a car from behind while walking several feet off the roadway. The car fled the scene. The client sustained broken bones, lacerations and a traumatic amputation of his arm. The driver was caught but had no insurance and claimed that she had not left the road. The client's insurance company disputed his claim for uninsured motorist coverage. Through the use of accident reconstruction techniques and aggressive investigation, Freking & Betz was able to get the client's insurance company to pay the full policy limits.
Soft-Tissue Injury
The firm's client sustained a soft-tissue neck injury in a hit-and-run motor vehicle accident. The client and her husband came to Freking & Betz after their own insurance company denied their claim as being beyond the applicable statute of limitations. The firm filed suit against the insurance company and successfully overcame the statute of limitations defense, and the parties proceeded to court-ordered mediation.
The mediator highly recommended that the client and her husband accept a small sum from their insurance company to settle all claims and coverages. Freking & Betz recommended against settlement, and the case proceeded to a jury trial. At trial, the client, who was born in the Middle East and spoke very little English, testified through an interpreter. The jury returned a fair verdict, plus Freking & Betz recovered for the client an additional amount in medical payments coverage.
