Sansone & Lauber Obtains $725K Settlement in Jefferson County Illinois Car Accident Case

    ST. LOUIS, MO, July 14, 2015 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The personal injury attorneys of Sansone & Lauber have announced the settlement of a car accident case in which their client had been denied necessary medical treatment by a doctor assigned to her case through the Illinois workers' compensation system.

The $725,000 settlement was reached one week before the unidentified woman's personal injury lawsuit was set to go to trial.

"This is a complex case because it involves the workers' compensation system and differing medical opinions about a car accident injury," said Sansone & Lauber partner Benjamin J. Sansone. "We were lucky to have a great client who understood the process, had patience, and resisted the insurance company's low offers, allowing our injury lawyers to pursue the case fully and prepare it for trial. This led to the excellent settlement offer, which we believe is a very high value for the case."

The case stemmed from a car accident at a four-way-stop intersection in front of the Good Samaritan Hospital in Mount Vernon, Illinois. The at-fault driver entered the intersection out of turn and caused the T-bone collision, injuring the woman who then turned to Sansone & Lauber for help.

Because she was on the job at the time, the woman's injury became a workers' compensation case, which was assigned to a doctor designated by her employer. After neck surgery to repair a herniated disc from the crash, the woman continued to experience pain. The doctor rejected her complaints and suggested that she was making up symptoms.

Sansone & Lauber helped the woman obtain a referral to another spine surgeon, who identified and treated an additional neck injury. She eventually made a full recovery.

"Most people don't realize until a work-related accident happens that they have to see a doctor chosen by their employer to pursue a workers' compensation claim," Sansone said. "Further, an injured worker's employer is unlikely to tell them that they can still see their own doctor and challenge the workers' comp doctor's diagnosis."

Sansone said his firm regularly consults with multiple Illinois and Missouri doctors about personal injury claims, and was quickly able to find a surgeon suitable for providing their client with a second opinion about her neck injury.

"We're pleased that we were able to help our client obtain the money she deserved to make up for the harms she suffered," Sansone said of the settlement.

Sansone & Lauber represents individuals from Missouri and Illinois who have suffered personal injuries in car and motorcycle accidents, workers' compensation and medical malpractice claims, and in cases of nursing home abuse or wrongful death.

"Much of what we do is level the playing field when innocent accident victims come up against programs like workers' compensation and insurance law, which are foreign to them," Sansone said. "We use our knowledge of the law and experience as personal injury attorneys to protect our clients' rights."

About Sansone & Lauber

Sansone & Lauber Trial Lawyers of St. Louis, Mo., handles personal injury and wrongful death cases throughout Missouri and Illinois. Attorneys Benjamin Sansone and Gary Lauber pursue cases involving auto accidents, bike accidents, drunk driving accidents, medical malpractice, dangerous products and dangerous conditions in state and federal courts in Missouri and Illinois. The firm's primary goal is to use the civil court system to enforce laws designed to protect individuals from unsafe and reckless actions of others. Contact Sansone & Lauber at 314-863-0500 or online, or at 7777 Bonhomme Avenue, #2000, St. Louis, MO 63105.

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