Rader Law Group, LLC Has A Proven Track Record Of Successful Settlements For Our Clients
Below is a successful case study we are highlighting to show that not all cases are as they initially appear. To see more successful cases by Rader Law Group, LLC please click here
Our client, a 58-year-old woman, was knocked unconscious when she crashed into the passenger side of a trailer being towed by a landscaping truck. She was rushed to the hospital where it was determined that she had suffered brain and orthopedic trauma. Once she had recovered enough to go home, she learned that she had been cited by the police for causing the crash and given a ticket. According to the police accident report our client had wrongly attempted to pass the truck on the right shoulder. For her part, our client recalled that the truck did not signal a turn but veered left (as though it was making a left turn) and that she was heading straight.
When she came to our office looking for guidance, our client was facing mounting bills and continued medical expenses, not to mention the pain and suffering caused by her injuries. Several attorneys had already rejected her case after looking at the police report because the collision was obviously her fault. At first, we too thought our client was in the wrong and that we could not help her. The police report can be a good indicator of fault, but not always. To truly understand a crash, an attorney must look at the scene. In this case, our initial visit was a virtual one using the wonders of Google Earth. Surprisingly, this image immediately made us suspicious that the police got it wrong. The intersection was not your typical 90-degree angle right turn but was an extremely sharp right turn.
Trucks with trailers are not like other vehicles because of their length. They require more space to make sharp turns. For a sharp right turn, a truck must swing left before turning right. This allows sufficient space for the truck’s cabin and trailer to follow and prevents the end of the truck from running off the road.
Some drivers, thinking that the truck is turning left, mistake the truck’s veering left before a right turn as a chance to pass the truck on the right, placing themselves in the trucker’s blind spot that runs along the truck’s passenger side. Unseen by the trucker, the motorist, to her horror, does not discover the trucker’s intention to turn right until the truck turns in front of her and by then it’s too late- she’s squeezed between the truck and the curb. This accident is known as a “squeeze play.” If the truck driver fails to indicate their intention to turn right by appropriately signaling and confirming that he has sufficient room to swing left and then turn right or doesn’t recognize that swinging into the left lane can deceive other drivers into thinking that the truck is turning left, the trucker is at fault.
In our client’s case and based on our extensive experience in collisions, we immediately recognized that our client was the unwitting victim of the classic “squeeze play.” We quickly launched an investigation, obtained photographs of the truck and car, analyzed the road and clues of impact. Based on our experience, we soon realized that even the police at the scene were wrong about how the accident happened, in part because they took a statement only from the trucker who said our client tried to pass him on the right shoulder (but also who, of course, wants to seem blameless). No statement was taken from our client because she was unconscious!
When we presented our analysis of the accident to the trucker’s insurance company, they were forced to agree that the collision was very possibly the trucker’s fault. Soon afterwards, they tendered their entire insurance policy limits to our client even though she was cited for the crash by the police!
Rader Law Group, LLC
With decades and decades combined experience, the attorneys at Rader Law Group understand the meaning of Justice. Our one and only mission is to get each client the justice he or she deserves; our team of attorneys never back down when we know our client is right.
We offer our clients the compassion and guidance they need as they work through trying times in their lives. The balance of working relentlessly for our clients combined with our caring approach has helped us achieve a fantastic record of success with our clients. We get our clients the justice they deserve.
At Rader Law Group, You matter. Your justice matters. Your Justice Starts Here. 954-913-2273