Located on the shores of the Kennebec River, Augusta, Maine is the state’s capital city and home to just under twenty-thousand residents. Augusta is the county seat of Kennebec County, which is the Maine’s fourth most populous county. Though Augusta is the third smallest capital city of any state, its central location, riverside beauty, and governmental importance make it a relatively high-traffic area. This may explain why, in 2011, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Kennebec County suffered 17 traffic fatalities, the second highest among counties in the state. The area is also popular with motorcyclists and between 2006 and 2010 there were 271 motorcycle crashes in Augusta and the surrounding county, as reported by the Maine Department of Public Safety.
One of our recent clients was injured in a motor vehicle accident on I-95 right outside of Augusta. This client was traveling south on I-95 when she suddenly saw a couch in her lane and was forced to swerve to avoid it. After swerving, our client collided with the median guardrail and, despite her injuries, was able to drag herself out of the wreck as the car caught fire. As a result of the accident, this client suffered a traumatic hip dislocation as well as pulmonary contusions and numerous lacerations and bruises. These injuries required extensive physical therapy and months of needing to use crutches to walk. Not only did our client miss out on a significant amount of work, but she may have problems with her hip in the future. Since the identity of the vehicle from which the couch originated was unable to be determined, we made a claim against our client’s own insurance company to recover under her uninsured motorist policy. The insurance company initially denied the claim, arguing that the couch could have arrived in the lane without the involvement of another vehicle. However, after interviewing responding police officers, requesting traffic camera video, and receiving transcripts from 911 calls, we were able to show the insurance company that the couch did indeed come from another vehicle. Consequently, our client received a generous settlement to compensate her for past and future medical treatment, significant lost wages, pain and suffering, and medical bills. Through our office’s thorough investigation of our client’s claim, we were able to succeed in securing a settlement in a situation where there initially appeared to be no insurance coverage.
We have offices conveniently located throughout the state to assist you in your case. If you or a loved one has been injured and you need a firm to completely investigate every aspect of your claim, as we did for this client, contact us for a no obligation consultation.