I was successful Friday in obtaining a $150,000.00 settlement at a hotly contested mediation for my client who was injured in a wreck but whose car showed very little property damage. The defendant's vehicle only sustained a scratch. Below are photographs of the two vehicles. 
Because of the small amount of damage and other problems with the case, the original offer from the insurance company was only $15,000.00.
Further, the defense lawyer -- one of the most experienced in Dallas -- argued that my client had slammed on her box due to a box in the road ahead of her and thatcaused the accident, not their 19-year-old driver who admitted she wasn't paying attention when I pinned her down in her deposition. He also argued that my client, an athletic 32-year-old dance instructor had a neck injury before the wreck and that the wreck did not cause her injuries. He hired a doctor who wrote a lengthy report stating that she had serious osteophytic problems in her neck and would have needed surgery any way.
I took my client's surgeon's deposition -- until 9:30 one night -- and got him to state that the only reason my client needed surgery was due to the collision.
I subpoenaed the Defendant's cell phone records and proved that she was talking on the phone when the wreck happened, and that she lied in her deposition when she stated she hadn't used her phone just before the crash.
After filing suit and fighting hard for my client, the case settled for $150,000.00, TEN TIMES the original offer.
I was then able to reduce the amount of money my client needed to pay for her medical treatment by over $15,000.00. My client was ecstatic.
