What Happened?
In August 2022, Danica was driving a red vehicle in the right lane of the Nassau Expressway near the Belt Parkway. She started slowing down due to traffic when the car directly behind her changed lanes and drove past her. However, the vehicle behind that lane-changing car was speeding, following too closely, and did not have enough time to slow down. Despite swerving toward the right shoulder in an attempt to avoid the collision, the front driver’s side corner of the vehicle struck Danica’s car. The driver who hit her refused to provide his insurance information, but Danica was able to take photos of his license plate. She went to the hospital that same day, where she was evaluated, treated, and released.
As a result of the crash, Danica suffered injuries to her neck, shoulders, and lower back. She experienced weakness in both arms, along with numbness and tingling in her arms and hands. She also had back pain accompanied by numbness and tingling in her legs and feet. She had difficulty walking, standing, sleeping, and getting in and out of a chair. While several months of conservative treatment improved some of her symptoms, she continued having worsening neck pain radiating down her left arm with weakness. As a result, Danica underwent two left shoulder surgeries under anesthesia in June 2023 and March 2024, and was unable to return to work for two years.
Danica’s NYC Government Vehicle Accident Lawyer
Danica’s friend recommended The Case Handler team, so just three days after the accident, she called us for help. We soon discovered that the driver who hit Danica was working with the U.S. Secret Service at the time of the crash, and the vehicle was owned by the United States of America. Therefore, the defendant was the United States of America.
Because the at-fault vehicle was owned by the federal government, Danica's claim was filed in federal court under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA), the law that governs personal injury claims against the United States.
The highest pre-litigation offer Danica received was just $20k. The defendant continuously undervalued the damages throughout the case and even indicated that they do not believe the case was worth more than $100k. Nearly four years after the crash, their offer had only increased to $40k.
Their offer was far too low. With the help of our skilled NYC government vehicle accident lawyer, we not only exceeded their $100k valuation, but nearly tripled it by securing a $290,000 settlement for Danica.
