The last thing that Keith remembered before the car accident occurred was being behind the wheel of his work van, sitting in stalled traffic on I-265 W in Southern Indiana, while on his way from one job site to the next.
Behind him, the driver of an F-350 hadn’t noticed the traffic jam and was still driving at full speed. The truck slammed into the back of Keith’s van with enough force to push it into the back of a semi-truck trailer—crushing both ends of the van and leaving Keith trapped inside.
“When I woke up in the vehicle, they were jacking the cab off my left foot,” said Keith. “When I looked down and saw how my leg was turned, I knew I was in a bad wreck.”
Keith had suffered serious injuries in an accident that wasn’t his fault. Over the coming months and years, the total cost of his medical care would exceed $1 million. He needed help and answers—and the team at Karl Truman Law Office had his back.
A Catastrophic Highway Collision Changes Keith’s Life
Keith was trapped in his van for more than an hour while crews worked to free him. Then, he was airlifted to the University of Louisville hospital for evaluation and treatment.
He was lucky to be alive.
“There were several times that I really didn’t know if he was going to make it,” said Keith’s aunt, Ann.
The doctors were able to stabilize Keith’s condition, but he was still in a lot of pain and needed surgery for several significant injuries, including:
- Broken leg (in four places)
- Broken back
- Crushed hip
Keith’s wife and family knew that they would need help filing a personal injury claim to pay for Keith’s extensive medical bills and other crash-related costs.
Suffered Serious Injuries from a Car Crash and Unsure What to Do Next?
Keith’s Family Reaches Out to Truman Law Office
“When the call first came into the office from Keith’s family, I knew right away that I should go to the hospital and meet with them,” said Truman.
After arriving at the hospital, Truman took time to speak with Keith and his family about Keith’s accident, his injuries, his legal options, and how Truman Law Office would handle his case. He also learned that he and Keith had also served in the military.
“When I found out that Keith was a veteran, that made our relationship special to me, to be able to go up to bat for him.”
Truman Law Works Quickly to Protect Critical Evidence and Prove Negligence
For Keith and his personal injury claim, timing was critical.
“Especially in a significant case like this, with significant medical bills and significant, permanent injury, the insurance companies don’t just voluntarily do the right thing,” said Truman. “They’re already doing their investigation to try to protect themselves.”
This is something many accident victims and their families don’t realize. They think they have a lot of time to file a lawsuit. But the longer they wait to talk to an attorney or get started on their case, the more likely critical evidence will be lost or destroyed—and the more likely they are to fall for the insurance company’s traps.
“When my accident reconstruction person evaluated the scene, he was surprised this wasn’t a fatality,” notes attorney Karl Truman.
Our investigation uncovered that the driver of the F-350 had not even applied his brakes before colliding with Keith’s van. This was crucial evidence showing that the at-fault driver was clearly distracted and fully responsible for Keith’s injuries.
RELATED: Determining Who Is at Fault for a Car Accident
Calculating Damages and Keeping the Bill Collectors Away
We also conducted a careful review of Keith’s medical bills, talked with his doctors, and worked with other specialists to show how much Keith’s injuries would cost him over time, and how much they would affect the rest of his life.
This is another extremely important and often overlooked aspect of any personal injury case. Once someone settles with an insurance company, they can’t go back for more compensation later. If they don’t know how much their injuries are going to cost them over the long term, chances are they’ll walk away with far less than they truly need, with no way to make up the gap later.
While the case was still ongoing, we also made sure that Keith’s family wouldn’t be harassed by bill collectors and could focus on what was truly important.
“Once we hired Karl Truman, they handled all the medical bills and all of that went to them, and that opened us to be able to concentrate on taking care of Keith,” said Keith’s sister, Sharlyn.
RELATED: How Much Money Can You Get From a Car Accident?
Hard Work Results in a Big Win and Peace of Mind for Keith and His Family
Keith had over $1 million in medical bills due to his injuries. But he was alive, he had a strong family there to support him—and Karl Truman Law Office had his back. We obtained the maximum possible insurance benefit for him under the terms of the applicable insurance policies, which fully took care of his medical expenses.
“By us being able to get involved in the case early, being able to preserve evidence, we were able to protect Keith and his family financially.”
While we were thrilled to get Keith a policy limits settlement, personal injury cases are never just about the money. What really matters is making sure our clients always feel supported, cared for, and respected at every step of the process—from visiting with them in the hospital or at their homes, to answering all their questions, to getting to know them as people and not just as clients.
“Karl Truman has done a wonderful job for Keith, and I thank him very much for that,” said Keith’s wife, Lani.
Count on the Colonel
There are a few important lessons from Keith’s case, but perhaps the biggest one is the importance of calling an experienced attorney as soon as possible after your accident. Insurance companies don’t have your best interests at heart, and critical evidence can disappear forever quickly after an accident.
If you’ve been hurt in a car accident or other personal injury incident, count on the colonel and contact the Karl Truman Law Office today. You can reach us at (502) 222-2222 or complete the simple form on this page to get started.
The content provided here is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject.
