Policy Limit Settlement for Youngster Riding Bicycle Without Helmet – $750,000

After going to a lake for a picnic, a 14-year-old boy was bicycling home with his family. When they reached an intersection, his sister saw an oncoming pick-up truck and waited, but his father rode across, and the boy followed his father. The boy was hit by the truck, the impact knocking him off his bicycle and fracturing his skull.

The boy was in a coma for a few days, eventually pulling through. He suffered a traumatic brain injury that left him with personality changes.

Despite the defendant arguing that the boy’s head injury was due to him not wearing a helmet, rather than their driver’s negligence, Dunnion Law did not waver in their stance that the defendant should pay the full policy. Dunnion presented the defendant with a statutory demand that if not paid within 30 days, the defendant would have to pay the plaintiff’s legal costs, which usually results in an additional obligation to pay the excess judgment. Ultimately, the defendant was not willing to risk the possibility of such a large verdict and paid the $750,000 a few hours before the demand would have expired. With the help of Dunnion Law, the settlement was put into an annuity for the boy.