Schoolbus Rollover

[Phil Roby]

On 12/11/00,my wife was critically injured in a school bus accident in which she was a chaperone on the bus,in the scope of her job duties as an educational assistant.This was in Lawrence County,Ohio. As a passenger on the bus,sitting quietly till the bus wrecked due to driver inattention,and no other cause,she contributed zero negligence to the accident.(The bus rolled completely over,landing upright on its wheels-and the accident was fully witnessed by a reliable party who was watching for her own child's bus) The only seatbelt in the bus was for the driver. This was a short top-heavy bus,not padded inside.My wife believes her injuries came from first hitting the roof,then coming down on the hard back of a seat.The bus was not padded inside.

With the help of God,she survived,and is coming home next week.She will require a hospital bed(provided by Ohio work.comp.)and a therapist three times weekly for an indeterminate length of time(also provided by Ohio work.comp.) We don't know how long my loss of consortium will run.

My attorney told me to ask their insurance(Nationwide) for 2.5 million dollars for her,$100,000 for myself,and $50,000 each for our two minor children,and,if they agreed to these settlements,we need not sue. Also,he said her work.comp. case would remain poen due to her ongoing therapy,and the fact that she could develop arthritis easily due to the severity of her injury.

I've never been in this situation before,and I wouldn't wish it for anyone. I don't know the attorney I was referred to. I'm just wondering if the settlements he mentioned are in line with similar cases,or are,too high or too low.I would just like some ball-park guidelines if possible,not taking any info posted here as legal advice or attorney-client relationship.

Thanx In Advance,
Phil

 

[I AM ALWAYS LIABLE]

My response:

I can tell you, without hesitation, you are WAY over your head if you are handling this type of matter yourself. This extreme situation absolutely requires the handling, assistance and guidence from a competent Personal Injury attorney - - not merely someone who's telling you what to say to the insurance adjuster. You need someone who's familiar with the laws of your jurisdiction to be able to place you and your family on a level playing field with the insurance company. Anything less, and you would be doing your wife, yourself, and your children, a huge disservice.

The insurance adjuster is not your friend, no matter how "friendly" that person may sound to you. That adjuster's job is to screw you and your family as quickly as possible, and to save the insurance company as much money as possible.

No one can even give you a "ballpark" settlement figure without first having seen, read and studied the entire file, including the medical reports.

Hire a Personal Injury attorney today.

IAAL