Real Examples of Escondido Car Accidents and Settlement Amounts

Facts: L.E., a 54-year-old woman, was struck from behind on El Norte Parkway in Escondido when an 84-year-old driver lost control of his vehicle. The defendant struck several cars in the accident.

Injuries: L.E. was taken to Palomar Hospital via ambulance complaining of back pain. She was released from the hospital, but over the next year the condition of her back steadily declined. Prior to the accident she had no history of back pain, but after she required extensive physical therapy, spinal injections, and ultimately a surgery.

Settlement: $100,000.00 (policy limits)

Facts: Ms. G's injuries occurred in Escondido, California when she was driving her 2000 Toyota Forerunner westbound on Mission Avenue, approaching the intersection of Fig Street at approximately 35mpg. Concurrently, the defendant was driving a 1995 Toyota Camry traveling eastbound on Fig Street, also approaching the intersection of Fig Street at approximately 15mph. The defendant was preparing to turn left at this intersection and failed to yield to oncoming traffic and proceeded to turn left right in Ms. G's path. The collision was head-on and both cars were totaled.

Injuries: Ms. G awoke the day after the accident in tremendous pain and went to visit her primary care physician, who ordered a variety of tests to rule out fractures or other serious injuries. Ms. G was ordered to physical therapy and chiropractic, which helped her condition, but her most serious complaints were of increased migraine headaches, which were caused by the accident according to her neurologist.

Settlement: $62,000.00

Facts: ES, a triathlete, was a helmeted bicyclist travelling in the bike lane of El Norte Parkway in Escondido when the defendant turned abruptly in front of him. ES could not stop in time and collided with the negligent driver's vehicle, the impact of which knocked ES off of his bike and into the traffic lane.

Injuries: ES was transported via ambulance to Palomar Medical Center immediately following the accident complaining of right shoulder and arm pain, as well as pain to his lower ribs and chest. He denied loss of consciousness but noted that he did hit his head hard enough to crack his helmet. Several CT scans were taken which showed that ES had suffered a right clavicle fracture and a right inferior scapula fracture, as well as friction burns and multiple contusions to his chest, ribs and back.

Personal Injury Settlement: $58,000.00

Facts: P.N. filed a lawsuit after her car accident in Escondido on El Norte Parkway. P.N. was driving her Camry eastbound in the right-hand lane when she approached the intersection of South Iris Lane. Her light was green, so she traveled through the intersection. As she made it through, the defendant attempted to cross her lane to gain entrance to a mobile home park driveway. He did see P.N. and struck her car, which was pushed into a curb, causing her airbag to deploy.

Injuries: Two days after the accident P.N. went to her primary care doctor complaining of pain in her ankle, shoulder, neck, back and left heel pain. She was diagnosed with a cervical sprain/strain and told to rest. She went to her chiropractor, who diagnosed her with “gross sublux of C1-2,” and right ankle pain. Her pain and disability continued, and a surgical procedure was recommended, P.N. chose not to have it.

Settlement: $45,000.00

Facts: Ms. K’s injuries occurred in Escondido, California when she was involved in an auto accident on South Centre City Parkway. At the time of impact, Ms. K was at a complete stop at a red light at the intersection of 9th Avenue in the number two lane. She was wearing her seat restraints. The defendant was also driving on South Centre City, but didn't see the red light ahead and rear ended Ms. K, forcing her into the car in front of her. The damage to Ms. K's car was so severe fire fighters had to use machinery to extricate her. She was taken to the hospital via ambulance.

Injuries: Ms. K presented to the emergency department at Palomar Medical Center with the following complaints: neck stiffness, chest pain, left knee pain, left ankle pain, and lower back pain. Most of her symptoms resolved in a matter of weeks except her neck and upper back pain. Her doctor ordered a round of physical therapy, which helped, but did not resolve all of her pain.

Settlement: $27,000.00

Facts: Ms. B’s injuries occurred as she was travelling northbound in the far left lane on I-15 in Escondido, California. Traffic began to slow in front of her, and Ms. B slowed accordingly, but was then hit from behind. Ms. B was shaken up and stiff but continued home that evening. The following day she was still in pain and made an appointment with her primary care provider.

Injuries: The day after the accident, Ms. B presented to Kaiser Permanente for evaluation of her neck pain. She stated she had tightness in her neck following the accident the night before, which had gotten worse overnight. A physical exam revealed pain and spasm along her cervical back. She was diagnosed with neck strain and whiplash. She proceeded to see a chiropractor for seven visits.

Settlement: $6,000.00

Facts: Kay was a 29-year-old woman who lives in Escondido and was in the rear seat of a Mazda SUV driven by her friend. While heading out the 78 east, the car was hit from behind by defendant, who was driving a Jeep. The Jeep was estimated to be traveling at the speed of 50 miles per hour. No police were called to the scene of the accident because it occurred in a location where there was no cell phone service. The Mazda’s bumper was severely damaged by the impact, and the back of the vehicle would not open. The defendant accepted fault for the accident, apologized, and provided her insurance information. Both vehicles were operational and able to be driven away after the accident.

Injuries: In the days after the accident, Kay had severe back pain. She ultimately consulted a spine surgeon who recommended surgery. Unfortunately, the Jeep carried low insurance limits, and Kay only had a small underinsured motorist policy. Kay ultimately underwent surgery, but low insurance greatly reduced her personal injury settlement.

Settlement: $50,000.00 (Insurance Policy Limits)