$177,127.58 Recovered After a Left-Turn Collision in Fairhope, Alabama
Publish Date : 02 November 2026
Note: We have changed our client’s name in this case study to protect her privacy.
Diane was driving north through a green light in Fairhope when an oncoming driver turned left on a flashing yellow arrow and struck the passenger side of her car. The impact sent the other vehicle into a stationary ambulance, while Diane’s airbags deployed and her car sustained disabling damage. She was taken from the scene by ambulance and went on to more than two years of treatment for a concussion, neck and back injuries, and a torn meniscus. Her total recovery from the at-fault driver’s liability coverage and her own underinsured motorist coverage was $177,127.58.
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The Crash Report Pointed to the Other Driver. Medical Causation Still Had to Be Proven
In July 2022, Diane was driving north on Greeno Road through a green light at Highway 104 in Fairhope, Alabama. An oncoming driver traveling south attempted to turn left from a flashing yellow arrow and failed to yield.
The turning vehicle struck the passenger side of Diane’s car and was then spun into the front of a stationary ambulance. Multiple airbags deployed in Diane’s vehicle, which sustained disabling front-end damage and had to be towed. Diane was transported from the scene by ambulance.
The Alabama Uniform Traffic Crash Report attributed the collision to the other driver’s failure to yield and assigned no contributing circumstance to Diane. An independent witness statement also supported the fault determination.
The case nevertheless remained in litigation for more than two years and reached a trial setting. Diane also had pre-existing degenerative changes in her spine, making it important to distinguish what the collision caused, what it aggravated, and what was unrelated.
How the Collision Happened
At approximately 5:10 p.m., Diane entered the intersection on a green light. The other driver was approaching from the opposite direction and attempted to turn left directly across her path from a flashing yellow arrow.
The other vehicle struck the passenger side of Diane’s car. The force sent the turning vehicle into a stationary ambulance stopped at the same intersection. The ambulance driver was not injured and was not part of Diane’s claim.
No citation was issued to either driver, but the crash report identified the other driver’s failure to yield as the contributing circumstance. Nothing in the report assigned fault to Diane.
Injuries and Medical Treatment: Concussion, Spine Injuries, and a Torn Meniscus
Diane was diagnosed with a mild traumatic brain injury, or concussion, with prolonged post-concussion symptoms. Her other injuries included whiplash with disc damage in her neck, narrowing around the spinal canal and nerve openings, nerve root irritation involving her neck and lower back, and a torn meniscus with a bruised kneecap.
The collision also aggravated pre-existing arthritis and degenerative disc disease. She suffered wrist abrasions and an airbag-related burn as well.
Her treatment included pain-management injections in her neck and lower back, medial branch blocks followed by a procedure using heat to provide longer-lasting nerve relief, an epidural steroid injection, and physical therapy and chiropractic treatment.
For her knee, Diane underwent three rounds of lubricating injections before eventually having arthroscopic surgery to repair the torn meniscus. She also received Botox injections for migraine headaches aggravated by the collision.
Nerve-conduction testing provided objective evidence of nerve root irritation extending into her leg.
As of the most recent medical record reviewed, dated December 2024, Diane was still receiving injections for chronic neck and lower-back pain more than two years after the crash. A spine surgeon evaluated her but did not recommend surgery, leaving her ongoing symptoms to be managed through pain-management treatment.
Pre-Existing Conditions and a Second Insurance Claim
Diane’s medical history made careful causation analysis especially important.
Degenerative changes already existed in parts of her neck and back before the collision. Rather than treating every condition in the medical record as crash-related, the case needed medical evidence separating what was new, what had been aggravated, and what was unrelated.
The claim also involved a second source of recovery. In addition to pursuing the at-fault driver’s liability coverage, Diane made an underinsured motorist claim through her own insurance policy. Her UIM carrier was named as a co-defendant in the litigation.
Attorney Randall Caldwell explained why the medical analysis mattered:
The neurologist’s report is what made this case settle. Not because it said she was hurt — everybody knew she was hurt. Because it said in writing, with a reason attached to every line, exactly which parts belonged to this wreck and which parts did not. It is hard to argue with a doctor who has already given away the things that are not yours.
How a Neurologist Helped Establish Medical Causation
Caldwell Wenzel and Asthana Personal Injury Lawyers retained a board-certified neurologist to conduct a detailed chronological review of Diane’s medical history across seventeen categories of records.
Instead of simply concluding that Diane had been injured, the neurologist addressed her diagnoses one by one and distinguished between conditions caused by the collision, conditions the collision aggravated, and conditions that were unrelated.
The neurologist also found Diane’s symptom reporting consistent across her medical visits, found no indication of exaggeration, and concluded that the testing and treatment she received were medically appropriate.
That opinion was supported by objective evidence, including nerve-conduction testing, imaging of her spinal injuries, and the operative report from her knee surgery.
No formal accident reconstruction was performed. The responding officers’ scene diagram and narrative, together with the independent witness statement, supported the fault determination without one.
The liability side of this case was never complicated. She had a green light and the other driver turned across it. The work was medical. She had conditions in her neck and back before this wreck ever happened, the way most people her age do, and when that is true the argument you are going to hear is that none of this is new. So we hired a neurologist to go through every record she had, visit by visit, and say plainly what the collision caused, what it made worse, and what it had nothing to do with. That last part matters as much as the first two.
C. Randall Caldwell, Jr.
The Case Reached a Trial Setting Before Resolving
What the record does show is that suit was filed in August 2023. The neurologist’s record review was completed in December 2024, and the case was worked through a trial setting before ultimately resolving without trial.
A joint stipulation of dismissal was filed in October 2025, and dismissal was entered the following day.
By then, the case included a crash report assigning the contributing circumstance to the other driver, an independent witness statement, a detailed neurologist’s causation review, objective nerve testing and imaging, a surgically repaired meniscus tear, and more than two years of documented medical treatment.
The Settlement: $177,127.58 From Two Insurance Policies
Diane’s case resolved for a combined $177,127.58, funded through the at-fault driver’s liability coverage and her own underinsured motorist coverage.
At closing, $23,721.96 in outstanding medical bills and liens was resolved. That included $8,142.60 in confirmed negotiated reductions across three provider balances, allowing that amount to remain with Diane rather than being paid to lienholders.
After attorney fees, case expenses, medical bills, and liens, Diane’s net recovery was $71,659.98.
The settlement was paid in two disbursements, with the final payment completed in January 2026.
What This Case Says About Our Approach
This case shows how our car accident lawyers in Alabama build a claim when the crash itself is well documented but the medical history requires careful analysis:
Documenting liability early
The crash report identified the other driver’s failure to yield, while an independent witness statement supported the same account.
Separating new injuries from pre-existing conditions
A board-certified neurologist reviewed the medical history chronologically and identified what the collision caused, aggravated, or did not affect.
Supporting medical opinions with objective evidence
Nerve-conduction testing, imaging, and the operative report from Diane’s knee surgery strengthened the medical record.
Pursuing every available source of insurance coverage
The case included both the at-fault driver’s liability coverage and Diane’s own underinsured motorist coverage.
Preparing the case through a trial setting
The claim remained in litigation and was developed for trial before ultimately resolving without one.
Together, these steps helped document liability, address the effects of Diane’s pre-existing conditions, and support a $177,127.58 recovery.
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