On June 11th, Brian Connelly, Jason Odom and David Carter completed a week long trial that resulted in a $1.48 million dollar verdict in favor of their client, Jeffrey Arnold. The Defendant in the case was Security National Insurance Company, a subsidiary of Farmer’s Insurance, and arose from an automobile collision in 2009. The driver who caused the crash did not have sufficient insurance, but Mr.  Arnold had purchased Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage from Security National which is designed to supplement any inadequate coverage of an at fault driver.
Unfortunately, when he made a claim following the car accident, the insurance company refused to tender its coverage. Despite medical testimony from a board certified radiologist and a local fellowship trained spine surgeon that the impact ruptured the lowest lumbar disc, an injury that will require future surgery, the lawyers retained by Security National and a doctor from out of the area they hired to testify, argued that two prior visits to a chiropractor suggested that all of his symptoms pre-existed the crash.
Mr. Arnold was a carpenter by profession, having worked in the field for 20 years. Following the crash, the disc rupture caused unrelenting pain radiating into his leg which prevented him from doing hard physical labor and ultimately cost him the business that he and his wife had built from scratch.
After 85 visits over three years with doctors, therapists, a chiropractor and a surgeon to try and heal him, the insurance carrier continued to deny responsibility for his injuries. After closing arguments and approximately two hours of deliberation, the jury returned a verdict for 100% of the damages requested by GCF car accident attorneys, providing vindication and closure for Mr. Arnold who had been denied justice by his insurance company for three years.
