DelVecchio & Miller’s client was involved in a rear-end collision when she struck a truck that was traveling directly in front of her. This crash occurred on I-376 between Carnegie and Rosslyn Farms. The truck, that was in front of her car, came to an abrupt stop due to a bumper that had fallen off another vehicle and was blocking the lane of travel. As a result of the collision, our client suffered a concussion that kept her off work for an extended period of time.
Initially, she had sought legal counsel from another Pittsburgh law firm. Following review, this other law firm declined to represent her. She then came to D&M for a second opinion.
We took a novel approach to this challenging case. No claim was made against the driver of the truck that was rear-ended by our client. Instead, we looked to our client’s insurance company, GEICO. Our client had bought and paid for Uninsured Motorist (“UM”) coverage on her own auto policy. Despite rear-ending the truck that was in front of her, we presented a UM claim to GEICO Insurance based upon the bumper which had fallen off the unidentified vehicle, which was blocking the lane of travel, and which constituted a hazard to other motorists. Although UM coverage was purchased by our client, GEICO denied the UM claim, blaming their insured for the accident.
Extensive litigation ensued in Federal Court. After successfully defeating GEICO’s Motion for Summary Judgment (a motion requesting dismissal of the claim) and a failed attempt to mediate the case, the parties ultimately agreed to present the case to an Uninsured Motorist Arbitration for a final decision. Following testimony and the submission of various expert reports from both sides, an award was entered in favor of our client in the amount of $270,726.87.
DelVecchio & Miller – We’re Different. We take on many difficult cases that other law firms are afraid of. We fight for the rights of our people every day.