Case Study: Personal Accident / Injuries

Snowmobile Accident | $2.4 Million Settlement

Case Facts

  • Our client crashed his snowmobile into another vehicle.

  • The client sustained significant, permanent brain injuries that prevented him from continuing his work as a surgeon.

  • We obtained a $2.4 million settlement on his behalf. 

The Injury

While on a snowmobile trip in Eastern Oregon, our client and several friends did a repeat jump of one they had done earlier in the day. As our client did his jump, he was unaware another member of his snowmobiling group was the first down the hill parked in the landing zone while waiting for the others to join him. He was unable to see the parked snowmobile until he was in the air and could not avoid the collision. As a result, he crashed into the other snowmobile on his landing and sustained significant head and brain injuries.

Our client was a successful surgeon prior to this snowmobile accident. Following the crash, his injuries left him unable to perform any surgeries; his brain injuries were permanently disabling. This, in turn, left him with substantial medical expenses and an inability to earn a living to the same extent he was able prior to the crash. 

DWC Actions

Our client made a claim with the other snowmobiler’s insurance companies to compensate him for his losses. However, this was met with extreme resistance.

The other snowmobile driver’s insurance company refused to settle with our client for a reasonable sum, instead choosing to blame him for the accident. Disappointed, but not defeated, our client approached Dwyer Williams Cherkoss Attorneys, PC for representation. Notably, this was after having been turned down by several other attorneys who deemed his case to be too difficult for them to handle. We took the case and immediately filed it with the court then proceeded with discovery. 

Key Successes

We settled the case for $2.4 million – the maximum amount of insurance available to our client from the various insurance companies involved.