Closing Miriam’s Two-Part Lawsuit

In April 2019, Miriam was driving west on Fair Park Boulevard in Harlingen towards the intersection with Teege Avenue. A second driver was stopped on Teege Avenue at the northbound entrance of the same intersection.

There is a stop sign on Teege Avenue that directs northbound drivers to stop and yield the right-of-way to traffic traveling on Fair Park Boulevard. Unfortunately, the other driver ran the stop sign, entered the intersection unsafely, and caused Miriam’s vehicle to crash into the other driver’s car. The collision was strong enough to launch Miriam’s car into a nearby fire hydrant. The responding police officer held the other driver responsible for the collision and cited that driver with “Failure to Yield the Right of Way.”

Due to Miriam’s injuries, an ambulance transported her to a Harlingen hospital after the accident. At the hospital, a family member learned of my law firm while searching online for local accident attorneys with experience handling auto insurance claims. After Miriam’s discharge, she came to my office and hired my firm to represent her. While the at-fault driver’s liability carrier accepted responsibility for its driver’s negligence, the proposed settlement did not account for all of Miriam’s medical expenses and ignored the severity of her injuries. When the insurance company refused to reconsider its proposal, my office sued the at-fault driver and scheduled the case for trial.

Despite the challenges that 2020 has provided, my office worked hard to fight for Miriam and push her case through the legal system. As a result, the liability carrier agreed to pay the at-fault driver’s policy limits in September. Unfortunately, Miriam’s treating hospital filed a hospital lien for its $21,000.00 medical bill after the collision. This lien gave the hospital the right to be paid before Miriam and decreased the compensation she would receive. Initially, my office asked the hospital to reduce its bill to a fair and reasonable amount. When the hospital refused, we sued the hospital to challenge its billing practices. Within a few weeks, the hospital relented and agreed to reduce Miriam’s hospital bill, allowing her to receive fair compensation for her injuries. 

If you or a loved one receives notice of a hospital lien for excessive or unreasonable charges following a car crash or other accident, you have enough things to worry about. Do not let dealing with and negotiating a hospital lien be one of them. We deal with hospital liens so you can focus on getting your life back to normal. You have one chance to do this; make the right choice by choosing the right attorney. Call us at (956) 291-7870 or email us at contact@rdjlawyer.com for a free consultation and case evaluation.