Left Turn Accident Settlements and Average Case Values

Left turn collisions are among the most common and dangerous types of car accidents. Because a vehicle turning left cuts directly across oncoming traffic, these crashes often result in severe impact, leading to catastrophic injuries like bone fractures, collapsed lungs, or spine trauma that require costly surgeries and long recovery periods.

I have recovered over $3 Million in settlements specifically for victims of left-turn accidents across Florida. Below are real-world case examples handled by our firm—showing how factors like injury severity, insurance policy limits, medical bills, and fault shape final case values and payouts.

$479,000 Left Turn Settlement (Wrist Surgery and Ruptured Implant)

This is a true story. My client’s name has been changed to protect her privacy.

Maria was driving through an intersection in Pembroke Pines when another driver suddenly attempted to turn left across her lane.

Maria had the green light, but there was no time to stop. The vehicles collided and the front of her SUV was crushed.

Maria suffered several injuries, including a fractured wrist that required surgery, ruptured breast implants, and a head injury.

Doctors repaired her wrist with plates and screws to stabilize the broken bones. After surgery, her arm was placed in a cast, and even simple tasks like buttoning a shirt or washing her hair became difficult.

The crash created another major problem. At first, it was unclear which insurance company actually insured the driver who caused the crash. Multiple insurers were contacted before we eventually confirmed the responsible policy.

Once the claim was opened, the insurance company began making settlement offers that were far below the case’s true value.

The first offer was $65,000.

I gathered Maria’s medical records, surgical reports, and imaging showing the plates and screws placed in her wrist during surgery.

These records clearly demonstrated the severity of the injury and the treatment required to repair it.

As negotiations continued, the insurance company gradually increased its offers:

• $80,000
• $170,000
• $212,000

To make it clear we were prepared to move forward, I sent the insurance company and their attorney a drafted lawsuit showing we were ready to file if they did not pay a fair amount.

After continued negotiations, the case ultimately settled for $479,000.

Redacted copy of the $479,000 settlement check.

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One of Maria’s health insurers had paid nearly $15,000 in medical bills, but I convinced them to completely waive their reimbursement claim.

This allowed Maria to keep more of the recovery.

After attorney’s fees and medical expenses were paid, Maria received more than $309,000 from the settlement.

Broken bone cases that require surgery with plates and screws often have significantly higher settlement value than minor injuries because the medical records clearly document the seriousness of the injury.

$445,000 Left Turn Settlement for Truck Accident (Broken Leg and Finger)

Watch our video on this settlement:

A young man was riding a motorcycle in Hialeah, Florida. A tractor trailer was heading in the opposite direction.

The truck driver made a left turn and hit the motorcyclist.

As a result of the impact, the rider was thrown off his motorcycle. Here is the diagram from the Florida traffic crash report:

The truck driver got a ticket for causing the accident.

He broke his leg and finger. Specifically, he had a tibial plateau fracture. Doctors operated on both his leg and finger. He spent about a week at the hospital. While in the hospital, he called me for a free consultation.

We spoke on the phone. I met him at the hospital and he hired me immediately.

Chartis (now AIG) offered $100,000. Of course, I rejected this amount. This goes to show that even if truck accidents insurance companies are still cheap.

Ultimately, I settled his personal injury case for $445,000. This chart shows the difference between the first offer and the settlement:

When looking at his final out of pocket hospital and medical bills, 93% of the total settlement was for pain and suffering.

After my attorney’s fees, costs and paying his medical bills, he received $263,522.

This does not factor in interest on a loan that he took.

The pain and suffering multiplier was 14.7 times the final out of pocket medical bills.

$380,000+ Left Turn Car Accident Settlement

I reached a settlement for over $380,000 with a broken hand and surgery from a left-turn car accident in Florida. The client was thrilled.

$330,000 Left Turn Settlement (Broken Hand and Lung Injuries)

Yari was just an everyday guy riding his motorcycle in South Florida, wanting to get home safe. But when a valet making a left turn and accidentally drove a hotel guest’s car straight into him, his life changed in an instant.

He fractured bones in his neck and upper back, broke his hand so badly it required surgery with a plate and screws, and both lungs collapsed — one requiring a chest tube.

He faced big hospital bills and was worried about how he’d pay them. That’s when Yari got a Free Consultation with me (attorney Justin Ziegler). After we spoke, he quickly hired me.

Insurance Company Pushback

I jumped into action on his case. USAA insured the car with a $300,000 bodily injury liability insurance limit. But they didn’t just hand over the money. They resisted at first, saying they needed to check if the valet company’s insurance would be primary. They even told me they were looking at my client’s social media profile.

This is what the police bodycam recorded at the crash scene:

One of the first things I made sure was done was ordering the police bodycam footage of the crash aftermath.. Many police agencies delete this footage shortly after an accident if it isn’t requested in time. By moving quickly, we made sure the evidence wasn’t lost — giving us proof that could have been gone forever.

Evidence disappears fast after a crash. Contact us now for a Free Consultation before it’s too late.

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Why Having a Lawyer Mattered

Without a lawyer, Yari could have been lowballed or delayed for months. Most people don’t realize insurance companies won’t just hand over money, even when their driver is clearly at fault. That’s why Yari called me right away.

The Final Settlement

In the end, we didn’t just get USAA’s $300,000 policy limits. We also got the valet company’s insurer to pay its insured’s $10,000 limits, and the valet company itself to agree to pay $20,000 more on top of that.

Like most bigger personal injury settlements, most of this recovery was for pain and suffering. Yari was also fortunate that the at-fault driver carried a large $300,000 policy. Many car insurance policies are for much less.

Like most people who ride motorcycles, Yari did not have uninsured motorist (UM) coverage on his bike. He also didn’t have UM on any cars he owned, and he didn’t live with anyone who carried it. That meant we couldn’t make an underinsured motorist claim. The $330,000 we recovered was every dollar that was available.

I also made sure Yari kept more of his settlement money. His health insurance company didn’t reply in time when we asked what they had already paid to the hospital. Because of that, they lost their chance to take money from Yari’s settlement. That meant more money went to Yari instead of back to insurance.

Here is the $300,000 settlement check (redacted):

What the Client Said After the Case Resolved

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$300,000 Left Turn Car Accident Settlement (Broken Leg)

Ryan was driving a rental car in Clearwater, Pinellas County, Florida. He was in Florida for business purposes.

Another driver made a left turn and crashed into Ryan’s car.

You can see the damage to Ryan’s rental car.

Below, you can see the damage to the other driver’s car:

At the hospital, someone took a photo of Ryan.

Check it out:

Here is another image that focuses more on the equipment that was used to monitor his vitals:

He had a broken leg (tibial plateau). While in the hospital, Ryan searched for car accident lawyers. He found our website and decided to get a free consultation with me.

After we spoke, he hired me. At the hospital, doctors performed surgery on his leg.

In particular, they put a plate and screws into his leg.

After surgery, the doctor put a cast on his leg.

When he left the hospital, he could not walk. He was wheeled out of the hospital.

Allstate insured the careless driver’s car. 

However, he only had $100,000 in bodily injury liability (BIL) coverage.

Within 8 days of the car accident, Allstate sent me a check for the $100,000 BIL limits.

There is no guarantee that the car insurance company for the at fault driver will send you a $100,000 settlement check within 8 days of a car accident.

However, here is my video about when you’re most likely to get a $100,000 settlement check within 8 days or less after a car accident:

I did not want to deposit the $100,000 check.

Why not?

Since my client had Georgia uninsured motorist insurance, we needed to keep the at fault driver in the case.

In order for Ryan to go to orthopedic visits and physical therapy, a medical transport van would come to his home.

There, someone would load him into a van while he was in a wheelchair.

Ultimately, Ryan made a good recovery.

I settled with Allstate for the $100,000 BIL limits.

Travelers was his uninsured motorist insurer.  They paid me $200,000 to settle. 

Here is the Travelers Insurance settlement check:

In total, the car accident injury settlement amount was $300,000. This is about 20 times more than the average settlement for a car accident.

When the insurance companies made the combined $300,000 offer, I estimate that about 97% of the settlement was for pain and suffering:

Workers’ comp paid around $85,000 to Ryan’s doctors. And they wanted that money back from the settlement.

The good news?

Since Ryan had a lawyer, they had to reduce this amount by my lawyers fees and costs.

This resulted in an instant savings of over $28,000 to Ryan! Again, he only got that savings because he had attorney.

If he did not have a lawyer, the workers’ compensation insurer would not have had to reduce its payback claim by pro-rata lawyer fees and costs.

I didn’t stop there.

Next, I fought to reduce the $85,000 workers comp lien. I even used the rental car’s PIP to further cut down the lien. In the end, we only had to pay back workers’ comp around $3,000.

If Ryan did not have an attorney in this car accident case, he would have had to pay the workers compensation company back over $28,000 more. And probably much more than that. This is because workers comp would not have reduced their payback claim by my pro-rata attorney’s fees and costs.

After my attorneys fees, costs, and paying the workers’ compensation lien and medical bills, Ryan got $187,371 in his pocket.

This chart shows the breakdown:

$260,000 Left Turn Accident Settlement (Back Fracture)

Ray was driving for Uber in Miami. While heading straight on the road, a van made a left hand turn into Ray. They crashed.

Shortly after the accident, his girlfriend drove him to the hospital. While there, he called my office to get a free consultation to see if I could represent him. He was looking for an Uber accident lawyer. After we spoke, he hired me.

I drove to Coral Gables hospital. As you can see, I took a photo of Ray.

Notice that the photo above is great quality. Be sure to take high resolution photos. Make sure that the photos are large, high-quality images that are at least 1,200 px wide.

The Uber driver claimed that the accident caused a fracture to one of the lamina in his spine. You can see where the lamina is in the lumbar (lower back) spine.

He did not have surgery. We also claimed that the impact caused or aggravated his disc protrusions (herniated discs). 

CNA insured the other driver’s van. The other driver was working at the time of the accident.

CNA’s first offer was $150,000.

CNA paid me $260,000 to settle the Uber driver’s personal injury claim. 

This image shows the comparison between CNA’s first offer and the settlement:

This is about 17 times greater than the average settlement for a car accident.

The other driver was at fault.  Most of the settlement was for pain and suffering. 

The settlement also covered my client’s medical bills.

The $260,000 settlement was about 49 times Ray’s out of pocket medical bills and Medicaid lien.

Medicaid paid Ray’s big hospital bill.

$125,000 Left Turn Car Accident Settlement (Broken Hand)

Richie was a police officer. He was driving his police car in Miami, Florida. Another driver was making a left turn and failed to yield at a stop sign and “T-boned” Richie.

Richie’s car sustained big damage in the crash. A tow driver removed it from the scene.

After the accident, his police cruiser looked like this:

The airbag deployed in his car.

As you can see, it cut his head:

However, he did not need stitches.

As a result of the crash, he broke a bone in his hand (5th metacarpal). To be exact, he fractured his fifth metacarpal. This is what the 5th metacarpal looks like:

A doctor operated on his hand. Richie did not want to handle his car accident claim without a lawyer. He had heard that car insurance companies (like GEICO) take advantage of people who don’t have a lawyer.

Thus, he got a free consultation with me. He hired me. GEICO insured the other driver. GEICO made a first offer to settle of $81,000.

After intense negotiation, I settled his personal injury case with GEICO for $125,000.

After my attorney’s fees, costs and paying back his workers’ compensation insurer, Richie got a check for over $80,000.

Richie was very happy with the amount of his car accident injury settlement.

Take a look at his glowing smile:

$100,000 Left Turn Car Accident Settlement (Broken Nose and Back Injury)

Sara was driving her car in North Miami Beach, Florida. Another car was heading in the opposite direction. The other car made a left turn into Sara’s right of way. They crashed into each other.

Sara was driving car #1 in the crash diagram below:

Check out the damage to Sara’s SUV.

The front seat airbags deployed.

Here is a photo of the other driver’s car:

Paramedics took Sara to the hospital.

At the emergency room (ER), she took this selfie:

Sara broke her nose.   After the accident, she hired me as her lawyer.

She said the crash worsened her pre-existing bulging discs and herniated discs.

She had car insurance. Florida is a No Fault state. Therefore, her personal injury protection (PIP) paid her doctors $10,000 for her medical bills. Florida is one of a few states that has No-Fault insurance.

Sara had a nerve block injection to her lower back.  A neurosurgeon recommended lower back surgery.

GEICO Insured the At Fault Driver

I sent GEICO a letter to GEICO asking them to tell me the at fault driver’s insurance limits.

When I make a claim against my client’s uninsured motorist insurance coverage, I send a different letter.

In most cases, I like to make sure that a claim has already been set up with GEICO before sending my request for their insurance limits.

Why?

My letter gets to the correct adjuster faster.

GEICO paid its $100,000 BI insurance limits about three months after the collision.

As you can see, 90% of this settlement was for pain and suffering:

When a car insurance company makes you a settlement offer, they do not factor in your attorney fees.

The rest of this $100,000 payout was for her out of pocket medical bills and health insurance lien.

After my attorney’s fees, costs, and paying off Sara’s medical bills and health insurance liens, she got $56,504 in her pocket. 

Sara’s settlement was a little less than 10 times her final medical bills and health insurance lien.

She was very happy with her settlement.

$100K Settlement for Motorcyclist After Accident With Car Making Left Turn

A motorcycle rider was hit by a car in Miami, Florida. We claimed that that the crash caused or worsened his herniated disc. He also had a meniscus tear.

In addition, I alleged that the crash caused his erectile dysfunction (ED).

I demanded the other driver’s $100,000 bodily injury liability limits. Unfortunately, GEICO’s first offer was only $5,500. Look at the letter that they sent me:

Their letter seems convincing, right?

If my client did not have an attorney, he may have believed GEICO. After all, they said they were making a good faith offer. They were not.

I again told GEICO that we would not settle for under the driver’s $100,000 BIL limits. GEICO made another lowball offer.

My client claimed that he had erectile dysfunction since the accident. He did not have health insurance. Thus, I paid for his one time medical evaluation with a urologist. A urologist is a doctor who treats injuries to the mail reproductive organs.

GEICO offered to mediate this case. Mediation is where a third party tries to get the injured person and GEICO to settle.

At mediation, GEICO offered the $100,000 BIL coverage limits to settle. This was during the 8 month after the accident.

We settled with GEICO for the $100,000 BIL limits.

Here’s a comparison between the first offer and the final settlement:

After my attorney fees and costs, and paying my client’s medical bills, I gave him a check for $56,756.

Take a look:

$100,000 Settlement for Left Turn Truck Accident

A man was driving his car, heading straight.  A 18 wheeler truck coming in the opposite direction made a left hand turn.  The car crashed into the 18 wheeler.

Shortly after this accident, the driver of the car heard about me.

His relative referred him to us. We gave the driver a free consultation.

Immediately after we had this free consultation, he hired us. The driver of the car claimed that the car crash caused or aggravated his C5-C6 herniated disc.

 Zurich Insurance Company insured the tractor trailer. After delays by Zurich, we settled for $100,000.

Injured in a Left-Turn Accident in Florida?

Left-turn collisions often involve complex liability disputes and severe injuries that require maximum financial recovery. Insurance companies frequently offer far less than what your claim is truly worth. If you or a loved one was injured in a left-turn crash, don’t navigate the process alone.

Call us at 888-594-3577 for a or a Free Consultation to evaluate your case, protect your rights, and help you recover the full compensation you deserve. We accept calls 7 days a week, every day of the year.

Or click the button below for a free video consultation with me, left-turn expert accident lawyer Justin Ziegler.