The Onder Law Firm recovered $6,000,000.00 on behalf of Pamela Knott, a woman who was partially paralyzed when her vehicle was struck by a tractor trailer. As Ms. Knott was stopped at a red light in Cassville, Missouri, a car began to pull through the intersection. A tractor trailer went through a red light, struck the vehicle, and jack-knifed towards Ms. Knott’s vehicle. The tractor trailer struck the driver’s side of Ms. Knott’s vehicle, causing numerous injuries to Ms. Knott. She suffered partial paralysis of her right arm and right leg, blurred vision, cognitive deficiencies, a broken arm, and was rendered permanently disabled from her job as a nurse. The tractor was owned by Shepherd, Inc. and the trailer was owned by George’s, Inc., a chicken processing company.

Shepherd, Inc. had only the $1,000,000 federally required minimum amount of insurance on its tractor trailer and driver. This amount was offered as a settlement early in the case by counsel for Shepherd, Inc. Given the plaintiff’s injuries, the settlement offer was not accepted and discovery was undertaken to find additional culpable parties and additional insurance coverage. After discovery and investigation, we argued that Shepherd’s driver was covered under George’s policy of insurance. While not explicitly admitting coverage, George’s policy paid out over $5,000,000 to settle the case. The settlement is the largest reported settlement in the history of Barry County.