$211,592 Settlement After Crash Left Missouri Woman Needing Knee Replacement

In December 2022, Pamela Duggan was involved in a motor vehicle collision with a driver named Bradley Wine. No police report was filed, and Duggan at first hoped her pain would subside with over-the-counter medications. Instead, the crash sent her to doctors with complaints spanning her head, neck, back, and knee, among other areas. What appeared at first to be a painful but manageable set of soft-tissue injuries turned out to be far more serious over the months that followed.

By the fall of 2023, Duggan had undergone total knee replacement surgery. The procedure was followed by an extensive physical therapy program that stretched into 2024. Her past medical bills totaled $130,345.61 billed, with a portion written off through her insurer.

The case did not resolve quickly. Defense counsel disputed whether the December 2022 collision caused the degree of knee damage that required replacement surgery. That causation fight dragged the litigation past the three-year mark with no settlement in sight.

Laurie Del Percio of The Horn Law Firm in Independence represented Duggan throughout. To break the deadlock on causation, Del Percio retained an expert economist to prepare a report documenting the household activities Duggan could no longer perform as a result of her injuries. The economic analysis added a concrete, dollar-denominated dimension to Duggan's losses that went beyond medical bills, giving both sides a clearer picture of the full value of the claim.

With that analysis in hand, the parties reached a settlement on January 12, 2026. The $211,592.08 total drew from three sources: a $100,000 tortfeasor policy-limit payment from Bradley Wine's carrier, $100,000 in underinsured motorist coverage from Duggan's own policy with State Farm, and $11,592.08 in medical payment coverage. The case was filed in Jackson County Circuit Court at Independence, Missouri.