Teen's Hip Surgery After Red-Light Crash Leads to $252,000 Settlement

In 2023, a teenage passenger was riding in a vehicle traveling through an intersection in Jackson County, Missouri, when the defendant ran a red light and struck the car on the driver's side. The force of the impact was significant enough to deploy the airbags.

The teen was not the only minor in the vehicle, but her injuries were more severe. She reported hip and pelvis pain, left arm pain, and shoulder and elbow discomfort in the aftermath of the crash. A treating orthopedic surgeon later concluded the hip injury was most likely caused by the seatbelt pressing against the anterior left hip and proximal thigh at the moment of impact.

The injury proved especially complicated because the teenager had undergone hip surgery in the months before the collision. The defense was positioned to argue that prior medical history limited the defendant's liability. Attorney Laurie Del Percio of Horn Law Firm in Independence worked to establish the distinction between the pre-existing condition and the new trauma the crash caused, supporting the claim with orthopedic expert opinion.

Total billed medical expenses reached $177,288, a figure that the defense sought to minimize by pointing to the amount written off by the insurer, which was $135,551. The case was filed in Jackson County Circuit Court at Independence under case number 2516-CV08551 before Judge Kenneth Garrett III.

The parties reached a settlement on April 21, 2025. The defendant's insurer, Nationwide, paid out $250,000 at the liability policy limit. Shelter Insurance contributed the $2,000 medical payments policy limit, bringing the total recovery to $252,000.