Insurer settles for $100,000 as driver faces charges from crash

An Excelsior Springs woman reached a $100,000 settlement with a driver who caused a three-vehicle collision, according to her attorney.

Rachel Lawrence of Brown & Crouppen‘s Kansas City office said that on Sept. 1, 2018, Belinda Holly, then 54, was a passenger in a 2012 Ford Taurus driven by her husband, Eddie Holly Jr. They were traveling westbound on Missouri Highway 10 in Ray County.

At the same time, Donald Jamerson, then 38, was driving a 2004 Dodge Ram 2500 northbound. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Jamerson ran a stop sign and struck the rear driver’s side of Holly’s Taurus, causing it to spin. Holly’s vehicle then entered the eastbound lane of the highway and struck a third vehicle with its passenger side.

Lawrence said Jamerson left the scene, but troopers located him at his home later that day. According to court records, a felony charge for leaving the scene of an accident and other charges related to the 2018 crash remain pending in Ray County Circuit Court.

Belinda Holly had to be flown to the hospital. Lawrence said she suffered a broken pelvis, six fractured ribs and three tears in her right shoulder. She spent two weeks in the hospital and another week at a rehabilitation facility. Holly underwent physical therapy for her pelvis and rib injuries before undergoing two surgeries to repair her shoulder.

Lawrence said Jamerson’s insurer, American Family Mutual Insurance Co., agreed to offer its policy limits without further negotiation.

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