Driver reaches settlement by stacking UM policies

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A man injured when he was rear-ended on a highway was able to stack two $50,000 uninsured motorist policies to recover his damages, according to his attorney.

Stephen Gerring of Gerring Injury Law said his client was traveling in the fast lane on Interstate 70 in St. Louis around 1:45 a.m. on Nov. 20, 2022, when an unknown driver swerving in between lanes hit him from behind at more than 100 miles per hour.

Gerring said the difficulty was proving causation. The plaintiff had two neck surgeries in the six months before the accident to prevent the progressive loss of grip strength in his right hand. He had been experiencing a near total loss of grip strength before the surgeries, which had been improving in the weeks leading up to the accident after the surgeries.

Some of his pre-surgery symptoms returned after the accident. He was referred to physical therapy. His treating doctors had stated before and after the accident that his loss of grip strength was a chronic condition that was progressively getting worse and may be permanent.

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$100,000 settlement

Motor Vehicle Collision

Venue: City of St. Louis

Case Number/Date: Not filed/Aug. 10, 2023

Special Damages: $43,186.92

Insurance: Progressive

Caption: Confidential

Plaintiff’s Attorney: Stephen F. Gerring, Gerring Injury Law, St. Louis

Defendant’s Attorney: None