Auto-Owners Insurance Truck Accident Cases

This page will take a brief look at truck accident claims with Auto-Owners Insurance Group. Auto-Owners Insurance is one of the top 10 largest commercial auto insurance companies in the U.S. They have a major presence in the mid-west with smaller and mid-sized trucking companies.

About Auto-Owners Insurance

Auto-Owners Insurance offers automobile, truck, home, business, and life insurance policies through independent agents. It was founded in 1916 and wrote insurance coverage policies only for Michigan until 1935. Our truck accident lawyers take an interest in this insurance company because they insure commercial trucks.

Located in Michigan, it is the largest property and casualty insurance company with its headquarters in Michigan. Auto-Owners Insurance Group is made up of five property and casualty companies and one life/health/annuity insurer. Homeowners’ insurance, for homes, condos, renters, mobile homes, farms, and rental homes is offered in Michigan and Ohio, while the private-owners insurance is offered in Michigan and Indiana. In 2012, the company issued over $30 billion in life insurance coverage.

Auto-Owners Insurance offers services in 26 different states and employs over 4,500 associates. The policies are available for automobiles as well as trucks, motor homes, mopeds, motorcycles, recreational vehicles, utility trailers, and vacation trailers/campers. Discounts are often made available, including discounts for company cars, a “green discount”, mature drivers, multiple policies/vehicles, paid in full discount, safe drivers, safety features, and student discounts. The coverage that comes with policies often includes:

• Additional expense
• Bodily injury liability
• Collision
• Comprehensive
• Full glass
• Loan/lease gap
• Medical payments
• Non-owned automobile
• Personal Auto Plus
• Personal Injury Protection
• Pet Medical Coverage
• Physical Damage Plus
• Property Damage Liability
• Rental Car
• Road Trouble Serve
• Underinsured/uninsured motorist coverage

For the past fourteen years, Auto-Owners has been ranked among the Fortune 500 each year. A.M Best has rated the company at the highest rating available, A++ for the 45th year in a row. Recently, in 2015, Auto-Owners purchased Atlantic Casualty Insurance Company.

Auto-Owners Truck Accident Claims

Auto-Owners insures thousands of commercial trucks in the U.S. The company’s largest market share is in the mid-west region where they specialize in insuring smaller and mid-sized trucking companies. If you have truck accident claim with Auto-Owners you can expect the claims team to be friendly and very service oriented. They have won numerous awards and accolades in the industry for claims satisfaction.

 

Auto-Owners may have won some awards for claims satisfaction, but this doesn’t mean that your going to get a great settlement offer from them on every claim. In fact, some of the available data suggests that Auto-Owners may be below average when it comes to paying full and fair compensation. Claims Loss Ratio (CLR) measures the amount of money an insurance company pays out on claims compared to how much money it takes in on premiums. The higher the CLR the more generous a company is in claims payouts. Among the top 10 commercial auto insurers in the U.S., Auto-Owners has the 8th lowest CLR.

Contacting Auto-Owners Insurance

The administrative offices for the company are located at:

6101 Anacapri Boulevard
Lansing, Michigan 48917

You can send mail to Auto-Owners at:

P.O. Box 30660
Lansing, Michigan 48909

You can also call them at 517-323-1200 or 888-252-4626. You can also call the Insurance Minnesota branch at 800-332-2886.

Settlements and Verdicts Involving Auto-Owners Insurance

We have listed some recent settlements and verdicts against Auto-Owners Insurance below, specifically the Auto Insurance Group. Does reading verdicts and settlements help you better understand the value of your claim? Absolutely. But it is important to remember that these are just examples. Personal injury and wrongful death cases are too fact specific for any settlement formula and you cannot compare cases that seem on their face to be factually similar. For some of these cases, we have a lot of details to provide and in some, we have little to no additional information.

• 2016, Michigan: $1,000,000 Settlement. A 78-year-old woman is driving when the defendant’s vehicle, traveling in the opposite direction, crosses the center line and strikes her vehicle. Defendant and his employer were insured by Auto-Owners. The woman sustains severe injuries and dies as a result of the collision. The defendants attempted to argue that the driver had a stroke right before the collision, but the plaintiff presented experts that opined he did not and that he likely fell asleep. The parties settled the case for $1,000,000.
• 2016, Michigan: $950,000 Settlement. Plaintiff and defendant are in what appears to be a road-rage incident, traveling close to 100 miles per hour. Suddenly, the defendant, allegedly intoxicated, swerves into the plaintiff’s vehicle, knocking it off the roadway and into a tree. This kills the plaintiff. The defendant, insured by Auto-Owners, argues drag racing and road rage and argues that plaintiff would be found 50% liable at trial. The parties settled for $950,000.
• 2016, Michigan: $550,000 Verdict. Plaintiff is driving his vehicle when he stops for a red light and is rear-ended by the defendant. The collision was significant enough to push the plaintiff into the vehicle in front of him, and injure his back and neck. Defendant driver was insured by Auto-Owners, who agreed to settle the case for $550,000.
• 2016, Pennsylvania: $520,018 Verdict. Plaintiff is crossing an intersection when defendant’s vehicle strikes him after allegedly failing to yield the right of way. The plaintiff sustains fractures to his tibia, fibula, and knee, along with head and brain injuries as a result. The driver of the vehicle was an underinsured motorist, so the plaintiff sought to recover his underinsured motorist benefits from his policy with Auto-Owners. At trial, the jury found the plaintiff to be 33% liable for his injuries, and awarded him $505,018, in addition to his wife receiving $15,000 for her loss of consortium claim. The award was later reduced to $348,412 since the plaintiff was found to be partially liable.
• 2016, Wisconsin: $175,000 Verdict. A female is riding her bicycle when the defendant motorist attempts to make a left turn and strikes the woman. As a result, she sustains an injury to her clavicle and a humerus fracture. The defendant is insured by Auto-Owners, who disputes liability and argues contributory negligence. A jury awards the woman $175,000.
• 2016, Kentucky: $100,000 Verdict. A woman is a passenger in a vehicle being driven by her husband when defendant rear-ends them while they are stopped in traffic. The woman was taken to the ER, and as a result of the impact, has to treat with a chiropractor and experiences migraines. She sues the other driver and her insurance carrier, Auto-Owners, to recover her underinsured motorist benefits. Defendant driver settles with her for his $50,000 policy limits. A jury then awarded her $100,000 from Auto-Owners, which is likely to be reduced due to limits due to policy limits and personal injury protection.
• 2016, Michigan: $40,000 Settlement. A 26-year-old nurse is driving and begins to slow due to traffic. As she approaches an
  intersection, she is rear-ended by the defendant’s vehicle. The impact forces her to impact the vehicle in front of her and causes injuries to her shoulder, neck, and back. The nurse sues defendant driver and the owner of the vehicle, insured by Auto-Owners Insurance Company. The defendants admitted liability but disputed the causation of the plaintiff’s injury. The parties settled the case for $40,000 after a case evaluation, which was within the Auto-Owners Insurance policy limits.
• 2015, Alabama: $3,800,000 Verdict. A 56-year-old computer specialist is driving his sedan when it is broadsided by a pick-up truck driven by defendant after defendant ran a stop sign. The impact forced the man’s car to spin out of control, and the defendant’s truck to roll several times, finally landing on its roof. Plaintiff, a 16-year-old girl, was inside the defendant’s truck was the plaintiff. The girl suffered multiple facial fractures as well as brain damage. The driver of the other vehicle fractured his neck, and his passenger wife also sustained multiple fractures. The 16-year-old girl and the couple sued the truck driver, after learning he had passed five rumble strips prior to running the stop sign. Defendant truck driver, insured by Auto-Owners Insurance, denied any responsibility and argued that his passenger could have alerted him as he approached the stop sign or the couple could have honked their horn or swerved to avoid the collision. A jury found that the defendant was liable and that he engaged in reckless misconduct. They awarded the girl and the couple $3,800,000.
• 2015, Illinois: $1,000,000 Settlement. A 27-year-old electrician is driving his vehicle, with his brother and another friend as a passenger, when they are involved in a collision with a pickup truck and a tractor-trailer. The driver brings a case against the other two drivers, claiming that he slowed due to traffic ahead of him when the pickup truck driver struck the rear of his vehicle, pushing it into the tractor-trailer in front of him. His two passengers were airlifted to the hospital, while he was transported by ambulance. One of his passengers sustained cervical and lumbar spine strains, while the other suffered a traumatic brain injury. The driver sustained fractures requiring surgery, leaving him unable to work, and subsequently suffer emotional disturbances and severe depression, leading to his suicide. The defendants argue that the brain injury was not the proximate cause of the man’s suicide, but Auto-Owner Insurance settled the case for their $1,000,000 policy limits.
• 2015, Wisconsin: $550,000 Settlement. Plaintiff, a 39-year-old male, is stopped at an intersection when defendant rear-ends him. This impact forces the plaintiff into the rear of the vehicle in front of him. The man sustains a back injury and has surgery on his back the following year. He settles with defendant’s insurer, Auto-Owners, for $550,000 prior to trial.
• 2015, Wisconsin: $520,000 Settlement. Plaintiff is operating his vehicle when a Mustang, being operated by a minor, attempts to make an illegal U-turn. This forces the plaintiff to swerve to avoid a collision, and strike a light pole. The plaintiff injures his neck and left shoulder during this accident. The minor driver and his Mustang were insured by Auto-Owners Insurance, who settled the case for $520,000 before trial.
• 2015, Michigan: $433,500 Settlement. A 46-year-old man is driving his Jeep when he comes to a stop for traffic. Defendant’s vehicle rear-ends him, causing injuries to his neck, back, and groin. He files a claim against her, arguing negligence in the operation of her vehicle and the failure to keep a proper lookout. Auto-Owners, defendant’s insurance company, agreed to settle the case for $433,500, which was within the policy limits.
• 2015, Michigan: $425,000 Settlement. Plaintiff is traveling in the left lane of the highway when the defendant’s vehicle attempts to change lanes in front of him. After the defendant’s vehicle is established in the lane, her vehicle fishtails and comes into contact with the plaintiff’s vehicle. Plaintiff was diagnosed with a fracture of his left arm and a complex injury of his wrist, requiring four surgeries. He filed a claim against the defendant driver, the owner of the defendant’s vehicle, and his own insurance carrier, Auto-Owners, to recover underinsured motorist benefits. The defendants claimed comparative negligence, but the parties agreed to settle the case. Defendant driver’s insurance agreed to settle for their policy limits of $100,007, while the owner’s insurance company agreed to settle for their policy limits of $250,000. Plaintiff’s insurer, Auto-Owners, agreed to settle for $74,993.
• 2015, Georgia: $375,000 Verdict. Plaintiff, a 67-year-old man, enters an intersection at the same time defendant’s vehicle runs a stop sign. Defendant’s vehicle impacts the front driver’s side of the plaintiff’s vehicle, injuring his neck, shoulders, and back. He sues the driver as well as her employer, as she was acting in the scope of her employment at the time of the accident. The defendant’s (both insured by Auto-Owners Insurance) admitted liability but argued the extent of the man’s injuries. A jury found that the defendant was the cause of plaintiff’s injuries, and awarded him $375,000.
• 2015, Georgia: $250,000 Verdict. Plaintiff is driving her car when the defendant, operating a Dodge Caravan, enters an intersection and strikes the side of her car, injuring her shoulder. The man, insured by Auto-Owners Insurance, admits fault, but argues the proximate cause of the woman’s injury, as she claimed she underwent surgery due to the accident. A jury awarded her $250,000.
• 2015, Michigan: $250,000 Verdict. A 58-year-old retired firefighter comes to a stop sign when he is rear-ended by defendant driver. Plaintiff claims that as a result, his pre-existing back condition was aggravated due to the previously placed rods being broken. The defendant argued snowy conditions forced her to face a ‘sudden emergency,’ but a jury awarded the man $250,000 from defendant’s insurance policy with Auto-Owners Insurance Company.
• 2015, Indiana: $171,216 Verdict. A 38-year-old off-duty police officer is driving when defendants tow truck, traveling in the opposite direction, begins to come into his lane of travel. This causes the police officer to crash into a ditch after rolling his vehicle in an attempt to avoid colliding with the truck, insured by Auto-Owners Insurance. A jury found that the defendant driver was 79% at fault, and awarded the plaintiff $171,216.
• 2015, Wisconsin: $138,985 Verdict. Plaintiffs are walking into a movie theater when defendant’s vehicle reversed and struck the woman. The couple files a suit against the driver and owner of the vehicle, and their insurance company, alleging the defendant was driving inattentively and seeking compensation for injuries. Auto-Owners Insurance was also added as a defendant to the case, and a jury awarded the plaintiffs $24,985.02 for medical expenses, $20,000 for future medical expenses, $90,000 for pain and suffering, and $4,000 for loss of consortium.
• 2015, Michigan: $22,000 Settlement. Plaintiff is driving her vehicle when the defendant rear-ends her suddenly. She injures her head, suffers post-traumatic stress disorder, aggravation of anxiety and depression, and injuries to her spine as a result. At the time of the incident, Auto-Owners Insurance Company insured her, with a policy that included uninsured/underinsured motorist protection. The plaintiff filed a claim after Auto-Owners failed to pay her benefits, and the parties all settled for $22,000.</ li>
• 2014, Indiana: $1,200,000 Verdict. A 17-year-old girl is insured by Auto-Owners Insurance when she is in a collision when another vehicle. As a result of the injuries she sustained in the accident, she has to have right wrist surgery and is left with post-traumatic arthritis and complex regional pain syndrome. She filed a case against the other driver, which settled for the driver’s $50,000 insurance policy limits. Next, the girl seeks to recover her underinsured motorist benefits with Auto-Owners Insurance. Auto-Owners failed to pay, and disputed the plaintiff’s diagnoses and injuries, seeking to be given a setoff based on the $50,000 she had already received. A jury awards her $1,200,000.
• 2014, Michigan: $777,500 Verdict. Plaintiff is a passenger in a semi-truck that is hauling a flatbed trailer loaded with plaintiff’s disabled dump truck. The trucks left front tire blows out on the highway, causing the defendant driver to lose control of the vehicle. The truck collides with a concrete median, slides 200 yards, and then bursts into flames. Defendant argues that he told plaintiff to jump out of the vehicle when he lost control, but the plaintiff refused as there was oncoming traffic. Plaintiff argues that defendant released both of their seat belts, pushed the passenger door open, and pushed the plaintiff out of the vehicle with his feet. Plaintiff sustained a closed head injury, multiple fractures, and nerve damage in his shoulder as a result. He filed suit against the trucking company and driver, insured by Auto-Owner’s. A jury awarded the plaintiff $777,500, which defendants appealed based on evidentiary issues.
• 2014, Idaho: $510,000 Settlement. A 20-year-old student is a passenger in defendant’s 4 wheeler. Defendant begins to do power slides and drifting, and the plaintiff tells the defendant he is scared and asks him to stop so he can get off. Plaintiff alleges that instead of stopping, defendant executed a turn quickly, which caused the 4-wheeler to flip. Plaintiff flew off and was trapped underneath. He sustained a fractured pelvis that required surgery, internal injuries, and many other injuries. The defendant, insured by Auto-Owners, agreed to settle the case for the $500,000 policy limits plus an additional $10,000 for medical expenses.
• 2014, Wisconsin: $493,000 Verdict. Plaintiff is operating her vehicle when the defendant’s vehicle, insured by Auto-Owners Insurance, collides with her. She files a claim against the driver and Auto-Owners, alleging the defendant’s negligence caused her injuries. A jury found that the plaintiff was 25% negligent, and the defendant was 75% negligent and awarded the plaintiff $493,000.
• 2014, Georgia: $112,500 Settlement. Plaintiffs are in a company vehicle delivering newspapers when defendant’s vehicle strikes them, knocking both of the plaintiff’s unconscious. The case settled for the defendant’s policy limits of $500,000 through Auto-Owners.
• 2014, Michigan: $67,000 Settlement. Plaintiff, insured by Auto-Owners Insurance, is driving on the Expressway when defendant rear-ends him. He sued the defendant driver and Auto-Owners to recover his personal protection insurance benefits. The parties settled, with Auto-Owners paying the plaintiff $47,000 and the defendant driver paying him $20,000.
• 2014, Minnesota: $57,000 Verdict. An adult female is rear-ended by a semi-tractor trailer on the highway. As a result, she injures her right shoulder and arm, which requires arthroscopic surgery, and injuries to her leg, chest, neck, and back. She files a claim against the truck driver and their insurance company, Auto-Owners, arguing careless and negligent driving. The defendants allege that the plaintiff suddenly stopped and that the truck driver is unable to stop the semi-tractor trailer quickly enough. A jury finds that the woman did not suffer permanent injury, and awarded her $57,000 which includes $40,000 for her medical expenses.
• 2014, Michigan: $45,000 Settlement. Plaintiff, a nine-year-old girl, is a passenger in a vehicle when it is struck by the defendant’s vehicle while defendant was texting and driving. The girl suffered a high-grade spleen laceration, a fractured clavicle, multiple contusions, and required blood transfusions as a result of the impact. The plaintiff alleges the defendant driver, insured by Auto-Owners Insurance, was negligent, and the defendant denies liability but settles for $45,000.

Our Lawyers Can Help You

At Miller & Zois, our truck accident lawyers have handled many serious injury and wrongful death cases. Our focus is Maryland. But our lawyers have handled cases in most states and we handle serious truck accident injury and death cases throughout the United States. We have a history of getting results, which you can find at the top of this page clicking on the verdicts and settlements bar. We maximize the value of our cases and by using every weapon in our arsenal to pressure insurance companies like Auto-Owners. Call us at 800-553-8082 or get a free evaluation online.