Car Accidents
This page is about car accident claims against Mercury Insurance. Our lawyers look at how Mercury handles injury claims and how settlement amounts (and jury payouts) are calculated.
OVERVIEW
Mercury Insurance Group has been in business since 1962 and was founded in California. It offers automobile insurance, homeowners/renters insurance (which applies in slip-and-fall cases and dog bite attacks), and umbrella policies, along with some commercial policies. They have 1.7 million policyholders.
There is no question that Mercury focuses on high-risk drivers. So there are a lot more accident cases involving Mercury Insurance than its market share would suggest. Bad drivers get in car accidents much more frequently.
MERCURY’S OPERATING TERRITORY
Mercury started out only in California but now sells insurance in thirteen states: Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia. It ranks fourth in market share in California.
SETTLEMENT OF MERCURY ACCIDENT CLAIMS
Personal injury car accident lawyers frequently complain about Mercury Insurance. But accident lawyers complain about a lot of things. So let’s look to a more reliable indicator: are state or local governments suing Mercury?
Mercury settled a case with the California Department of Insurance for alleged violations, including delayed claims payments. In another case, Mercury’s own insured had to file a lawsuit because Mercury would charge higher premiums when their insureds had any lapse in insurance coverage contrary to California law.
VERDICTS INVOLVING MERCURY INSUREDS
- $435,000 Settlement in California. A 52-year-old nurse is riding her motorcycle on Beverly Boulevard in Los Angeles. She is clipped in the back by a Mercury-insured driver. This insurance company doesn’t write policies in Maryland, but we occasionally see out-of-town drivers from neighboring states, including Pennsylvania, Virginia, and New York. She has a meniscal tear on her knee that requires physical therapy and, eventually, a total knee replacement. She also exacerbates a pre-existing right hip condition. She had $275,000 in medical bills and $20,000 in lost wages.
- 2013: $200,000 Settlement in New Jersey. A woman drops off her 9-year-old daughter at a relative’s house who has a $300,000 homeowner’s insurance policy with Mercury. In the house is a six-month-old Doberman/Shepherd mix. The dog attacks the child, biting her right cheek causing permanent scarring to her face.
- 2013: $5,000,000 Settlement in New York. A 43-year-old plumber’s foreman falls off of a ladder. He blames a number of defendants, including his employer and the general contractor of the project. He claims the fall caused back and neck disc herniations of his C4-5, C5-6, C6-7, L2-3 and L5-S1. He has ten surgeries. Mercury represented the man’s employer and paid $1 million of the $5 million settlement.
- 2012: $1,137,500 Settlement in California. Three plaintiffs – two adults and one child – are struck by an SUV taking a left turn in front of them. The child suffers minor injuries. His pregnant mother, the front seat passenger, loses her baby and fractures her femur and pelvis, requiring an open reduction and internal fixation with a rod in her leg. She also suffers pulmonary embolisms as a consequence of her immobility from the accident. The driver fractures her left arm and right foot. Her foot remains swollen, and she still has significant left arm pain that is likely permanent. Before suit was filed, a binding arbitration determined that even though the defendant had a $15,000/$30,000 insurance policy, Mercury’s failure to timely investigate the accident claims under California law eviscerated the policy limit. Mercury, not surprisingly, decided this was a good time to go to mediation and the case settled.
OUR LAWYERS CAN HELP WITH YOUR ACCIDENT CLAIM AGAINST MERCURY
If you’ve been involved in an automobile collision with a Mercury driver, or if Mercury is fighting your PIP claim or UM/UIM claim, get a free online consultation. You may need a lawyer to fight this insurance company for you. Or you might not. After you tell us a little about your accident, we can help you to determine if settlement is in your best interests or if the insurance company is offering less than you deserve.
MORE INFORMATION ON AUTOMOBILE CLAIMS AND LAWSUITS
- Learn more about motor vehicle claims
- What to Do After an Auto Accident
- Valuing Personal Injury Cases (how much is your Mercury Insurance claim worth?)
- Handling Personal Injury Claims Without a Lawyer (tips for personal injury victims)
- Handling Your Property Damage Claim (tips for auto accident property damage claims)
- Sample Demand Letter (letter to an insurance company for compensation by settlement)
- Personal Injury Frequently Asked Questions (questions about handling claims against Penn National and other car insurance companies)
- Car Accident Statistics (underscores why insurance companies treat you as a statistic)
- Maryland Accident Lawyer Help Center (samples of documents and advice for other lawyers handling Mercury accident cases)
Information on Our Personal Injury Law Firm
- Our Lawyers [Learn More Here]
- Client Testimonials [Read Them Here]
- Information for Referring Lawyers [Learn More Here]
- Free On-Line Consultation [Talk to Our Lawyers About Your Mercury Insurance Claim]