Fatal ambulance crash yields recovery four times the available coverage

Action: Motor vehicle negligence

Injuries alleged: Closed head injury, intracranial bleed leading to death

Case name: Withheld

Demand: Policy limit of $1 million

Amount: $4,105,000

Date: July 20, 2026

Attorneys: Brendan Green, Chris Moore, and William C. Lewis of Richardson Thomas in Columbia and Florence (for the plaintiff)

The plaintiff, an elderly woman with end-stage renal disease, bilateral leg amputations, complete blindness, and numerous other medical conditions, was being taken to a dialysis appointment by a private non-emergency ambulance company when the ambulance driver attempted to make a left-hand turn at a yellow traffic signal. At the same time, an oncoming motorist was traveling approximately 90 mph in a 40-mph zone. The vehicles collided, and the plaintiff sustained fatal injuries.

Before filing suit, plaintiff’s counsel submitted a time-limited offer to resolve the claim against the ambulance company for its full $1 million in available insurance coverage. The insurance carrier declined to tender its policy limits. Litigation followed and revealed numerous claim-handling and litigation errors. The case ultimately resolved for four times the ambulance company’s available liability insurance coverage, as well as all available liability insurance proceeds from the speeding driver.