Defendant’s rural detour ends in crash settlement

Action: Motor vehicle negligence

Injuries alleged: Ogilvie syndrome, permanent dietary changes, fractured sternum, rib fractures, liver laceration, patella fracture, mediastinal hematoma

Case name: Withheld

Amount: $2.25 million

Date: Spring 2026

Attorneys: C. Douglas Maynard Jr. of Law Offices of C. Douglas Maynard Jr. in Winston-Salem and the Law Offices of Mark D. Locklear in Lumberton (for the plaintiff)

Plaintiff was driving into town to pay bills when the defendant, a Virginia restaurant owner heading to South Carolina with her family, was directed by Google to leave the interstate and travel on rural roads. Plaintiff’s counsel said the defendant ran a stop sign and collided with the plaintiff’s vehicle. Both parties were traveling approximately 55 mph. The plaintiff was life-flighted to Grand Strand Medical Center where he was hospitalized for 28 days.

The vehicle’s insurance carrier offered its $250,000 limits. The commercial carrier for the business initially indicated its coverage would apply, although it did not confirm such in writing when asked to do so. The business had a $1 million primary policy and a $1 million umbrella. Approximately five months after the crash, the commercial insurer sent a letter to counsel for plaintiff stating that “we will not have coverage in this instance” based on the language of the commercial policy. After plaintiff’s counsel sued the business and the driver, the commercial carrier determined the policy provided coverage for the allegations in the complaint.