What began as an evening motorcycle ride through Conway, South Carolina, quickly turned into nightmarish months of surgeries, rehabilitation, pain, and uncertainty for Thomas and Sally*.
The husband-and-wife duo loved riding along the coast on their 2024 FLHX Street Glide Harley-Davidson motorcycle. However, on a routine ride not far from home, their lives changed in an instant. Thomas was making a legal left turn from Highway 501 onto El Bethel Road when a Toyota sedan improperly entered the roadway and struck the motorcycle from behind. The impact forced Thomas to lay the motorcycle down, throwing both him and Sally violently onto the pavement.
Serious Injuries After Motorcycle Rear-End Crash
In the chaotic moments after the crash, both were overwhelmed by shock and confusion. Yet, the severity of their injuries was impossible to ignore. Thomas suffered a closed head injury, severe road rash across his hands, forearms, elbows, and knees, and a painful avulsion injury to his left thumbnail. He also sustained bilateral shoulder injuries, acute traumatic back pain, and aggravation of a previous right knee replacement that had been surgically implanted years earlier. The force of the collision crushed his knee between the motorcycle and the pavement, loosening the tibial baseplate from a prior knee replacement and creating the need for another major surgery.
For Sally, the crash was equally devastating. As the motorcycle went down, she flew off and landed hard on her right knee and ankle. Her injuries were extensive and traumatic. She suffered a deep laceration across her right knee involving the patellar tendon that was contaminated from gravel and debris embedded in the wound, a traumatic opening into the knee joint, and a fractured right ankle. She also injured her finger, suffered road rash, and endured multiple embedded foreign bodies in the soft tissue surrounding her knee.
Although Thomas remained conscious after the collision, the pain was overwhelming. Emergency responders transported them to a local hospital for treatment, particularly due to concerns surrounding Thomas’ cardiac history. What followed was a long and painful recovery process.
Multiple Surgeries and a Difficult Recovery
Ultimately, Thomas underwent a total knee revision surgery to repair the damage to his prior knee replacement. He then faced months of home health care, outpatient physical therapy, and rehabilitation while trying to regain mobility and manage lingering shoulder and upper extremity pain. Everyday activities became difficult, and the uncertainty surrounding his long-term recovery weighed heavily on both him and his wife.
Doctors quickly determined that Sally needed urgent surgery. She underwent surgical repair of her patellar tendon and remained hospitalized for several days while receiving wound VAC therapy and intravenous antibiotics to help prevent infection. Her recovery required additional procedures, including debridement of the knee wound and a complex tissue transfer procedure to cover exposed tendon and surrounding structures that could not heal with a simple skin graft.
The months that followed were physically and emotionally exhausting. Sally attended more than 18 physical therapy sessions focused on rebuilding knee strength, improving ankle mobility, correcting gait abnormalities, and restoring range of motion. During rehabilitation, she struggled with weakness, pain, and difficulty walking. She progressed slowly from non-weight-bearing restrictions to eventually walking with assistance and later independently.
Even routine daily tasks became challenges for the couple. Instead of enjoying their normal lives together, they found themselves attending medical appointments, managing surgical recoveries, coordinating therapy sessions, and worrying about the future.
Attorney Ryan McCullar Investigated Multiple Insurance Policies
Attorney Ryan McCullar and Case Manager Angelia worked extensively to help Thomas and Sally navigate the legal and insurance challenges that followed the crash. The at-fault driver carried only a $50,000 liability insurance policy, which was nowhere near enough to address the seriousness of the injuries and extensive medical treatment involved.
Atty. McCullar and Angelia spent countless hours gathering and organizing medical and billing records from more than seven providers, coordinating lien resolution with the couple’s health insurer, and conducting a detailed insurance coverage investigation to identify every available source of recovery. Their work uncovered substantial underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage through GEICO, which ultimately became critical to securing fair compensation for the couple.
Through persistent advocacy and detailed preparation, Attorney McCullar successfully recovered the full available policy limits from the at-fault driver as well as additional compensation through a UIM policy. In the end, Thomas and Sally each received settlements of $342,770, totaling $685,540.
While no settlement can erase the pain, surgeries, or uncertainty this couple endured, the recovery helped provide financial stability and resources as they continued healing and rebuilding their lives after a devastating motorcycle crash.
Injured in a Motorcycle Accident? Know All of Your Options
If you have been injured in a motorcycle accident, it is important to remember that the at-fault driver’s insurance policy may not be the only source of compensation available. Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, umbrella policies, and other insurance resources can significantly affect what you’re entitled to under the law. An experienced attorney can investigate every potential avenue of recovery and fight to ensure you are not left paying the price for someone else’s negligence. Contact Joye Law Firm Injury Lawyers today for a free consultation to learn how we can help protect your rights and pursue the compensation you deserve.
Disclaimer: Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.
*The clients’ names have been changed to protect their identity.
