A Colorado father of four left paralyzed after a rollover accident has won $1.5 million in federal court from his insurance company.
“When it does come, my first priority will be getting my kids in college and through college, and maybe paying off the house,” former teacher Mike Whitehead, 50, said from his home in Walsenburg, where he uses a wheelchair.
The compensation and punitive damages that a jury awarded Whitehead on Thursday before U.S. District Judge Edward Nottingham marked a victory for consumers against one of the biggest car insurance providers in Colorado, his attorney said.
Attorney Rob Carey of Colorado Springs said thousands of other Coloradans who relied on American Family Mutual Insurance Co. between 1997 and 2003 may be entitled to more than they received.
The accident happened in 2002 on U.S. 50 west of Las Animas in southern Colorado. Whitehead rolled his blue F-150 Ford pickup. The roof collapsed. He suffered severe neck injuries.
American Family paid an initial $130,000 under the basic coverage Whitehead had purchased – then refused to pay more.
The federal jury found that the company failed to make Whitehead aware of better coverage available as required under Colorado law.
