Allstate had offered to settle the claim for $50K, attorneys said.
PARAMUS - A Hackensack woman seriously injured in an accident with an uninsured driver was awarded $1.2 million after suing her own insurance company, attorneys said Monday.
Gerri Koch, 47, was driving a Toyota Rav4 on April 4, 2013 at Bergen Community College when she was rear-ended by a Honda Accord driven by Kewin Montes-Quintero, 21, of Englewood, according to testimony.
Koch suffered permanent damage to her neck and spine in the accident, according to her attorneys, Andy Fraser and Will Thayer.
Montes-Quintero did not have car insurance, the attorneys alleged during the civil trial.
"If an insured driver is hit by a driver who carries no car insurance, and the accident is deemed to be the uninsured motorist's fault, the claim can be made against the insured driver's own insurance company," the attorneys said in a statement.
Koch's insurance company, Allstate, offered $50,000 to settle the claim, the attorneys said.
Koch refused the amount and the case went to trial, attorneys said.
"Koch was willing to accept less than her full coverage to resolve her claim before the trial, but Allstate refused," Fraser said in a statement.
"The defense attorney for Allstate then argued that Gerri Koch should not receive any compensation," Fraser said. "This forced the case to go to trial."
Krystal Bonus, a spokeswoman for Allstate, said the company does not comment on litigation.
Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.