First by the man who triggered the accident, and now by her insurance company.

It's been 7 months since the accident. And, Ethel Adams, the once on-the-go dental delivery driver, is now homebound and must use a wheelchair or a walker.

For nine days she was in a coma; for 6 weeks she was hospitalized.

Then she spent five months in a nursing home. But she says she's still recovering and still fighting for the insurance coverage she paid for.

"For the longest time that was my fear -- dying," she said. "Now, I'm afraid of living."

It all began last March on Aurora Avenue in Shoreline. Police say Michael Testa intentionally rammed into his girlfriend's car, and then the girlfriend's car hit Ethel Adams's car.

But Ethel says Farmers Insurance has denied her claim.

A letter from Farmers' attorney says the company: "is denying Uninsured Motorists coverage under both policies..."

It says because Testa's actions were deliberate and not technically an accident, she's not covered.

"No sense at all," Ethel said. "This was an accident, I was involved in a car accident."

Ethel was shocked.

"I'm 60 some years old and I'm crippled and pretty soon L&I, they don't stay forever, that's it, what do I do? Do I live on the street? Is that how I become a homeless person? Another statistic?"

Since she was on the job, Adams says workman's comp has helped pay, but only a fraction of her medical bill. She doesn't know when she'll be able to return to work, let alone walk on her own.

Farmers Insurance tells us: "Farmers wants to make it very clear to all concerned that this claim has not been denied and is still under investigation."

But the letter to Adams says that Farmers is only investigating to see if other drivers... not Michael Testa... can be blamed.

"It's an insurance company, huh?" Ethel said.

When we told the company's response to Ethel's attorney, he called it smoke and mirrors. The attorney says the letter denies the claim and that's why they filed this lawsuit.

Farmers Insurance wouldn't answer any questions from KOMO 4 News, but Ethel's attorney says she hopes a judge will see that the intent of the driver was to hit his girlfriend, so it was an accident that he hit Ethel.

The issue of "intent of the driver" is common among insurance companies, but not in every state.

New laws on the book in other states put the emphasis on the intent of the victim, or in this case, it would be Ethel's intent. It's an issue that the state legislature will have to wrestle with in order to change the insurance industry in our state.

For More Information:

March 23, 2005 -- Earlier Story From KOMOtv.com