I remember the day like it was yesterday. I was at a meeting in Wethersfield, CT discussing matters involving the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles' teen safe driving committee of which I am a member. As soon as I got out of the meeting, I received a telephone call from my son, Zachary who was a senior in high school." Dad, I've been involved in an accident but it wasn't my fault", he said. "Zach are you are alright?" "My back and neck really hurt," he explained. He then told me that after leaving the high school, he was slowing down in a line of traffic that was stopped ahead of him when the car behind him slammed into the rear of his vehicle. He told me that back and front of the vehicle were both crushed. I told him to make sure that he was taken by ambulance to the Danbury Hospital and that I would meet him there.

I then began, what seemed like, the longest car ride of my life to the Danbury Hospital. Is he okay? Is he experiencing a great deal of pain? How serious were his injuries? How long would it take him to get better? Will he completely recover? What lifelong limitations, if any, will he be left with? These thoughts, as well as many others, flooded my mind and filled me with great anxiety. One of the worst things you can possibly experience as a parent is knowing that your child is in distress.

When I arrived at the Danbury Hospital I saw him on a gurney in the hallway waiting to be seen. He told me that he was in a great deal of pain. He recounted the fact that the teenage driver behind him was distracted and did not see his car stopped until he slammed into him. He told me that the car was destroyed. After what seemed like an eternity, he was examined, he was x-rayed and was later discharged with instructions to follow-up with an orthopedic doctor.

Taking The Next Steps

We then began his long course of medical care and treatment, his constant pain which restricted his activities and the great psychological challenges that this accident created in attempting to get him back behind the wheel of a car. In the beginning he had a great deal of difficulty in sleeping through the night. He had to limit many of his activities that involved a great deal of bending and twisting of his back. He did not want to drive a car for many months and whenever he was a passenger he was constantly on guard watching for some other car to come out of nowhere and hit us. All of this was quite painful to experience and difficult to deal with.

As a personal injury lawyer, I knew what to do regarding his care and treatment. We made sure that we told the doctors about all of his limitations and restrictions, how frequently he experienced pain, the intensity levels that he experienced, and we discussed his medical care and treatment. This was a very long and difficult process. Eventually, after more than a year, he was discharged from the orthopedic doctor's care and was told that he had reached maximum medical improvement and was left with a permanent disability to his low back. This is a very difficult thing to deal with when you are teenager. It was also extremely difficult to comprehend as a parent.

Naturally, my office dealt with the insurance company over extended period of time. The offer they finally made to resolve his case was inadequate and was rejected. His case was put into suit and was eventually tried and a judgment was entered against the responsible driver. Although I deal with personal injury cases and injured clients on a daily basis this experience taught me so many things about what my clients go through because I lived through this entire experience with my son. This experience has made me a better personal injury lawyer in that I literally felt, and experienced the pain- first hand- that my clients endured while they were going through this long and tedious process.

This ordeal also made me think about how difficult it would be for a person who was not represented by an experienced personal injury lawyer to properly navigate the treacherous waters that lie ahead. If you are dealing directly with the insurance adjuster you will be told that you can work things out without the need to hire an accident attorney. You will be told a number of things that will put you at ease and make you feel comfortable about dealing directly with the insurance adjuster. You will be told that you need to give a recorded statement. You will be asked to send a number of documents onto the insurance company. You will be made a number of promises and you will be quite optimistic that case will be resolved fairly. Nothing could be farther from the truth!

Let My Experience Help You!

If you, or someone you know, has been involved in an accident, which has been caused by the fault of another, then at the very least you need to speak with an experienced Connecticut personal injury lawyer before you do anything and especially prior to speaking with an insurance adjuster. If you are contacted by the insurance company of the person that caused her accident then you should tell that individual that you must speak with your lawyer before proceeding. You should then get the advice and counsel of an experienced Connecticut personal injury lawyer who will tell you what you need to be doing, what you should not be doing, how you can get better medical care, how you can get better quicker, how you can develop your lost wage claim, and how you can get more money for your accident or injury claim. Learn from someone who has experienced all sides of an accident case. Protect yourself and your family! Get this important free information today.