Gerald Collins had a dream, and it was coming true. He had arrived in America - with a work visa - and was pursuing his career. Soon he would marry, buy a home, and raise a family. But his dream was shattered along with most of the bones in his face when he went through the windshield of his friend's car.
Jerry's injuries were extensive and his medical bills were enormous. The plastic surgeon's charges were $22,000 and the hospital bill was $84,000 There was still more work to be done when Jerry called us for help.
His friend had only minimum insurance: $20,000 per person. The hospital had put a lien against the insurance policy and wanted Jerry to pay the additional $64,000. The plastic surgeon sued Jerry to collect his $22,000 fee. What could he do?
Very often, injury victims believe that they can do better by themselves, without a lawyer. After all, they reason that the lawyer gets a fee which comes out of the victim's recovery. What they don't realize is that the insurance companies hire professional adjusters whose job is to 'adjust' the settlement to the lowest possible amount.
At the Haymond Law Firm we're professionals too. Our job is to get the largest possible settlement for our clients. We know the game well and we always play to win.
In Jerry's case there was only $20,000 available, period. But on his own, he would end up with nothing, be $86,000 in debt, and his face permanently scarred. Surely this would be the end of his dream.
At first the insurance company couldn't believe that we had taken the case. Who are you? they asked. What do you want? They insisted that they intended to pay the hospital in accordance with the lien and, as far as they were concerned, the matter was closed. We represent the interest of our client, we replied, and we're going to do our best for Gerald Collins. Then we went to work negotiating.
We elicited compassion from the doctor and convinced the hospital to do the right thing... and they did. When the dust settled, Jerry's dream was saved. Even though the plastic surgeon had done an outstanding job, he agreed to write off his fee without any penalty to Jerry, the hospital settled for a fraction of their bill, and Jerry received enough cash to complete his plastic surgery.
The moral of the story? Sometimes it takes a lot of courage to ask for a little help!
*Some names and details have been changed to protect confidentiality. While we can't guarantee the same results; we can assure you the same effort.