On the second day of her family's camping trip in Florida, 16-year-old Peggy Ann Martino borrowed her brother's bicycle for a ride along the swamp. She wanted to see the airboats. As she rode along the shoulder of the road past the convenience store, she wondered if there were any alligators around. She never found out.
The last thing Peggy Ann remembers is wondering about the alligators. Her next recollection is being packed up on a stretcher and put into an ambulance. She does recall reading the police accident report "It said that I was riding the bike and the truck, a pickup truck, came up behind me and the mirror of the truck hit me in the head. And the guy, he hit me so hard that the mirror broke off the truck, and I banged up against the truck, and I flew through the air. I flew like 30 feet in the air." Her worst moments came when the rescue workers asked her her name and she realized that she didn't know her name!
The mounting bracket of the truck's mirror had punctured Peggy Ann's skull, driving bone splinters into her brain. When surgeons removed the splinters and fragments still attached to her skull, she was left with a silver dollar sized hole in her head. Fear of infection from dirt and grease driven into her head prevented doctors from inserting a plate to close the skull at the time, and now fear of a dangerous operation prevents the same insertion. So Peggy Ann today literally has a hole in her head. Originally a bright student, with a love for mathematics and a dream of becoming an accountant, Peggy's confidence and self-esteem have declined dramatically since the accident. Furthermore, since she still has an opening in her skull, she is constantly on guard to protect her head.
When Peggy Ann's parents asked the Haymond Law Firm to handle her case, they were immediately taken with this pleasant young woman. "As we got to know her and learned more about how she had been changed by the effects of her injuries, we found ourselves becoming more and more dedicated to her cause and her financial struggle with the insurance company", John Haymond explained. Because she had been injured by an unidentified "hit-and-run" driver in Florida, and since she resided in Connecticut, a claim was filed on her family's auto insurance policy under the uninsured motorist provision.
Nearly four years later, the insurance offered a small settlement. Considering the high medical bills and especially the dramatic reduction in the quality of life facing this young woman, the team of attorneys handling her case felt that the amount was inadequate. When they pressed further on Peggy Ann's behalf, the insurance company offered three times their original offer, but to be paid out monthly over 20 years with a small lump payment for the medical bills. Again the team found this offer unacceptable. Attorney Haymond pointed out that since this was an uninsured motorist case, a full court trial was not available to us, so we took, the case to arbitration.
Finally, the insurance company made a lump sum offer that was nearly five times their original offer, which we felt was adequate to compensate Peggy Ann for her lost abilities and potential. Presently Peggy Ann is continuing with therapy, both physical and emotional. She is married and has a 1-year-old son who is the center of her life. She still has difficulty remembering things and her math skills are degraded. She carries lists of things to do and a small pocket calculator to help her with everyday arithmetic.
While it is not likely that she will ever achieve her dream to become an accountant, the financial compensation she received as a result of this aggressive legal action has helped Peggy Ann Martino to overcome her injuries and work towards adjusting to her new life.
*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.