When Alan Kylie's mother came to the Haymond Law Firm to get help for her injured son, she found it was yet another case of the insurance company trying to claim that the accident was the fault of the victim, He didn't get permission from the shop teacher to use the tool. He knew he hadn't received instruction on the tool and wasn't supposed to use it. Plus, he didn't have the router box secured in a vise as it should have been, claimed the insurance company.
The fifteen year old high school student was injured when the 'homemade' router box assembly he was using in his high school shop class fell off the workbench and severed the end of his left pinky finger. It was a painful experience that left Alan permanently scarred. He underwent three surgeries to have the amputation stabilized.
At The Haymond Law Firm we are accustomed to the insurance companies insisting that our clients are always the cause of their own injuries, explained an attorney from the Haymond Law Firm.
To support Alan's story, we sent our engineer to the high school shop class to inspect the router box tool, The engineer's report vindicated Alan and found the high school negligent for:
* Improper design of the router table
* Lack of blade guard on router
* Lack of guide fence
* Improper height of working surface
* Lack of safety warnings or instruction
Even though the engineer's report was totally in the client's favor, the insurance company continued to balk at making a reasonable settlement offer for Alan's injury. We were up against a stone wall, our attorney continued. What finally motivated the insurance company? We filed a lawsuit against the high school shop teacher, the principal of the school, the chairwoman of the Board of Education and the town. That did the trick.
Suddenly, the insurance company decided to see it our way and came forward with an offer that was adequate to compensate Alan for his injury.
*Some names and details have been changed to protect confidentiality. While we cant guarantee the same results we can assure you the same effort.