Hit On The Bridge

The call just came in. A bad collision, at a high rate of speed on the freeway.
By the time the call was forwarded to me, the attorneys were fairly certain it was a case they were interested in. Meaning the caller is a potential client of theirs and my job is to determine whether they are injured and not at fault. So I call the injured one, I.D.'d myself and proceeded to see if everything sounded on the up and up.

The accident happened at 3:00 am, this very morning. That led to the first round of questions on my end when the victim -- fresh out of the hospital -- and I, finally connected by cell. I machine gun blasted him with questions.

Were you alone in your car? Who was with you? Who was driving?
Where were you coming from at 3:00 in the morning? Where were you going? Was there drinking at the party? Who supplied the alcohol?
How much did you have to drink?
Whose fault was the accident? How do you know it was the other guys fault?

Did the police come? Do you have a police report? Do you have a police report number?
Did the police give anyone a citation? Did the police tell you whose fault it was? Did the person who hit you apologize?
Did an ambulance come?
Did you go to the hospital by ambulance?
Were there any independent witnesses to the accident?

But wait, there's more....

What is the year make and model of your car? Is there a loan on it? How badly damaged is it? Where is the damage? Describe it to me? Do you think it could be totalled? Where is your car now?
How about the other guy? His vehicle? What is the year make and model was he driving? Was he hurt? Was his car towed?

What other accidents have you been in? What other injuries have you had? Any pre-existing conditions?

I kept asking and picking at the bones of today's case until I got to the core, which is either "good case" or "bad case".

If it is not their fault... if liability truly lies with an insured Defendant...and they are really hurt, and there is substantial damage to at least one of the vehicles, preferably theirs... then it is likely an attorney could better help them navigate the uncertain, turbulent and treacherous waters of insurance claims and the companies who lord over them.

It is because of that call and the fact that I still have another half hour to catch the Ferry and see this post goes up now.
I am on the way to investigate a case that happened early this morning so the lawyers could get on it Monday and start helping this guy out right away. He is a steel worker. He blew two discs in his back and broke his right wrist. His is a single father of two.

Suddenly all those stupid things I have been worried about today went "Poof!" All it takes, sometimes, is to just look hard at someone else who has it harder.

"I cried because I had no shoes until I saw a man who had no feet."