MAY 2014 SUCCESS STORY

TYPE OF CASE: Car wreck, with bodily injury and fatality.

WHAT HAPPENED: A young mother under the influence of multiple drugs rear-ended a truck. Her four- year-old son was killed, and her 10-month-old baby had severe injuries, including a broken back. The mother was convicted of two crimes and sentenced to prison.

CHALLENGES: We represented the baby girl—the ultimate innocent victim of a horribly tragic event—and we were determined to fight on her behalf. But there was no insurance on the vehicle the mother drove, so there was no clear path to compensation. The identity of her father is unknown, which was another complicating factor in what also became an estate case.

STRATEGY, TACTICS: In every case, we do whatever it takes to get to know the client’s story in full. This time, that meant going beyond the police report to conduct an onsite investigation of the home where the family lived, which was the grandparents’ house. There we noticed three vehicles in the driveway, which opened the door to multiple sources of insurance coverage.

FOR THE WIN: As the survivor in the wrongful death of her brother and the victim of her mother’s crime of inflicting severe bodily harm, the baby girl received a substantial sum of money, which was placed in trust.

BONUS WIN: The girl was adopted by her foster family. By the time she turns 18 and the trust starts to become available, the value should exceed be more than 15 times the original amount.