That is the question I have been slowly answering since it happened to me. This WAS my SUV in the picture below.
I say was because it is now totaled after having it for just two months. I got hit by a young driver in a small sedan head-on going 50-60 mph in a 25 mph zone. He traveled over the double yellow lines on to my side of the road.
I find myself having a renewed appreciation for my clients and what they go through. While I was hit by a drunk driver in the past and thought I could relate, I was only 25 years old then and fresh out of law school. There were some minor scrapes, but I still felt relatively invincible back then. I had barely a care in the world, and my whole life was ahead of me. What a difference a few decades makes!
Fast forward to the present. Invincible left town long ago and I feel like a wreck. Carefree has been replaced by family, clients and employees relying on me to be on top of my game so I can provide for their various needs. When you head-butt a windshield despite wearing your seatbelt and having the airbag go off, I can now say definitively that there’s a period where you would just rather stay in bed.
If I had a normal 9 to 5 type job where people could cover for me, I’d definitely be out of work right now even though I’m often referred to as a workaholic. But the fact of the matter is I do have these responsibilities now, so I suck it up every day and find a way to take care of what needs to get done until I feel better down the road.
I now realize how fortunate I am to have the flexibility to find creative options to get things accomplished. Many of my clients are not so lucky.
As I said earlier, it is much easier now to relate to the pain and frustration of what my clients are going through when they have been injured. Even though I am a Rhode Island personal injury lawyer with decades of experience, the claims process was a huge pain for me.
It really does justify why someone should seek legal representation when they’ve been in an accident. I can’t even imagine how someone without experience can try to handle this process on their own and deal with insurance professionals without proper guidance and support.
The collision people told me that they’ve seen fatalities that had less damage than what they observed when appraising my SUV. While not horrific on the surface, I got hit so hard that the engine got knocked off its mounts, the transmission housing was cracked and the rear frame rails were bent “like an accordion”. The other driver literally drove through the middle of my SUV without braking.
I’ll end this post with what I’ve told my friends. I’m a positive person by nature, so I’ve taken a glass is half full approach. I got banged up a bit, but it could have been much worse. I also let mom know that being thick-headed finally paid off by protecting me from the windshield.
To everyone I am currently representing or have helped in the past, thank you for the faith you have showed in me. After going through this process, I am re-dedicated to making sure that the trust you have shown me to assist you in these difficult times is very well-placed.
Conclusion
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