Spinal Injuries Attorney in Mercer Island, Washington

Spinal Injuries: A Catastrophic Series of Events

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We take on a lot of large, catastrophic cases. But we also take on smaller cases when we feel like we can really help our clients. And this is an example of a case where we really didn’t know what we had until the case developed.

I once represented a woman who was in what you would consider to be a parking lot fender bender. It just so happened, though, that this woman’s neck was in a pretty fragile state before this little fender bender, and immediately after, it became clear that she was going to need neck surgery to help repair her condition as a result of this car crash. She went forward with that surgery, had what appeared to be a successful result from that. But when the surgeons did this surgery, what they had to do to make sure that her neck was stabilized was wrap a portion of her neck with a titanium rod.

And about three months after that surgery was performed, the titanium rod inexplicably split and started poking into her brain, and put her into a coma. She was the back end of a family business. She did all the accounting and the books. And when she came out of the coma and they redid the neck surgery for her, she didn’t have the same brain capacity that she did before. So, again, this was an example of a case where we had a third party, who was negligent for the underlying act, but then this also become a different kind of case that involved product liability, and also a contract case in that she had an insurance umbrella policy that came into play there, as well.

Our firm was able to take that case as far as it needed to go, negotiated every level with each of the different defendants in the case, made sure that her first party liens didn’t eat up the result, her own insurance company wanting their money back. And in the end, we were able to get a good result for her and make up for the losses that her family had.

Seattle, WA personal injury lawyer Mark O’Halloran talks about a memorable case involving a woman who was hit in a parking lot, worsening an already existing neck injury. He explains that we handle a wide range of cases, including both large and catastrophic ones, as well as smaller cases where we believe we can truly assist our clients. This particular case serves as an example of how the true extent of a case may not be immediately apparent.

I once represented a woman who was involved in what appeared to be a minor parking lot accident. However, due to her pre-existing neck condition, the impact of the fender bender revealed the need for neck surgery to address her worsening condition. The initial surgery seemed successful, but unexpectedly, about three months later, the titanium rod used to stabilize her neck inexplicably split, causing severe complications that resulted in her entering a coma. As a crucial member of her family’s business responsible for accounting and bookkeeping, the aftermath of the coma left her with diminished brain capacity.

This case took a unique turn, as it involved not only the negligence of a third party in the initial accident but also encompassed aspects of product liability and a contract case due to an insurance umbrella policy that came into play. Our firm navigated every level of negotiation with each defendant involved in the case, ensuring that her first-party liens didn’t deplete the final outcome, as her own insurance company sought reimbursement. Ultimately, we achieved a favorable result for her, helping to compensate for the losses suffered by her family.

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