One morning, Rick Smith was driving his truck, like he did every day, when an accident in Lake Charles changed his life forever. Rick was left with injuries that ended his and his wife’s careers and caused them to lose their home.
The first attorney that Rick hired to represent him for this accident said that his case was only worth $10,000. When Digger and David stepped in, the insurance company offered Rick $500,000. Digger and David said no to this offer and took them to trial. They knew that Rick’s injuries, suffering and lost quality of life were worth much more than that.
The Day of the Accident
Nearing the end of his career as a truck driver, Rick was driving his 18-wheeler on a rainy morning that was no different than any other until a dump truck made an illegal U-turn. Rick T-boned the dump truck, leaving Rick to be picked up by an ambulance and rushed to a hospital.
Meanwhile, the defendant never admitted fault and in fact tried to blame Rick for causing the accident.
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The Aftermath
The severity of Rick’s injuries were quickly revealed when he arrived at the hospital, and their effects snowballed.
He suffered severe neck, back, knee, and shoulder injuries, requiring him to need several surgeries.
He developed tinnitus, leaving him with ringing in his ears 24/7.
He lost his career and could no longer work.
His wife lost her career because she needed to take care of him around the clock at home.
With the two of them no longer able to work, Rick and his wife lost their house and had to move in with her parents.
Rick and his wife had three adult kids and grandchildren. One of their granddaughters was a star basketball player. As a college basketball player himself, Rick had coached her to help her become the player that she was today. But with his injuries, he could no longer coach her.
Not only was Rick left with piling medical bills, no work and constant pain, but he was no longer able to experience the joy of being physically active with his family.
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Demanding Fair Compensation
While no amount of money could restore the future that Rick and his family had before them prior to the accident, Rick knew that he needed to have an attorney on his side to get some level of fair compensation, especially since he could no longer work.
So, he hired one. One that said that the damages that had turned his entire life upside down were only worth $10,000.
That’s when Rick called Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers.
Digger and David immediately dove into Rick’s case and knew that he deserved much more. If there’s one thing to know about Digger and David, it’s that they will not put up with lowball offers and will fight tooth and nail to make sure that their clients get what they deserve.
The insurance company and the defendant blamed Rick for the accident. In fact, the insurance company also said that Rick’s injuries weren’t serious injuries and that they weren’t caused by the accident.
Digger and David conducted a full investigation and deployed the Laborde Earles team to reconstruct the accident scene. They quickly proved that the defendant’s story about the accident being Rick’s fault wasn’t plausible.
Once Digger and David got involved, the insurance company offered Rick 50 times the amount that the first lawyer said that the case was worth. Digger and David knew that this still wasn’t enough.
So they took the insurance company to trial and demanded that they be held accountable for the full extent of Rick’s current and future circumstances.
Digger and David brought the full force of Laborde Earles to trial, with 4 lawyers, 2 paralegals, an IT technician and the firm’s latest and greatest technology to share the full extent of Rick’s tragic story in trial. The jury heard the truth about that fateful morning and the outcome of Rick’s accident, which would affect him for the rest of his life.
The jury came back and declared that the defendant was 100% at fault, noting that all of Rick’s injuries were caused by the accident. Their verdict was 500 times more than what the original lawyer suggested that Rick accept.
While no amount of money will bring back his health, job and quality of life, Digger and David were committed to obtaining the maximum compensation for Rick and would not settle for less. The least the insurance company could do was lessen the financial burden on Rick and his family.
“I thank God for Digger and David. I don’t know what we would have done if it hadn’t been for them.” – Rick Smith
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