A potential client hobbles into the office of Steve Harrelson 14 months after crushing his ankle in life-changing fashion. Four months after agreeing to help, the lawyers at the Harrelson Law Firm are staring at a looming trial, 24 boxes of discovery, and a stack of pre-trial motions filed in an attempt to divert attention away from the needed preparation for trial.
The practice of law has changed over the past several decades, where insurance companies and negligent companies will require cases with even the clearest liability to go to trial. That is one reason why it’s necessary to team up with a lawyer who cares about what happens to you. Steve Harrelson knows trying a personal injury lawsuit is not a business transaction – it’s about building relationships and helping people in need.
This all started when a hard-working 49 year old man was working on top of a military vehicle like he has done for the past 25 years, when the person in the driver’s seat of the Humvee was looking through his phone. He inadvertently let his foot off the brake, and when he realized that the vehicle was rolling forward, he stomped on the brake, flinging the worker off the front of the Humvee 18 feet away onto a slanted concrete driveway. When he landed, it was the worst pain he had ever felt.
What he did not realize is that this would be a life-changing moment. Steve Harrelson realized that because the driver of the Humvee was an employee of another company, this wouldn’t be a routine Workers Comp case, but due to the amount of the damages, and the location of the driver’s employers company, this would be a federal personal injury lawsuit filed under the diversity of citizenship statute.
Due to the high amount of past medical expenses incurred, the future medical expenses anticipated due to the pins placed in the ankle, the lost wages, along with the lost earning capacity of a hard-working 49 year old who could never do the same labor again, Steve Harrelson knew this would be a difficult case to settle because of the high damages. The worker would never be able to play with his kids the same way out in the backyard, he would not be as helpful cooking and cleaning around the house, and it would be difficult for him to mow the yard the way he had for the last 35 years of his life. This not only took away his job, it took away his integrity.
Thanks to a methodical and organized strategy, Steve Harrelson and the worker developed a way to resolve this case in the worker’s favor at a mediation. For these reasons, it is imperative to hire a veteran litigator and experienced trial lawyer in regard to courtroom strategy. Steve Harrelson, a personal injury lawyer, stands ready to help.