A case study by William Harding
Our client was driving in her vehicle along with her young daughter when she was struck by another vehicle that entered the roadway in her path. She was rushed to hospital from the scene.
After initially hiring another lawyer, our client was not happy with how her case was being handled and decided to retain McLeish Orlando LLP.
It was immediately clear that this was going to be a challenging case. Our client’s condition was deteriorating rapidly and the Defendant was not willing to accept responsibility for her injuries. In every case, our firm strives to put our clients in the most favorable position to resume the life that they had before suffering their injuries. We understand that no amount of money can make up for the injuries sustained but it can certainly assist an injured party carry on a more dignified life. Unfortunately, the defense settlement offerings at the early stages of this case were completely inadequate in making this life a reality, offering a meager $25,000 plus costs at mediation. This was nowhere near the amount that our client rightfully deserved, and we assured her of this.
In furtherance of her case, McLeish Orlando obtained numerous expert reports which explained how our client’s condition was causally related to the car crash. After nearly 7 years of litigation, we pushed the case to a pre-trial conference and made it clear that we were prepared to proceed to trial if a meaningful offer was not put forward by the Defendant. After years of hard work, the Defendant raised their offer from just $25,000 at mediation, to $1.5 million at pre-trial. Our firm was also successful in obtaining a total settlement of $2.7 million.
It cannot be overstated how important this result was to our client. At the time of settlement, our client’s condition was reaching a point where she was no longer safe in her own home and required assistance with most activities of daily living.
With the funds, our client has now purchased a new home with improved accessibility which has allowed her to feel safe and comfortable once more. She is able to afford the treatment she needs and the assistance she requires to live with dignity. She was delighted with the result of the settlement, and the treatment by our firm, and left the following testimonial:
“Patrick Brown, Will Harding and their staff have treated me with the utmost respect and compassion since my accident.
If it wasn’t for the team they set me up with than I personally don’t know where I would be today. With them all I will be forever grateful.”
McLeish Orlando is pleased to have had the opportunity to work with this client and ultimately assist her in obtaining the funds and support necessary to live an independent and dignified life.
