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Lawyers in the House with Montlick - Your Legal Podcast
075 Long Term Impact of a Car Accident

075 Long Term Impact of a Car Accident

Lawyers in the House with Montlick

Attorneys in Podcast: Alejandra Sarmiento Aymar, Esq.

Today the lawyers discuss the agonizing aftermath of a crash. From physical, emotional and financial struggles to what steps you need to take towards a full recovery.

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The purpose of this show is to provide general information about the law. Our guests will not provide any individualized legal advice. If you have a personal situation and need legal advice, contact us for your free legal consultation with a Montlick attorney.

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00:04	ANNOUNCER: Welcome to Lawyers in the House with Montlick. Wish you had a lawyer in the family? Now you do. Here’s your host, Veronica Waters. VERONICA: Welcome to the House. Lawyers in the house with Montlick on WSB. I’m your girl, Veronica Waters. Thanks so much for being in here with us for another special episode talking to you about all things personal injury law and getting you on your road to wellness with the best possible settlement you possibly can.
00:35	VERONICA: I’ve learned so much on the show, and a lot of it is thanks to one of the two Montlick Injury Attorneys who’s in the House with me today. She’s one of your favorites and you’re going to have also a new favorite because we’ve got a Montlick Injury Attorney who is brand new to Lawyers in the House. But before the introductions, quick note. If you’ve ever Googled anything like what to do after a car crash, what happened when I got hit by somebody on the road?
01:04	VERONICA: A lot of times you’ll see some firms pop up and say, here’s a pain and suffering calculator. Click on this. And they want you to think that it’s just as simple as filling out a pain and suffering calculator to help get you through the aftermath of a crash. And you know this is all you need to do. And we can tell you what your case is worth. And then you know here you go. It’s been nice knowing you. Peace out. Some would have you believe it’s that cut and dry.
01:34	VEONICA: But if you’ve been rocking with us on Lawyers in the House for a while, you know it’s a lot more in depth than that. And you know it’s only possible, first of all, to know what your case is worth after you’ve been with an attorney for a while who has made sure that they’re keeping up with your medical bills. What’s your recuperation like? What are your physical therapy costs going to be? You might have to have surgery. But what about your emotional aftermath? What about that? What about the cost of that? How do you deal with the shock?
02:04	VEONICA: Maybe there’s guilt. Maybe you are worried about those medical bills. And maybe now you can predict that it’s going to rain three days from now because of these new twinges that you have in your ankle. Knowing that it’s going to rain in three days, honestly, is something that my mom can do right now because of when she and my dad were hit by an ambulance through no fault of their own. And so, the aftermath of a crash is very real. And that’s what we’re talking about today.
02:31	VERONICA: The long-term effects after the crash of the injuries, both physical and emotional. Now let’s get to those introductions. I promised you. First of all, let’s say hello to Ellen Forrester. ELLEN: Hello. VERONICA: What’s up? ELLEN: That’s all I got today. VERONICA: That’s it. ELLEN: I’m going to go. No, no. OK, I’ll stay. OK. You’ve really twisted. VERONICA: We need more of this scatting. We need more of this. You know I need some more of that good, wonderful energy.
03:00	VERONICA: Ellen Forrester, you know, has such an amazing backstory. She had a career in business before she came into the law. And you know what? Don’t let me tell your story. You tell your story. ELLEN: Well, where to start? We don’t have that much time. It’s only a 45-minute show, I think, right? So, I went to law school at Tulane University in New Orleans, and I went and got a post doctorate Master of Law at American University after that in trial advocacy.
03:27	ELLEN: So, I’ll give a shameless plug here that at Montlick Injury Attorneys, we are also great trial attorneys. We are not afraid to go to court. We are not afraid to sue drivers, insurance companies, everybody. So, if you choose us, know that we’re going to take it all the way to the end. So, I did that, and I was in criminal defense for a while, which I really loved, but then had an amazing opportunity to return to my hometown of Atlanta and work for Montlick Injury Attorneys, which has been a blessing to me personally, professionally. And I’m so glad to be here.
03:57	ELLEN: And I’m so glad to be here with my friend Alejandra, who also is a rock star in the educational world. So, I’m going to give it back to you, Veronica, and you can give it to her. And then we’re going to have a great time on the show today. Thank you. VERONICA: To Ellen Forrester’s left is Alejandra Sarmiento, and she is not only new to Lawyers in the House, but she’s relatively new to the halls of Montlick, although she has been practicing law for several years now. Welcome to the House, Alejandra. ALEJANDRA: Well, thank you so much. Thank you, Ellen, for such wonderful, kind words. I really appreciate sharing this space with you.
04:27	ALEJANDRA: Thank you for the invitation. Just to give you a quick heads up about my story. I am a foreign trained attorney. I am certified to practice law in Equador. I also finished my LLM here at Emory University. I’ve been practicing law for a couple of years now. Now, I love what Ellen just said about the work that we do here at Montlick because I feel like we really care for our clients. I feel like from the legal assistance from upper management, we go that extra mile for every single one of our clients and we are not a revolving kind of business.
04:59	ALEJANDRA: We take our time with every single one of the cases that we work on. And knowing that your employer and knowing that your coworkers and knowing that every single person that works with you has your back, it means the world to me. And I feel like it means also the world to my clients as well. VERONICA: Yeah. So let us delve into your personal backstory a little bit more. Alejandra, what led you to law in the first place? ALEJANDRA: So, I was born in a family of lawyers.
05:28	ALEJANDRA: It was kind of pushed into me. I had no choice. I am grateful for that. I wanted to become a doctor for a while. And then I was interested in genetics for some reason. And then my dad said, well, you have a choice. You either start studying in medicine now or you go to law school where you try to like figure it out. There’s no gap year for you, no traveling for you. Just like, let’s make a choice. VERONICA: Yeah. ALEJANDRA: I’m glad he made that push because I feel I cannot see myself doing anything else that it’s not law.
05:59	VERONICA: Wow, really. So, when did you know that you were doing the right thing? ALEJANDRA: I think it was back when I was in Equador. I was still working with my dad. He did a lot of civil law. Working with clients just gave me a sense of fulfillment, knowing that I can make a difference and knowing the results on their lives really empower me and kind of it gave me the certainty that I was in the right path, that I was doing something that I could see myself doing for the next 50 years.
06:31	ALEJANDRA: So yeah, I think that was the moment probably. ELLEN: What’s your daddy’s name? ALEJANDRA: Benicio. Benicio, shout out to Benicio. Thank you because she’s great at it. So thanks, dad. VERONICA: That’s wonderful. And you did some law with your dad. He must have been your parents must have been so proud. Like, look at Alejandro following in our footsteps. ALEJANDRA: It was fantastic. I am really grateful for that. They are really huge in ethics. My mom actually does criminal law, which I know that you did for a while. I thought I was going to go into, through that pad, I actually interned with the DA’s office in DeKalb County.
07:01	ALEJANDRA: And it was an amazing experience. I think I’ve always been lucky enough to work with people who are highly ethical and highly professional into the things that they do. And all the lessons that I draw from that, I think that impact the work that I do every single day as well, which probably happens to you too, right? ELLEN: For sure. VERONICA: That’s awesome. I love that. Thank you so much for just sharing that sort of insight into who makes or what makes you you. Yeah, I love it.
07:29	VERONICA: Alejandra Sarmiento and Ellen Forrester in the House here on Lawyers in the House with Montlick on WSB. We’re talking about what can be an agonizing aftermath, after the crash, the long-term effects after the check has been written and deposited. We talk a lot about what the journey there looks like. But I think this is the first time we’ve ever talked about what happens when everything’s done. Yeah. How different is this for you, Ellen?
08:00	ELLEN: I mean, I think that this is the part that’s hard to talk about because it’s a future-looking endeavor, right? And so, I know when I talk to my best friends about things, I like to crystal ball. You know My best friend, Jamie, shout out to Jamie. She’s always like, “Stop crystal balling everything.” But when we talk to clients about settling cases, you almost have to crystal ball it when you’re talking about financial recoveries and emotional recovery and, you know, frankly, like the recovery that your spirit takes, right, after an auto accident.
08:31	ELLEN: And you don’t have to be what we would, in the technical sense, considered catastrophically injured to be really emotionally impacted. I mean, you’re talking about, I talk to people on a regular basis who are having trouble sleeping or they don’t want to get in a car. And we are a very car-driven community here in the Atlanta area where we are sitting right now, but even in other places where Montlick Injury Attorneys are working, like we are a very car-driven, car-based society.
08:59	ELLEN: And so when you have an accident and you’re afraid to get in your car to go to the store or to go to work, it can be debilitating and it will completely change the way that you’re able to live your life. And those are the effects that we want to talk about today so that people are not only prepared that those things can happen, and it’s okay, and there’s no shame in that, but also to be mindful about that when you are talking about settling your case. Because once it’s settled, it’s over. VERONICA: Yeah, so you’ve been doing this too a couple of years now.
09:27	VERONICA: Alejandra, I’m wondering if you see common threads after things are sort of said and done. Do you have that? First of all, do you have that same sort of tendency to crystal ball things? ALEJANDRA: I think that that’s such a beautiful skill that Ellen has. I’m learning from her. VERONICA: Ceramics and crystal balls. OK. Yeah, we’re also into crystal balls. That’s a side hustle. ALEJANDRA: But yeah, as attorneys, I think like it’s your job to sort of try to see where that case is heading.
09:56	ALEJANDRA: But we don’t have, we’re not actually have that capacity to know what’s going to happen, right? So, we try to prepare our client to the different case scenarios, scenario A, scenario B, scenario C, and how would that play out for you? Now, I think that talking about the long-term effects of injuries is really important because then, as Ellen said, you don’t know the emotional toll that something can have on your life. Now, insurance companies deal with this every single day.
10:23	ALEJANDRA: And I think that they become a little numb to the emotional part of our client’s injuries. And sometimes I’ve been having this issue that I, whenever I’m trying to explain this to an insurance company, they will be like, oh, well, but it doesn’t look like that bad. I was like, well, if you’re involved in an accident, it’s a traumatic experience that hopefully you’ll never again have to experience again.
10:46	ALEJANDRA: So even if it’s a sleep and fall or a motor vehicle accident, you need to be mindful that you need to take the correct steps to address that because you will be the one dealing with that pain, dealing with that fear of getting into a vehicle, not us, not the insurance company, it’s you and your family. VERONICA: So, you know, we’re talking about a couple of different types of pain. So, I mentioned earlier the shock that you might feel and maybe the guilt over what if I had just been on time or you know you know I never come this way, and you know this person turned into me or whatever it is.
11:18	VERONICA: And so you’re second-guessing everything. But in the meantime, you’re hurting. And I know some people may be hesitant to go to the doctor to get checked out. They think, oh, it’ll pass. It’s not that big a deal. But not all pain presents right away. ELLEN: That’s right. Well, our bodies, right? One of the beautiful things about the evolution of our species, if you will, is that our bodies have learned over a zillion years to turn on all of these things, right?
11:46	ELLEN: The adrenaline, you know I’m not a science person. I call myself a soft science person. But you know like the hard sciences would suggest that when you’re the shock and adrenaline and all of these protectors are there physiologically to keep you safe, to keep your brain and your body safe. And so, you don’t necessarily know right away because it’s an evolving thing. And when you get home within the next day or two and all of those things start to wear off, you think, man, I really am sore, or I am having these aches and pains.
12:20	ELLEN: And that’s coupled with confusion because I wasn’t hurting on that day. And maybe I’m just really tired because I’m having a hard time sleeping, because when I go to sleep, I have a nightmare about a car wreck, and that sort of thing. So, we encourage people to call right away after an accident. We’re not going to pressure you into doing anything to make a case. That’s not who we are. That’s not who I am. That’s not who Alejandra is. And I tell people that on the phone. I say, I am not. I’m glad that you called. If you in a few days feel fine, that is wonderful. Thank you for calling.
12:49	ELLEN: I hope I never have to speak to you again, but I’m here if I do, if you do. But you know call early so that we can talk to you, and we can sort of tell you what we in our experience know that this looks like so that you’re prepared. And so that if you are hurt and you do need treatment, we can help you with that. The best news is that I call you in three days and you say, you know what? I’m really OK. I say, wonderful. Thank you so much. Come as a friend, go as a friend. Again, I hope you don’t need to call, but if you do, we’re here.
13:15	VERONICA: It’s sometimes, I’m sure, a hard discussion to have to sort of paint that picture of reality, what your new normal might look like. On top of all of the injuries that you’re talking about, it could be chronic pain. You could have a damaged organ. You could have lost a limb. You could be scarred, even if you kept all of your organs and your limbs. And so, there’s so many factors that go into this aftermath.
13:41	VERONICA: Coming up on Lawyers in the House, we’re going to deal with more of these injuries, both physical and emotional, and how you can handle the agonizing aftermath of your accident. Stay with us. ANNOUNCER: You’re listening to our podcast, Lawyers in the House with Montlick. Join us 8:00 a.m. every Sunday if you want to listen live on 95.5 WSB. VERONICA: Hey friends, welcome back to The House Lawyers in the House with Montlick on WSB.
14:13	VERONICA: I’m your host, Veronica Waters, here with Montlick Injury Attorneys Alejandra Sarmiento and Ellen Forrester. And we’re talking about what can be an agonizing aftermath. After the crash, the long-term effects of injuries, both physical and psychological. And you know I think one of the most common things that we know about is post-traumatic stress syndrome. Right? That seems like an obvious thing. ELLEN: Right. Absolutely. ALEJANDRA: Yeah. So, I had one client, I feel like just given a story, paints a clearer picture of how this plays out.
14:45	ALEJANDRA: My client was 18 years old, so almost an adult. She was involved in an accident. The accident was pretty severe. Thank God she did not have any catastrophic injuries though. She started to wet the bed, which is such an issue when you’re 18 years old, when you’re preparing for college, when you have all your life ahead of you. And she was so afraid to get back into a vehicle that she could not, she was having incontinence, right?
15:11	ALEJANDRA: Now, that’s why we just keep on saying and keep on hammering the idea that it’s so important to get the medical attention that you need early on because you’re going to address the symptoms earlier, right? And another thing that I wanted to broaden is that it’s not you, the only person who is dealing with this. It’s also your parents; it’s probably your mom. It’s everyone that’s around you that is concerned about you, that is trying to help you.
15:36	ALEJANDRA: But if you do not help yourself, if you don’t get the attention that you need, then how can they be with you throughout this recovery, right? How can you expect to recoup yourself? That’s why, again, the sooner that you get treated, the sooner that you feel better. And that’s our goal. As attorneys, I feel like, again, we’re trying to help you out, see on our crystal ball, but we cannot always do this. So, the best way for us to help you out is for you to give us a call.
16:02	ALEJANDRA: Maybe based on our experience, something will click into our minds and be like, okay, maybe she’s having PTSD, maybe she’s having anxiety, maybe we can recommend using someone. And that’s why, again, please, if you’re involved in an accident, be conscious about it, be conscious about the future repercussions that this could have in your life. Just maybe seek the proper medical attention or legal help that you will need.
16:29	ELLEN: And how brave, sorry to step on your toes for a second, but how brave of an 18-year-old woman to trust her lawyer with the fact that she is having incontinence. What a relationship that Alejandra made with her, that she was comfortable enough to tell her that she was having this problem so that Alejandra could help use her legal expertise and her knowledge of treatment and things like that to steer that young woman into some treatment that would help to fix that issue for her because that’s mental. It’s not physical.
16:58	ELLEN: She didn’t have a bladder injury. It was in her head. VERONICA: Right. It’s amazing. The way that these things can manifest, and you may not I don’t know if people automatically put two and two together either. You may not even realize, you know but the stress that you’re feeling, the insomnia that you’re experiencing, the flashbacks that you’re getting, maybe an anxiety attack. You don’t know maybe that it’s all stemming back from this one physically traumatic thing and great point to have somebody that you can trust on your side that you can say, I need some help here.
17:33	VERONICA: Kudos to you, Alejandra, for helping her through a really rough time. We know if those things go untreated, they could have an effect that lasts for years. Coming up on Lawyers in the House with Montlick, we were talking about physical pain and mental pain. What about those financial burdens? That’s straight ahead. Stay with us. ANNOUNCER: You’re listening to our podcast, Lawyers in the House with Montlick. Join us 8:00 a.m. every Sunday on 95.5 WSB. VERONICA: Welcome back to Lawyers in the House with Montlick on WSB.
18:05	VEROICA: I’m Veronica Waters here with Montlick Injury Attorneys Ellen Forrester and Alejandra Sarmiento. And we’re talking about the agonizing aftermath of a crash, what it feels like physically and emotionally and how you can recover from both. If you missed any of those heartfelt stories that Alejandra and Ellen started to share with us in the first half of the show, don’t worry, we got you. You know, you can always subscribe to us on your favorite podcast platform. When every new episode drops each week, bam, it is right there ready for you to go.
18:36	VERONICA: Of course, you can see our smiling faces if you just want to log on to YouTube and check out the episodes there. We’ve got Ellen, the budding actress from Drama Club. And Alejandra, you can check her out. Maybe you got to see her in a limited series over in Equador, where she was an actress for a while. And of course, I’m a budding actress, so holler at me, casting directors. And remember, we want to keep up with you all week long, not just when we’re here doing the show. So, follow us on every social platform at Montlick Law.
19:06	VERONICA: We hope to see you there. Talking about the aftermath of the crash. And I’ve mentioned how much pain you can be in. ELLEN: That’s right. VERONICA: We’ve talked about the agonizing psychological pain that you can be in and not maybe recognizing that your depression or your anxiety or your insomnia all ties back to that scary, scary accident.
19:34	VERONICA: But you’re also going to be wrecked with worry, especially if you can’t work over those bills. ELLEN: That’s right. It’s a lot. It’s a lot for people. And the financial worry doubles up the emotional stress, right? Because it’s like, not only can I not go to work, or not only can I not afford to buy a new car, or not only can I do these things with money that I don’t have now as a result of this, but then that adds to your anxiety.
20:02	ELLEN: It adds to the insomnia, it adds to the stress. And what I tell my clients a lot is people, and I’ve said this on the show before, and I really believe this. This is like a fundamental tenant of mine. People are inherently good. The world is an inherently good place. And these are the times where you reach out to your people and you say, I need some help. And it doesn’t have to be, I need help to pay my light bill. It can be as simple as, I need a ride to my doctor’s visit, or I could really use some help with going and picking up a prescription, or people want to help.
20:36	ELLEN: And people I have had times in my life of loss, and it’s hard to ask for help because we feel like when we ask for help that we’re burdening other people, but people are more than willing to help. They just don’t know how to help. And those people that call you and say, “I’m here for you. I’m here for you, call them on it. Okay, thank you so much. Can you please and give a direct ask?” Because nine times out of ten, they’ll say yes. And if they say no, it’s not because they’re judging you for asking. It’s because they legitimately can’t help with that. But they could probably help with something else.
21:06	ELLEN: And if that person says they can’t help with that one specific thing, that doesn’t mean that there’s not somebody else out there that can’t help with that thing. So, lean on your people. Lean on your people. VERONICA: Not everybody would be able to lean in to help you, though, with a check. ELLEN: That’s right. VERONICA: Let’s just be real. Everybody’s got their expenses. Some people are living check to check on their own. A lot of people, you know, a lot of us might not even just feel comfortable asking for that.
21:30	VERONICA: I know that one of the things that the attorneys at Montlick do, though, is to sort of work with the medical professionals to maybe wait to collect on the bills until after the settlement’s done. ELLEN: That’s right. ALEJANDRA: I feel like we are pretty good at negotiating whatever bills you have. We’re trying to maximize whatever compensation we get for you at the end of the day because we’re trying to prevent you from having to cover these expenses at the end of the day.
21:56	ALEJANDRA: So for each and every single one of our cases, we’re trying to like, and this is what I tell my clients, we try to put them, give it to you with a little bow on top of them, so you don’t have to worry about anything that happened within this period of time later on in your life, because this experience was traumatic enough as it was. So, we want you to put this behind you. And that’s why it’s really important, as you said, to contact somebody that is experienced and knows what they’re doing, that can draw into these different kinds of sources and providers.
22:27	ALEJANDRA: And we just somebody that has the knowledge to know how to help you. And again, maximize whatever you are going to be having at the end of the day, because again, you will be the one dealing with the consequences of the accident, especially if they are permanent with catastrophic injuries. ELLEN: That’s right. VERONICA: I think it’s interesting too, as I was listening to your beautiful voice, talking, Alejandra, I was thinking how it must feel so comforting too for some clients to call who may have Spanish as their native language to know that they can talk to an attorney like you who’s multilingual and can speak to them so they don’t have to worry about being understood.
23:07	ALEJANDRA: I really appreciate you bringing this up. Actually, we have several attorneys who speak Spanish in the firm. We have a lot of legal assistants who also speak Spanish. We have attorneys who speak other languages as well, Bosnian, German, Italian, French, I think so too. So even if you want to work with Ellen, for instance, she’s amazing. I don’t know how well is your Spanish. I think it’s pretty good. She’s working on it. ELLEN: No bueno. ALEJANDRA: We will have someone that can help you work with Ellen. So, there’s not that barrier.
23:38	ALEJANDRA: But we want you to know that you’ll be heard and we will be working on your case. And it’s not something that just because we don’t speak your language, you won’t have access to Montlick. You will have access to the best attorneys, such as Ellen and such as every single one of the other attorneys in the firm, just need to call us. Just call us and know that we’re here to hear for you. We’re here to listen to you and we will be working on your case. VERONICA: And I know you guys take cases all over the country too. ELLEN: We do.
24:07	ELLEN: And we will fight. We will fight, fight, fight for your case. And when you’re talking about financial burdens, it made me think of a client that I had who she ended up having to jump out of a second story window. Her apartment caught on fire. And when she jumped out of her window, she had catastrophic injuries, broken bones, punctured lung. I mean, she was really, really injured. And she quote unquote did everything right. She had health insurance. She had a job that paid her a living wage. She had health insurance. They took her in an ambulance to the hospital.
24:38	ELLEN: And when they took her to the hospital, they took her to a hospital that was quote unquote out of network. VERONICA: Oh, no. ELLEN: So, she goes to the hospital. She ends up amassing you know $50,000 worth of hospital bills from the x-rays and the treatment that she received. And I’ve fought and fought and fought and fought and fought with the apartment complex. We sent a fire investigator out. We hired a fire investigator to go out and investigate the source of the fire. And at the end of the day, the apartment complex legally denied responsibility because the fire was started by another tenant in another apartment.
25:10	ELLEN: And that person didn’t have any insurance that would provide her any coverage. And so, the apartment complex, you know, said, I mean, I was like, I’m going to sue you. I’m going to sue you. And in the back of my mind, I was like, “What am I going to sue?” You know, but you know, you fight, right? You fight and fight and fight. And so, they did offer her some amount of money to sort of buy our piece. And after doing a lot of legal research and this sort of thing, we decided that it was in her best interest because I did not actually believe that we would be successful in court.
25:39	ELLEN: And so, she took this nominal amount of money and we think, “Okay, great. You know, like we’ll get this money to her.” And then we get I mean, we knew that the hospital bill was going to be an issue, but we believed that the hospital would do the right thing and that they accepted some insurance money, but they ended up billing her, I think it was like $43,000 and some change. And that there was no way that she could pay that. She had missed months of work and had lost her apartment, had lost everything in her apartment. Her apartment burned down.
26:08	ELLEN: And so even after that case was settled, I fought and fought and fought and fought with the hospital. And I mean, person after person after billing after coding after billing. And we finally went all the way to the board of trustees for the hospital. And I was mad at that point. I mean, this was going on and they were sending her threatening letters and I’m like so mad that you know I was like, this is the hill I’m going to die on.
26:37	ELLEN: And shout out to Dana, my legal assistant. A couple of times, Dana was like, we’re still dying on this hill, right? And I was like, yes, yes, ma’am, we are. VERONICA: Plant that flag. ELLEN: I mean, board of trustees, president of the hospital. And so about nine months after, maybe a little bit longer after we had parted ways with her, I was able to call her and say, “The hospital is going to write off that $45, 000 hospital bill.” And she was like, “Oh, it’s so good to hear from you. How are you?” And I was like, “I’ve got a surprise.” You know, but that’s why you hire the right lawyers, because I, you know, like, it wasn’t about me, and it was about her.
27:11	ELLEN: And it was about seeing that through to the end for her. The case was finished. You know, money was out and done, but that would have followed her forever. And I like to think that I’m the kind of lawyer and Alejandra is the kind of lawyer. And we have the kind of lawyers at Montlick that are willing to see these things through to the end, even when the case is, quote, unquote, “over,” because that would have followed her forever. She never would have gotten out from under that debt. VERONICA: I think that’s one of the most incredible things I’ve ever heard. And I can’t emphasize enough how impressed and just really blown away I am.
27:42	VERONICA: The case to a lot of attorneys was already ended, Ellen, but it wasn’t for you. You kept going. The settlement was done. The check was paid. The money was deposited. She’s in her treatment. Obviously, she’s probably predicting the weather at this point with all those injuries. I’m sure she had tons of broken bones or whatever. But now she’s moving on with her life. And some attorneys would say, OK, I’m done. And you did not. ELLEN: I think a lot of attorneys would have said I’m done when the insurance company said they weren’t going to pay. VERONICA: Wow. Yeah, good point.
28:11	ELLEN: They would have said, OK, then they would have withdrawn. I have another case currently with a client who was catastrophically injured by a drunk driver. Guy came across Cobb Parkway, hit her head on. She has catastrophic injuries. And we were able to work on a property damage settlement for her with punitive damages. And I know y’all done a show about that. So, check it out if you haven’t listened to it. But the insurance company who shall not be named offered the $25,000 in property damage coverage.
28:40	ELLEN: I said, great. You know, that’s what we wanted. That’s great. So, then they put her in a rental car, their accident, their mistake to put her in a rental car because they’d already offered the limits of the policy. So, she gets a rental car and they call us and say, oh, you know, we need the rental car back. And I’m like, too bad. So sad. You rented it to her for five days. She’s going to keep the rental car. And so, they said, OK, fine. So, then they send me a check or her a check through us for $24, 771 and some change. And they deducted the price of the rental car.
29:12	VERONICA: Oh, no. ELLEN: And I was to say I was hot over like $230 or whatever is a vast understatement. Yeah And so I called the insurance company and they had the nerve to say to me, well, she didn’t pay anything out of pocket. She hasn’t lost anything. And I said, well, she lost the use of both of her legs. She lost two jobs. She lost her apartment. She didn’t get to have her wedding. So, it’s pretty gross for you to say that she hasn’t lost anything. And they were like, well, what are you going to do? I said, I’m going to sue you for 200 and whatever it was.
29:42	ELLEN: Again, soft science, not a math person. But I was like, I called the client, and I was like, I am really so hot about this. If you tell me you want to accept the $24,777 and whatever, it’s your $234. I really wish I knew the exact math on that because that sounds silly. But she was like, no, you know, I’m with you. And so, I just like, ugh, called these people and called these people and called these people and threatened to sue these people and ended up sending them a draft complaint to sue them for the $234 or whatever.
30:12	ELLEN: And they finally got a supervisor on the phone and they were like, “We’re going to send you a check.” And it’s like $300 isn’t monetarily a massive amount of money to someone who’s lost everything, but it’s the principle. And I think that there’s attorneys at other law firms that would have said, oh, $24,777. That’s not the point. That’s not the point. VERONICA: The tenacity. Amazing. Let’s talk kids for a minute, Alejandra.
30:39	VERONICA: I think both of you probably know that kids seem so resilient and they don’t really it takes an alert eye to see maybe they’re not so good. ALEJANDRA: It’s like, please stop it. I feel like moms, especially they have that sixth sense, trust that sixth sense. You are a mother. I don’t know if you’re a mother. Someday, hopefully I am. But just trust that sixth sense. I have right now a client, they were involved in an accident with their six-month-old and they saw a pediatrician.
31:07	ALEJANDRA: They noticed that actually he was having some issues with the neck. If they hadn’t had the initiative to take the kid to see a doctor, then what else could have had happened? She just started noticing that something weird was going on. The dad was like, I don’t think so. He’s just crying. Just trust your senses. Be careful. Be really careful with your children because whatever injured, illness, or whatever emotional toll that the accident had on them could follow them through the rest of their lives, right? ELLEN: Especially if they’re young. ALEJANDRA: Yeah.
31:36	VERONICA: Thank you so much, Alejandra and Ellen. Coming up, the MCA is on the way. So stay with us, everybody. ANNOUNCER: You’re listening to our podcast, Lawyers in the House with Montlick. If you want to listen to our radio show live, you can hear it every Sunday, 8:00 a.m. on 95.5 WSB. VERONICA: Welcome back, friends, to Lawyers in the House with Montlick on WSB. I’m Veronica Waters here with Montlick Injury Attorneys Ellen Forrester and Alejandra Sarmiento and Aorta.
32:09	VERONICA: It is time for El Argomento Final de Montlick, the Montlick closing argument coming your way right now. Take it away. ELLEN: Yes. So Montlick attorneys are counselors and counsel. We want to share clear and effective strategies to ensure your path to physical, emotional, and financial recovery after an accident, while also advocating for your legal rights and your success.
32:43	ELLEN: First, we want to emphasize the importance of prompt action after an accident. Minor injuries today can lead to major problems tomorrow if left untreated. Seeking medical help immediately is not just prudent, it’s essential for your long-term well-being.
33:16	ELLEN: Additionally, having the right insurance coverage is crucial. Health insurance, medical payments coverage, and uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage provide vital financial protection in unexpected situations.
33:34	ELLEN: Let’s remember accidents happen to anyone at any time. By acting swiftly and ensuring adequate insurance, we not only protect ourselves, but we also contribute to making our community a safer place for you, your family, and all of those who are part of it.
34:03	ELLEN: At Montlick Injury Attorneys, we take pride in offering legal services throughout the United States and in a wide variety of languages, including Spanish, French, Serbian, and many more. Our commitment to excellence enables us to provide comprehensive and effective legal guidance.
34:16	ELLEN: Each case is unique. So, if you or a loved one has been in an accident, we’re here to provide a free consultation and discuss your options and offer you guidance. And Montlick Injury Attorneys.
34:31	ELLEN: Ingles, Bosnia, Italiano, Frances, VERONICA: Fantastica. VERONICA: Thank you so much. That was amazing. Thank you so much to Alejandra Sarmiento and Ellen Forrester, two of my favorite Montlick Injury Attorneys.
34:57	VERONICA: Put it in the books, everybody. When you are suffering the agonizing aftermath of an accident, you just want to get back to being alright again. Think long and hard about the attorney that you are going to call who’s going to help you on that journey to justice, help you on your journey to wellness, and help you get the largest settlement you possibly can to give you that peace of mind as well. We’ll see you next time here on Lawyers in the House with Montlick on WSB.
35:27	VERONICA: I’m Veronica Waters. Peace out. ANNOUNCER: You’re listening to our podcast, Lawyers in the House with Montlick. Catch us live every Sunday, 8:00 a.m. on 95.5 WSB.

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