Tag Archives: personal injury attorneys

Angela Smith was a socially active, thirty-six year old woman, who loved the outdoors and spending time with friends and family, especially her partner Karen and dog Chaco. All that came to a halt when she was rear ended by a careless teenager speeding through a residential area. On impact, her head hit the steering wheel then whipped back to hit the headrest, causing brain, neck and back injuries. She also jarred her leg and knee.

Here is her story:

I’m a very physical person. I undertake building and fix-it projects as a hobby to help friends and family. My physical injuries kept me from that. I also enjoy the outdoors, especially hiking, camping, clam digging and fishing. My back and leg injuries made it too difficult to engage in those activities as well. It was hard to do even simple tasks such as walking my dog and cleaning the house. My partner Karen, after working all day and commuting for an hour from Seattle, was also stuck with the household chores.

My brain injury also threw my every day routine out of whack. I love to read, and that proved to be difficult. I became easily confused and lost track of time. I love cooking, but that became dangerous because I’d forget a boiling pot on the stove. I remember having to keep pictures of loved ones in front of me while talking on the phone so I wouldn’t forget to whom I was speaking. I had to recover brain function and re-learn tasks.

My head injury also caused me a lot of emotional stress. It is very unnerving to not recognize or understand yourself. I’m so thankful that Karen was by my side through it all even though she was very frustrated. It was hard to think and stay focused, I got anxious in social situations, which was hard because I loved going to dinner parties, cultural events, and concerts. Traveling became frustrating and frightening. It was hard to stay on task to get packed, go into an airport, then an airplane full of people; I would have serious anxiety attacks. My job also suffered because of both my physical and emotional damage.

My treatment, which lasted well over three years, involved a lot of intense therapy in order to relearn how to respond in social situations, remember interactions, keep track of day-to-day happenings, and deal with scheduling changes. I’d also play cognitive games, such as Scrabble, on my own to keep my mind as sharp as possible. I’ve mostly recovered from the injuries, which happened eight years ago. I’m enjoying engaging socially again, which includes a dinner group I’ve been a part of for sixteen years now. I’ve started traveling again and in the last couple of years, have been to the east coast, England and Ireland. I’m back to my normal routines of walking the dog, cleaning, helping my friends with their household fixes, and my clam digging and fishing. My reading comprehension is still not great, and I’m still not comfortable with hiking, but I’ll get there and I’m looking forward to it. As Dory says “Just keep swimming” <——– I used to and continue to use this phrase a lot to help me through the confusion, stress and fear of life.

One of the most important aspects of my life that’s returned to normal is my job. I’ve been working with Joshua, a nineteen-year-old man with autism, and his family, since he was four. When he was younger, I helped him in school and cared for him in the afternoons. I continue to assist him with his daily care and I drive him to appointments and his Special Olympics activities. He’s very active in the Special Olympics, so I’ve become involved too. I’ve taken on the secretarial duties for the Sound Athletic’s Special Olympics Team, which requires organization and people skills, responsibilities I could never have taken on until my recovery.

Knowing Mr. Messina before my accident, I called MBC immediately. I knew I could put my case in their highly capable hands and not have to worry or think about anything. Natural healing is very important to me, so I chose a holistic treatment program, as opposed to a more conventional medical approach. I appreciated that my attorney, James McCormick, took the time to talk to my doctor and understand my healing process. I’m very happy with my settlement and the work done by James and paralegal, Maribeth.