Prior to law school, I worked for a law firm in South Florida that specialized in personal injury. Personal injury work piqued my interest, because I liked the idea of being involved in an area of law where the most good can be done. I wanted to be able to help people in their times of need, because the personal injury clients often end up in front of a personal injury attorney when there’s nowhere else to turn.
I first worked around personal injury cases in 2007 as a legal assistant for a south Florida law firm. The case that clearly made the most impact on me was one involving the wrongful death of a 16-year old on his bicycle.
The Case That Defined My Career
The teenager was riding down the street where he grew up as a child, a road he probably traveled hundreds of times before, in the bicycle lane, when he was clipped by a distracted driver and was killed instantly. The accident took place on a summer afternoon, and the owner of the law firm, my boss, was on vacation with his family at the time.
When news of the tragedy struck, my boss flew back to Florida that same day, and I picked him up from the airport. We drove over to the home of the teenager and spoke to the parents who were absolutely distraught with the loss of their son.
There was nothing we could say or do at that time to console them or to make the situation better. “How can everything be alright when my pride and joy is gone?” exclaimed the mother.
It was at that point that I knew I would pursue personal injury law. That teenager’s mother had no one else to turn to in her time of great need. No amount of money could bring back her “pride and joy” lost that glim summer afternoon.
As a personal injury attorney, though, I now have the ability to navigate the confusing waters of insurance procedures, laws and regulations to eventually give families, like that teenager’s, the closure they need to move forward. This is why I get out of bed every morning and love doing my job.
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