In another case, a woman was changing her baby's diaper on a rug on the floor of a close friend's home. Suddenly, a small dog broke down a baby gate which had been restraining him in a bedroom, and he rushed out and attacked the child. He would not release his bite, leaving lacerations and puncture wounds which consequently became infected. The insurance company tried to argue that the mother was at fault because she knew the dog was aggressive. They called the mother and emailed her, trying to get her to accept a dollar figure which was far below the value of the injuries. Under financial strain, the mother was about to sign a release for about $7,000. She came to her senses and called our office for legal advice before signing. As it turned out, if she had signed and the Court had approved the settlement, most of that money would have gone to reimburse the health insurance carrier which had paid the medical bills for the child. However, the adjuster chose not to tell the mother this “little” fact. The child would have received almost nothing if the mother had signed. After we took the case, we not only repaid the lien to the health insurance carrier, but put a high, five-figure settlement in the bank in trust for the child. Thankfully, the scars healed quite well and plastic surgery wasn't immediately necessary. She will not only be able to get scar revision surgery after she is 18 if she so desires, but would also have money for college.  

As it turned out, the money remained invested for over ten years and the young client turned 18.  She was able to withdraw the money for her college tuition with the help of our office.  She is now a successful student at a local college seeking her degree.  Her scarring had all but disappeared so, thankfully, she didn't end up needing the money for surgery.