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TRIALS & THEIR TALES
1600 S. BRENTWOOD BLVD., SUITE 220 • ST. LOUIS, MO 63144 // FINNEYINJURYLAW.COM // 314-293-4222 // MARCH 2019
YOU CAN’T CALL YOURSELF A TRIAL LAWYER IF YOU NEVER FIGHT IN COURT WALKING THE WALK
I f we want to talk the talk, we’d better walk the walk. Do I really want to be a trial lawyer? What does that even mean? How serious am I about representing people in court in front of juries? Am I all talk? These are the thoughts that go through my head on a regular basis. It is unsettling. It is upsetting. It is frustrating. So how do I answer those questions? By action. Not even a dictionary’s worth of words can sufficiently answer them; only actions and results can. So I have to try cases. And so many of these must be tried before a jury of peers in order to get full civil justice. That’s one of the things that those turn-and-burn, your-settlement-in-48-hours firms will never tell you. What do I mean by “civil justice”? Our system is the civil one. Not an eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, neck surgery for neck surgery — but one where parties will handle their disputes civilly. The law only allows money to be used to establish value in these cases, so full civil justice is the full value of the claim. Civil justice = money damages. It may sound cold, but that’s exactly how your opponents view it. Insurance companies never want to pay full civil justice despite having access to mind- boggling amounts of capital. They don't see people as human beings.
Last year, in January 2018, I made a conscious effort to walk the walk. We tried six cases to verdict. We stopped begging insurance carriers for money. We got off our knees and onto our feet. We obtained over $4,300,000 in civil justice verdicts for our phenomenal clients. Yes, the jurors, people in this state, decided the value of the injuries for our clients and what the civil justice would be. We did not let insurance adjusters decide what civil justice would be in these cases. Do you know the dollar amount at which they valued those cases? About $83,000. Through verdicts, we multiplied their valuations by 51 times. 2. To get full civil justice, we had to walk the walk and take the case to the jury. 3. In those cases that we didn’t take to trial, the insurance companies were aware we would, and they had to give more civil justice. That’s the beauty of walking the walk. Once you are known as somebody who takes action, you don’t always have to. Insurance companies know we are willing to go as far as we need to, up to and including trial. Because Why is this important? For a few reasons: 1. Insurance companies will never give full civil justice for the injured. Never.
of this, they can’t bluff our clients into accepting less than full civil justice. Don’t kid yourself; these guys have the data on every law firm they come up against. When they see you’re working with somebody who is unafraid to try a case, they act a lot differently than when they’re up against somebody with a track record of capitulation. This year, we are continuing that commitment to walking the walk. That is why I am writing about it —we’ve all heard that once you write something down, the odds of you meeting that goal are 10 times greater. We are making that commitment both to you and to all of our clients. We will go after civil justice with purpose and precision. We will prepare cases for trial. We will do our absolute best to discern the cases where insurance companies are not paying full civil justice and where they are. We will act in the best interests of our living, breathing, human clients. We will invest our firm’s resources, time, and money on behalf of our clients to get full civil justice. I hope you will join us in this commitment and let your loved ones, friends, and neighbors know that we
will be there if and when they need us.
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GET THE MOST OUT
OF YOUR DIGITAL HOME ASSISTANT
More and more people are welcoming in the Amazon Echo or the Google Home into their spaces. Everyone knows they make great Bluetooth speakers and can tell you the weather forecast, but they’re also capable of so much more. Digital assistants can do a variety of tasks depending on how much you want them to do for you. For example, if you want your digital assistant to be heavily involved in your daily life, you can use the Echo or the Home as the core of your “connected home.” You can connect numerous compatible devices to these assistants, including other Bluetooth or networked speakers, lights, thermostats, coffee makers, refrigerators, and even microwaves.
to make a connected home efficient. And let’s be honest: Many of us aren’t going to buy a connected fridge or Wi-Fi enabled lightbulbs just to get the most out of our digital assistants. What you can do, however, is make use of what you already have. Here are some ways to put your digital assistants to work without committing to a connected home. Both the Echo and the Home make excellent communication hubs. In the home, they can be used as a local intercom system. Do you have a few Echo Dots or Google Home Minis? If you do, you’re set. You can communicate in any room where another device is present. Your digital assistant can also make outgoing calls. As long as the device has access to your contacts (or the is also important for your health and well-being. While some brain injuries will show immediate physical signs, your brain can be just as damaged in an accident that involves no open wound or other such visible trauma. Only thorough medical testing can accurately assess the severity of a TBI. The costs associated with a TBI can be staggering. In addition to sky-high medical bills, those who experience a TBI will likely miss work and suffer loss in their quality of life. These effects can change a life drastically; in some cases, the aftermath is so severe that a person will end up with paralysis, in a coma, or dead. When a TBI sufferer can no longer function on their own, their loved ones are forced to step in and provide care.
person you’re trying to contact has an Echo or Home), you can easily make the connection. Want to send a text message? No problem! You can dictate a text to anyone in your smartphone’s contact list and send it without ever touching your phone. Aside from communications, the assistants can handle calendars, appointments, emails, and more. You can ask for information relevant to you, like “When is my flight again?” Google Home can recognize your voice, or the voice of anyone in the house, and respond accordingly. There’s no worry that anyone’s calendar or appointments will be mixed up with yours. If you want to learn more, search for tutorials online. We’ve only scratched the surface when it comes to what these digital assistants can do for you. Everything about TBI cases is extreme. The injuries can be massive, which is why the compensation for them needs to be as well. Recovering damages may not be the first thing on your mind after a serious injury, but it’s important to get what you deserve and need. Even in the case of life-altering injuries, the insurance companies are going to try to limit how much they pay. Working with an attorney who is experienced in brain injury cases will allow you to focus on what really matters: living the best possible life you can after your injury. If you’ve suffered a brain injury of any kind, call our office to find out how we can help.
Of course, therein lies the challenge — you must have compatible devices
THE UNIQUE NATURE OF TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURIES A VERY SERIOUS INJURY
Serious injuries can come in many forms, but a traumatic brain injury (TBI) is in a category all its own. According to the CDC, TBIs contribute to 30 percent of all injury-related deaths, more than any other factor. In cases where a TBI doesn’t lead to a fatality, it can still transform the injured party’s life forever. Due to the serious nature of these injuries, there are special considerations when pursuing a claim related to them. No matter where or how you’re injured, you should seek immediate medical attention, and that’s doubly true for head injuries. Even if you are 99 percent sure you’re not seriously hurt, you should get it checked anyway. This is helpful in pursuing a claim against an insurance company, and it
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THE CURIOUS CASE OF THE DISAPPEARING FLAGS AN INSIDE JOB
The crime was first committed in July of the previous year. Flags had been placed around the graves of soldiers in Cedar Park Cemetery — only to go missing right around Independence Day. Veterans groups and locals were outraged and mystified by the crime. Some worried that a hate group was to blame, as the missing flags had adorned the graves of Jewish soldiers. Veterans worked to replace the flags, one by one, and right the wrong. No culprit was found, and the community moved on — until the following July, when the mystery repeated itself. Like the year before, flags were placed on veterans’ graves in honor of Independence Day, and again, they went missing sometime in the night, this time taken from the graves of African American Civil War soldiers. Cemetery caretaker and veteran Vincent Wallace was appalled, as was
the rest of his community. “I just can’t comprehend the mindset that would allow someone to do this,” Wallace said. Determined to find out who was to blame, police put up surveillance cameras and recorded the goings- on in the cemetery. As they watched the tapes, sure enough, they saw one of the culprits sitting atop a gravestone with an empty flagpole in front of him. It was a groundhog. Apparently, the wooden flagpoles attract groundhogs, something other groundskeepers have experienced as well. “I’m glad we don’t have someone who has taken it upon themselves to desecrate the stones and the flags in front of them,” said Hudson mayor Bill Hallenbeck. "We can all rest a little easier knowing that it was a critter and not a human defacing our flags, especially those of the veterans,” added Hudson’s police commissioner.
Turns out Punxsutawney Phil has some very naughty cousins — ones who aren’t subject to the law.
TAKE A BREAK
YOUR REFERRALS MEAN THE WORLD TO US There is no greater compliment we can receive than a client telling a friend or loved one about us. If you know somebody who has been injured and needs an attorney who will fight on their behalf and give their case the attention it deserves, please pass along this newsletter and have them give us a call at 314-293-4222. Thank you for spreading the word about Finney Injury Law.
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1600 S. BRENTWOOD BLVD., SUITE 220 • ST. LOUIS, MO 63144
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FINNEYINJURYLAW.COM // 314-293-4222
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
1
Talk Is Cheap. Settlements Shouldn’t Be.
2 2 3 3 4
Get the Most Out of Your Digital Home Assistant
The Brain and the Law
The Curious Case of the Disappearing Flags
Puzzle
The Hoops Heroes of Missouri
MISSOURI BASKETBALL LEGENDS THE SHOW-ME STATE’S BEST BALLERS
S adly, the last time St. Louis had a professional basketball team to call its own was in 1976, when the ABA merged with the NBA and the Spirits of St. Louis were no more. Despite the lack of a
only one life. “Ambition is the path to success,” Bradley once said. “Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in.” Based on his biography, it’s a road he knows well.
JO JO WHITE
He may have played college ball for the dreaded Kansas Jayhawks, but Jo Jo White is a native son of St. Louis through and through. He also holds the rare honor of having the numbers he wore for both Kansas (15) and the Boston Celtics (10) retired. White also won the NBA Finals MVP award during the 1976 season. During Game 5, a triple-overtime thriller, White put on a truly historic performance, netting 33 points and dishing out nine assists on the way to a Boston victory. We had to include somebody who played for a college in St. Louis on this list, and there’s no better representative than Larry Hughes. After attending Saint Louis University for one season and winning the USBWA National Freshman of the Year award, Hughes was selected eighth overall in the NBA draft. He played in the NBA for over a decade and was regarded as a stalwart defensive stopper. LARRY HUGHES
pro squad, St. Louis is still a hotbed for basketball fandom. That’s most evident in March, when countless residents crowd the bars and restaurants to watch March Madness. We may not have a school likely to cut down the nets this year, but we’ve produced more than our fair share of hardwood legends over the years.
BILL BRADLEY
As an Olympic gold medalist, a winner of two NBA championships, and a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, Bill Bradley is arguably the most successful player to ever come out of Missouri. When you consider his accomplishments off the court — Princeton graduate, Air Force vet, U.S. senator — it’s hard to believe that he’s lived
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