CLIENT PROFILE: STEVE GUERTIN
Every heavy-duty construction worker understands that the job is a risk to their health and their livelihood. That’s why we represent injured workers: to protect them, their families, and their long-term livelihood if they get seriously injured at work and can’t go back to their regular duties. In 2017, Steve Guertin, a union plumber with Local 5, was working at the water treatment plant in D.C. He was 2 1/2 stories in the air when he fell and hit the pavement. As you can imagine, he had very substantial injuries, but the emergency room doctors said nothing was broken, so he returned to work the next day! A few days later, his pain was unbearable, so he went back to the hospital. It turns out that Steve broke nine ribs, had two holes in his lungs, and ruptured his spleen. Eventually, he had to get 18 screws and five plates in his neck and back. He was in surgery for 17 hours to repair everything that had been injured. As is typically the case, the insurance company called and tried to have him sign some paperwork while he was still in the hospital! Thankfully, a friend who Frank Kearney had represented in the past told Steve, “Call my guy Frank — he will take care of you.” And that’s exactly what he did. Frank went to visit Steve in the hospital and told Steve’s wife, Sharon, to not sign a thing. The insurance company played hardball and said, “How do we know this happened at work? You didn’t go back to the hospital until a week later.” They also threatened to hold his benefits check unless
savings to stay afloat while waiting for the hearing. But Frank won back all the benefits from January plus a penalty against the insurance company for their delay. Steve shared with me how difficult it was to go through the workers’ comp process. He said, “When I got hurt, I was getting regular and overtime. I went from taking home a lot to making nothing. But Frank was aggressive and got down to business immediately. By the time
he came to visit me in the hospital, he had already petitioned the court for a hearing. Things just got moving when he got involved.” Frank knew how to hold out for the right settlement. He kept going back to the insurance company’s lawyers. They finally got to a number that would take care of Steve and his family until Steve could retire with a pension. As you can imagine, Steve is still on the road to
he signed their paperwork. But Frank knew all the insurance company b.s. promptly took the insurance company to court to force them to pay for benefits and medical and how to fight it. He treatment. Like many workers’ compensation clients, Steve had to use his
recovery. He is not able to work and still can’t lift anything over 5 pounds. He said, “When you've got a family, there’s a lot of worry, and this isn’t something you can handle on your own. I would refer Frank to
anybody. Nobody should try to do this on their own. Frank — he goes above and beyond to make sure everything is taken care of. Don’t try to go it alone. You need a good lawyer, someone like Frank. You’re not gonna win if you try to go it alone. I know people who have tried. The insurance company is who you gotta worry about, not the lawyer. Call Frank.”
-Brooke Birkey
2 • DONAHOEKEARNEY.COM
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