We are all familiar with the saying that “our lives can change in an instant†but in no way is that more true than in the case of a spinal cord injury! Our brother was injured in a car accident that was not his fault, with his only relatives being myself (his older sister) and our youngest brother. At our first visit with the social worker at St. Mike’s Hospital, she told us we needed a personal injury lawyer immediately. Our experiences with lawyers in general were limited, and we had no idea about personal injury lawyers beyond the ads on TV and radio. Now, in addition to the daily life-and-death decisions for our brother, who was very medically fragile due to the neurological complications of a C5-6 spinal cord injury, we needed to think about a lawyer!
We are old enough to know that the most creative advertisement or the longest TV/Radio ad does not mean the best lawyer, so we went searching for personal references. Fortunately, I knew someone in the insurance industry who dealt with personal injury lawyers on a regular basis, and when asked who she would use if this happened in her family, she immediately said to call Bill Teggart. We look back at that call as being our best decision throughout this whole ordeal!
I will list highlights of our services through William Teggart Personal Injury Law and, because I believe so strongly in personal references, I am also happy to speak with anyone who is considering this law firm. Here are our experiences:
Leanne Clarkson (Manager of Accident Benefits) and Bill Teggart treated us like family from the point of taking our case onwards. Leanne would make calls that I thought I would need to do; she listened to my tears and frustrations and would consistently say “Let me do that for you†and somehow in the back of my mind I thought there would be additional charges (by the minute, as was my previous experience with lawyers) but this was all included in their up-front fee.
Bill dealt with us personally at all times, unlike larger firms who may have more than one lawyer involved in your case. He was quick to respond to any questions, either by phone or email. He remembered birthdays, always paid attention to our personal struggles and asked how we were – a level of service we could not have imagined!!!!!
They connected us with resources (therapists, social workers, architects specializing in physical disability etc), ALL of whom were god-sends. These were people the firm had consistently worked with and were confident in their reputations, skills, passion and empathy.
Bill is HIGHLY SKILLED at what he does! Dealing with the insurance company was not easy; what they offered our brother was not near what he was entitled to, and Bill worked skillfully to turn this around. We make regular trips back to Lyndhurst for medical appointments, and have encountered a few of my brother’s previous ‘roommates’ who have settled too early, for too little. This is a common trend with lawyers who are not well-established, as they need their portion of the settlement so they encourage clients to settle too soon. In our case, it took 2 ½ years, but it was well worth the wait!
We are now 3 months post-settlement, and are still settling into the new routine of dealing with everything that either the insurance company or Leanne dealt with prior to settlement. However, Leanne put everything in place to make the transition as smooth as possible. This made a world of difference.
I can’t say enough good things about this law firm and our experience with them! No matter when I called, we felt that our case was the most important thing they were dealing with that day. This firm puts people first and we would concur that it is a level of service not found elsewhere! As we look back over the 3 years since our brother’s injury, we credit William J. Teggart Personal Injury Law in taking us from a situation that was way beyond our depth and putting us in a position where we have a reasonable plan for the future! Three years ago, I wouldn’t have thought that possible!