Our client’s story began as he was making his usual rounds while working as a security officer at a medical facility in Savannah. When he slipped on a slick floor and severely injured his back, he imagined what most workers do – that his employers’ workers’ compensation insurance would help cover the cost of his injuries. When they refused to believe his version of events and wouldn’t even pay his medical expenses, our workers’ compensation attorneys in Savannah were called upon to seek justice.
We sat down with Kyle Lankhorst, the attorney who took this case from a $0 offer to nearly $100,000, to learn how he was able to achieve this fantastic outcome for such a deserving client.
How a Slip and Fall at Work Turned Into a Legal Crucible
Our client worked as a security guard at a medical facility when he slipped and fell while securing the property. In the fall, he severely injured his back and sought immediate medical attention. When he wasn’t able to return to his normal duties, he hoped his employer’s workers’ compensation insurance would kick in.
As our firm has seen time and time again, the insurance carrier’s first move is typically to limit how much they’ll pay out on any given claim. With this client, they wouldn’t pay what’s known as indemnity benefits, which would have helped pay for our client’s medical costs. Instead, they said that since no one saw the accident, they didn’t believe him and denied his claim entirely.
How the Case Unfolded
When a loyal worker is hurt on the job, it makes sense that the employer should pay their bills since they were only doing their job when they were injured. However, the insurance carrier’s position in this case was resolute: since it was unwitnessed, they refused to pay anything. As a result, our client was both hurt and out of work for some time.
Like for most people, this time was incredibly stressful for and hard on both him and his family. Luckily, he had a tremendous support system around him and he leaned on his legal team at Farah & Farah to bear the burden of his legal fight.
We Don’t Give Up the Fight
Workers’ compensation cases are handled by a single attorney from start to finish, so the attorney needs to be prepared from the beginning to bring a case to litigation. Workers’ compensation attorney Kyle Lankhorst knew he had an uphill battle when the insurance company immediately hired defense counsel at the onset of the case, meaning they were already gearing up for a legal battle.
The case hinged on the client’s severe back injuries, which needed to be properly documented. With a brilliant legal strategy, Lankhorst was able to get the client’s initial treatment approved to see a spinal specialist. That treatment proved to be crucial in the case because it provided concrete medical evidence that the client was severely injured as a result of the fall and during the scope of his employment.
Great Trial Strategy Takes a Lot of Preparation
The team at Farah & Farah act as legal counselors, which means that we provide our clients with sound legal advice but it’s entirely their choice whether or not they’d like to follow it. In that sense, we’re a bit like co-pilots and our clients are in the driver’s seat. Our client in this case chose to trust the legal advice Kyle Lankhorst was providing him.
While preparing the case, the client was waiting for compensation and stressed about his financial future. However, he chose to trust Kyle’s advice, continue with treatment, and build a case that would produce the best results possible.
“He Was So Stoked!”
When we asked Kyle why the case was so notable to him, he explained, “This client was with me from when I first started here at Farah & Farah; he stuck it out, and we got the win. When we negotiated his settlement at mediation, his whole family came with him. He was so stoked!”
Despite all the questions of the case–having no witnesses, suspicions about preexisting conditions, and different ways to interpret disability benefits–Kyle was able to put all of the pieces together and not back down in order to achieve a fantastic outcome for a very deserving worker.
Farah & Farah Doesn’t Quit When You Need Us Most
At Farah & Farah, we have the resources, drive, and ability to see our clients’ cases through to the very end. When an injured worker isn’t getting treated fairly, we’ll step up to the plate to seek every dollar their due–just like what we were able to do for this very deserving client.
When you’ve experienced a workplace accident and need answers, contact our attorneys 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We’ll look over the details and help outline the options you may have available.
