As a Missouri auto accident lawyer, I work with people who sustained very serious injuries in car wrecks. That gives me a sobering, but often inspiring, look at the obstacles they face as they work toward a full medical and personal recovery from the accident. On March 1, the Quincy Herald-Whig published a story about one accident victim who is working hard to get back his mobility and start working toward the dreams that were put on hold when he was injured by a wrong-way driver. Dustin Morris, 26, was hit by a driver who crossed the center divide and ran head-on into his pickup truck. He suffered a broken pelvis, compound left-leg fracture and broken femur and was in a coma for 40 days before waking.
Morris spent six years in the Air Force, including time in Iraq, after finishing high school in Quincy in 2002. Last October, he was living in Mascoutah and attending community college in St. Louis when the accident happened. He had just dropped his girlfriend off at her car and was following her home when the other driver crossed the center lane. He doesn’t remember the accident, but emergency workers had to airlift him to St. Louis University Hospital, where his parents kept a vigil by his bedside. He awoke in mid-November and was discharged in January, after he showed hospital staff that he could cross the room using a walker. Now, he’s continuing his recovery from his father’s house in Quincy, where he’s taking speech and physical therapy sessions. He’s still determined to finish school and meet his obligations as part of the Air Force Reserves. In fact, he drove for the first time since the accident in late February.
As a St. Louis car crash attorney, I suspect that the coma and the speech therapy mean Morris sustained injuries beyond the broken bones. That makes it all the more impressive that this young man is working so hard to overcome his injuries and live his life. I frequently work with auto accident victims with injuries like these, or worse. Like Morris, they have months or even years of work to do in order to relearn tasks of daily life, like walking or holding a toothbrush. Sometimes, they have injuries they can’t ever fully recover from, such as paralysis from spinal damage or permanent damage to the brain. These are physically and emotionally devastating injuries, and it’s not hard to imagine that victims might sink into depression instead of fighting to regain their abilities.
Unfortunately, serious auto accident injuries can also be devastating financially. Even those who have health insurance often find that the insurance doesn’t cover enough of their bills, leaving them thousands of dollars in debt. For those without insurance, costs can run into six or seven figures. Carey, Danis & Lowe helps accident victims lay these costs at the feet of the people who caused them — a careless driver and any employer or other institution that enabled him or her. Our southern Illinois car wreck attorneys can help victims claim all of their costs, including lost income from not working and all future medical costs. Victims may also claim damages for personal losses, such as a permanent disability or the loss of a loved one.
Carey, Danis & Lowe offers free, confidential case evaluations to all potential clients. To set one up, please contact us through our site or call 1-877-678-3400 today.
