James L. | Louisiana | Back Injury
James had spent years as a Mississippi barge worker before his injury. He was a seasoned maritime worker who knew the ropes, but even so, he was injured in a barge accident. His injury prevented him from returning to work and began depleting his financial resources. Knowing he had to take care of his family but not sure what to do, he called The Young Firm about his situation. This is the story of how he turned his life around after his maritime injury.
My Life Was Going Perfect
0:06 My name is James, born and raised Southeast Louisiana, father of three, been married for 13 years, wonderful woman. Worked on Mississippi River [as a barge worker] for ten years from Katrina on up to my injury October 9th, 2014. My life was going perfect the way I looked at it, you know up until my injury.
0:33 I was…the barge I was working on was struck by an oncoming vessel carrying a mass load of barges and [I] was trying to get to safety, lost my footing, went airborne for a minute and suffered a spinal injury.
My Life Forever Changed
0:55 My life forever changed right then and there. Right after I got injured, I was seeing the “company doctor.” They had me go to physical therapy for quite some time, and I kept telling them, “look, something’s really the matter with me.” I said, “been very physical man my whole life and I know the difference in something being hurt and something being really wrong” and said, “something’s really wrong.”
I Knew I Needed Somebody
1:23 Then after a while of me stressing, “hey, can I have an MRI?” Well, they finally done it months afterwards, and when I got the results for the MRI, that’s when I had made the decision to contact The Young Firm, because I knew I needed somebody who knew what was going on. I didn’t. I was so confused.
Felt Like I Was Betraying My Company
1:38 I dialed The Young Firm’s number and I waited quite a while before hitting the call button. I was nervous, felt like I was…my 10 years of work I was throwing away, felt like I was betraying my company. It was a hard decision to make. I felt like everything that I worked for I was peeing away, which really wasn’t the case. And it took me a while to realize that, but I had to make the decision.
It’s All About Family, and If You Can’t Take Care of Them, Then Who Is?
2:10 Many men have to make that decision and it’s hard to do but at the end of the day it’s all about family and if you can’t take care of your family, the question is who is? And that’s what ultimately led me to contact The Young Firm.
I Was Given My Life Back
2:20 I was given my life back. I mean, at moment’s notice everything changed. But the durability of my team and, and of my family, we were able to pick up the pieces and put it back together. And I am proud to say I can carry on again. That means everything to me.
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