I’ve Stood In Your Shoes, Lesson #1: I Can Personally Relate To That Moment That Changed Your Life
The below lesson is the first of 16 lessons that are included in Attorney Charles Boyk’s new book, I’ve Stood In Your Shoes, explaining his personal experience with child accidents.
When your child is injured, it is surreal. You may not be able to believe that the accident is actually happening, or you may not want to believe it.
I know what this feels like. On August 9, 2010 I got a phone call that I will never forget. I received an urgent phone call while in a meeting with my legal staff. The voice was of a mother to a child that my son, Jake, was friends with. She told me that my son, Joshua, fell from the three-meter high dive and hit his head on the concrete of the pool deck. She explained that he was bleeding from his skull, all the while I heard my son screaming in pain in the background.
I hung up the phone without knowing the extent of Joshua’s injuries, but only the fact that he was being taken to a hospital in an ambulance. I immediately headed to my car and went in the direction of the Toledo Hospital and The University of Toledo Medical Center.
As I drove, I wondered what Joshua’s injuries were. It could have been everything from a cut on his head to a fractured skull, but the thing I did know was that he was conscious. I called my wife, Joann, to tell her the news, but she was in an appointment and did not answer at first.
Joann was at a doctor’s appointment with my daughter at Toledo Hospital, so luckily she was at the hospital that Joshua would be taken to. Joann called to the local swimming pool to see what the extent of Joshua’s injuries were as we waited for his ambulance to arrive, and they explained that he was not hurt that bad. We later learned that this was not the case. Joshua had a very serious life-threatening head injury. We were essentially put on a roller coaster ride of emotions as we tried to figure out exactly what was happening.
When I arrived to the hospital I met up with my son Jake, who witnessed Joshua’s fall. He was distraught and felt that the accident was his fault. We reassured him that this was not the case. Although it is common for family members to feel like their child’s accident is their fault, it is not. I know this feeling myself so I am able to understand what others in this position may be feeling as well.
Shortly after, a doctor came to tell us that Joshua was in intensive care with a brain injury and it was an emergency situation. At this point, I experienced a flood of emotions, with the potentially deadly situation that my son was in.
When I first saw my son in intensive care, he was unconscious and hooked up to numerous tubes and wires.
His head had been shaved and he was hooked up to a brain wave machine. I was going through mental trauma at this point, taking the extent of the injuries in, while feeling helpless. I believe that this is a common feeling for those put in this situation, and I can relate to the emotions you may experience.
Lesson to be learned: I can personally relate to that moment that changed your life – that surreal moment where you can’t believe this was happening.
While this experience was extremely traumatic for my family, it has allowed me to directly relate to my clients and potential clients. After having years of experience handling large cases of this nature, I now knew what it was like to be going through a child accident case on the other end. I feel as though this makes my firm different from others in town, as I can relate to the personal struggles you are going through.
Stay tuned to the blog for Lesson #2: Your road to recovery can be bumpy, long, and difficult.
I know because I have been down the same road with my child. To order your free copy of the book, I’ve Stood In Your Shoes, visit our website today.
