Lesson #4: Make Sure That A Careful Investigation Of The Law And Facts Of The Accident Is Done
The below lesson is the fourth 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. You can find the previous lessons in the blog section of our website.
At the time that Joshua was injured, I was in the process of bringing on a new attorney, Nick Dodosh. In the whirlwind of everything, I asked him to look into the “diving board law” in Ohio. He wrote a memorandum that confirmed the fact that the guardrails did not meet the necessary requirements. The memorandum explained that the law states that all diving boards should be protected with guardrails that extend, at a minimum, to the edge of the water. The guardrails on the diving board that Joshua fell from left one foot and nine inches (1’9”) open to the edge of the water, exactly where Joshua fell!
It was official; the diving board was not up to code. My question was how the pool and diving board even passed inspection?!
It seemed as though the questions regarding my son’s life-threatening accident kept piling up. Maybe the same has happened to you as you go through a similar situation? Things just didn’t seem right. I knew something was wrong in my gut. When you experience this same feeling, I urge you to contact an attorney. Attorneys know what to look for in situations such as this and are qualified to investigate the injury and scenario.
Even though I am an attorney myself, I did not act alone with Joshua’s injury. I used the services of other attorneys in my office to investigate exactly what had happened, research the law, and make recommendations to me about which course of action I should take. I highly advise you to do the same.
Lesson to be learned: You need to make sure that a careful investigation of the law and the facts of the accident is done to confirm what went wrong and how the injury or death occurred.
Laws can be very complicated so it is imperative to have an experienced personal injury or wrongful death lawyer on your side. Call an attorney that you can trust to have your back from day one, and work to figure out just what caused your child’s tragic accident.
