Shannon Deering was driving up a hill on a country road at night. Another vehicle crested the hill in the opposite direction. Because the road deflected to the right at the top of the hill and had no centerline, it looked to Shannon that the oncoming vehicle was coming right at her. She swerved and avoided a collision but lost control of her vehicle, which went into a ditch and rolled over. She suffered a complete spinal cord injury. Oatley Vigmond brought a claim against the municipalities responsible for maintaining the road. After a lengthy trial, the Court agreed with Oatley Vigmond’s argument that the road should have had a centerline and that a centerline would have prevented the collision.
“When you’re in a position where your life is in someone else’s hand, you’re not in any frame of mind to make a big decision such as choosing a lawyer. You don’t want to think about lawyers, you want to focus on getting better. Thank god my parents got a hold of Roger and the firm. They made the right decision. They were so professional, always keeping in touch, personable. They became a small part of the family. I mostly worked with Roger and Troy. They took care of us. Roger knows what he’s doing. I don’t think we could have picked anyone better.
Working with Roger’s team, you can tell it is very much a team approach. We were also very close to Troy Lehman. They kept us informed every step of the way. Explained everything in terms we could understand. Extremely helpful, constantly keeping us up to date. The accident benefits specialists were so helpful in getting us started and on the right track. Getting the equipment that was needed, the care that was required. Roger’s office was able to help with that. Even when there wasn’t a trial yet, they answered all our questions. It worked out really well.
The whole process took a very long time to settle this case. There were opportunities to settle earlier. At each step of the way, Roger and his team would sit down and explain the pros and cons of what the other side was offering. It was all new to us so we were really relying on them to give us the best opinion on what decision to make. A lot of work went into that. I cannot imagine the amount of work and hours that went into this case.
After a number of years, our case finally went to trial. That was an experience in itself. They prepared us for what to expect. Seeing Roger in action was very interesting as well. The man knows what he is doing.
I’d just like to say thank you to Roger and thank you to Troy. I don’t think I’d be this far in my life if it weren’t for them.”
– Shannon Deering