Motorcycle Accident Client Story

Ron and Denise Gowell Motorcycle Accident - Confidential Settlement Motorcycle Accident Throws A Wrench in Orange County Couple's Retirement Plans

Ron and Denise Gowell had plans. Denise had retired in the fall of 2006. They were going to travel and enjoy life. She was going to start her own customer service consulting firm. And then, on Oct. 4, 2006, their secure world fell apart. Ron was riding his motorcycle in Santa Ana, not far from their home, when a young driver coming from the opposite direction made an illegal U-turn in front of him causing a nightmarish auto verses motorcycle accident.

"I had no time and no warning," Ron said. The accident completely crushed his tibia. What saved Ron's life was all the motorcycle rider safety gear he was wearing - a full-faced helmet, leather jacket and heavy boots. Ron was rushed to the trauma unit at Western Medical Center in Santa Ana. His left leg below the knee was shattered. Emergency surgery saved his leg from amputation.

It didn't stop with one surgery. Over the next eight months, Ron had to undergo five surgeries. He also had to return to the hospital because of severe infections. Just one month after the long-awaited custom knee replacement, he had to have another surgery because the tibia had fractured again because of aggressive physiotherapy. Denise realized early on that the medical bills were going to go through the roof. She started looking for a personal injury attorney online. Both she and her son were searching specifically for a motorcycle accident attorney and both Denise and her son at the end of their Internet search came up with the same firm - Bisnar Chase Personal Injury Attorneys.

"I liked their Web site right away," Denise said. "I looked at their testimonials. They seemed very genuine and heartfelt. I spoke with Shannon Barker on the phone and I found her to be so wonderful and understanding. She has so much empathy for what we were going through. I was comfortable setting up an appointment with them to discuss our case."

Denise and her son met with John Bisnar and were immediately impressed by his kind and caring nature, she said.

"He was warm, caring and we felt like he really understood what we were going through," Denise said. "He definitely met and surpassed my expectations."

After that point Denise said she turned everything over to Bisnar Chase Personal Injury Attorneys. She had other things to worry about. After three weeks in the hospital and rehab, Ron came back home. Denise needed to turn their living room into a hospital unit. She had to be trained to clean and dress the six holes in his leg that held the external fixator he would need for the first three months as well as clean and dress two large incisions. And this had to be done daily. Ron was on a strict medication routine as well as daily injections to avoid blood clots.

Eventually, Denise had to learn to administer antibiotics through an IV so Ron could receive care at home instead of having to check into a nursing home. She had to hire a van to take him to and from his hospital appointments.

"It just got me thinking," she says. "The young woman who caused the accident merely got a ticket for making an illegal U-turn. But that motorcycle accident turned our entire world upside down. It threw a wrench on all the plans we had for a peaceful retirement. It's been anything but peaceful."

Ron, the ultimate handyman and gardener, can no longer climb ladders or get on his knees to tend to his garden. As a couple, they can no longer ride their bikes together or hike beach cliffs. He cannot comfortably sit in a movie theater chair and it's unlikely he'll ever be able to sit in an airline seat. Ron has not even been able to walk his beloved little Schnauzer since his accident.

Denise knew that dealing with the two auto insurance companies, plus Medicare, was going to be a monumental task. The woman who caused the accident had very little insurance coverage and virtually no assets.

"But Bisnar Chase Personal Injury Attorneys got us every penny they could for us," Denise said. "And I know it wasn't easy for them. You read all these wonderful stories in the news about how someone got millions out of their accident, but not every case is like that and our own situation was such an eye-opener for us."

Denise said she genuinely appreciated each and every one of the Bisnar Chase Personal Injury Attorneys staff she interacted with. They were there for her every step of the way.

"Each one of them was friendly and kind and was a wonderful example of quality customer service," she said. "For 16 years of my life, I trained people in customer service. I know what good customer service is and at Bisnar Chase Personal Injury Attorneys, they do what I teach."

When she gets good customer service, Denise says, she knows it.

"Bisnar Chase Personal Injury Attorneys not only met my expectation wonderfully, they surpassed it," she said.

Although the money she got was not "astronomical," it helped in every way, Denise said. Her expenses were many. She had to get Ron a wheelchair. She had to put up wheelchair ramps in and out of the house. She had to buy equipment to help with his physiotherapy, such as a recumbent bike. She herself injured her knee as she tried to carry Ron's wheelchair to and fro.

"The last year has been a nightmare for both of us," Denise says. "Until now I never realized how little someone has to pay when they cause an accident. The lady who hit Ron probably just pays a higher insurance premium. The victims end up in a life-changing situation. We've come to realize how important personal injury attorneys are not only when it comes to protecting our legal rights, but also in taking over the paper work thus allowing the family to concentrate on the needs of the victim."

That said, the Gowells do try to see the brighter side of things.

"It could've been worse," Denise says. "Ron could've suffered a severe spinal injury that could've left him a quadriplegic. He could've died in the crash. But he is alive and right here by me and I'm very, very thankful for that."

Denise explained that this experience has definitely reconfirmed the importance she and Ron have always placed on having a positive attitude. And though they've always prided themselves on having the strength and ability to handle anything that comes their way, in this situation, putting their trust and confidence in Bisnar Chase Personal Injury Attorneys was definitely the right and only thing to do. It left her the time necessary to completely devote herself to Ron's physical and emotional recovery.

Denise adds with a laugh: "If life hands you lemons, you make lemonade. and let me tell you, we've been drinking a lot of lemonade lately."