A Chance To Create A New And Better Future
Larry Johnson:
Larry Johnson was a crab fisherman. Before I met him I had never seen “Deadliest Catch”, the Discovery Channel’s program documenting the dangers of this profession. Several times a year, Larry would go north to Alaska and he was making a very good living. On this particular trip, his Alaska Airlines flight landed at the small airport in Dutch Harbor, Alaska. The plane stopped on the tarmac, and passengers were directed to walk along a walkway defined by cones and ropes. It was obvious to Larry and the other passengers that the designated walkway was icy, but they had no choice but to “walk the gauntlet” to get to the terminal.
Larry slipped on the ice, and reached out to break his fall. Upon landing, he felt a sharp pain in his wrist, which got worse as time passed. Instead of getting on the fishing boat, Larry was transported back to Seattle where he was diagnosed with torn ligaments in his wrist. We made sure he got excellent treatment, and after surgery and rehab he made a very good recovery. In fact, his doctor released Larry to almost any activity. Of course, the one thing he could not do was return to crab fishing. There was just too much risk his wrist would give out at a critical moment.
We fought hard for Larry, and ultimately got a great settlement from the airline. He used his recovery to start a handyman business.
“After 40 years of fishing in Alaska I suffered a career ending accident due to a major airline’s failure to properly de-ice their tarmac. After arriving back in Seattle I went through hand surgery which changed my whole career and life. The airline refused to accept responsibility until Matt Dubin took on my case. After Matt sued the airline and showed them he was serious about going to trial, they finally agreed to negotiate. After a difficult mediation, I received a large settlement for the loss of my career and the loss of full use of my hand. Thanks to Matt I’ve been able to start my own business, become engaged, and begin a new start on life. Thank you, Matt, for taking the worst time of my life and giving me a chance to create a new and better future for myself and my new wife.” – Larry Johnson