Attorney and Chief Executive Officer of Berry Law, John S. Berry has dedicated his career to fighting for veterans both in and out of the courtroom. Throughout his law career he has built trust with veteran clients because of his own time in the military as an airborne ranger, serving in the U.S. Army in Bosnia and Iraq, before joining the National Guard and retiring as a lieutenant colonel.
At the heart of his practice is the belief that attorneys working with veterans must be zealous advocates for their clients and treat veterans with the respect they deserve. John recently spoke with attorney David Craig on his podcast, After the Crash, to comment on the unique challenges that veteran clients face and how best to help them.
The video episode is available now on Youtube. You can listen on Spotify, Amazon or other podcast-streaming services.
Get to Know the Guest: A Champion for Veterans
Working at Berry Law, John diligently represents veteran clients who seek benefits and disability claims from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Through his practice, he helps veterans who served in WWII, Vietnam, the Gulf War, Iraq and Afghanistan that suffer from injuries both physical and mental to receive the treatment and compensation they deserve.
John has also received the designation of AV Preeminent from Martindale Hubbell, is a SuperLawyer, and is recognized as one of the National Trial Lawyers’ Top 100 Lawyers for 10 years. In addition to his accomplishments, he also regularly presents and lectures on jury trial skills, criminal defense, veterans’ disability appeals and military leadership.
Key Takeaways from Episode 62: Veterans Can Be Challenging Clients
In John’s experience working with clients who are veterans, he finds that they can be challenging clients because of their military training. As a veteran himself, he understands where his clients come from and builds trust through that. But it is his duty as an attorney to provide the best possible legal representation despite these challenges.
Below are some key takeaways from this month’s episode of After the Crash.
- Veterans tend to underreport injuries.
Veterans sometimes spend their entire careers hearing they should hide or minimize injuries they’ve acquired during their service because it could impact their career trajectory. On top of that, when soldiers are injured during a mission, the mission still needs to be completed, which requires soldiers to push through and keep going.
According to Pew Research Center, 1 in 10 veterans alive today were seriously injured during their time in the military, and three-fourths of those injuries occurred during combat. Of those that saw combat, about 24% are now disabled. While these injuries have been reported after veterans are no longer serving, the number that choose not to report while active military members is still concerning.
When looking at soldiers’ musculoskeletal injuries, a survey of 1,388 soldiers conducted by Sports Health Journal found that there were 3,202 injuries in that category that happened during the previous 12-month period. However, of that Brigade Combat team’s injuries, 51% were reported to medical personnel while 49% were not.
Similar to what John mentioned on After the Crash, the survey stated that the most common reason soldiers chose not to report was from fear that injury could affect future opportunities and a desire to avoid mandated physical restrictions.
This is cause for concern because unreported and untreated injuries can lead to reinjury, chronic pain, decreased performance and increased costs associated with disability benefits. Combine these pre-existing and untreated injuries with a devastating car, semi-truck or other large commercial motor vehicle accident, and veterans could experience further suffering due to reinjury. They may also find themselves unable to receive proper compensation in a personal injury case due to incomplete medical records.
Personal injury attorneys want their clients to be honest about their injuries.
It is understandable that veterans want to move forward with life despite injuries, as it is how they’ve dealt with them while serving, but taking the proper time to heal is important. Additionally, if clients choose not to utilize the full scope of medical treatment made available to them, it could decrease the value of their personal injury case, resulting in lost medical compensation.
- Veterans in car or semi truck accidents could experience worsened PTSD or TBI symptoms.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injuries are both common among veterans. 1 in 3 post 9/11 veterans seeking medical treatment have PTSD, and a little under half of those veterans have been diagnosed with a TBI. That’s at least 400,000 service members suffering from PTSD and around 320,000 from TBIs. And for those dealing with these diagnoses, it can make returning home and readjusting to daily life difficult.
Additionally, those that were seriously injured during their service are more than twice as likely as uninjured soldiers to have trouble readjusting and are three times as likely to deal with PTSD.
Driving in general can worsen PTSD for veterans. Highway speeds are much faster than the speeds of armored vehicles driven in combat, and typical road debris can resemble and be mistaken for Improvised Explosive Devices. Veterans are also more likely to die in vehicle accidents than the general population. Those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan are 75% more likely, Vietnam veterans are two times more likely, and Gulf War veterans have a greater risk of 20-30%.
Both diagnoses are pre-existing conditions for veterans who are involved in car, semi-truck, garbage truck, or other commercial motor vehicle accidents, resulting in worsened symptoms. TBIs can be caused and/or made worse by these wrecks, and veterans’ PTSD can be exacerbated by the additional trauma of accidents.
Following these wrecks, veterans are forced to find new ways to cope. While their previous trauma may have been easier to handle because other veterans can relate and support them, it can be harder to do the same with accident-related trauma, as it is not as relatable for their current support systems.
After the Crash Podcast: A Legal Resource for Truck Wreck Victims
After the Crash is currently ranked No. 4 in personal injury podcasts. It is the highest-ranked podcast focusing on personal injury resulting from commercial vehicle and truck wrecks.
The podcast was launched nearly five years ago, in the fall of 2020, by attorney David W. Craig. It educates and empowers listeners in a digestible format. It is primarily aimed at the victims and the families of victims of semi or other large truck accidents.
It is David’s goal to equip listeners with the knowledge necessary to navigate this tough time in their lives. Anyone — truck wreck survivors, legal professionals, healthcare workers, and anyone in between — can tune into After the Crash for free.
A new episode is released monthly, featuring a guest with an important perspective. In each episode, David interviews individuals involved in commercial motor vehicle cases, or experts whose skills are crucial to understanding trucking cases.
Episodes are posted on YouTube, Spotify, Amazon and Apple Podcasts, and the Craig, Kelley & Faultless website.
Injured in a Truck Accident? Craig, Kelley & Faultless Can Help
Attorneys at Craig, Kelley & Faultless are prepared and have the experience to help victims of commercial vehicle wrecks through every aspect of their case. Our firm fights hard for veterans that have been seriously injured in semi tractor-trailer or other CMV cases.
Their team-centered approach puts client needs at the forefront, and several attorneys will work on your case to achieve the best possible outcome.
We understand the challenges facing veterans in these situations. Oftentimes, it can be difficult to see a doctor through the Department of Veterans Affairs, and it can be hard to coordinate with the VA on personal injury cases. At Craig, Kelley & Faultless, we often recommend clients receive an independent medical examination at the start of their case to help get the information they need to create a smoother process with the VA.
Reach out for a free case consultation today at (800) 746-0226 or online.
David W. Craig is board-certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy, accredited by the American Bar Association in Truck Accident Law. He sits on the Board of Regents of the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys (which requires the board certification in truck accident law). He is the managing partner and one of the founding partners of Craig, Kelley & Faultless LLC. He is recognized as a Top 10 Trucking Trial Lawyer and Top 100 Trial Lawyer in Indiana by the National Trial Lawyers, as well as a Top 50 Indiana lawyer by Super Lawyers. David is the author of Semitruck Wreck, A Guide for Victims and Their Families and It’s Never Been Easier to Hire the Wrong Attorney, both written to help people navigate what comes next after a tragic wreck. He also hosts the podcast After the Crash, where you can gain valuable information about the dangers involving semis and large trucks that do not follow safety protocol regarding speed, weather conditions, maintenance upkeep, etc.
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