A log struck Johnny at a Conroe timber facility
Johnny Harris had spent years working in the East Texas logging industry. He was working for Ramrod Enterprises at a timber facility in Conroe when a large log being moved by heavy machinery struck him in the head.
Emergency responders had him flown to Memorial Hermann Hospital. He remained in the hospital for three weeks and underwent multiple surgeries. The injury caused permanent memory impairment and vision loss in one eye.
His wife, Carolin Harris, recalls receiving a phone call. Johnny had been in an accident, he was in intensive care, and his head had been crushed. In the family’s recorded testimonial, she describes the uncertainty after the accident: “You don’t know what you’re facing.”
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Carolin sought help while the bills continued
As the family confronted Johnny’s injuries, they also had bills they could not afford to pay. Carolin says in the testimonial that the company had done nothing to help. The family needed a way to address both the immediate financial strain and Johnny’s continuing care.
Carolin hired Brian Beckcom and VB Attorneys. One of Brian’s first decisions would determine whether Johnny could pursue the logging company’s $5 million liability insurance policy.
The first question was which insurance applied
At the outset, there was a question about whether Johnny would be limited to workers’ compensation benefits or whether he qualified as a temporary worker with access to the logging company’s liability coverage. The workers’ compensation insurer and the liability insurer were different companies.
The distinction carried enormous consequences for Johnny and Carolin. One route would provide workers’ compensation benefits. The other would make a $5 million liability policy available to address Johnny’s catastrophic injuries. Brian made resolving that question an immediate priority.
Two subpoenas revealed the president’s statements
At the very beginning of the case, Brian sent third-party subpoenas to both insurance companies, requiring them to produce records. Both insurers responded.
In those documents, Brian found evidence that the logging company’s president had called both insurers and told them Johnny was a temporary employee. The same critical fact appeared in the files of two separate insurance companies.
The president’s statements established Johnny’s status as a temporary worker and opened access to the $5 million liability policy.
$5 Million, the full liability policy limit
VB Attorneys pursued Johnny’s case in Harris County and negotiated a $5 Million Settlement at mediation. The amount represented the full limit of the logging company’s liability insurance policy. The case resolved in under six months.
The Settlement provided financial support for Johnny’s medical treatment, rehabilitation, and future care. He had survived the accident, but he and Carolin still had to plan around permanent injuries. Resolving the case gave them resources for those continuing needs.
Johnny and Carolin chose how to arrange the funds
Carolin also recalls deciding how the money should be arranged. Brian presented several options. She and Johnny considered the choices together and selected the arrangement they believed would be best for them.
Their testimonial returns to that guidance. Carolin speaks about having someone there through the uncertainty, helping them understand their choices. She says that without Brian’s help, they would have depended on the government for much of Johnny’s care.
Johnny and Carolin’s story
Carolin Harris describes the family’s experience with Brian Beckcom, with Johnny beside her. 2:40. Watch on YouTube.
Read the video transcript
Carolin Harris speaks in this interview. This transcript was prepared from the video captions. Uncertain wording is marked [unclear].
0:02 And thank God Johnny is still here, because they say he wasn't going to make it.
0:09 A, a log went into Johnny's right side. We got a phone call that he had had an accident, and he was in ICU, and his head was crushed in.
0:22 And you don't know at that time. You don't know what, you don't know what you're facing. You don't know anything. So it's scary.
0:32 We didn't have the money to do, to pay all our bills, and the company didn't do anything.
0:39 If I hadn't met Brian, we would be dependent on the government for a lot of care today.
0:46 From the whole time, he was there for us through everything. And we couldn't ask for nobody no better, just, just being honest.
0:57 And then we had several options through, through Brian, that we, where we could, uh, set, set the money up, or we could take so much. And I think we had about maybe three to four choices that, that we looked at, and we could pick what we wanted.
1:15 And that's what we did. We talked to each other and decided which one would be best for us.
1:23 I want to tell Brian, thank you. And he know that I tell him thank you. Johnny says thank you, and Johnny talks about him a lot.
1:33 I do thank God for Brian Beckcom. I thank God for each and everything that he has done for us, and [unclear] many, many things for us.
1:44 We wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for Brian Beckcom and guiding us in each and everything that he guided us to do. He taught us to make the right choices that we needed to have the life that we're living today. And I thank God for that.
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