“Don’t be scared to hire a lawyer. If you get injured, call The Young Firm. I would not hesitate on that at all…They stood behind me, and helped me, and fought for me, and made everything okay.”
“My name is Jeremy… I worked offshore oil rigs. I’ve been doing it for a very long time, since I was 21 I started working offshore. I’m from Wilmington, North Carolina.
I was a motorman or QMED oiler. I worked on a lot of hydraulics, and engines, and stuff like that. Mechanical. I welded. I would fabricate stuff. I love doing what I did.
I was currently stationed 200 miles offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. First, it started off to find a steam leak. We found a steam leak. We repaired it. Then, on that, they asked us to pull the packing out. We pulled the packing out of the valve, and as we were taking the packing out, the steam line exploded out around it and blew the valve out.
My incident happened September the 11th. They (the company) gave me shots of morphine. It wasn’t working until I got on a helicopter. They immediately flew me in, but I was in pain for a long time before the helicopter got there, because we were so far offshore, they didn’t have the adequate medicine that they should’ve had.
Once I flew in, I got into the hospital. They were immediately at the hospital. I was in and out of consciousness there for a while, but they (the company) were telling me everything was going to be okay, and that they were going to take care of everything, not to worry, and stuff like that. In the meantime, they were not doing everything they said they were going to do.
I was burnt really bad. I went through several skin graft surgeries. 
I’ve got big scars on my left side of my body, all the way down from my chest, all the way down to my knee. Both arms were burnt up. My face got a little bit.
They (the doctors) told me that with my skin and all that I’ll always have issues with my skin. I sustained really bad nerve damage, some back injury, during the incident. They told me that I would be very sensitive to heat and cold, and stuff like that, and I can’t handle the heat of an engine room anymore. My body won’t take it.
I have a lot of problems with my skin being real tight. I can’t move it or stretch it. It hurts. A lot of times, I have to stretch my skin out during the day, or sitting for long periods really bothers me. Walking around sometimes bothers me. It’s restricted my movement. I can’t pick up as much weight. I can’t play with the kids like I used to, and stuff like that. My mobility is not what it used to be.
My kids were kind of scared of me a little bit, because of all the bandages, and stuff like that. My wife actually took care of me and changed all my bandages, and stuff. Like I said, I wasn’t able to do what I normally do. I had to get people in to cut the yard because I couldn’t physically do it. I wasn’t able to take care of anything. I wasn’t able to play with my kids like I used to.
I could barely get out of bed sometimes, which is … I still now have problems with picking up my kid, and stuff like that. I physically can’t do it. I was very depressed. I went through a time where I was really, really depressed. I was having anxiety and stuff over not being able to do the stuff that I used to do. I would actually try to do some of the stuff, and I would fall down.
As somebody that’s always going, and stuff like that, falling down, and people having to actually help you get up, and the amount of help that people … I’m a very independent person, so for people to help me was very hard for me. To not be able to … I had trouble eating at one point. I had trouble picking up stuff, like a cup to drink, and I had to have a lot of help. For somebody like me, that’s very hard to accept the help.
At the point when I first got to the hospital, I was skeptical. I didn’t know what I would ever be able to do again, until probably about two, three weeks into it, then I realized, hey, I’m not going to be able to do what I used to do. It’s a very hard thing to come to realize.
I was in a lot of pain. My first thought was to get through the situation that I was in. After I got to the hospital, and finally came to, I started worrying about what am I going to be able to do now because of my injuries, if I was going to be able to do anything. If I was able to go back to work, which all my doctors were telling me that I’d probably never do what I was able to do again. That’s when I came to the realization that hey, this is really serious, and that I need some help. That’s pretty much when I decided to hire a lawyer.
I was very nervous to hire an attorney to begin with, at all, because I felt like I was doing something wrong. But when you have a company, on the other hand, that’s trying to pamper you, and make everything okay, that you could see, well, in the meantime, everything going on in the background that you can’t see is falling, or going downhill, like your house, your bills, your kids, and all that’s starting to suffer… They were just pampering me while I was in the hospital, to make me feel good.
But on the other hand, they were not doing some of the things they said they were going to do. So that’s when I decided, hey, I should really probably get some legal advice on this. I really didn’t like attorneys, to be honest. Like I said, I was scared, and I thought I was doing something wrong.
When Tim first showed up at the hospital, like I said, I was skeptical of lawyers and hiring a lawyer. He actually sat down, and talked with me, and made me feel comfortable, and talked to me as a person, and not as just another paycheck. But he actually sat down and physically talked to me, and made me feel comfortable with hiring him.
I am very glad that I hired Mr. Young. I am very grateful for Tim. He’s been there the whole step. He’s never let me down. He made sure the companies paid, and did what they were supposed to do. I’m very grateful for Tim. I would recommend Tim to anybody.
Lise’s a godsend. Lord, I love that lady. She’s helped me out so much. She was always on the phone with me. Any time I had any questions, she’d answer me. Emails back and forth. Everybody was very easy to get along with, and very delightful. Lise, like I said, has always been there. I had a pleasant experience with The Young Firm, with all the staff. They’re very nice. They’re very friendly. If you have any questions, they’d answer you right away. You don’t have to wait two, three days to talk to somebody. You could always talk to somebody at any point.
Well, the company was trying to rush me out of hospital, and that actually, after I hired Mr. Young, that changed immediately. They quit trying to rush me out of the hospital and stuff. My home life got a little bit better. Kept me from losing my house. He did a lot for me. I’m very grateful for him.
I was very nervous about the deposition, with all the lawyers and everything. But Mr. Young met with me before the deposition. He didn’t just throw me in there. He met with me. He sat down. He talked to me. He explained what was going on. He was there through the whole … right beside me through the whole deposition. He made me feel very comfortable and prepared for the situation, because it is a very scary thing, with never going through having lawyers and stuff. It was a very scary thing for me.
He’s been there through the whole process. He fought for me. Tim was very precise, and he stood up to them. He was very aggressive with them, and he wouldn’t let them push me around while we were in the mediation. They did hammer me with a lot of questions, and Tim was always there beside me, through the whole situation. He never left me. Like I said before, the mediation, he talked to me and stuff, and told me how it was going to be, which was a great deal of help.
I would like to say that to me, he’s the best lawyer ever. He’s a great guy.
I’m very happy with the settlement. I know now that I’m going to get paid for the rest of my life. I don’t have to worry about money. I don’t have to worry about work. I don’t have to worry about anything. These were things that I was worried about before. How I was going to work, and how I was going to do this or that, because I’m very limited to what I can do, and that was very troublesome to me.
Now that it’s all over, I’m very glad I hired Tim. Like I said, he’s been there through the whole process. He’s a great guy. The whole The Young Firm, the staff, and everybody are very great. I feel relieved.
Now that I’m going to get paid for the rest of my life, yeah, I’m going to get checks, I’m allowed now to spend a lot more time with my family. The only limitation at this point is me and my physical condition, because I can’t do a lot of things. But I am able to spend time with them. I’m able to see them more. I can do things with them. I can take trips. Stuff that I couldn’t do before, now I’m able to do.
It makes me feel great. I’m very happy. I’m actually excited to go forward with life. At one point, I was not, but now I am.
For me, at first, I was very skeptical, and now I’m not skeptical at all. Any time you get injured, if you get seriously hurt, the company will say whatever it takes to make you not hire a lawyer, because they try to get you on their side, when they’re really just trying to save theirself. The company will try to butter you, and pamper you, and say everything’s going to be okay, when everything’s not going to be okay. That’s a realization that you have to come to.
Don’t be scared to hire a lawyer. If you get injured, I would definitely call The Young Firm. I would not hesitate on that at all. Like I said, they were through everything, through the whole process. They stood behind me, and helped me, and fought for me, and made everything okay.”
0:07 My first thoughts were … if I was going to be able to return back to work. If I was doing the right thing. Where would I go next? If I was … how I was gonna be after the incident and what was I gonna do through the incident when I was in the hospital and stuff.
0:19 What has it been like for … I know your family went through a lot with this, and just talk if you would, Jeremy, about what your family was going through. And what role did all this play in your relationship with your family?
0:33 Well, I did have a lot of troubles with family. With the kids and stuff, I was really worried about them and I had to take care of them and stuff, and I was in a position where I couldn’t physically get up and do that. You guys, were there for me through all that, and you guys helped out a lot. I was worried about how am I gonna feed them, and you know. I was worried about money and stuff like that. You guys were always there for me. Anytime I needed help, you guys helped me. Kids were fine, I didn’t need to worry as much as I did.
1:21 As I understand you’re gonna get payments for the rest of your life from your settlement. Is that right?
1:25 That is correct, Tim.
1:27 How does it make you feel?
1:29 Makes me feel great, I don’t have to worry every about money, I don’t ever have to wake up and be like, “Ugh, I gotta go to work.” I don’t know if I’m gonna make enough now because I’m injured and stuff, so I don’t have to worry about that now. I’m gonna be paid for the rest of my life. My kids will be well taken care of.
1:47 What does that make you think about your future? How do you feel about the next couple of years? I know things won’t change overnight with your injuries, but how do you feel emotionally going forward? Do you feel different than you did a year ago?
2:00 Yeah I do. I’m not so depressed, I was really depressed there for a really long time. But now I’m not so depressed, I’m very happy with the outcome. I still have problems with my injuries, yes, but I don’t have to worry about work and stuff like that and what I’m gonna do because I am injured and can’t do so many things. I don’t have to worry about that situation no more.
2:23 Do you think you’d ever get the package, the settlement package that we were able to get for you. You think the company would have ever offered you that on their own?
2:32 No. I got a good settlement. I don’t have to worry about the rest of my life. The company would have never done that, I would have been … I would have lost my house and everything. They would have never helped me out in that kind of way at all.
2:49 Alright Jeremy, anything else you could think of that you’d like to add?
2:52 I would like to say that I do appreciate you for everything you’ve done. You have helped my family, you’ve helped me through this who situation. You stood up for me, you stood up to the companies. You stood up to the other lawyers, which was a pretty big team to me. I’ve never experiencing this sort of situation, I’m very grateful, and I do appreciate everything.
3:18 Jeremy, we were very happy to be there for you.
3:22 Thank you.
After a neck injury, Charles made the difficult choice to hire an attorney: “it’s a lot of guilt and a lot of what-ifs but you gotta think about your family, put them first. It was a very hard decision, but I don’t regret my decision at all.”
Charles M. | Fort Necessity, Louisiana | Neck Injury Settlement“The Young Firm helped us through everything. When you first start the process, you’re very, very scared. You’re wondering, you know, what if my car breaks down, what am I going to do? And the help is there. They will help you get through the entire thing.”
Oil Platform… | USA | Testimonial
“She did her job, and I love her to death for that. I appreciate everything she done. Her and the whole team.”
Jarvis B. | Louisiana | Back & Neck Injury
“Thank you very much for everything you did for me and my family. I couldn’t ask for any better treatment. It was just wonderful, so thank you very much, all of you here at The Young Firm.”
Isaac T. | Lafayette, Louisiana | Back Injury
“It was just nice to call your office and have the questions answered, and to speak with someone who could tell you this, this, and this. You asked a question, they answered it.”
Joe S. | Mountain Home, AR | Hand & Knee Injury
“After I met Tim [Young]…and explained stuff to me, I felt extremely comfortable with him. He’s a great help. He knows what he’s talking about. He knows his stuff.”
Lee K. | Opp, AL | Head & Brain Injury
“I was given my life back. At moment’s notice everything changed, but [with] the durability of my team and, and of my family, we were able to pick up the pieces and put it back together. And I am proud to say I can carry on again. That means everything to me.”
James L. | Louisiana | Back Injury
“After the initial visit that I had with The Young Firm, with Timothy Young, I felt better. I felt more at ease and I just felt in my heart that I had picked the right company to represent me. They really helped me out through my time of not being able to work.”
Joshua J. | Pineville, LA | Back & Neck Injury
“Even after it’s all said and done, he’s still there and he’s like a new member to the family. He helped me out a lot and I could move forward with my life from here because of Tim. I appreciate everything they did for me. And I really mean that.”
Jimmy A. | Louisiana | Back & Neck Injury
“I will forever be thankful for all the teams help and support through the trial, through the medical support, and through the continuing struggle to get the justice we deserve. I am very grateful to Mr. Tim Young and all his team for all they have done for my family.”
Larry N. | Bourg, LA | Ankle & Foot Injury
