Client of the Month: Boyd Cochran - Michles & Booth

Boyd Cochran is a friendly, talkative young man. Waiting tables for the past decade, you can imagine Boyd is a hit with customers. He’ll say what’s on his mind, make you laugh, and then apologize for cussing.

“Seriously though,” he tells me, rolling his eyes, “Crutches suck–with a broken sternum, they really do.”

The Accident

Boyd was driving South on Highway 87 when a man crashed into the driver’s side of Boyd’s 1993 Toyota Camry. He’d been commuting from Milton to Destin for a new job, staying with his sister, doing his best to navigate a period of transition in his life and career.

“I was at a restaurant in Pensacola for 8 years. I wanted something new.”

A broken fibula, sternum, and tibia was not what he had in mind–Boyd’s vehicle resembled a squished milk carton; airbags popped, shards of glass, a single shoe on the floorboard, (the shoe had to be sawed off in order for Boyd to exit the vehicle).

“I don’t remember much,” Boyd said. “I was in the hospital a few days, a few operations. I remember waking up and the nurses telling me I had to be out by seven p.m.–I had rods sticking out of my leg.”

Boyd went into panic mode.

Hospitals can only provide so much Charity Care. Boyd knew his injuries were serious, and that he was in over his head.

“My mom told me to call Michles & Booth.”

Getting Help, Fast!

Almost as quickly as Boyd’s life was turned upside down, Michles & Booth initiated repair.

“We can’t fix everything,” Marcus Michles says. “Luckily, we only do one thing, one type of law.” Michles & Booth works solely on Personal Injury cases.

“We want to offer our clients attention to detail, expertise–The little things, in these types of cases, matter,” Marcus Michles says.

“Everyone told me I would have to wait, that these things took forever.” In under sixty days, Boyd had a check.

Our own Kelly Murphy, and his paralegal, Carley, worked fast and effectively, securing Boyd extra days in Sacred Heart Hospital (where he had been life flighted) to coordinating physical therapy, to making certain Boyd was not responsible for thousands of dollars in medical bills.

After life on crutches, and a cane for two weeks, Boyd is fairly mobile, arriving at our office in a dress shirt and slacks; he was a few minutes late, traffic was heavy, physical therapy ran long, “one of those days.” But such an improvement–a result of the constant contact and care provided by Kelly Murphy, and Carley.

“Kel showed up the same night I called, at the hospital–everything him and Carley said would happen, happened.”

Boyd talks about his injury as it relates to a newfound gratitude he has for daily struggles we often dramatize.

“I used to wake up, worry about being late to work, you know? Not a bad problem.”

Fortunately Boyd’s employer saved his position; he’ll ease back into serving, something he knows well, at a pace that works for him. Thankful for “kindness and patience”, he’s also thinking about completing his business degree.

“It’s not ideal, but this accident was a sign–you can’t rely on your body.”

You can however rely on our firm–trained professionals focused on putting you in a position to succeed. Kel Murphy reduced his attorney fees, worked with purpose, and helped Boyd, our March Client Of The Month, get on his feet again. If you or someone you know has been injured in an auto accident, give Michles & Booth a call at 850-438-4848 to speak with an attorney and get help.