His body was battered, his whole world was shattered - And all he could do was just cry I We stand up to the Defense Base Act insurance company that is trying to keep you from getting needed medical treatment and weekly compensation benefits. Best Rated DBA Lawyer - DBA Super Lawyer Defense Base Act Attorney I Call 619-234-2833 or 866-963-0540

His body was battered, his whole world was shattered - And all he could do was just cry

A Sunday morning reflection.....


His body was battered, his whole world was shattered
And all he could do was just cry
The tears were a falling, and he was recalling
The answers he never found *


From my experience there are thousands or even tens of thousands Defense Base Act workers whose bodies are battered and world is shattered and all they can do is just cry.

They went from impressive, young and aggressive to living lives of desperation. Either they are not getting the Defense Base Act benefits that they are entitled to under the law or live from check to check. Waiting, expecting and perhaps, knowing that their DBA benefits can and will be cut off on a whim.

I was talking to a Partner in a Defense Base Act law firm last week. She works for one of the biggest DBA defense firms in the United States. I called her after my client had been cut off from benefits.

He was a victim of a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. He left for Afghanistan full of vim and vigor. He returned a shell of himself. Literally. Now he has a brain injury and PTSD. He sits at home. Staring into the distance and rocking back and forth.

His body was battered, his whole world was shattered
And all he could do was just cry

When the young associate attorney took his deposition it took all of her professionalism not to react to him. He barely understood her questions. His brain is so, so scrambled. She saw what everybody sees - - “his whole world is shattered.”

His treating physician is one of the finest doctors in California. Chosen “Neurologist of the Year” by his fellow neurologists in San Diego. A “call it the way he sees it doctor.” Who came to the conclusion that he needs 24 hour a day attendant care. He obviously can’t care for himself. Of course, the DBA adjuster won’t approve this. Not a chance. Costs way too much.

Yet here we are a month from trial and he gets cut off from his weekly benefits. A man that can’t find his way to the local 7-11 alone. An engineer that once performed complex math equations in his head - that now can’t even do simple addition. Still, he was cut-off.

So I called the partner that is assigned the case and I asked, “What the heck is going on?” I could tell that it wasn’t her decision to cut him off. But she can’t say that. She can’t tell me that it was the adjuster. A cold hearted Defense Base Act insurance adjuster. No - perhaps a heartless insurance adjuster. I know. I know. She has a heart. But she has to act tough. And she does. She has to. But I know.

They sit in cubicles. Sometime thousands of miles away. Looking at spread sheets of DBA claims. Looking, searching for ways to make more insurance company profits. They don’t get rewarded for having a heart. Instead, they get rewarded for cutting off the benefits of good man. A good family.

But he has some things going for him. A loving family that takes care of him. He has a lawyer that believes in him and his case. And he has a trial date - about a month from now. Luckily his wife didn’t wait to hire an attorney until after her husband got cut off. Instead, she called us within a few days of her husband’s return from Afghanistan. Trials in a month. We’ll keep you posted.

God bless.

* "He went to Paris" Jimmy Buffett




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The Turley Law Firm
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Phone: (619) 234-2833
Fax: (619) 234-4048
Toll Free: 866-963-0540


The San Diego, California personal injury law firm of The Turley Law Firm serves clients across  Southern California area. We give you straight talk about your legal options. We have handled cases from San Diego to Imperial Beach to Oceanside to Escondido to El Cajon, everywhere in between, such as: Alpine, Camp Pendleton, Cardiff, Carlsbad, Chula Vista, Coronado,  Del Mar, Eastlake, Encinitas, La Mesa, La Costa, La Jolla, Lakeside, Lemon Grove, Mission Bay, NAS San Diego, National City, Naval Station San Diego, North Island, North County, Pacific Beach, Point Loma, Port of San Diego, Poway, Ramona, Rancho Bernardo, Rancho Santa Fe, San Marcos, San Diego Harbor, Santee, Solana Beach, South Bay, Spring Valley, Vista.

We handle cases across California, including: Riverside County, San Bernardino County, Orange County, Imperial County, Los Angeles County, and Ventura County, Colorado River, Mexico, Cabo, Pacific Ocean and all the Oceans and waterways across California and the World.


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William Turley

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