Success Story: Rodrigo Neves

*Names have been fictionalized to protect the privacy of our clients.

31-year-old Rodrigo Neves had always had steady work in construction while living in Sarnia. He had been fortunate enough to be hired by a large, reputable construction company that offered benefits for himself and his family, and he had liked the flexible schedule the job allowed. While safety on the job had always been a concern given the "high risk" nature of his work, after more than ten years "accident free", Rodrigo had felt like he had nothing to worry about.

The phone call that changes everything

Rodrigo's wife, Kristine Neves, was the one to answer the phone on the rainy Saturday morning that changed everything. Rodrigo usually didn't work on the weekend, but decided the overtime couldn't hurt.

When the voice on the other end of the phone told her that her husband had slipped on the job and was being rushed to emergency, she didn't know what to do. Her husband had tripped on a support beam and hit his head, and the prognosis did not look good.

By the time she arrived at the hospital, her husband had already passed away. Kristine was beyond devastated. How could this have happened to Rodrigo?

Insurance company denies accidental death and dismemberment denefit

In the weeks following her husband's tragic death, Kristine, with the support of her family, filed a claim under Rodrigo's Accidental Death and Dismemberment policy equivalent to two times her husband's annual salary as the benefit booklet stated. As her husband's beneficiary, Kristine anticipated receiving an insurance benefit that would allow her to remain financially stable during her time of need - after all, she had her children to think about, and her mortgage still needed to be paid.

When Kristine opened the letter from her insurance company, she was expecting to see a cheque for her payout-but instead, she learned that the insurance company had denied the claim! Unfortunately, the insurance company did not believe that Rodrigo's slip and fall had been the result of an accident, but rather a congenital underlying illness. Kristine couldn't believe it: the insurance company said that Rodrigo had a pre-existing brain disorder and therefore his death was not the result of an accident and were refusing to pay out. Kristine felt hopeless and confused; how could they do this to a grieving widow?

How Share Lawyers helped

With nowhere left to turn, Kristine quickly booked a consultation with Share Lawyers. A family friend had used their services before, so Kristine knew that the firm had years of experience helping others in similar situations, and she knew that the lawyer assigned to her case would handle her claim with care and tact, and not accept any fees unless her case was settled. Immediately, the team at Share Lawyers got to work compiling a strong case regarding the underlying cause of Rodrigo's death.

The Share Lawyers team collected emergency medical notes and records, as well as expert medical opinions to show that the accident caused Rodrigo's death. The Share team empathized with Kristine and truly cared about the details of her case - they wanted her to get her payout as quickly as possible. Within 8 months, the team had negotiated a fair and substantial settlement on Kristine's behalf, and she was finally able to mourn the death of her loved one without the stress of an Accidental Death and Dismemberment claim looming over her shoulder.

Denied your long term disability claim?

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