Colorado Client Finds Support in Personal Injury Case

After suffering a serious wrist injury when an unleashed dog ran into her bicycle, our client underwent multiple surgeries and turned to Robinson & Henry for help pursuing a fair settlement from the responsible party’s insurance company.

• Type of Case: Personal Injury

• Legal Issue: Pursuing compensation for serious, long-term wrist injuries caused by a dog-related bicycle accident, including medical treatment, ongoing limitations, and financial impacts.

• Applicable Law: Negligence and Negligence Per Se based on El Paso County Leash Law 

• Outcome: The case was resolved through a settlement without going to trial. The client said the settlement provided financial support that helped her move forward.

A routine bike ride left our client, Tonya, with a serious wrist injury after an unleashed dog ran into her path, causing her to go over her handlebars. Over the next few years, she underwent four surgeries, including a complex procedure at the Mayo Clinic, and faced lasting limitations to her personal and professional life. 

When the dog owner’s insurance company’s approach to her claim changed, Tonya retained Robinson & Henry’s Personal Injury Partner Matthew Hamblin, who helped her reach a settlement without going to trial. Tonya spoke with R&H Marketing to discuss her experience working with our Personal Injury legal team and the firm.

Past results afford no guarantee of future results; each matter is different and must be judged on its own merits. Facts are those of an actual Robinson & Henry case. We used only our client’s first name to protect her privacy.

For Tonya, riding a bicycle has always been part of life. She’s been riding since she was a child and considers herself an experienced cyclist.

In 2023, a routine bike ride changed everything.

While riding through her neighborhood, Tonya approached a woman walking a dog. The dog was off-leash and unexpectedly ran into the path of her bicycle. She could not stop in time. Her bike struck the dog, sending her over the handlebars and onto her right wrist.

Tonya immediately knew she had suffered a serious wrist injury. “I landed on my right wrist and knew right then and there that I had a serious injury,” she recalled.

What followed was a lengthy medical journey that ultimately included four surgeries. The fourth procedure took place at Mayo Clinic and was described as a “salvage procedure” designed to restore as much function as possible to her damaged wrist.

Today, Tonya has regained some use of her right wrist, but it will never function as it did before the accident. 

“It has impacted every single area of my life, my personal life, my professional life, just my overall well-being,” Tonya explained.

Tonya owns a small business, making the loss of wrist function particularly difficult. Even something as routine as working on a computer requires wrist movement that she never had to think about before the accident.

The recovery itself has also consumed years of her life. During the three years following the accident, she spent more than half that time in a splint or brace while recovering from surgeries and working to regain function. She continues to face additional medical care, including another surgery to remove hardware.

Despite the ongoing medical hurdles, Tonya initially believed the insurance claim process would be relatively straightforward.

The dog owner involved in the accident initially accepted responsibility and provided information about her homeowner's insurance. Tonya’s early conversation with an insurance adjuster left her feeling confident that the claim would be handled fairly.

That changed after her second surgery.

The insurance company assigned a different adjuster, and Tonya noticed a significant change in how her claim was being handled. The narrative surrounding the accident was different, and she realized that resolving the claim fairly could become much more complicated.

“I figured out pretty quickly that I was in over my head, and that was when I knew I needed legal representation,” Tonya said.

She had initially hoped to handle the matter without an attorney, but the changing circumstances convinced her that she needed help protecting her interests and her family’s financial future.

Tonya spoke with several attorneys before choosing Robinson & Henry. Her first conversation with Personal Injury Partner Jon Topolewski lasted nearly an hour and gave her an opportunity to discuss what happened, learn about the team’s experience, and get an initial assessment of her case.

That conversation helped her understand what to expect and how the firm could help.

Over the next two years, Tonya worked with Personal Injury Partner Matthew Hamblin and the Personal Injury team as the case moved toward resolution.

One factor that stood out to Tonya was the firm’s willingness and ability to take the case to trial if necessary. Although the case ultimately settled, she felt confident that her legal team was prepared to continue fighting for her in court.

“One of the reasons why I chose Robinson and Henry over the other law firms that I was speaking with was I was very confident that they would be with me the whole time,” Tonya explained. 

For Tonya, communication mattered.

She told her attorneys early in the process that she preferred straightforward conversations. She wanted to understand the legal realities of her case, even when those realities differed from what she hoped would happen.

She felt that Matthew respected that preference throughout the case.  If Matthew believed another approach made more sense based on his experience or legal knowledge, he explained why.

As the case progressed, the insurance company changed adjusters, defense counsel, and positions. She appreciated that the Robinson & Henry legal team kept her informed about important developments without overwhelming her with unnecessary details.

“Matt and the team did a really great job of managing that,” she said. “I really appreciated being able to be kept in the loop, being able to get all my questions answered, being able to get all of the documents reviewed, but not feeling as though I was inundated with information that wasn’t relevant for me to know.”

She could ask questions, review documents, and understand what was happening, all while relying on her attorneys to handle the legal complexities.

Tony’s case settled without going to trial, and she’s pleased with the outcome. “I am satisfied with the outcome of the case. Absolutely. I also have 100% confidence that we got as much as we could,” Tonya said.

Most importantly, the settlement gave her the financial support she needed to move forward with her life and continue dealing with the effects of her injury.

For Tonya, that reassurance was just as important as the settlement itself. Looking back, she believes she could not have navigated the case on her own and would have been left with significant uncertainty about whether she had done everything possible to protect herself and her family financially.

To achieve the best settlement outcome for Tonya, our Personal Injury Team needed to establish the full picture of the injury’s impact. Attorney Matthew Hamblin gathered key evidence across three key areas: 

• Medical Evidence & Future Care - Compiling current medical records and bills while projecting costs for ongoing treatment or future procedures.

• Earning Capacity & Economic Impact - Evaluating Tonya’s career trajectory, earnings history, and physical work restrictions to calculate lifetime lost income.

• Personal Loss - Documenting how daily physical limitations, pain, and a diminished quality of life affect the client's day-to-day existence.

Together, these financial and personal factors form the foundation of a settlement that, in this case, resulted in a fair outcome.

The experience also changed her perspective on personal injury attorneys. Rather than the stereotypical image she had previously associated with personal injury lawyers, Tonya said her experience involved working with professional attorneys who treated her serious and complicated case with care and respect.

After years of medical treatment, uncertainty, and legal negotiations, Tonya said she would not hesitate to contact Robinson & Henry again if she ever needed legal help. She also said she would recommend the firm to friends or family members facing a legal issue.

“If I do, I absolutely would not hesitate to call Robinson & Henry. And if I have friends or family who have a need, I absolutely would recommend Robinson & Henry to help them,” Tonya said.

Tonya’s experience shows why having an experienced legal team can provide not only legal representation but also guidance and reassurance throughout a difficult recovery.