Attorney Joseph G. Walsh wants to give the insurance adjusters looking at his cases as much help as possible.
For nearly thirty years, Walsh, of Cohen and Wolf, P.C. in Danbury, Connecticut has been helping obtain appropriate compensation by trial or settlement for his clients. For many of these cases he’s counted on a strategy that gets his message in front of the insurance companies’ settlement committees. That strategy involves working with Geomatrix to produce settlement video documentaries.

“I don’t want to let the adjuster sell my case alone. And since I can’t talk to these groups directly, videos are the way to get through to them.”

“I don’t want to let the adjuster sell my case alone. And since I can’t talk to these groups directly, videos are the way to get through to them.” “My goal through video is to get all the right information directly to the people making the decision on resolving the matter.”

Ideally an injured party’s painful recovery will be captured step by step on video, but that isn’t always possible. In two recent projects with the Geomatrix team, Walsh has proven that videos need not always be the traditional “day in the life” story of the injured party to be successful monetarily. For both plaintiffs, videos were produced more than one year post injury, which made enough of an impact on the decision makers to garner substantial awards.

The cases were very similar: Each plaintiff suffered severe broken bones, one as the result of a motorcycle accident, and one as the result of a retailer’s lack of attention. Each plaintiff had to endure multiple surgeries and complications as a result of his or her injuries. And because both plaintiffs did not recover quickly or well, they could not return to the life they led before their injuries.

Attorney Walsh worked with the team at Geomatrix to produce a video for each plaintiff that was told in the plaintiff’s words and in the words of their loved ones. The interviews were unrehearsed and at times, raw and emotional.

“The videos really personalized the cases. They showed the amount of suffering my clients went through immediately after their injuries and what they still endure today,” said Attorney Walsh. “Additionally, my clients’ relatives shared their observations about things that my clients either didn’t recognize or couldn’t talk about.”

Animated reenactments of the incidents along with photos of the injuries and images of medical records added to the effectiveness of each video. Combined, these elements told a story, brought it to life, and helped the decision makers realize the enormity of each case.

“These types of videos make the plaintiffs real people,” said Attorney Walsh. “Even the most hardened decision makers have to feel some empathy watching them.”

“These types of videos make the plaintiffs real people,” said Attorney Walsh. “Even the most hardened decision makers have to feel some empathy watching them.”

As professionals in business for forty years, Geomatrix works with each of their clients as a team to assure a successful outcome, whether it’s right from the start or a year down the road.

Attorney Walsh: “Great experience leads to great outcomes – they know what works.”

Regardless of your timeline, trust the team at Geomatrix Productions to work with you to achieve the outcome your clients deserve.

Calculating economic damages is pretty clear cut. Lost wages and loss of future earning capacity is a mathematical equation. The figure arrived at is hard to dispute.

Non-economic damages are much more subjective and require a completely different approach in order to ensure fair compensation.

Dave Kritzman of Beck & Eldergill recently shared his experiences in successfully mediating a wrongful death case. The case involved a sixty year old gentleman who was not a high wage earner. Because of this, Kritzman and his team focused on the non-economic damages, which they believed had the greatest potential for recovery.

According to Kritzman, because non-economic damages are subjective, their perceived value is much more dependent on the emotional reactions of the mediators rather than rational, analytical calculations, and this is where an experienced attorney can very effectively bring the power of a well produced video documentary into play.

He also discussed the importance of projecting confidence in a case, and how he uses video to accomplish this.

Top attorneys use Geomatrix Productions’ powerful video services to Win More Cases and Win More New Business. Contact us to find out how you can too.

Shipman and Goodwin attorneys, Jim Bergenn and Bill Ronalter use video as a tool to reach a settlement on every significant case.

According to Ronalter: “I think for attorneys that handle larger cases catastrophic injury and death cases, if they’re not doing some type of video, I think they’re missing the boat. Without question you’ve got to spend some money to make some money for your client.”

Before joining Shipman and Goodwin, Bill Ronalter spent six years working in a large loss unit for a major national insurer. This experience gave him a unique perspective on how cases are evaluated. “A handful of people sit down and they evaluate the liability causation the damages, and when you’re looking at damages, there is nothing better than to have a roundtable of human beings look at a well-done video. The damages can go up dramatically.”

Jim and Bill teach trial practice at UConn law school and they emphasize to students that the attorney should not be the focus of attention. It is far more effective to show a jury or an insurance company the evidence, and let them draw their own conclusion, rather than to tell them what to think. Jim Bergenn sums it up this way. “Every Geomatrix video that we’ve had, the value goes up substantially because lawyers are much, much better shutting up and getting out of the way and letting the facts power through. And that’s what these videos do.”

This approach has been extremely effective for the firm. In eight recent cases alone, Bergenn and Ronalter have used video to recover over $60 million for their clients.

The smartest investment you can make when handling a personal injury case is in Geomatrix Legal Video Services. Our premier production team will help you get the best outcome for your client.

There is no business affiliation between Geomatrix and Shipman & Goodwin. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

The litigation-video “toolbox” has a variety of powerful tools available to lawyers. Top attorneys know what is available and when to use each one for maximum effect. Attorney (and mediator) John Kennedy, of Kennedy, Johnson, Schwab & Roberge recently planned a triangulated video offensive in an attempt to bring about a successful outcome for a client who was injured when she slipped on ice in a parking garage.

The ambitious video plan included a three pronged legal-video attack.

1-Use video to prove that the location in question was defective as claimed. According to Kennedy, “One issue was liability, and we used video to demonstrate how the garage leaked because it wasn’t constructed properly, when it rained.”

“we used video to demonstrate how the garage leaked because it wasn’t constructed properly”

2-Use video to convey the lack of credibility displayed by the defendant. Kennedy, “We used video to depose the defendant, and he was not a good witness on video. It wasn’t so much what he said, but the way he acted on video.” In this way the video deposition did what the written transcript never could have accomplished.

“In this way the video deposition did what the written transcript never could have accomplished.”

3-Use video to maximize the damages value of the case. According to Kennedy, “We did a day-in-the-life film which demonstrated the significant injuries and disabilities that our client had.” This powerful legal documentary illustrated the plaintiff’s challenges with compelling scenes from her daily routine.

“Video to maximize the damages value of the case.”

According to Kennedy, his three-pronged legal-video strategy produced the results he was aiming for. “We went to mediation and we sent the judge clips of the video deposition. We sent the judge clips of the garage, the premises. And we sent the judge the day-in-the-life film. And I’ll never forget the first thing that judge said was, ‘This defendant’s never gonna be believed, after seeing the video deposition.’ He was very impressed by the disabilities of our client, and by the video presentation. Those three clips essentially gave him the entire case, and what he needed to know.”

“Those three clips essentially gave him the entire case, and what he needed to know.”

Video has repeatedly proven itself to be an effective tool in litigation, and got the job done in this case, but what about the expense? Attorney Kennedy addressed this, “I’m a believer that the video presentation of your client’s injuries generates dollars. It generates dollars because the defendant is now seeing what the jury is going to see. The claims people are seeing what the jury is going to see. And they’re visual people – they need to see what’s what’s gonna be presented at trial. So I think it’s money well-spent. In fact money you have to spend.”

 “the video presentation of your client’s injuries generates dollars.”

The smartest investment you can make when handling a personal injury case is in Geomatrix Legal Video Services. Our premier production team will help you get the best outcome for your client.

“I thought I lost her that day. I thought she was going to die.” (Plaintiff’s husband)

In 2015, a Halloween outing turned into a real-life horror story for a West Haven woman and her family.

After stopping at a popular Newtown restaurant for lunch, it wasn’t long before the active grandmother’s life was turned upside down. While walking over to her table, she fell through an open hatch in the floor, landing in the basement wedged between the stairway and a cement wall. Her horrified husband rushed to her aid, slid her out and sat her down as paramedics were called. Her physical injuries included fractures of her right leg and left ankle, but her emotional injuries were just as serious.

The victim’s attorney, Pam Cameron of Moore, O’Brien, and Foti in Middlebury worked with the professionals at Geomatrix Productions who created a video that conveyed the story in the family’s own words. Attorney Cameron’s client described a harrowing tale of her fall as she heard her own screams, and how she felt her father with her, telling her to tuck in her head. She told of how her surgeries and missed work affected the family. And she and her family spoke about the precious and irreplaceable time with her grandsons that was lost.

“I avoid a lot of things now. I just feel like an old lady. There are times when I just break down and cry.” (Plaintiff)

The plaintiff’s family went on to talk about the stress they experienced watching her suffer, and how they had to become her caregivers and alter the house to accommodate her injuries and limitations. Her daughters detailed how their father neglected his own health, and how to this day their mom is in constant pain. These emotional interviews combined with compelling video of the victim’s injuries and of her trying to cope day-to-day sent a strong message to the mediators in the case.

“I am confident that the money spent on the video resulted in substantially more money for our client as to the settlement amount.”

“I was hesitant about spending the money for a video, but we used it at the mediation and I think it helped immensely in resolving the case and getting our client fairly compensated,” said Attorney Cameron. “The video showed the impact the injuries had on our client, her husband, and her kids. It humanized the case and gave the defense an opportunity to see how trial testimony would go and how compelling this family’s testimony would be to a jury. I am confident that the money spent on the video resulted in substantially more money for our client as to the settlement amount.”

There is no other way to convey the raw emotion a victim and her family are going through than by going straight to the source. The smartest investment you can make when handling a personal injury case is in Geomatrix Legal Video Services. Our premier production team will help you get the best outcome for your client.

In a lawsuit on behalf of an Iraq War veteran who was paralyzed in a swimming accident, a video produced by Geomatrix Productions helped the plaintiffs win an unparalleled jury award for a personal injury premises liability case in Rhode Island.

On the weekend of July 25, 2014, Connecticut residents Brett and Stacie Smith were attending a wedding at a conference center owned by the University of Rhode Island. After the rehearsal dinner, a group from the wedding party asked the staff if it would be okay to go swimming in a nearby pond. They were told they were allowed to swim, (despite the facility’s position at trial that swimming was prohibited) leaving the guests unaware that submerged rocks in the pond made swimming dangerous. Additionally, there was no signage placed at the pond to prohibit swimming or warn of the rocks. The Smiths’ attorney, Patrick C. Barry of Decof, Decof & Barry, P.C. in Providence said management was aware of the danger that lurked underneath the water.

Some of the guests swam and dived off a large rock in the middle of the pond with no incident, until Brett dived and struck his head on a submerged rock. The accident resulted in life-altering injuries. Today, the former marine, accomplished athlete and adventurer is paralyzed from the chest down with limited use of his hands. Stacie, his wife and caregiver, assists the 34-year-old with his daily functions.

On a recommendation from co-counsel Christopher Houlihan of Riscassi & Davis P.C. in Hartford, Attorney Barry hired Geomatrix Productions to produce a compelling video that illustrated the day to day struggles the young couple face.

According to Attorney Barry:
“We felt it was important to let the defense lawyers, the insurance company and the decision makers at the university know as much about the plaintiffs and the nature of Brett’s injury as quickly as we could. We asked Geomatrix to produce the video early on in the litigation and provided it to the defense with our initial discovery responses to give them the proper introduction to who the plaintiffs were. I thought it was so powerful and so compelling that it might move the defendants and the insurance company to realize that this case should be more of a settlement posture than a trial posture.”

However, the case did go to trial. Attorney Barry:
“The defense had a legal argument—In a diving case they believe that under Rhode Island law it is essentially always the injured party’s own fault. The facts of our case were very strong but they were choosing to defend it based upon their view of the law.”

Because of the rules of evidence, Geomatrix repurposed the video so Attorney Barry could leverage it at the trial:
“What Geomatrix did very well was intersperse throughout the video actual footage of Brett doing various therapies that he had to struggle with and other aspects of his daily routine, like the limitations he had with his hands in terms of eating his food, to wash dishes or brush his teeth, to other clips of him getting in and out of a car and what it takes to do that. We then isolated each of those clips for the trial and rather than playing the whole video we showed the shorter segments. We had either Brett or Stacie describe in person to the jury what they just witnessed.”

“Geomatrix did a great job of isolating all those segments, finding aspects of his care and his daily routine that would be compelling to a jury and then technically providing us with the clips that we could use in the courtroom right off a laptop, all of which played and displayed flawlessly. Even when we had to make last minute mid-trial technical adjustments, the staff at Geomatrix was able to do those things. Everything went off without a hitch.”

After deliberation, the Superior Court jury reached its verdict and found URI negligent for failing to truly prohibit swimming and keep guests out of the pond. The jury awarded Brett and Stacie a total of $32 million dollars for past, present and future pain and suffering, future medical care, home renovation and equipment expenses, including statutory pre-judgment interest.

According to Attorney Barry:
“It was the second largest verdict in Rhode Island history and it’s so high because we were able, with help from Geomatrix, to thoroughly demonstrate the full extent of Brett’s injury.”

Attorney Barry’s strategy:
“My approach to a trial is always to be able to tell a compelling story–something that will cause a jury to take action. In severe injury cases, the nature of the injury itself and what it means for the person is sometimes overlooked because it seems so obvious. I wanted to make sure that we told an equally compelling story about what Brett and Stacie have to struggle through every day, and Geomatrix played a central role in that—I was thrilled with them and will use them again.”

Attorney Barry on the power of video:
“We live in a visual world and video can reveal and depict things that questioning a witness alone cannot.”

Whatever the challenge, whatever the strategy and whatever the timeline, you can count on the resolute and experienced team at Geomatrix Productions to deliver a product that will get you the results your clients deserve.

How does an attorney convey the soul of a decedent to those responsible for deciding damages? The best possible way is to hear it directly from the loved ones of that person – the ones who can speak from the heart about a father, a son, a brother and a friend.

That’s exactly what a 50-year-old Hartford man’s family did on camera after he died following a collision with a police cruiser in Hartford in 2012. The video was produced by Geomatrix Productions for Attorney Keith Trantolo of Trantolo & Trantolo, LLC in Hartford, the attorney for the man’s family in their civil lawsuit against the city of Hartford.

The victim was driving his car in the early morning hours of July 13 when he was hit while crossing an intersection by a Hartford police officer racing to join fellow officers in a pursuit. The officer was traveling nearly 60 mph in a 30 mph zone and ran a red light. The impact sent the victim’s car careening into a building and left him unconscious with multiple injuries, fighting for his life.

The video illustrates the accident second by second using 3D animation. The man’s friends, two daughters, sister, mother and father retell the events of the night that would change all of their lives forever. Accompanied by heartbreaking photos of him in his hospital bed, they led the viewer through the hours and days that followed, ending with July 20, the day of his death.

In words and with emotion, these loved ones weaved a story that told of the type of person the victim was – a devoted and caring son, father and grandfather who even as a child tried to help anyone he could; a fun loving, cheerful man who was mechanically adept; a dad, who supported his two daughters and wanted them to succeed; a devoted friend who overcame life’s struggles. The losses conveyed by his family were painful and raw. They spoke of a man who missed seeing his daughters graduate from college and who would miss walking a daughter down the aisle, and a man who would never see his grandchildren grow up. They spoke of the personal losses they felt –the absence of hearing his voice, seeing him smile and experiencing his laugh, his love and his fierce desire to live.

As it was about to go to trial, the case settled in favor of the victim’s estate for 2.9 million dollars.

When working on your next wrongful death or injury case, trust Geomatrix Legal Video Services to produce a settlement video that will get you the best possible results for your clients.