De temps en temps, on doit être autoritaire

After weeks of not hearing from my lawyer and the deposition for the lawsuit related to my car accident fast-approaching, I got a phone call this afternoon from the associate working my case.

Since the accident, I have had nothing but headaches as a result of the lawsuit, which for the record was not my idea. Basically, because the injuries I sustained are uncommon for a car accident, I have found it impossible to find a provider who accepts no fault insurance. So, on top of the aggravation caused by continuously having to devote time and energy to all the emergency room/hospital bills that keep arriving in the post, I have had the added joy of wasting what literally amounts to months of my life creating lists of gastro doctors and calling them, in the hope that they take no fault. As a result, I am basically without a post-accident medical history, as the associate pointed out today.

Yet, while I have always found the associate to be very pleasant to deal with, today I took a different angle in my conversation with her. Indeed, when she commented about the lack of post-accident medical history, I made the point that if the medical follow up was so critical to my case, why could their law firm not locate a provider for me? No fault will not provide a list of providers, I did my due diligence and, to be honest I told her, with my new job I no longer have the luxury of free time to make phone calls to find a provider. I did my part, I followed through on every avenue open to me, and I informed the lawyers of my constant frustration with finding a provider. They want to ensure the best possible outcome for the lawsuit? Then please find me a provider, I said. I am done trying to locate one myself.

I think she was quite taken aback at first; I had never been hard-line with her before. But then, she said that she had been unaware that I had gone beyond making calls to a few local providers here in Brooklyn, and so yes, she would do her best to find someone who could see me prior to the deposition.

I do enjoy keeping things pleasant, as you all should gather by now. I am, after all, Canadian, and while it is a stereotype, we Canadians do very much take pride in our reputation of being nice, polite people. But you know, sometimes you just have to put your foot down. I did today, and now I almost wish I had done so earlier...maybe I could have gotten the care I have so desperately needed by now. Of course, the reality is that I only now possess the physical/mental strength to act as I did today.

Anyhow, while I never want to cross the line into the zone of what is considered New York rudeness, B'H', I was very satisfied with the turn of events. Hashem should help that the lawyers find me a provider and that everything works out in my favour in terms of future medical care.

As my grandfather, olev hashalom, used to say: You did it the old-fashioned way. You earned it! Amen, selah.