My wife was nearly killed by road debris — 7 months in and I'm terrified we'll get nothing

I was in a bad one two years ago — commercial vehicle at fault, serious injuries, the whole thing. That line about 'secured within industry standards' is so familiar it made my stomach turn. The other side will say whatever they need to say early on. It took nearly two years for everything to resolve for us, and there were so many moments where I was convinced we'd get nothing. Hang in there. The waiting is genuinely awful but it doesn't mean it's going sideways.

That 'industry standards' defense is a classic move — they're testing to see if it scares you into settling fast or giving up. Don't let anyone from their insurance company talk to your wife directly. Like ever. If they call, just say 'our attorney handles all communication' and hang up. They are not on your side, even if they sound friendly and sympathetic.

I used to work on the claims side and I'll be honest with you — when a case involves a TBI and documented loss of income, the carrier knows the exposure is significant. That's often when they get aggressive with the 'standards compliance' argument up front. They're hoping to establish liability doubt early. The fact that your attorney is already involved is genuinely good. Make sure every single medical appointment, every missed workday, every prescription is documented. The file you build now is what matters later.

The combination of symptoms your wife has — the hand numbness, cognitive issues, chronic back pain — those don't always improve on a predictable timeline, and honestly some of them may be long-term. I'm not saying that to scare you, I'm saying it because it's important her doctors document ongoing and potential future impact, not just where she is right now. A lot of people get evaluated once and the records make it sound like a snapshot. Her condition needs to be tracked continuously.

A few practical things that might help you feel less lost: ask your attorney specifically about whether they've retained an accident reconstruction expert, because in debris cases that's often how liability gets proven when the other side disputes it. Also ask where they are in the discovery process. You don't need to understand every detail, but knowing what phase you're in can make the waiting feel less like a black hole. Good attorneys should welcome those check-in questions.

Not legal advice, but — cases involving commercial vehicles and TBIs are among the more complex PI matters out there, partly because the defense has resources and partly because TBI damages can be hard to quantify for a jury. The 'industry standards' defense usually gets challenged through expert testimony and OSHA/DOT records. If your attorney hasn't mentioned expert witnesses yet, that's worth asking about. The strength of those experts often shapes how the other side values the case.

I just want to say — you're carrying so much right now. Taking care of her, managing all of this legal stuff, probably working and trying to hold everything together. Please make sure someone is checking on you too. It's really easy to disappear into being a caregiver and forget that this is traumatic for you as well.

Keep a shared document — just a running log with dates, symptoms, appointments, anything she can't do that she used to be able to do. Write in it every few days. It sounds tedious but that record becomes incredibly valuable and most people don't start it until way too late.