“I was a single mom at the time. I actually, over time, I found out that I am a narcoleptic. So what happened is that I nodded off at the wheel and hit a tree head-on at like 30 miles an hour on Ormond Boulevard in Destrehan. I broke both my legs, both my ankles, eighteen ribs, my sternum, and had a collapsed lung.I went ahead and I filed my own Social Security claim in the beginning and come to find out it’s not something you can kinda do on your own. It’s a lot of medical records, a lot of stuff like that.”Unable to work, Amanda contacted on of the city’s most well-known law firms. Her first meeting was with a consultant, not an attorney.“I mean, he was so negative. He made me feel like “Are you fighting for me or are you fighting for Social Security?” You know, it was just a very horrible experience.”After being pressured into signing a contract, the consultant asked Amanda to bring medical records to the Social Security Office herself.“I was like “Well sure, I could,” I said, “but then why would I need you?” And he’s like, “Oh well we can do it it’s really no big deal.” I said, “No, no, it’s okay.” I got home and I was like okay. This is not who I want to use, you know. I get it that they have a job, but I’m not comfortable with this at all.”
Amanda knew she was disabled. She knew she had a good case. But, she needed a competent attorney.
“With me being in a wheelchair and you know, it was just so much easier. Let’s see if there’s somebody in the area. So I did. I called Loyd Bourgeois’ office. I spoke with Christy. She was very helpful. Verified, you know, as much information as I could think of at the time you know, and so she made an appointment with me. I went in. I spoke with Loyd. Him and Christy were very pleasant. They make you feel more homey.
He gave me a lot of information that we didn’t even really know in reference to what’s important to the doctors. What’s important to him to know. What’s important to be in medical records. So he really, he led me along to know exactly what I needed to make sure was being said, asked, and done in my appointments. Not only just to make sure I went, but it is something very important that you need to have in your medical records.”
At Loyd’s office, Louisiana Disability Law, communication is paramount.
“He was very helpful and any questions I had, sometimes I felt like they were silly, but he’s like “No, that’s fine. If you don’t know, you don’t know.
He prepped me very well in the hearing as far as what needed to be said and so forth. I mean, I think myself, I was shocked as far as how quick it was all laid out. How my hearing went. But, I think it was all with how Loyd prepped me in the hearing, the pre-hearing, of how the hearing would go. I mean, he’s very educated. He’ll educate you. I think he’s very considerate as far as what’s going on. What you know and don’t know and so forth. I think he’s very personal, where most people are so impersonal these days.
I can’t say I have one negative thing to really even say.”
Amanda Thomas, Destrehan, LA
