As motorcyclists, we wear our heads on swivels, as at every twist and bend, there’s a new danger that could put us in harm’s way. There’s gravel midway through a corner that’s just out of eyesight, a Tesla on autopilot with its owner staring directly at their phone without their hands on the wheel, truck drivers who’ve been on a long-haul trek and haven’t pulled over to sleep, and countless other potentialities that could soon end our riding careers. Or even our lives.
So as riders, we scan not just two or three cars ahead, as is drilled into car drivers going through driver’s education, but rather 15 to 20 cars up. We watch like hawks, we turn our entire heads through corners, and we try and guess what the chaos up ahead will be like as we move through traffic. It becomes instinctual, almost second nature, and this behavior moves with us even while we’re driving cars.
Yet, despite all that, the world is inherently unpredictable. You could be following the rules of the road, paying expert-level attention to your world around you, and ensuring that you’re using best motorcycling practices—and you could still find yourself on the wrong side of a car driver who wasn’t paying attention. They could also just decide that they aren’t going to follow the law and run a red light. This was the case with Jacob Groover, who, despite the police finding he was likely the most cautious motorcycle rider who’s ever entered an intersection, still found himself being struck by a driver who ran a red light in their car.
As you’d expect, insurance didn’t want to pay. To make matters worse, the person who hit him didn’t have insurance, and he’s still fighting to get healed. But if it weren’t for Law Tigers, who he credits as basically acting like bulldogs and stepping in to protect him like a long-time friend would, he wouldn’t be on the road to healing as he is now.
He tells RideApart his story here.
So it was the first week of December last year, and I got a call from my boss that she needed help at work. Of course, I got on my motorcycle and I went to help her. But I didn't even get to make it through the first green light.
Somebody ran the red light and hit me.
Apparently, the person ran the red light because his partner found out he was cheating on her and [he] was running from her, and [so he] just blew right through it. But because of that, I sat in the hospital for five days before they even attempted to do anything to me because I had exploded my humerus. [Ed. note: That’s your upper arm bone, if you need a visual.jj]
The driver took full responsibility, but when the police looked at the red light, they said I was the most cautious motorcycle rider they’ve ever seen go through a green light. But no one, no one sees us. They don't pay attention, they're too technological now, they're too worried about their phone being in their hand to come to see what's around them.
At first, the hospital wanted to leave me in a splint that went from my neck all the way down to my elbow and back up into my armpit, and just leave my bone in 50 pieces. But when the other doctor came back from vacation and looked at my X-rays, he was like, “Absolutely not. This man's getting surgery, prep him. He'll be in surgery in two hours.”
So we went, did surgery, and they put in a titanium alloy plate and 9 screws. It was that day or the day before that my wife contacted Law Tigers, who fought tooth and nail to get me the compensation. Because the gentleman who hit me was non-licensed and had no insurance, or so we thought.
Law Tigers had to wait for the report from the cops and the video to be released, and then once that got done, they were chasing down insurance. And they jumped through hoops backwards and forwards, going after every insurance policy that was out there that got listed in the police report. They even hired private investigators to help her along the way.
At every step of the way, I’d get phone calls and emails for 7 months. They fought for 7 months for me, even after I moved from Georgia to Tennessee for work. They’d call me twice a week and would email me periodically throughout the week with updates, and to find out if I had any new information, any new doctor appointments, and they’d ask for that paperwork, too.
So for 7 months, they—specifically, Dallas Franco of Ashby, Thelen, and Lowry—were chasing.
Ultimately, they wound up finding one policy for $25,000, and then found another policy for $300,000, and I wound up walking away with a little over $100,000 in compensation. But in terms of medical bills, $88,000 got paid, on top of the $160,000 that I paid for with health insurance.
They did not stop. Dallas did not stop.
She just made that kind of mark with her unbridled dedication. And it wasn't even the money aspect, it was that she never gave up, whether there was money or not, she never, she didn't give up at all. Even when she only found a $25,000 claim policy, she told me, “Mr. Groover, I'm not giving up. I'm gonna fight for that, but there's something else out here for you, and I'm going to find it.”
And she did.
I feel like motorcyclists get pushed to the side, and that's why people who are dedicated to motorcycle accidents are on it because a lot of people blame the motorcyclists; it's the motorcyclist’s fault. No one watches for us, though. And it's just, it's just straight up motorcycle bias and people not looking.
Now, I have another surgery scheduled, and I’m looking at possibly a malpractice suit that Dallas is gonna reach out to her people and help me with. Because the way the orthopedic surgeons explained it is when they did the surgery, and they slid the plate through my arm, they ruptured the hematoma, and that's what caused me to quit healing. I wound up breaking the bottom of the plate and three of the screws.
So even after everything, Law Tigers and Dallas are still trying to help me. They’re still helping me tooth and nail on finding people to continue to help me. After everything was said and done, Law Tigers is the way to go. It's like you've been friends with them for 20 years, and they're trying to help out a friend.
A Note from Law Tigers to Riders
Jacob Groover’s story is a reminder of the risks on the road and how insurance might not cover everything. That's where Law Tigers comes in. We’re more than just a network of lawyers; we're riders who understand motorcycle accidents inside and out. We’re here to help you legally and support you all the way through your recovery. When Jacob faced overwhelming medical bills and a financial crisis, Law Tigers stepped in. We worked on his behalf, negotiating his bills and turning a dire situation into a manageable one.
Don’t ride alone. Sign up for our free Rider Benefit Kit and join the Law Tigers community. With us, you are part of a family, a nationwide network of riders who stick together. Because on and off the road, Law Tigers always have your back.
