Back in Sac!

I’m at the Sacramento WCAB this morning, so why not stop me and say hello?

Favorite deposition question: Doctor who?

For those of you keeping score at home, I’ve posted my personal records for the most walk throughs at different Boards in one day (3), most bridges crossed in one day (3), most bridge tolls paid in one day ($10), most bridges crossed without paying tolls legally (2), and now… depositions of doctors.[1]

I probably tend to take more doctor depositions than most.  I’ve normally got about one or two on calendar each month.  However, this month has been a personal record with three depositions of doctors.[2]

I seriously doubt any other workers’ comp attorneys keep track of this sort of thing.

1. Photo courtesy of BBC and TVScoop
2. Does this count as a professional record?

Old Town Salinas

I’ve got a hearing at the WCAB in Salinas this morning.

If you’re around this morning, stop me and say hello!

Driving under the influence

Yesterday I was driving back from Modesto and I noticed a CHP officer out of the corner of my eye. [1]  My first instinct is always to double check my speed.

However, yesterday afternoon I noticed this officer was on his cell, left elbow propped up on the edge of the window, yakking away, while tailgating a semi in the slow lane.

Not wanting to get pulled over for driving under the influence of irony, I didn’t take a picture with my phone.

BTW, I’ve got to be in San Francisco this afternoon – stop me and say hello!

1. Photo courtesy of OregonDOT

Free pass

Yesterday I had an appearance in San Jose and then another up in San Rafael.  From San Jose I drove up through San Francisco, northbound over the Golden Gate Bridge, to my appearance, then back over to Contra Costa County via the Richmond Bridge.[1]

Wait for it…

The Golden Gate is only toll southbound and the Richmond is only toll westbound.  I traveled over two bridges and didn’t pay a single toll!

1. Photo courtesy of worldsurfer

Suds & Sushi

I just spent the last several days up in Yosemite. [1]  Driving back home I saw the BEST sign.  It was so good I immediately pulled off the road to take this picture.

I have a hard time understanding how a sushi place in Oakhurst could possibly have fresh fish. [2][3]  That they’re sandwiched between a laundromat and the front office for a construction company makes me even more wary.

One person in my car got sick after just driving past this place. [4]

1. The Tenaya Lodge in Fish Camp, actually.  Its about 3 miles south of the South Entrance to Yosemite
2. The sushi place has very mixed reviews.
3. Interestingly, none of the reviewers asks the critical question, “Where the hell are they getting their fish???”
4. I’m not kidding, they really did barf.

Bay Bridge still being repaired...

So, the Bay Bridge will NOT be open this morning.  The Bay Bridge has its own Twitter page so you can check its status (updated every few hours).[1]

Update @ 5:58am:  “Bay Bridge repairs are undergoing final inspections. The bridge is expected to open later today. Check back for updates and opening time.”

When I had to drive to Palo Alto last Thursday I completely avoided all the bridges because traffic was such a mess.  It took me longer, but at least it took me longer in a predictable fashion.

1. Photo courtesy of Telstar Logistics

Walk through trifecta - leg one

Last week I managed to obtain three walk through settlements at three different Boards in the same day – mostly due to the good will and kindness of Board staff and other attorneys.  It was my plan to walk through a settlement in San Jose and then Oakland in the same morning to be followed up with an afternoon settlement in San Francisco.[1]

My morning walk through in at the San Jose WCAB was with an unrepresented injured worker.  I had set my Board file and settlement documents down next to me and turned to speak to the injured worker – but when I turned back my Board file and documents were gone.  An attorney had walked into the room, picked up my documents and Board file, put them in his bag along with his other materials nearby, and left for his office.

At this point, the dream was almost dead before it had even begun.  Even if I managed to chase down my file which was now somewhere in San Jose, I only had a slim chance of finishing a walk through that morning and no chance of doing a second in the same morning.

I very nearly aborted the mission and returned to my office in defeat.  Ultimately, I decided that I’d rather risk a spectacular failure than not try at all.

I called my office to get the phone number of the attorney I thought had picked up my file, called their office, and left a message asking for their attorney to call me back.  He called me back a few minutes later and said my file was in his bag – he must have put it there accidentally.  Unfortunately, his schedule didn’t permit him to bring the file back to the Board.

After apologizing to the injured worker and begging the forgiveness of the Judge, I left the Board and my really excellent parking space for the attorney’s office.  I was probably inside their office for less than 30 seconds total since the attorney had left my Board file with his receptionist.  Back to the Board, a less than primo parking spot, and last place in the walk through line. [2][3]

Fortunately, the Judge and extremely understanding attorneys in the room allowed me to cut ahead in line to finish my walk through and continue on with my quest.

1. Photo courtesy of Tony Stanley
2. At that point I considered the various traffic signs “more what you’d call ‘guidelines’ than actual rules.”
3. Thank you Captain Barbosa!

Three different orders, one day

I’m not going to hold you in suspense. Yesterday I decided to try to fulfill my dream of doing three walk through settlements at three different boards in one day.  Thanks to several very nice people I managed to do it.  But for the kindness, patience, and tolerance of three Judges, other workers’ compensation attorneys, and especially the Board staff, I never would have stood a chance.

I had a settlement in San Jose in the morning, one in San Francisco in the afternoon, and then another in Oakland.  Google Maps says it should have been 2 hours 34 minutes and 132 miles.

I’ll fill in the details later, but suffice it to say that almost nothing went as planned. [1]

1. Photo courtesy of Jakerome

Will it be a trifecta????

My personal best is two walk through settlements at two different WCAB district offices in a single morning.  Tomorrow I am going to attempt three walk through settlements at three different WCAB district offices in a single morning.  My plan is to start my day at the San Jose WCAB at 8:00AM, hit the Oakland WCAB afterward, jet to San Francisco, and then return to the office.  Google Maps tells me that this is going to be 134 miles over 2 hours and 39 minutes. [1][2]

As I mentioned before, there’s a lot of things that can go wrong – traffic, long walk through lines, a broken photocopier. [3]

But, I’ve done what I can to ensure this works.  I’ve called the other parties, have a checklist of everything I need to do in the order I need to do it, my cell phone is charged up[4] , phone numbers for opposing counsel and my clients hand, GPS charged up, prepared Minutes of Hearing, Document Cover Sheets, Document Separator Sheets, Awards, and Orders. [5][6]

If you happen to be in San Jose, Oakland, or San Francisco today stop me and say hello.  (And – pretty please may I cut ahead of you in line?)

Lastly, I’ll be checking back here throughout the day, so how about leaving me a word of encouragement in the comments?[7]

1. If I had another walk through to do in Santa Rosa, I would be planning a different order.
2. Photo courtesy of Matthew Armstrong
3. Or, heaven forbid, EAMS could be working tomorrow.  THAT would foul me right up.
4. And a back up cell phone charged up too!
5. I even sacrificed a giant sequoia sapling as an offering to EAMS.
6. I’m even bringing two extra settlements just in case one falls through!  Although, this is really due to coincidence than meticulous planning…
7. I think live blogging the trip might be a bit much – but we’ll see.

To sleep, perchance to dream

And my dream is to do four walk through settlements at three different WCAB district offices in one single day.[1][2]

I’ve given this a lot of thought and I even have a plan as to how to get this done.  If I ever got the chance to do four walk throughs at four Boards in one day, I’d do it like this:

1. Get up early, arrive at the Santa Rosa WCAB at 8:00 AM and attempt the first walk through
2. Head to San Francisco over the Golden Gate for the second walk through
3. In the afternoon, do the third walk-through in San Jose
4. Hit the road for Oakland and do the fourth walk through
5. According to Google Maps, that’s 234 miles and 4 hours and 26 minutes

I honestly don’t even know if this is possible. [3] There are a million things that could go wrong.  I could hit traffic, I could be missing a page from a benefits printout, someone could change their mind about the settlement, a doctor could issue a supplemental report.  I also know that I would need a LOT of things to go right.  Here’s my tentative checklist:

1. Four walk through settlements ready to be approved at four different Boards (this is easily the toughest part)
2. Four claims examiners standing by on speed dial
3. One full calendar day
4. A fully charged GPS, two fully charged cell phones
5. A full tank of gas
6. $55.00 or so ($10 for bridge tolls, about $5 for photocopies, and easily another $40 for parking)
7. A bag of snacks (I’m probably not going to have time for lunch)
8. Call ahead to all of the Boards to make sure I can do a walk through that day
9. The good will and cooperation of the Board staff and my colleagues

However, having done two walk through settlements in a single morning gives me hope.

1. Photo courtesy of robertrice
2. I told this dream to a co-worker yesterday and he laughed and called me a nerd.  Pssh – tell me something I don’t know, Steve.
3. Perhaps this might be easier in Southern California – there’s as many as seven Boards within about 15 or 20 miles of one another.

Bridge #2

Last Wednesday I set another personal record.  The last one I mentioned was doing two walk throughs at two different WCAB district offices in the same morning.

Wednesday I had to be in Novato, San Francisco, and then back at my office in Pleasant Hill.  As a result, I traveled over three bridges in the same morning – San Rafael, Golden Gate, and Bay Bridges.

I guess paying $10.00 in bridge tolls in one day is also a record…[1]  I was all out of singles so the CHP officer at the Golden Gate Bridge gave me the stink-eye when I paid with a $100.00 bill.

Seriously, that guy was NOT happy.  The officers at the Oakland Board are a lot friendlier.

1. Photo courtesy of Darwin Bell

THIS is how you do an expedited hearing

I obtained two walk through settlements yesterday morning.  I’m feeling pretty good.

Oh, did I forget to mention one was in Santa Rosa and the other in Oakland?[1]

What has four eyes and smells like burning rubber?

Me

1. Photo courtesy of brian.stein

Please don't sue us!

This last weekend I stayed overnight at a hotel in Chico.  In the planters next to the parking lot they had placed these disclaimers/warning labels that read, “OXFORD SUITE HOTEL NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR WATER SPOTTING DUE TO SPRINKLERS.”[1]

This brought to mind any number of responses:

• “Oxford Suite Hotel not responsible for water”
• “Oxfor Suite Hotel not responsible for H2O on your H2″
• “Oxford Suite Hotel:  You failed physics in high school, didn’t you?”
• “Oxford Suite Hotel:  Newton and Einstein – what bastards!”
• “Oxford Suite Hotel:  Life’s tough.  Buy a helmet.”
• “Oxford Suite Hotel not responsible for the administration of midnight beating for people who complain about water spotting due to sprinklers.  You brought that on yourself.”

I’m sure some idiot called their management to complain about how the sprinklers had left spots on their car.  When you think about it, Oxford Suite Hotel should be responsible for the installation, functioning, and maintenance of their own sprinklers, just as people who own vehicles should be responsible for the care and maintenance of their own vehicles.

There’s no making some people happy.  If they are going to complain about thier vehicle getting wet, while it’s outside, they’re going to complain about the lighting, the room, the service, the sheets, the ice being too cold, the A.C. being too loud, and the TV being too dry.

Here’s a decent business model: sprinklers automatically spray a customer’s car as soon as they pull up.  If they moan about spotting, send them on their way.  If they thank you for washing their car, offer them a complimentary breakfast with their stay.

In any case, I blame the huge evil sign industry that has purchased our elected officials.

1. Sign, parking lot, shrubbery, and wood chips are the sole responsibility of Oxford Suite Hotel – no matter what disclaimers they put up.  Photo by Jay Shergill, all rights reserved.