Four Trials

Four Trials by John Edwards

After I met John Edwards' wife Elizabeth at a book signing at Quail Ridge Books for her book Saving Graces a few months ago, Michelle (aesthetician extraordinaire) told me that a friend of hers recommended this book.

I have admired John Edwards over the last several years. As he rose to national prominence as John Kerry's running mate in 2004, there were many naysayers who called him an "ambulance chaser" because his work as an attorney involved personal injury lawsuits.

I am as horrified as the next person about the litigiousness of our country. I think it's appalling that so many people's immediate response to any injury, regardless of its cause is, "Who can I sue?" I flipped over my Toyota Tercel in 1984 after owning it only 18 days. Did I sue Toyota? Did I sue the state whose roads I was driving on? No...it was a combination of bad weather, unfamiliarity with the car and bad luck.

I'm sure that personal injury attorneys have to take their share of frivolous lawsuits, but the four trials John Edwards describes in his book could make one's career...and offset however many questionable lawsuits are out there. The victims in the four trials are unquestionably victims of recklessness or negligence on the part of corporations involved with their misfortunes.

Reading of the young girl who was eviscerated by a pool drain, the cover of which was not properly affixed will make you angry. Reading about a gentleman incapacitated due to a hospital's series of errors and cover-ups will make you sad. The baby born with permanent brain damage due to the obstetrician who ignored the signs that a C-section was warranted will fill you with outrage. The violent, sudden death of a young couple due to an overtired truck driver compelled to drive to exhaustion by the trucking industry will make you believe...believe in the importance of litigation, believe in the jury system, believe in the need for personal injury attorneys and believe that an individuals can have justice and can help the rest of the world to avoid their heartbreak and pain by holding corporations and individuals accountable.

I did not read this book as a "self-serving" political book...as it does not touch on his politics. It provides a foundation for his public-spirited, humanistic approach to our nation and its citizens, regardless of economic or social stature. He shares his wife Elizabeth's disbelief in his son Wade's death. He writes candidly of how difficult this time was for him and how Wade's life is still the impetus for his unyielding sense of justice and determination to accomplish what he has set forth to accomplish.

Don't feel that reading this book is indicative of your political leanings. Read it because it will reassure you that our justice system CAN work.

Di