Ryan C. came upon the scene of an auto accident near Ferndale and got out of his car to help. He was removing debris from the road when he was struck by the defendant’s vehicle. Ryan broke his leg and had almost $15,000 in medical bills but surgery was not necessary. His personal injury lawyer, Bill Coats, filed a lawsuit in Whatcom County Superior Court and eventually got the insurance companies to pay $115,000 before the trial.