While driving on the freeway one evening with my wife and 1 year old son, we were rear-ended by a pickup truck so forcefully that my car flipped over and spun around upside down on the road. The truck went on to hit 4 other cars ahead of us. Fortunately, no one was killed, but my wife was knocked unconscious and taken to the hospital in an ambulance.

For the following several weeks I negotiated with the truck driver's insurance company, as did the other 4 drivers who were hit, and they basically denied all our claims. It became clear that on my own I was going to get nothing or very little, even though we had nearly been killed and our car was totaled.

I asked a lawyer friend of mine for a referral and was given Donald Sjaarda's number. Over the telephone Donald asked me the basics of my case, and agreed to represent me. We met several times, and he always impressed me with his clear-headedness, his efficiency, and his integrity.

Two other lawyers I spoke with had advised me to lie or misrepresent the facts in various ways, but Donald never suggested anything like that. Instead, he confidently worked to present the facts and to seek a fair resolution that was as much in my favor as possible.

My case was complicated by many factors, including the lost contents of my car, serious errors on the police report, inconsistencies with witness statements, the lapse of my own insurance at the time, my wife not being on title of my car, our failure to seek medical treatment until several weeks had passed, and my son's age, which brought up special rules and considerations I had never heard of.

Mr Sjaarda has experience with all these situations, and dealt with the complexity of my case with a skill and proficiency that amazed me. Even when I made things more difficult by being slow to respond, and at times reluctant to provide requested documents, Donald never got upset with me or allowed my case to suffer. He gracefully helped me get through a distressing experience, with minimal disruption to my life.

Less than nine months after he started on the case, we were awarded an amount which more than covered all of our expenses and the hardships we endured. I am certain that this would not have been possible without Mr Sjaarda's aggressive negotiation and diligent handling of the case. He earned every penny of his compensation, and then some.

I am very grateful to have had his expert help when I needed it, and I highly recommend him to anyone who has been injured.

While stopped at a red light I was rear ended by an SUV that was estimated to be traveling at a speed in excess of 50mph. The impact caused me to sideswipe one vehicle, drove me into a second vehicle which drove them into a third vehicle. I was knocked unconscious with my foot still on the accelerator ending up approximately 200 yards from the initial impact. The extent of my injuries were musculoskeletal bruises and pains, a concussion and a constant headache for about 3 weeks. I was taken by ambulance to UCI Medical Center where I was kept overnight for extensive tests and diagnostics, the hospital bill was in excess of $31,000. My late model truck was totaled as well. For the first 7 months after the accident I made every attempt at settling directly with the responsible party's insurance company outside of court seeking equitable compensation for my pain and suffering, but to no avail.

Through the California Bar Association website I searched for an attorney close to where I live with the expertise I needed and found Mr. Sjaarda (Don). My initial impression of Don during my first appointment where we discussed the details of my case was his professionalism and thoroughness in obtaining the facts and the relaxed way he went about it. He left me with the feeling that my case would be handled in a fair and efficient manner which in the final analysis, was the case. During the entire litigation, Don was timely in keeping me abreast of the on-going events delineating the pros and cons of every decision I would have to make and guiding me through the process with his advice.

I agreed to an out-of-court settlement which in my opinion was more than fair, recouping my losses and compensating me more than satisfactorily for the pain and trauma I experienced. My lasting impression of Don was his high moral ethics, his consistency at maintaining a balance of seeking what was absolutely fair for his client yet not attempting to take advantage of the culpable party or "the system" which is consistent to my way of thinking.

Should the need arise for a personal injury attorney, I won't hesitate to contact Don Sjaarda in hopes that he would represent me. Likewise, I would recommend Don Sjaarda to anyone seeking a personal injury attorney. Thanks again Don for your diligence, efficiency and objectivity.

I used the Law Offices of Don Sjaarda twice in the last 12 years and recommend Don highly to anyone who is looking for good representation, quality of service and results. Don was available whenever I needed him and always helpful and informative. He handled all negotiations, phone calls, letters and research needed to make a painful ordeal easier for me. Thank you Don Sjaarda.

Don Sjaarda was very professional in handling my claim. He was
knowledgeable regarding the laws regarding personal injury cases and
his strategy in pursuing my case was very effective, resulting in a
relatively quick resolution and a nice settlement.

Dane Johnson
Huntington Beach, CA