Thank you. And goodbye. At least for now.
It鈥檚 another Saturday morning as I settle down for the two-four hour process of column writing. A weekly process that has repeated itself since the beginning of January, 2007, when I started writing for a Westside edition of the 麻豆精选.
It adds up to one year of full time writing.
Yesterday evening my wife suggested that I stop. It wasn鈥檛 the first time. But the first time I considered the suggestion seriously.
It helped that her suggestion came at the end of another 55 hour work week.
My initial spark of writing passion was about shining a bright light on the shadowy world of ICBC and other personal injury claims.
It didn鈥檛 take long for road safety topics to work their way in.
I have the unique opportunity to investigate the causes of crashes and collisions that result in lifetimes of consequences.
Car crash causes are commonly labeled for the traffic rule that was broken, i.e. failing to yield, failing to stop for a stop sign, etc. But when you really dig into it, you realize that the root cause is inattention.
Drivers don鈥檛 purposefully pull out from stop signs in the paths of other vehicles. The fact is that they don鈥檛 see the oncoming vehicle that鈥檚 there to be seen because of 鈥渋nattention blindness鈥.
The more I put my mind to it, the clearer I saw the problem and could identify solutions. And the more I became convinced that I could help steer road safety policies in the right direction.
This column was my pulpit.
ICBC claims are going the way of the dodo bird and I admit defeat on the road safety front.
I have enjoyed writing about other topics from time to time. But it鈥檚 been more about 鈥渃oming up with a topic鈥 than the words flowing from my passion filled fingers.
I am so very, very thankful for the opportunity I have been given to share my ideas. And for the many who have reached out to me over the years with encouraging comments.
Special thanks to my wife who has tolerated the time I have taken away from our family. To my father who has given me grammatical correction and encouragement since the beginning. And to my wife, Jess and Sara-Jane who have so very kindly read and provided their feedback on each of my drafts along the way.
So I鈥檓 hanging up my keyboard. At least for now. Perhaps when my work week is shaved down and I regain a writing passion I鈥檒l want to return. And perhaps there will still be a media platform willing to publish what I鈥檝e got to say.
Missed last week鈥檚 column?
HERGOTT: The right to resist unlawful arrest
About Paul Hergott, Personal Injury Lawyer:
Paul began practicing law in 1995 in a general litigation practice. Of the various areas of litigation, he became most drawn to and passionate about pursuing fair compensation for personal injury victims, which has gradually became his exclusive area of practice. Paul鈥檚 practice is restricted to acting only for the injured victim, never for ICBC nor for other insurance companies.
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