After losing a husband and father in a tragic barge accident, Stacy and Kelsey Artigue describe how the company treated their family as if his 14 years of service meant nothing. In this video, they share how it felt to be heard, supported, and treated with respect after so much loss.
When Stacy Artigue lost her husband in a barge accident, her life changed instantly. He had celebrated his 14th anniversary with the company the day before he died. Despite his years of service, the company showed no compassion.
“They treated us like he was the janitor who had just started the day before. They wouldn’t even pay for the funeral costs. I had to pay for the shipping fees for his body.”
Feeling abandoned, Stacy first hired a local attorney who promised the case would be his biggest ever. But after speaking with another lawyer, he dropped them. Her brother searched for help, speaking with multiple firms, but no one would take on the case—until he called Arnold & Itkin. “Then he called Victoria, and we were here within a week, signing papers.”
Working with Arnold & Itkin gave the family a sense of hope and support they hadn’t felt since the accident.
“I always knew they had our best interests at heart. They cared about us. It was just a pleasure to work with them. They’re all very friendly and honest with you. They don’t sugarcoat anything.”
Now that their case is resolved, Stacy says she and her daughter can finally begin the healing process.
“The grieving process can finally continue because with court, you have to keep talking about it and reliving what happened. Now we can finally move forward and get a little happier in life.”
Stacy and Kelsey’s story is a reminder that when tragedy strikes, families deserve to be treated with respect and compassion. At Arnold & Itkin, we’re proud to stand with them.
He had been working for them. He had celebrated his 14th anniversary the day before he died. He was the barge engineer. They treated us like he was the janitor who had just started the day before. They wouldn’t even pay for the funeral costs. I had to pay for the shipping fees for his body.
I had actually hired another attorney from where we live. He actually told me it was going to be the biggest case he’d ever had. Then he talked to another lawyer and he said, “Oh, no…” so he dropped us. My brother actually went and saw several attorneys over here, and nobody would call him back, they would tell him they didn’t want the case. Then he called Victoria and we were here—what, within a week—signing papers.
I always knew they had our best interests at heart, that they cared about us. It was just a pleasure to work with them. They’re all very friendly and honest with you. They don’t sugarcoat nothing.
Well, he’s still taking care of us. He always did, and he always will. The grieving process can finally continue on because with court, you have to keep talking about it and bringing it up and reliving what happened that day. You can’t really move on with your grieving process. Now we can finally get over grieving and get a little happier in life, so we don’t have to relive it every day.
