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But we still get snow or freezing rain here so a lot of cases involve a slip and fall. A lot of them involve an accident. There’s a snowstorm, and somebody slid into somebody else here. Who’s at fault? I’ve done flood cases before. The flooding that took place, how much rain fell from the storm. Wind damage cases. A lot of times the storms that go through, was it a tornado, was it straight line winds? Every case is different. Every case is fascinating.
David Craig – Host:
I’m attorney David Craig, managing partner and one of the founders of the law firm of Craig, Kelley & Faultless. I’ve represented people who have been seriously injured, or who have had a family member killed in a semi or other big truck wreck, for over 30 years. Following the wreck, their lives are chaos. Often, they don’t even know enough about the process to ask the right questions. It is my goal to empower you by providing you with the information you need to protect yourself and your family. In each and every episode, I will interview top experts and professionals that are involved in truck wreck cases. This is After The Crash.
David Craig – Host:
Well, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another episode of After the Crash. Today, we have Randy Ollis. We’re excited to have Randy. Randy is a known celebrity in the state of Indiana. He has been with us in our households for years and years and years, and I’m excited to have Randy on today to talk about the forensic aspects of weather, how that relates to cases, and how you bring expertise into that area, but before we do, welcome Randy.
Randy Ollis:
David, thank you, I’m thrilled to be here. Just throw me some softball-size questions, and we’ll have a good time.
David Craig – Host:
Well, as long as you don’t ask me my name, we’re good.
Randy Ollis:
Should I call you Dave or David? I should’ve asked you that.
David Craig – Host:
It doesn’t make any difference. I answer to both. I’m just grateful when I get called one of the two and not something else.
Randy Ollis:
Or as they say, call me anything just don’t call me late for dinner. I guess that’s the main thing.
David Craig – Host:
Well, Randy, so how did you get into your field? I mean, was it something that you always knew you had an interest in? Let’s just start off with some background and tell us a little bit about yourself.
Meet Meteorologist Randy Ollis
Randy Ollis:
Well, just real quick here, David. I grew up in the Chicagoland area. I’ve always been a weather geek, always. I mean, as a youngster, I used to take my mother’s kettle, put it out on our back porch at home in Elgin, Illinois, and every time it would rain or snow, I’d stick a ruler in there. I’d measure the rain and measure the snow. I had a big weather chart on my bedroom wall at home, and I’d write down the high of the day, the low, how much rain, and how much snow. Every once in a while, I would call the TV weatherman in Chicago and say, “Hey, this is Randy in Elgin, I had three inches of rain” or whatever. So I was, at a very early age, a weather watcher.
Randy Ollis:
I’ll be honest with you though, I was a young weather geek, and now, I’m an old weather geek, and I still love weather. I mean, it’s been my passion in life here. I never thought for one second that I’d end up in broadcasting. I thought I’d go to school, get a degree, and do something else. I don’t know. That’s how it turned out. I’ve been broadcasting my whole career.
David Craig – Host:
I know you went to Northern Illinois University where you got your degree, correct?
Randy Ollis:
Yes, I did. In fact, I graduated back then in 1978. I’ll do the math for you and save you the time. I know it’s some big numbers. I’m 66 years old and semi-retired at WISH-TV. When I was in college, my junior year, they had a student-run newscast. Nobody wanted to do the weather back then so I was young, naive, now I’m old and naive, but I said, “I’ll do it, I’ll do it.” So, that’s how I got my start in my junior and senior year on our little student-run newscast. That’s how I became a weatherman.
David Craig – Host:
So, you always knew you wanted to go into meteorology.
Randy Ollis:
Yes.
David Craig – Host:
It wasn’t until you had that experience that you actually thought about doing it in on the news.
Randy Ollis:
It’s just something that fell in my lap here. I never thought for a second that I’d end up broadcasting. I always thought it was for someone better than me. My dad was a factory worker 40 plus years, and my mom worked in a grocery store, and I thought, “Boy, if I can just get into college that’s a great accomplishment for our family here.” I always feel like God has a plan for everybody’s life. My junior, senior year, that’s how I got my foot in the door of broadcasting. As soon as I graduated, it was right at the time when a lot of TV stations were hiring their own specialists, their own meteorologist so I got a job right out of college in Wausau, Wisconsin in a small TV station for a year, and I gradually moved on from there.
David Craig – Host:
Then, I think you went to Dayton next and then eventually you ended up in Indianapolis. When did you start in Indianapolis?
Randy Ollis:
A great question. I started back in the fall of ’84, and it was exactly when the Colts came to town too. I always kid around and say that Mr. Irsay, when he is negotiating says, “Look, we’ll bring the team if you bring this weather guy Ollis to Indianapolis.” Just kidding. I started about the same time as the Colts. They’re going to be around a lot longer than I am here, but I’ve been at Channel 8 for 38 years this September.
David Craig – Host:
Tell me a little bit about that. I mean, I know as an attorney I always, like you, I always wanted to be an attorney. I just felt that. When I was in high school, I used to read novels and things that had to do with law. I wasn’t sure I was smart enough to be a lawyer, but I always knew I wanted to be a lawyer. I tell people, honest to God, getting up every single day and doing what I do is a blessing. I love doing what I do. It’s so easy to get up in the morning when you know that you love it, you have a great team of people, but you’re also helping and working with people. You, obviously, must love it if you’ve been doing this for so long.
Randy Ollis:
I do. I’ve spoken to many schools here in my career, many groups, and I always tell the kids, I always tell them, “Go after your passion in life.” Many people, David, unlike you and me, they hate their job. They get up, they go from one job to the next. You’re different, and I’m different here. We found our passion early in life. I always tell the kids I say, “Kids, go after that passion. If you could do a job and not get paid for it, don’t tell my boss I said this but get paid for it and you’d still enjoy doing it, that’s what probably you should go after in life.” You get paid for doing what you do, you love it. I get paid for doing what I do. I love it here.
Randy Ollis:
People tell me, David, they say, “Hey Randy, why don’t you fully retire and go after your hobbies or your passion in life,” and I tell them why. I said, “I’m doing my hobbies and my passion in life right now getting paid for it.” I enjoy weather. I never met a storm I didn’t like. Every storm is different. For me, I’ve been very blessed to be able to go in broadcasting to survive this long. I have branched out with TV, and I do some radio still as well. I do consulting on the side with you guys and other attorneys too. So, I have been very, very fortunate to go down the path I’ve been down.
David Craig – Host:
Before we get into the forensic side of it, I mean, I know your role has changed over there at Channel 8. So, tell us a little bit and bring us up to date. What are you doing now and how has that changed?
Randy Ollis:
I’ll just be honest with you here, David, or I hope I’m honest, I’m talking to an attorney. I’m semi-retired March of last year. So, my contract went out right when I turned 65, and the station at Channel 8, they were really nice to me, so they didn’t boot me out the door. I was ready for a change, and I think they were ready for a change here too. So long story short, I’m semi-retired but Channel 8 was nice enough to keep me on as a full-time employee even though I’d go in for about three and a half, four hours a day, but I still get their health insurance, which is fantastic there. They kept me on vacation schedules and I get healthcare and 401k, so I’m really fortunate to do that.
Randy Ollis:
Anyway, I signed on, and it’s no big deal to me. I signed on, and I plan on fully retiring probably at the end of August of next year. That’s the plan. It’s never etched in stone. Who knows what a year will bring? I went through a cancer ordeal about five years ago, and so far, I’m doing just fine. I’m like you, I enjoy my passion in life. I’m just blessed to be able to go part-time at the station. They know that I do consulting on the side. It was in my contract that I could do this as long as it doesn’t interfere with my station responsibility. I’m blessed. I am blessed in more ways than one.
David Craig – Host:
Well, I know you have a great social media following too because my wife is one of them. I told her I was talking to you today and she’s like, “Well, ask him if he had breakfast over at some place.” I’m like, “I don’t know where he has breakfast at.” She goes, “Well, just talk about it.”
Randy Ollis:
Just Judy’s. I just came from there, and I had a quick lunch. I had to call them and have my grilled cheese sandwich waiting for me there. I said, “I got to get going I have a Zoom to do.” Just Judy’s a little place on Binford Boulevard.
David Craig – Host:
My wife asked me about it. I go, “How do you know where he eats?” I don’t know.
Randy Ollis:
We have fun with it. In fact, we brought Judy in on our TV show Life. Style. Live! last Friday morning.
David Craig – Host:
Okay. Great.
Randy Ollis:
So, she came in. That’s how Channel 8 is. It’s a family station. We’re here for the people and the community. Again, I’m blessed to be a part of it.
David Craig – Host:
I love that. On the forensic side of it as an injury attorney, I represent victims of serious semi-wrecks, and other car wrecks, and slip and falls, and a variety of different things. So, when you’re hiring an expert, there’s different ways you go about doing it. One of the things is there’s some lawyers who pick people who will tell them what they want to hear, and there’s a lot of experts that make a living just telling people what they want to be told. The problem with that is that I believe that the best way to help my clients is to be truthful and to be honest with the jury because people are smart, and they can see through it. So, the best way to hurt your case is to get somebody who fudges.
David Craig – Host:
So, when I look for experts, the first thing I do is look at somebody at how credible they are. I’m entrusted with this person’s life, their livelihood, their medical bills, maybe their lost wages, maybe their future medical bills, future wages, and so I take that role very seriously. We look for experts that are honest, who are reputable, and who can communicate. Then also, oftentimes, those experts work on both sides because if you’re honest and you’re fair, you’re not going to pick one side or the other necessarily.
Randy Ollis:
That’s right.
David Craig – Host:
Years ago, I can’t even remember how long ago it was or the first case we reached out to you. We thought when we had a weather issue, and there was no better person that fit that criteria than you, and so we reached out to you years ago. I mean, how did you get into forensic work because that is different than what you were doing? How did you first get into it?
Getting into Forensic Work
Randy Ollis:
That’s a great question. Boy, it’s been many years ago when I was working at a TV station in Dayton, Ohio. Some attorney called me. I mean, I was really green back then, and I think he just flipped me around when I had to go into court there and he had a little fun with me. Not that I’m an expert great by now, but I’ve learned a lot over the years here on how the attorneys deal with you and things like that. So anyway, when I was young just starting my career, I did a couple of court cases back in Dayton, Ohio. I went to a television station in Oklahoma City, and I really didn’t do much there. Long story short, I was only there for two years, but when I came to Indianapolis in ’84, I had learned a lot from Dayton, Ohio, not only about forensic meteorology but my boss also had his own business on the side, and I really thought that’s a cool thing to do.
Randy Ollis:
When I signed on with a WISH in ’84 I said, “Look, I would like to do a little consulting on the side. Court cases, radio on the side, whatever.” Again, Channel 8 has been great all the way through. They gave me permission to do it. I’m still doing it here as long as it doesn’t interfere with my station responsibilities. I will say this too, David, and that is, if a court case came up, sometimes I have to run it by management because if it’s a big public case that’s in the public eye, they won’t let me do it because we can’t split the audience out to it. I totally get it, and I’m sure you understand too.
David Craig – Host:
Sure.
Randy Ollis:
That’s rare that it happens, but if it was a huge case where the cameras were there from TV stations, I would not be called for a witness just because of my exclusivity WISH-TV and Channel 8, but that’s how I got my start back then. Then, when I came to Indy in ’84, I enjoyed doing it, and again, I learned from my boss in Dayton, Ohio. He’s a great guy. He knew weather inside and out. I probably learned more from him than I did when I was in college because he had been doing it for several years there, and I had just kept doing it. I don’t know how to say this. I enjoy doing it. I’m fascinated with your field, I really am here. Every case is different. You always put together what happened, what took place, who’s telling the truth, and who’s not telling the truth, and like you, I just tell it the way it is. It may not be what you want to hear, but honesty is the best way. If you’re not honest, it’s going to come back to bite you down the road here.
Randy Ollis:
Here, I’m rambling on. I go both ways. I go for the plaintiff, and I go for the defendant too. I had an attorney contact me … It’s been probably two or three months ago. He was representing an insurance company, and somebody was making a claim because they had hail damage on their roof. The attorney for the insurance company came out and he said, “This guy’s waited so long for this claim, we just think he’s fudging it and it really didn’t happen, could you check into it?” Well, I checked into it and the attorney didn’t like what I had to say. I said, “No, the guy’s right. I found that there were several places in the county where he lived that there was large hail that day.” That was it. I mean, the attorney knew that hey, I had to pay for this but it’s worth paying for it just to find out the truth, what really happened.
David Craig – Host:
Absolutely. The good attorneys, the reputable attorneys on both sides want to know the truth. They want to know how strong a case they have. There’s nothing worse than finding out three years into a case that suddenly it’s bad because you’ve put all that time, effort, and energy into it, and so you want to find that out. So, the good lawyers will invest the money and hire regardless of what experts. Whether it’s reconstructionists, whether it’s a meteorologist, whether it’s an engineer, or a mechanic, you want to hire those people quickly so that you can find out how strong of a case you have.
Randy Ollis:
One thing too, David, with me as well. I try to be quick and pretty simple with a case. I know how some guys just get so detailed they go on … and I know very rarely it does make it to court, but it does occasionally. You have to go to court and testify. Sometimes, it just goes right over the jury’s head and they have no clue what’s going on. I try to make it simple, and also, when you guys contact me … a lot of people procrastinate. I’m just the opposite.
Randy Ollis:
Whenever an attorney calls me, I always say, “Hey, give me two, or three, four days if you’re okay with that?” Usually, they say okay, but I want to get it done now because I don’t like to have things pile up. Not that I rush through the case, but I want to get it done so you’ve got plenty of time to look it over and just see where we’re going here. So, I try to be quick with it when the attorneys call me, and try to be simple too, and get it to you guys. I’ve enjoyed doing it. Again, I’m fascinated with your field here as an attorney because just like the weather forecast, every storm is different. There’s no two storms exactly the same. With you guys here, every case is different here. No two cases are exactly the same. It’s fun and it’s challenging, but you’ve got to think, you really have to think.
David Craig – Host:
Well, one of the things that I would say too is for those folks listening is that it’s not always black and white. I mean, you’ll have people who will tell you witnesses, and some people think well, they’re lying. First of all, I’d like to believe that they’re not lying, that no one’s lying, and sometimes people do lie, but I look at it first from the standpoint of well, is it possible that they’re just wrong? There’s a difference between being wrong and lying.
David Craig – Host:
I always use an example of I used to have eight seats in the first turn of the Indianapolis 500, and we would go there every year. One year, Arie Luyendik wrecked right in front of us. All eight of us, we saw parts of it, and we all said who we thought was to blame. We were all like “Can you believe this?” The funny thing is we all had different recollection. We were blaming different people and we described the wreck differently although all eight of us were sitting there and saw it at the same time. The funny thing was when we got home none of us were exactly right.
David Craig – Host:
What happens is that your mind then puts it together based upon the snippet that it sees and then it puts it together, and then once you say it, it becomes the facts. As a trained lawyer, my job is to listen to what people say but discount it somewhat and say, “Okay, well let’s go back and let’s find out for sure.” If these folks are saying there’s packed snow on the highway and somebody says, “No, there’s not,” maybe they saw things differently. It doesn’t necessarily mean they’re lying, but maybe they saw it differently. That’s why it’s so important to actually reach out to somebody who’s objective and say, “Okay, tell me.”
David Craig – Host:
I think that’s an example of a case that we would use you on. Let’s say that a semi is driving. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations says that when it has hazardous conditions, they must use extreme caution. So, a semi-driver has to use extreme caution when they’re faced with that. The CDL manual would say that If the pavement’s wet, then they should decrease their speed by 1/3. If they’re driving on packed snow, they should decrease their speed by 50%, and if it’s ice, they should get off the road as soon as they can. So, a wreck happens involving a semi in adverse weather, and there may be different witnesses who describe it differently. So, one of my challenges is, okay, well, let’s find out what the weather was and that’s where we may call a meteorologist and say, “If I gave you that case, how would you figure that out? What would you do?”
Randy Ollis:
Well, I’d jump on it right away. I’d try to get going while it’s still fresh in my mind here. That’s another important thing too. The longer you wait you forget some of the details. You say, “Hey Randy, we have a case for you.” Of course, I always say, “Well, what’s going on? I got to know the city where this took place. I got to know the time of the day that the incident did occur.” You give me that information, and I have different sites that I go to here. I mean, it’s available to everybody, but as a so-called weather expert, I can pretty much interpret what was happening during that situation there. You call me, you give me the details, the time, the city, and that, then boom, I’ve got a bookmark right up there to my computer with these different sites to go to. I’ll go to the National Climate Data Center there. They call it NCDC, and that’s where they keep a lot of weather data from past years.
Randy Ollis:
I mean, there’s other sites you can go to. I can go out and look at the old forecast for that day and see what the weather service was calling for. Do they have a winter storm warning out? Do they have a winter storm watch? I can get the hourly reports as well. You tell me what time and I can get probably within a half hour, 15 minutes or so, the weather observation to tell you exactly what was going on. Sometimes I can’t get right to where the accident took place but I can get pretty close to it. I’ll get two or three or four sites surrounding that there just to make sure it all lines up. You can also get radar reports too. You can storm reports. There’s all kinds of information you can get. You got to know where to go.
Randy Ollis:
When you call me, boom, I go to it, and again, that’s my thing. I want to get going here once it’s fresh in my mind. You’ll tell me what the situation is and I’ll look at it and say, “Was it really snowing there or not,” but there’s a lot of tools that we use, and putting the pieces of the puzzle together to find out if they’re telling the truth or not, but like you said, a lot of times it’s not that they’re lying it’s just the way they see it in their mind here. The weather data doesn’t lie. I just say, “This is the way it was,” and then I’ll write my so-called expert opinion to as what I think was taking place. I did a deposition for you guys here a few months ago and it was an accident, it was snowing and stuff like that, and I just gave my expert opinion as to what I thought that took place during that time.
David Craig – Host:
Tell me how you like that. My dad was a psychologist, and so he is the first one in the family who’d gone to college. He was a psychologist. He thought one day because he kind of liked what I did so he was like “I’ll try forensic, so I will try testifying,” and he hated it because the lawyers brought him in, cross-examined him, and then he had to go to trial. He’s like “You know there’s easier ways to make a living than being an expert witness.” You must like it if you’re going through depositions. Have you ever testified at trial?
Testifying at Trial
Randy Ollis:
Oh, yeah, I’ve done it quite a few times in trial. I’ve done the deposition. The trials, as you say, you just answer the question. You know what I’m saying? You can get in trouble when you start expanding out, I’ve learned that the hard way. Answer the question here, Randy. I’ve been to trial quite a few times here. I’m not saying I’m the best or the greatest expert around because I know you guys are going to come at me, and you’re going to try to get me to say something that’s going to support their side. I’m always truthful. I’m not going to spin it. I’m not going to spin it to just twist it this way or that way. But I will tell you what I think. I know when they did the deposition here a few months ago, I just repeated over and over again what I thought. How much snow fell and when it fell over and over again just to tell the opposing attorney that this is the way I see it and you’re not going to change my mind. This is what the facts are stating.
Randy Ollis:
Again, I guess you have to be a special person. You can ask my wife here. I like to argue with people sometimes, but you’ve got to be an extrovert too. An introvert, I don’t know if they’d like to do this or not. So, the personality type of the person you put up on the stand plays a critical role in that as well. I’m okay. Everything’s open. The opposing attorney, I know they’re going to come at me here but that’s part of your job, it really is. For me, like you David, the truth. Just tell them the truth, give them your expert opinion, and so be it, let it go on.
David Craig – Host:
Absolutely, and then just the experts if they’re prepared, and they’re thorough, and you’re honest it’s so much easier because all you’re doing is sticking with what you know.
Randy Ollis:
Absolutely.
David Craig – Host:
And that’s a lot easier than people who are playing games.
Randy Ollis:
Even with the attorneys too, all you guys are different. Every attorney is different. I did a case where I think it was last year where I did have to go to court in Bloomington, and this was representing the defendant. I won’t say who I was defending or anything like that, but they won the case, and boy, every attorney is different, but he had me prepared left and right. I mean, detail after detail. I thought wow, I’ve never seen anything like this before, but again, every attorney is different. It probably paid off, that’s why he won the case here because he was prepared. Again, I was fascinated with that case. I’m fascinated with your cases here. Everyone is different. I really do enjoy doing that.
David Craig – Host:
Well, let’s talk a little bit about what type of cases. The different types of cases because there’s a lot of different types of cases that involve weather. Without going into the names, obviously, or the attorneys, what type of cases have you worked on?
Different Types of Cases that Involve Weather
Randy Ollis:
Well, I tell you what here, there’s a lot of slip and falls that take place in Indiana. Of course, we get just enough snow to slick it up, it doesn’t take much. The winters lately haven’t been nearly as bad as I think we’re into a little bit of a warm cycle. I’m not a huge, huge fan of global warming whatever, but I think a lot of it is cyclical, but we still get snows or freezing rain here so a lot of cases involve slip and falls. A lot of them involve an accident. There’s a snowstorm, somebody slid into somebody else here, who’s at fault, blah, blah, blah. Also, I’ve done flood cases before. It was a heavy rain event, Montgomery County, whatever. There’s flooding that took place. How much rain fell from the storm? Wind damage cases. A lot of times the storms that go through, was it a tornado? Was it straight line of winds? A lot of times it doesn’t matter because there’s damages done, but it’s always nice to know if it was a tornado or straight-line winds that came through. There are different events here.
Randy Ollis:
Oh. I had a case as well. There was, I believe, a school, it’s been several years ago, and they had heat stroke. They’re out running cross country and I think one or two of their runners passed out and there was lawsuits that came because they shouldn’t have been running or practicing, whatever they’re doing. So, they needed an expert to say, “How warm was it? So, I had to find out the temperature at the time when these guys were training, and also, what was the temperature on the pavement where they’re running as well? Because that’s a big difference too. Was it sunny? Was it cloudy? So, there’s all different angles where you can go.
Randy Ollis:
I’ll say it again. Every case is different. Every case is fascinating. We’re not perfect, we just do the best we can. I’m with you. Honesty is the key thing. If I had to bend it or twist it I wouldn’t do it. I’m not going to do it. I have to answer to God some of these days here. And so I just say, “This is the way I see it and this is my expert opinion.” It went from heat strokes and trying to think … Had a barn destroyed once from a storm so they need winds … How strong the winds were? So it really does veer off to many elements when it comes to weather.
David Craig – Host:
And I can tell you that, from my standpoint, obviously, honesty. The families that I represent, sometimes their family member is killed in an accident in a semi-tractor trailer or 18-Wheeler or whatever kills them. They come to me, and the first question they always ask and it’s the same, I’ve been doing this for over 35 years, and the first question they always ask me is what happened? Why did this happen? They don’t know. They don’t know anything. Maybe they’ve heard stuff on the news. If it’s a bad catastrophic accident, they see the news clips, they talk to the police a little bit.
David Craig – Host:
Sometimes I mean, I can help these folks, and so I hire people like you. I hire experts, and we find out what happened. Then there’s other times when I have to tell them that I can’t help them, and that it’s their own family member’s fault, and I can honestly say that they are okay. I’ve never had somebody react badly to me telling them they didn’t have a case because I believe most people are good people, most people are honest people, and they just want to know what happened. I feel like we’re doing good. I may invest and lose several thousand dollars but that’s okay that’s part of my business, and I lose money sometimes. That’s okay because I can give a family some closure, some peace of mind.
Randy Ollis:
Absolutely.
David Craig – Host:
So, we can tell them if the roads are bad and the client … I do an ECM download of the car and I find out it’s a Mustang and it’s doing 80 miles an hour, and you tell me there’s ice on the road and there’s snow, then I go back and say, “I’m sorry, I couldn’t help you out.” I think that’s the best way to be is just straightforward and honest about it.
Randy Ollis:
Totally, totally. I mean, I wish everybody was like you here but I know a lot of them aren’t, but honesty, I’m with you. Honesty is the key thing, and you have to tell it the way it is. I think it’s great that you bring closure to families here and let them know what you think took place.
David Craig – Host:
Other times you’re able to help them. What’s the most interesting case, if you can say, what you’ve actually testified? Any case that sticks out in your mind that you think you’ve already testified on that was fascinating to you?
Randy Ollis:
Oh, boy. I don’t know because most of them are just the slip and fall cases here, the traffic accidents during a snowstorm. I’m just trying to think. Well, I remember I had to go up and testify in Kokomo for a case. How do I say it? I know how the judges are, they’re the boss. You know what I’m saying? So, this is funny. I had the morning newscast and I had the noon show to do, and so I had to get back for the noon show. It turned out where the judge wanted to call it quits for the day and he says, “You got to come back tomorrow,” and I said, “I can’t come back tomorrow I have to do the noon show.” He says, “We’re doing it tomorrow at such and such a time.” Okay. It’s going to cost them more to get me back up there, my time, and everything else, but I said, “You’re the boss, you’re the judge at that.”
Randy Ollis:
So, I remember racing back up there, getting on the stand, finishing my testimony. It only took maybe another half hour, 45 minutes, and I was done. I hopped in the car and raced back. I got back to the station five minutes before news time here and got on for the noon weather. I just thought it was so crazy that we could’ve finished it in half an hour of that day, but he had to go play golf or something. You know how it goes. He made me come back and risk my career for missing a show, but I made it. I got back with five minutes to spare and everything turned out okay.
David Craig – Host:
Like you said, just like weathermen are different, lawyers are different, but judges are different as well. Some are a lot more flexible than others that’s for sure. Obviously, you worked in Ohio originally and did some forensic work. Are you doing forensic work because I mean, I have an audience that people listen to this all over. Do you do it just in Indiana or are you doing forensic work all over the country?
Randy Ollis:
That’s a great question. I’m semi-retired so I really don’t go knocking on doors now trying to get business here, there, whatever. I’m going to be fully retired in about another year or so. With the weather information that’s available, I could do it really anywhere around the country. If there’s somebody out there that needs a weather expert, a meteorologist, I have my four-year degree, and I’d be glad to help them out if I can. I don’t think I’ll ever get overwhelmed or not. If they do need an expert opinion or whatever just give me a holler because the weather data is there you just need to know where to go find it. I’d be glad to help others out if I can.
David Craig – Host:
Not only do you have to find it but then you have to be able to communicate it to people and so they understand it better.
Randy Ollis:
Yes, and interpret it too.
David Craig – Host:
You have to interpret it and then communicate it so people understand what you’re talking about.
Randy Ollis:
Absolutely.
David Craig – Host:
That’s the key. Are you going to retire completely or are you going to still do the forensic work? Do you know?
Randy Ollis:
That’s a great question. I always say, “My agent God, he’ll tell me what to do,” but that’s a great question. It’s not etched in stone, but I think I’ll be fully done with broadcasting August of next year. I do not want to sit in this chair and do nothing. I don’t want to do that here. I want to keep going whether it’s volunteer work, and I like to do speaking engagements as well, and forensic work too. If cases came along and I’m fully retired, I’d love to see that as well. So maybe, I’ll have more time to do that as I push into full retirement here shortly. As long as I keep my health I want to keep going.
Randy Ollis:
I’ve seen, and you have too I’m sure, David, horror stories where people retire, they do nothing, and a month later they’re gone. So, you’ve got to keep this sharp, you’ve got to keep going. I work out all the time. I walk or jog or whatever. To answer your question, yes, if some forensic work came along when I’m fully retired I think I’d enjoy doing it. I’d actually have more time to do it. Maybe, my reports would get longer and longer.
David Craig – Host:
I mean, I think as long as you love it, and as long as it doesn’t become a hassle I think that’s the key. I love doing what I do. I get asked the same question. I was sick not too long ago similar to your situation, and I just looked at it and said, “If I’m blessed enough to go forward then I’m going to continue doing what I’m passionate about.” Thank goodness I didn’t have to reexamine my life and say, “I’m doing something I don’t like doing.” I love what I’m doing. My daughter is a lawyer here, my son is a lawyer here, and my wife runs my practice. I got my other son, Bobby, who is doing the video work on this. I work with him all the time, and so I’m very, very fortunate. Maybe slow down, maybe travel a little bit more, I could see that, but like you, as long as you’re doing what you love then why not continue to do it? So, I hope you do because you do a fantastic job.
Randy Ollis:
Well, I enjoy doing it. Again, you’re blessed, but you know you’re blessed. There’s a lot of people who are blessed and they don’t know it but you know it, and I know that I’m blessed here as well. Who knows what happens in a year? The station may say, “Hey, can you fill in for someone on vacation?” There’s that possibility too. We’ll see what happens when that time comes here.
David Craig – Host:
You’ll probably like not getting up so early in the morning at least.
Randy Ollis:
Well, I’ll tell you what. I used to get up for over 30 years around 2:30 or 3:00 every morning, and now I sleep until about 5:40. Oh, this is great, it really is great. I can actually make it to about 9:00 at night without following asleep now. I had to do a speaking engagement this past Friday morning and I had to get up at 4:30 which isn’t too bad, but it just reminded me, boy, how did I do it all those years at 2:30 or 3:00?
David Craig – Host:
Oh.
Randy Ollis:
It’s worked out good for me, for the station, everybody else to be semi-retired to gradually coast into full retirement. I’m excited to see what the next year’s going to bring. I really am. I don’t know where it’s going to go, but again, I’m like you, this is my passion. I don’t want to sit around and do nothing. I know some friends who sit around and do nothing and they love it, but I can’t do it. I don’t say I’m a workaholic but I want to keep busy. I want to help people. I want to minister to people. So, we’ll see what happens in a year or so.
David Craig – Host:
Well, Randy, I really appreciate it. I appreciate the work you’ve done for my clients and certainly appreciate you being a guest on After the Crash. People ask me, why are you doing this? Why aren’t you slowing down? Why are you doing a podcast? Then, I was like because if there’s somebody out there that has a question and they don’t understand something that we do, information can be power, and I don’t care if they’re in California they’re not hiring me. At least maybe they’ll know okay, maybe we should hire a weather expert. Should we hire reconstructionist or a mechanic? I feel like one of my purposes is to get out information, inform people, and let them know what their rights are, or how to pick people. I appreciate very much you being on here and helping me further that goal.
Randy Ollis:
David, again, I just want to say, thanks from the bottom of my heart. You guys have called me many times here. Probably way, way more than anybody else has over the years, and I appreciate that. I hope we can keep this going. Again, you stay honest, I’ll stay honest too, and I think we’ll be a-okay.
David Craig – Host:
Absolutely. Thank you very much.
Randy Ollis:
Thank you.
David Craig – Host:
This is David Craig and you’ve been listening to After The Crash. If you would like more information about me or my law firm, please go to our website ckflaw.com, or if you’d like to talk to me you can call 1-800- ASK-DAVID. If you would like a guide on what to do after a truck wreck, then pick up my book Semitruck Wreck: A Guide for Victims and Their Families, which is available on Amazon, or you can download it for free on our website, ckflaw.com.
