PERSONAL INJURY
HAVE YOU OR A LOVED ONE BEEN INJURED? Accidents happen. And every now and then accidents happen that truly are no one’s “fault” - so called “acts of God” or natural occurrences or “freak” accidents where no human cause can be blamed. However, barring those unusual events, most accidents are the result of somebody’s negligence, or more rarely, intentional wrongful conduct. Although my 25 years as an attorney have not been primarily focused on auto accidents of other personal injury cases, I have handled many such matters for my clients with positive results. Regrettably, my experience has been that too many insurance companies do not always willingly fulfill their coverage/settlement obligations to the extent they perhaps should unless or until an attorney gets involved to hold them accountable. As with all personal injury attorneys, I will not bill you for my services unless and until there is a settlement or judgment payment compensating you for your injuries and loss.
DO NOT GIVE A STATEMENT OR SIGN ANYTHING BEFORE YOU CONSIDER TALKING TO AN ATTORNEY. You have been injured in an auto accident. Or you tripped over a rolled up carpet in a place of business and tore a rotator cuff. The offending party’s insurance company wants to take your recorded statement about what happened – a process with which you should cooperate, of course. Why have an attorney engaged at that point of the process? Maybe the offending party also wants to take care of you and offers to cut you a check early on for your damaged car or to pay your emergency room bills. You are not sure if you are fully healed yet and you have suffered a fair amount of pain and maybe even lost some time off work. But you had “sick leave” or “vacation” time so you still got paid and figure it is a “wash.” The other driver or the business (or their insurance carrier) wants to wrap this up and needs you to sign a waiver and release in exchange for a check made out to you. Maybe they have even told you that getting a lawyer involved will only cut into your settlement and drag out the process! These scenarios are not hypothetical. They are examples from my own clients.
What the other driver’s insurance company or the offending business didn’t volunteer was that the injured person was also entitled to be compensated for things other than just the medical expenses incurred thus far, or that the injured person should not be required to use her sick leave or vacation time due to the lost work. And compensation for “pain and suffering” was conveniently left out of the discussion with the injured person. That is, until I got involved for my client. In addition to the medical expenses you may incur because of the other person’s negligence, the law requires that they also pay you for your pain and suffering and your lost wages (without resorting to your accrued sick leave or vacation time). Furthermore, if your injuries are such that they will never fully resolve or might require future medical attention, you may be entitled to estimated or projected future medical costs as well as future pain and suffering. It is up to you to be aware of these issues and to address them with the party responsible for causing your injuries! I can navigate that process for you and prevent the other party from taking advantage of your circumstances.
And what about that recorded statement they wanted you to give them early on? Why would you need an attorney for that? Statements you make may come back to haunt you, even though you might only have been “guessing” or “estimating” or simply not equipped with sufficient facts, qualifications or expertise to make the statement in the first place. A skilled and experienced attorney will be able to advise and counsel you about the “dos” and the “don’ts” when you must cooperate and provide a sworn written or recorded statement. For example, when asked about your injuries, there is a natural desire to be helpful, honest and thorough – never mind that you might not be a licensed physician or an Orthopaedic surgeon and not qualified to know what you injuries are. You might be able to describe your symptoms – but their biased questions will not likely be phrased in that fashion. Or maybe you are feeling “okay” for the most part at the time of that interview – only to wake up the next day even more sore and stiff than you were at the time of the interview. Being forthright and honest does not equate to speculating and prognosticating about matters you know little or nothing about. I will be present during your recorded interview and will ensure that words are not put in your mouth or statements taken out of context thus prejudicing your claim down the road.
CALL FOR A FREE CONSULTATION ABOUT YOUR INJURY OR ACCIDENT. If you have been injured in any kind of accident call for a free consultation over the phone to see if it makes sense for you to engage an attorney to assist you with the settlement of your claim. There is never any fee unless there is a recovery on your behalf. You will learn something in the process, whether you retain me or not. Please remember that making this preliminary contact will not in itself create an attorney client relationship although anything you discuss or share during that call or visit will be treated as and remain confidential.