Why You Should Hire an Attorney Quickly in a Slip and Fall Case

A slip and fall accident can cause one or more serious injuries, such as brain trauma, a fractured wrist, and spinal cord damage. Hiring an experienced personal injury attorney can help provide legal support in many ways, including gathering physical evidence, interviewing witnesses, and ensuring you file a persuasive civil lawsuit that seeks monetary damages.

When you meet with one of our personal injury lawyers, you can expect the attorney to encourage you to act with a sense of urgency for several reasons.

Statute of Limitations

Each state has established a deadline for filing personal injury lawsuits. Most states have set the statute of limitations between two and four years, while a few states grant as long as six years and as short as one year to take legal action. If you fail to file a civil lawsuit that seeks monetary damages before the expiration of the statute of limitations, you can expect the court clerk processing your lawsuit to remove it from the judicial docket.

The sooner you hire a slip and fall attorney, the more likely that you will file a civil lawsuit before the deadline set by the state where you live.

Witness Accounts

Witness accounts of a slip and fall accident provide legal support for the evidence gathered at the scene of a personal injury incident. For example, a fellow shopper at a grocery store can verify the footage captured by a store security camera. However, your slip and fall attorney should interview every witness as close to the date of the slip and fall accident as possible. Witnesses tend to provide less reliable versions of events the longer they wait to meet with a slip and fall lawyer.

Recover Compensation

Unless you arrange a payment plan with a debtor that allows the debtor to take out expenses from an approved insurance claim and/or a favorable legal judgment, you have the financial obligation to pay medical expenses and other types of economic damages until you receive compensation. Since medical bills can quickly run into thousands of dollars, reaching a quick settlement with an insurance company prevents you from falling deep into a financial hole that might require the filing of bankruptcy documents.

Interact with Insurance Company

The insurance company that processes your claim wants you to submit the claim as quickly as possible after a slip and fall accident. Without the legal support of a personal injury attorney, the insurance company might take advantage of you by denying a valid claim or approving a claim that is valued well below what you deserve. Because the insurance company wants you to file a claim shortly after a slip and fall accident, you must act quickly when hiring an experienced personal injury lawyer to handle your case.

Crowded Judicial Docket

The judicial docket for civil lawsuits is typically crowded with cases. This means you might experience a delay in the processing of your case, especially if you plan to take the case to the trial phase of the litigation process. Hiring a personal injury attorney as quickly as possible after a slip and fall accident gets your case heard sooner than if you wait to hire a lawyer a few months down the road.

How to Help Strengthen Your Premises Liability Case

As a type of personal injury law, premises liability covers cases when a visitor to someone’s property sustains one or more injuries because of an act of negligence committed by the property owner. For example, if you slipped and fell while on someone else’s property and the property owner’s negligence caused you harm, you might have a strong enough case to file a premises liability lawsuit.

Winning monetary damages for a premises liability lawsuit can be difficult to do. The key is to submit persuasive physical evidence that includes the statements made by witnesses to the incident.

How Can I Strengthen My Premises Liability Case?

Submitting convincing physical evidence goes a long way toward helping you receive just compensation for any injuries sustained, as well as for lost wages and property damage.

Photographs

Taking photos of the accident scene can demonstrate that the property owner failed to take steps to protect your health while you were on the property. For example, if you fell down a flight of stairs because a handrail broke free from a wall, taking photographs of the defective handrail can boost the chances of you winning a civil lawsuit that seeks monetary damages.

You should take photos of the accident scene right after the incident to ensure the property owner does not cover up the physical evidence. If you fell down a flight of stairs because of a defective handrail, waiting too long after the accident to take photographs gives the property owner enough time to secure the faulty handrail.

Security Camera Footage

Unlike a vast majority of public spaces, some private properties do not include a security camera system for an attorney to review. Obtaining video that captures a premises liability accident can establish proof that the owner of the property committed one or more acts of negligence. Working with a premises liability attorney provides you with the legal support that you need to subpoena the property owner to acquire a copy of the video for your lawyer to examine for acquiring additional physical evidence.

Medical Bills and Records

Copies of medical bills and records provide the evidence you need to seek compensation for the financial losses associated with your injuries. The results of diagnostic tests confirm your symptoms, and a detailed description of treatments and physical therapy sessions informs the judge hearing your case about the extent of your injuries. Copies of medical bills allow your attorney to submit a reasonable value for monetary damages based on tangible expense documents.

Financial Records

Copies of bank statements and timekeeping records show how much money you lost in wages because of a premises liability accident. You have the right to seek compensation for lost wages, but you must submit documents that verify the amount of time you missed from work, as well as the compensation lost while you mended from your injuries. Your employer should submit copies of timekeeping records.

Work with an Experienced Premises Liability Attorney

The most effective way to strengthen your premises liability case involves hiring a highly-rated personal injury attorney who specializes in litigating premises liability lawsuits. Your lawyer understands how to prove each of the four elements of negligence, which include a duty of care, breaching the duty of care, causation, and financial losses. In addition, an experienced premises liability lawyer ensures you file your civil lawsuit before the expiration of the status of limitations.

Schedule a free case evaluation today with an experienced premises liability attorney to help build the strongest case possible for filing a civil lawsuit that seeks monetary damages.

What to Do Immediately After Getting Hit By a Car

Knowing how to react after getting struck by a car might not be on your radar, but it should be. According to the Governor’s Highway Safety Association, the number of pedestrians killed by a moving motor vehicle jumped more than five percent in 2020, despite the pandemic shutting down a considerable amount of traffic. One of the most common reasons why we see increases in pedestrian accidents with each passing year concerns the use of mobile electronic devices while operating a motor vehicle.

Reasons aside, you should know what to do immediately after getting hit by a car.

Call 911

Calling 911 does two important things. First, it alerts the nearest law enforcement agency about the accident. The officers responding to the scene of a car accident involving a pedestrian conduct a thorough investigation that leads to the submission of the formal police report. Second, calling 911 activities the medical emergency response system. You might not be physically able to call 911, which means a witness to the accident should do it for you.

Receive Immediate Medical Care

Receiving medical care can help you recover faster from the injuries sustained because of a pedestrian car accident. The closest emergency room is the place where you receive critical, even life-saving medical care. Even if you feel healthy enough to remain at the scene of the auto collision, you should eventually get medical care to detect any delayed symptoms, such as those that develop from whiplash or a concussion.

Take Photographs of Your Injuries

One important type of evidence to submit when filing an insurance claim and/or a civil lawsuit that seeks monetary damages involves photographs of your injuries. You should take photos of every injury associated with the vehicle collision, as well as document each injury by writing down detailed descriptions. The personal injury attorney that you hire needs to present the medical evidence to justify requesting a value for compensation. Copies of medical bills and records also provide persuasive evidence for an insurance company and a civil court judge to review.

Receive the Formal Police Report

As the most influential type of evidence presented for a personal injury claim and civil lawsuit, the formal police report presents a detailed description of what transpired before, during, and after the other party’s car struck you. The formal police report also includes statements made by witnesses, which your personal injury lawyer needs to have to present as supporting evidence. Towards the end of the formal police report, a section should include information that assigns blame for the party or parties that caused the accident.

Schedule a Free Case Evaluation with a Personal Injury Attorney

Hiring a personal injury lawyer to handle your pedestrian car accident case improves the chances of you receiving compensation for your injuries. Your attorney helps you file a convincing insurance claim, as well as a civil lawsuit that seeks monetary damages to recover the costs associated with your injuries.

Things to Look for in a Personal Injury Lawyer

If you sustained injuries and/or property damage as the result of a car accident, slip and fall, or a defective product, you should schedule a free case evaluation with a personal injury lawyer. Before you meet with an attorney, you should conduct research that considers the factors to look for when selecting the right legal counsel to represent you.

Experience Matters

Personal injury lawyers that have compiled years of experience litigating cases possess a thorough understanding of state personal injury laws, as well as what it takes to persuade an insurance company to approve a claim and a civil court judge to award monetary damages for the negligence committed by another party.

For a personal injury case, you should consider attorneys that specialize in the type of personal injury practice that applies to your case. For example, if you sustained injuries that were caused by the negligence of another driver, you want to work with a car accident attorney. In addition to years of experience, make sure any lawyer on your shortlist has a proven record of helping clients receive compensation.

Understands Medical Terms

Since most of the compensation that you seek concerns medical expenses, you should consider a personal injury lawyer who understands complex legal jargon. This is especially important if you plan to litigate a medical malpractice case. Complex medical jargon often refers to types of injuries, as well as the prognosis of making a full or partial recovery from the injuries. If you sustained serious injuries caused by a vehicle collision, the car accident lawyer that you choose must understand different types of diagnostic tests and the advice given by a healthcare provider regarding rehabilitation.

Effective Negotiation Skills

Not every personal injury case ends up in the litigation process. In fact, the best personal injury attorneys try to negotiate a favorable settlement for clients to avoid a costly and time-consuming civil trial. For example, a skilled car accident attorney calculates a fair value for compensation that keeps the lawyer representing the other party engaged in negotiations. A highly-skilled negotiator knows how to submit fair counteroffers that eventually lead to the resolution of a case.

Although you want to work with a personal injury lawyer who tries to negotiate a favorable settlement, you also want to hire a litigator who does not hesitate to take your case to trial if negotiations break down.

Responsive Communicator

Responsive communication involves any lawyer on your shortlist communicating with you in a timely manner. For example, if you sustained injuries that resulted from the negligence of another driver, your car accident lawyer must keep you informed about the status of your civil lawsuit. Your legal counsel should listen to what you want out of your case. If you agree to a settlement offer, but your attorney prefers to go a couple of more rounds with counteroffers, your lawyer should agree to accept the settlement offer.

Before the first case evaluation, you have the opportunity to test an attorney for responsive communication by leaving voice messages, as well as sending emails and text messages. A lawyer who takes longer than 24 hours to return any form of communication is not considered a responsive communicator.

Finally, read the reviews left by clients on sites such as Yelp and Google. Access an attorney’s Better Business Bureau (BBB) page to discover the reputation rating handed out by the consumer advocacy organization.

Definition and Impact of Brain Injuries After a Car Accident

Car accidents cause a wide variety of injuries that vary in severity depending on many factors, such as the speed both cars have traveled and where the impact is made on both vehicles. The most serious type of injury is called a traumatic brain injury (TBI), which develops when a strong collision causes significant damage to the brain. TBI represents one of the most common reasons why a victim of an auto collision develops a disability. It also is one of the most common causes of death among victims of vehicle collisions.

If you sustained a TBI as the result of a car accident, hiring a personal injury lawyer can help you receive the compensation that you deserve to recover financial losses.

What Are the Most Common Types of Traumatic Brain Injuries?

According to researchers at Northeastern University, TBI is defined by two broad categories: Open and closed. An open TBI, which is often referred to as a penetrating brain injury, means the skull has fractured or has been penetrated by an object. Closed traumatic brain injuries result in a strong impact on the head, but the skull does not fracture. Sustaining a closed TBI is more common in cases of car accidents

Let’s review the most common types of injuries that negatively impact the performance of the brain.

Concussion

Most concussions are considered a milder version of a traumatic brain injury. Symptoms of a concussion include memory loss, as well as issues with speech, vision, and/or coordination. The most effective treatment is the passage of time, as a healthcare provider cannot apply any techniques to heal the internal injury.

Because the symptoms of a concussion frequently do not develop right away, working with an experienced car accident attorney can determine if you qualify to receive the financial assistance approved by an insurance company or even the monetary damages awarded during a civil lawsuit.

Contusion

A contusion represents a form of bruising that develops under the skin as the result of a strong impact made to the head. It is often connected to the development of concussion symptoms, and if not diagnosed in a timely manner, can lead to serious medical consequences. If the bleeding does not stop, a victim might have to undergo a delicate type of surgery that relieves pressure on the brain. An untreated contusion that does not stop bleeding can develop into a life-threatening medical condition.

Hematoma

A hematoma represents a common form of TBI that happens when the blood vessels in the brain rupture and the blood starts to clot as the body tries to stop the bleeding. Hematomas differ in size, with an above-average size hematoma applying tremendous pressure on the brain. The size of the blood clot determines the seriousness of the symptoms, which might require surgery to diminish or eliminate.

Financial Impact of a TBI

According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), around 1.7 million people sustain a TBI each year throughout the United States. Lifetime medical expenses can exceed $4 million to treat and rehabilitate the symptoms. Physical therapy alone can cost as much as $1 million over a victim’s lifetime. The daily costs associated with treating a TBI right after a car accident average $8,000 per day.

If you have sustained a TBI that resulted from the impact of a vehicle collision, act with a sense of urgency by contacting an experienced car accident lawyer.

What to do After an Accident with a Rideshare Vehicle

Companies such as Lyft and Uber that provide ride-sharing services have become an integral form of transportation for millions of Americans. An increase in the number of drivers that contract with Lyft and Uber coincides with a rise in the number of accidents. What happens if you get involved in an accident with a ride-sharing vehicle? Do the same steps taken by victims of other types of car accidents apply to a collision with a ride-sharing driver?

Contact Law Enforcement

The first action to take after an accident with a ride-sharing vehicle involves calling the nearest law enforcement agency. Calling the police results in the filing of a formal police report that you need a copy of to file an insurance claim, as well as a civil lawsuit if the ride-sharing driver committed one or more acts of negligence. A law enforcement officer also takes control of the accident scene to direct traffic, as well as ensures the ride-sharing driver has obtained the proper credentials to provide ride-sharing services.

Receive Medical Care

Medical expenses represent the costliest type of expenses you can expect to pay after a collision with a ride-sharing vehicle. To receive compensation for your injuries, you must undergo diagnostic tests that prove you sustained one or more injuries. If you sustained serious injuries, you must seek medical care immediately after the accident. Otherwise, you remain at the scene of the accident until the law enforcement officer completes the initial investigation.

Gather Evidence

The law enforcement agency that responds to the ride-sharing accident conducts an investigation that includes gathering and organizing evidence. However, you should take photos of the accident scene that includes images of the damage done to your vehicle and the injuries you sustained because of the accident. Photographs of the accident scene can help your attorney determine whether the ride-sharing vehicle committed one or more traffic violations.

Driver and Witness Information

Because Lyft and Uber drivers operate as independent contractors, you need to acquire the driver’s name and contact information. You also should receive information that describes the ride-sharing company’s insurance details, such as policy number and how much coverage the company has bought. The responding law enforcement officer should ask for this information as well. Ask witnesses for their names and contact information, which you give to your personal injury attorney.

Hire a Personal Injury Attorney

Hire a personal injury lawyer before you contact your insurance company and file an accident report with the ride-sharing company. Your attorney advises you on how to proceed with the filing of a claim, which includes contacting your insurer at the right time. Personal injury lawyers act as intermediaries between clients and insurance companies. Working with a personal injury attorney helps you file an insurance claim, as well as a civil lawsuit, before the state-imposed deadline.

Getting in an accident with a ride-sharing vehicle introduces different legal issues than if you got involved in a typical auto collision. Act with a sense of urgency by scheduling a free case evaluation with an experienced Ohio personal injury attorney.

Top 5 Reasons to Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer

Whether you sustained one or more injuries because of an accident or the negligence of another party, how you react following the incident determines how much compensation you receive from an insurance claim and possibly a civil lawsuit. The most important step in the process involves hiring an attorney who specializes in handling personal injury cases.

The ultimate goal of a personal injury lawyer is to get a claim improved by the client’s insurance company or the insurer representing the other party. If the other party committed one or more acts of negligence, hiring a personal injury attorney can help you win a legal judgment or be the beneficiary of a favorable settlement.

The top five reasons to hire a personal injury lawyer are based on receiving compensation because of an accident or one or more acts of negligence.

Interact with an Insurance Company

The business model for insurance companies is quite simple: Receive as much in premiums as possible and pay as little as possible in claims. Even if an insurance claim you plan to file appears to be strong enough to get approved, the insurance company that you have to deal with might deny the claim based on a frivolous reason.

Hiring a personal injury attorney provides you with much greater influence during the insurance claim process.

Meet Deadlines

A personal injury case involves meeting a few deadlines, with the most important deadline consisting of filing a civil lawsuit before the expiration of the statute of limitations. Most states have established the statute of limitations for filing a civil lawsuit at between two and four years, but the deadline can be as short as one year (Kentucky) or as high as six years (Maine).

Gather and Organize Evidence

Submitting persuasive evidence represents the key to getting an insurance claim approved, as well as reaching a settlement or winning a legal judgment. A personal injury attorney knows how to investigate a case to collect and organize evidence such as photographs taken of the incident scene and obtaining video footage from a security camera.

Interview Witnesses

You have many responsibilities to assume after a personal injury incident, and acquiring the names and contact information of witnesses is one of the most important tasks completed to build a strong case. Personal injury lawyers interview witnesses to receive information that supports the physical evidence gathered for submission to an insurance company.

Negotiate a Settlement

Negotiating a favorable settlement helps you avoid going through a costly and time-consuming civil trial. A skilled personal injury attorney knows how to calculate a reasonable value for monetary damages that is presented as the initial offer. Presenting an overvalued submission for monetary damages can derail your case.

What to Expect When Meeting with Your Personal Injury Lawyer

If you sustained injuries because of an accident, working with an experienced personal injury attorney can help you file a persuasive insurance claim. If the accident involved another party committing one or more acts of negligence, a personal injury lawyer helps you gather and organize the evidence you need to file a convincing civil lawsuit.

Most personal injury attorneys offer free case evaluations to potential clients. Let’s see what you can expect during the free case evaluation.

Expect a Short Meeting

A free case evaluation requires a meeting between you and a car accident lawyer. Expect the first meeting to last around one hour. Subsequent meetings can last much longer than that.

Expect to Answer Several Questions

The lawyer sitting across from you during the first meeting will ask several questions, most of which pertain to the facts of your case. You should be prepared to answer questions that concern what happened before, during, and after the accident. The attorney will want to know your insurance policy information, such as the amount of coverage for an accident. Discussing your physical, mental, physical, and emotional well-being is important because that is one factor in how a personal injury lawyer calculates a value for monetary damages.

Expect to Provide Evidence and Witness Information

You can expect to provide the attorney with physical evidence. The lawyer will not determine whether you should file a civil lawsuit until conducting a thorough investigation. You should provide the personal injury attorney copies of your medical records, as well as photographs of your injuries, property damage, and the accident scene. You can send the evidence you have collected before the case evaluation as well. Another important document for evidence is a copy of the official incident report, whether it is from a business or a law enforcement agency.

The names and contact information of witnesses allow the car accident lawyer to schedule interviews. Witness accounts of an accident should support the evidence you hand over to the personal injury attorney.

Expect an Evaluation

Although the lawyer will conduct an extensive investigation concerning the accident, you can expect a short summary of the pros and cons of your case. For example, if footage from a traffic camera demonstrates the other party failed to yield at an intersection, the attorney has a compelling piece of evidence that strengthens your case. At the end of a short summary of your case, the attorney might agree to work on your case on a contingency fee basis, which means you do not have to pay an upfront legal fee. The car accident lawyer receives compensation when you receive an insurance claim payout and possibly a check from a legal settlement.

Finally, expect to ask questions. You should ask questions that concern the timing of your case, as well as what else the lawyer needs from you before launching an investigation into the accident.