|
| A Personal Injury Story |
| By: Dr. Jay B Stockman |
The crisp winds of fall brush by your face, it is Sunday morning, and you are feeling REAL good. Strolling down Main Street, you are mesmerized by the beauty of the quaint architecture. Several steps more, and disaster! Looking elsewhere, you trip on a broken sidewalk, tumble down with a huge thud. The ambulance comes, takes you to the hospital, a storybook Sunday turns into a complete nightmare. Was the City negligent by not fixing the sidewalk? Who is going to pay for your lost earnings while you are healing? A situation like this requires an experienced attorney, who will evaluate the facts, and determine whether a personal injury action should be brought forth. Specifically, this requires the expertise of a Personal Injury Attorney.
In the above scenario, there is a very good chance an attorney will secure you more monetary compensation than you can do for yourself. Personal injury, however, is a specialized field that requires a qualified personal injury attorney to handle the case.
Before you contact an attorney I suggest you prepare the following documents:
1) Write down as much as you can about the accident itself, your injuries, and any other losses (such as wages) you've suffered as a result of the accident.
2) Make notes on anyone who may have seen the accident, or whom you may have spoken to, or who helped you.
3) Go back and try to gather evidence, pictures, eye witness statements, any other information, or materials that may help your case.
Once you establish whether it was a result of negligence, it is in your best interest to file your claim as soon as possible. There are time limits if you plan on suing a government, or municipality. Each state has their respective statutes of limitations, so check with your own state on this one.
Personal injury victims with a strong case should not have to pay any out of pocket expenses. Any attorney worth his salt will take on a personal injury case on a contingency basis. This means that the attorney will cover all expenses during the trial, and take his fee as a percentage of the recovery. Typically, this ranges from 1/3 to 1/2 of the total damages. The best place to find the appropriate personal injury lawyer, is through referrals. Ask friends, or relatives, professional lawyers who do not specialize in personal injury cases, however they should guide you in the right direction. In addition, most local bar associations have referral services in which the names of lawyers are available, arranged by legal specialty.
As with anything, prevention is the best medicine. Try to avoid situations that could be potentially dangerous, or harmful. In the rare cases when this is unavoidable, be sure you follow the appropriate procedures, and don't be intimidated by insurance companies, or government agencies, hire a personal injury attorney, and receive the compensation you deserve.
About the Author
Dr. Jay B Stockman is a contributing editor for Personal Injury Online, and has extensive experience with Personal Injury cases. |
|
Technorati Tags:
injury, personal injury attorney, personal, plaintiff personal injury, attorney, personal injury cases, lawyer
Add to: | Technorati | Digg | del.icio.us | Yahoo | BlinkList | Spurl | reddit | Furl |
|
| Wrongful Death Cases Explained |
| By: Mart Gil Abareta |
Do you know instances where someone you know was hit by a reckless driver, was struck and killed by a careless motorist, was shot dead because of mistaken identity, was killed due to medical malpractice, etc.? These cases are all examples of wrongful death cases. Generally, such cases are caused by another person’s negligence, carelessness, malpractice or inaction. Even though, the death is unintentional, it is still the responsibility of the defendant to provide just compensation for the survivors or victims of wrongful death cases.
Prior to a wrongful death incident, you can file wrongful death lawsuits being a relative of wrongful death victims. Winning these civil lawsuits can recover payment for damages to the victims’ lives. These possible compensations may cover medical and funeral costs, lost wages, including future earnings, lost benefits, lost inheritance, pain and suffering, mental anguish, loss of support or companionship, general damages, and punitive damages. However, the last compensation may not be awarded without additional evidence of malicious intent. Therefore, if you have lost a loved one because of wrongful death, you may be eligible for the said damages. You must speak with a personal injury attorney for details regarding the reliability of your case now.
Simply, the immediate family members such as the parents, spouses, and children of the deceased can file the wrongful death lawsuits on their loved ones' behalves because they are almost always eligible to file a claim. Minors may need an adult guardian to take a wrongful death lawsuit to court. Moreover, other family members including the stepparents, grandparents and dependents may also be permitted to file suit in some states.
If you realize you have a valid wrongful death claim, you must first consult one of the experienced wrongful death lawyers in your area. Doing so is very important because a wrongful death lawyer can help you gather evidence, understand the law, complete necessary paperwork, and build a convincing lawsuit against the defendant. In addition, to have an attorney can also help lessen the pain, stress and suffering you may be experiencing due to the incident.
The law states that there is a certain amount of time allotted that a person who has lost a loved one due to wrongful death has to initiate a lawsuit. Usually, family members are allowed between one and three years from the time of death to file a claim. If they fail to do so, their claims may be shelved forever. So folks, you need to act fast when you’re caught in the same situation.
About the Author
For additional information and comments about the article you may log on to http://www.personalinjurydefenders.com |
|
| Keywords: wrongful death, with a personal, personal injury attorney, death cases, family members, personal, attorney, http//wwwpersonalinjurydefenderscom, attorney for details |
|
|