Monthly Archives: August 2021

Very Common Personal Injury Accidents You Should Know

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A personal injury case is a legal dispute type that happens when there is the belief that one party was to blame for harm done to another party or another person. As a result, the guilty party is financially responsible. 

The Most Common Personal Injury Claims

According to the experience of Regan Zambri Long in Washington DC, the common cases of personal injury claims you need to be aware of are:

  • Motor vehicle articles – this includes motorcycles, cars, bicycles, commercial trucks, pedestrians, boats, and buses. 
  • Animal bites – can come from any pet, with dogs being the most common. 
  • Slip and fall – when it happens on the property of someone else. 
  • Medical malpractice – this includes surgical errors, failure to diagnose, birth injuries, and more. 
  • Defective products – this includes injuries caused by several types of defects in manufacturing, warnings, product instructions, and manufacturing. 
  • Workplace injuries – these are caused by machines or equipment and include illnesses when exposed to toxic substances. 

Keep in mind that workers’ compensation claims are different from workplace injury claims. Different regulations and laws have to be respected with these procedures. 

Wrongful Death

This is a special type of case that is governed by personal injury laws. However, the definition of what wrongful death means does vary from one state to the next. In most situations, such a category practically means that someone died because of what another party did. Cases are connected to misconduct or negligence. If someone dies under such circumstances, a group of people, like a spouse, have the right to start the wrongful death lawsuit. 

Handling Personal Injury Cases

Although personal injury claims can be filed alone, the best option is always to hire a personal injury attorney that is going to prepare the case. Preparations include specific tasks and the premise is that the case can always go to trial. This is true even if most cases end up settled outside courts. 

In most cases, there are 4 factors that have to be established for the injured party to receive financial compensation. The party that was injured has to show that the party at fault:

  • Had a duty of care that needed to be respected in regards to the party that was injured. 
  • Breached this duty of care. 
  • Ended up causing injury through the breach of the duties. 
  • Is liable or responsible for the damages that the plaintiff experienced. 

Final Thoughts

Personal injury law tends to be very complex. It is important that you hire a personal injury attorney because of this complexity. You have to find someone that will help you out during the entire process. You will surely find someone that you can trust in the area where you live. 

Insurance companies want to pay as little as possible. There are several tactics that are used in order to discredit the injured party and show that injuries were not as serious as claimed. It is the job of the attorney to prove the full extent of all damages suffered and the injuries, together with how they impact the life of the affected party. 

Posted in Law

Can You Make a Claim Against Uber or Lyft After An Accident?

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Across the country we are seeing more than 7 billion rides each and every day in cars driven by Uber or Lyft workers. This is very much the new way to get around and with so many cars on the road, you can well imagine that accidents occur. If you are involved in one of ride sharing accidents, you may be unsure about what steps you can take, which we will help you with today. Another question which many ask is regarding an injury which has been sustained, and whether or not you could claim against the ride sharing companies if their driver is at fault. Here is what you need to know. 

What to Do In The Event of An Accident

If you are a rider in a car which has an accident the first thing that you should do is to call 911. This is standard practice for any vehicle accident. If the driver has already called the police then you won’t need to, if they say that you shouldn’t then don’t pay attention to them. Following this you should try to obtain as much information about the accident as possible, including taking photos and videos of the area and speaking to anyone who saw what happened – be sure to take their details. Finally you should make sure that you get checked out by a doctor, no matter if you have no noticeable injuries. 

Can You Make a Claim?

If you have been injured in the accident then you should most definitely speak to specialist lawyers and discuss making a claim. The claim may not necessarily be against Uber or Lyft drivers, unless it was them who was at fault for the accident. It is irrelevant at this stage who was the guilty party, the key for you is to seek the advice of legal specialists and then follow the steps which they give you. This is why gathering information regarding the accident after it has happened is so important. You have to ensure that you have evidence to support a potential claim later on down the line. 

Insurance In Place

We see these kind of payouts very often following an accident and in most states the ride sharing companies have to have at least $1 million in insurance coverage against any personal injuries which are sustained in the accident. Naturally this is not to say that you will be getting a million dollars for your claim, the amount paid will come down to what happened, who was at fault and what severity your injuries were that you sustained. Your legal team will work hard on the case to get you the compensation that you deserve, which will be more than enough to cover loss of income, medical bills and any trauma which you have suffered. 

This is generally a safe way to travel, but accidents can, and do happen. An auto accident lawsuit of any kind is always a very stressful experience. Against a ridesharing service it is even more complex and rage-inducing. But, with a help of an experienced attorney, you can get the compensation you deserve. 

Qualities To See In Your Personal Injury Lawyer

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Most personal injury lawyers end up stereotyped in the media. This leads to people thinking the wrong things about them. In reality, the personal injury attorney is one of the most dedicated of all the legal professionals you could meet. However, not all personal injury lawyers are created equal. To choose the very best one, look for the following qualities.

Investigative Skills

Personal injury law is very complex. Even if you are injured because the legitimate negligence of someone else, you might not have all the proof you need. This is where investigative skills step in to help. A very experienced injury lawyer is capable of conducting a very thorough investigation that could uncover evidence that nobody considered and that would make the claim stronger. 

Lawyers can easily review several documents and use the information they find for the case. This includes ambulance records, hospital records, medical records, accident records, witness statements, photographs, videos, tax returns, and income statements. 

Honesty

You should only consider hiring honest personal injury lawyers. This includes letting you know what the most likely case outcome is. You should never hire the attorney that makes really big promises before an investigation even happens. The excellent professional will first want to see the proof to tell you how likely it is to obtain a compensation for the injuries you suffered. 

If you feel the attorney is just telling you exactly what you want to hear and says nothing negative, the best thing you can do is to consider someone else. The attorney needs to be honest with how likely it is to recover damages, how long litigation will take, and financial payout limits. 

Organization

The best injury attorney is not late for appointments and is on time with what he promises. If you see that paperwork is lost, deadlines are missed, and the office is unkempt, you should think about another hiring. The best lawyer is always very organized. Stay away from any injury attorney that:

  • Does not properly communicate with you. 
  • Does not return phone calls. 
  • Does not respond to your emails. 
  • Postpones meeting requests. 

Lawyers cannot have a good business if they do not have clients. This is exactly why the best injury attorneys always put their clients first and make sure they communicate. Also, organization does also include having a very good team to work with in order to build stronger claims. 

Empathy

Personal injury attorneys end up reviewing several cases every single week. The bigger law firms can actually handle hundreds of serious cases at the same time. Doing this without any level of empathy is close to impossible. 

When you go through tough moments in your life, you want to be sure that your injury lawyer is empathetic and dedicated. This will make the experience of working with the attorney comforting. When the attorney does not seem to understand any of the suffering and pain you feel, just find someone else. You would have a much better experience going through the injury claim if you do so. 

Posted in Law

Things To Know Before Starting Your Legal Career Education

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The law degree is useful in so many different industries and careers. You can be a classic lawyer or offer counsel for companies. Some lawyers can even take the teaching path or go into politics. However, the truth is that the legal career is not for everyone. With this in mind, here are some very important things you have to be aware of before you start your law career education. 

Corner Offices Are Not Available Right After School

Personal injury attorneys do not immediately start working auto accident cases in Michigan after they get their degree. Divorce attorneys do not go to court fast. The truth is most new lawyers still need extra skills before they get that dream job. 

After law school, you gain all the general knowledge you need to start your career. However, this does not mean you will instantly get a very good income. 

New lawyers are usually legal assistants. Senior lawyers will pass work to them and this is the actual start of the career. 

Many Law Students Are Just Interested In Money

The legal industry is considered by people because of one of 2 reasons in most cases:

  • Being an attorney is prestigious. 
  • Attorneys make a lot of money. 

Unfortunately, because of the way in which lawyers are portrayed in TV shows, you might get a bad idea of how much you will actually earn, especially when you start out. It takes time to reach a very good income and just around 20% of attorneys actually reach the level most law students imagine. During the first 5 years of your career, you have to be prepared for some potential financial hardship. 

You Will Not Learn How To Get Your Clients

Law school teaches a lot but does not teach you how to find clients. After you get your degree, you need to start looking for clients or you need to get a beginner level job at a law firm. You cannot simply start a law firm and make it your business with a degree. 

Unfortunately, most new lawyers simply do not know how to get their clients as they finish their initial education. They have no idea how to use technology for this purpose or how to do their accounting. They do not even know how to manage or hire people. All of this can lead to struggles. 

It Is Recommended To Find A Senior Attorney To Work For

Some graduates think that they do not have to work under a senior attorney so they avoid this option. This can quickly turn out to be a very big mistake. Senior lawyers have a reputation and they already have a client base. This is useful for the novice attorney as he/she can start working and gaining experience straight away. 

The only problem with working for senior attorneys is that managing partners often do not treat new lawyers right. This is a relationship in which the new lawyer is just there to offer support for the managing partner. While this might not seem great for you, remember that gaining real-world experience is so much more important than anything else as you start your legal career.