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Posts Tagged ‘personal injury lawyer’

Compensation Claims For Major Injuries: Know Before You Sue!

December 16th, 2009

A compensation claim is a monetary amount claimed by an individual to compensate for an accident, or personal injury. Its purpose is to make up for the loss suffered by the individual, and help him/her in overcoming that loss.

There are two main aspects for a compensation claim. The first are general damages, which are for the pain and suffering caused by the injury, and any treatment to be done. This depends on the form of injury suffered, how extensive is the recovery, and whether there will be any lasting effects. The next aspect is special damages, which are to reimburse financial losses incurred, or expenses paid. This can include lost earnings, and travelling expenses.

A person may claim compensation for a variety of injuries. However, these are most common with traffic accidents, which include being hit by a car or a motor bike. Furthermore, you may also file for compensation claims from injuries like broken limbs, whiplashes, head injuries, or some ever more serious injuries.

If an injury is serious enough that it affects the normal way in which a person works or something that affects his performance, and it can be beyond attribute a doubt to fault of someone else, it is important enough to be filed a compensation claim on. It is a serious misconception that only those injuries that threaten the life of a person can be filed for compensation.

Another major category of injury claims is work place accidents. Your employer has a legal responsibility to provide you a safe, and secure working environment. If the accident was not your fault, and was caused by inadequate safety procedures, then you can claim compensation for your loss, and suffering. If you have moderate injuries such as broken bones, whiplash, or serious injuries such as loss of limb, you can claim the appropriate amount of compensation.

You may also file a claim if you have been a victim of medical negligence. If you feel that your doctor has not given you the treatment you deserved, or your case was not handled in an appropriate manner, you could file a claim against this. Most medical negligence cases are filed when victims suffer from complications after surgeries due to faulty behaviour of their doctors. If that is the case, it does not matter whether the injury was major or minor, a claim should be filed.

Claims of compensation could also be filed, as a consumer of a product that you might have used. Very often businesses sell products that do not give the service it was supposed to, or using it led to physical harm, or injury. If that is the case, compensation claims could be registered.

If you feel that you are the victim of an injury, which is not your fault, then the first step is to hire a solicitor who can guide you through the process. These solicitors are known as personal injury lawyers, and they are experts in this field. Before making a claim, it is important to analyse whether it will hold up in court or not. Thus, it is important to get expert advice on this matter.

Daniel Burg is a insurance consultant. To make guaranteed personal injury claim contact a specialist today and visit his recommended website for more information at http://www.firstpersonalinjury.co.uk/.

Daniel Burg Insurance , , ,

Almost $50 Million Awarded In Injury Case

October 7th, 2009
by Gus Kalakis

A California jury has awarded forty-nine million dollars to a student injured in a truck collision. The student suffered life-changing injuries including traumatic injury to his brain.

This could be the largest single-plaintiff verdict in a personal injury lawsuit in the last decade in Santa Clara county.

This comes as a surprise considering the conservative reputation that Santa Clara juries have developed over the years. Historically, juries in this area have been reluctant to award a plaintiff such a large verdict.

While some believe the award will be overturned on appeal, many believe that it will not. This is due largely to the fact that a large portion of the verdict was for damages arising from the plaintiff’s out of pocket expenses.

In May of 2007, the plaintiff’s car was struck by a semi truck that had collided with another truck. According to the plaintiff’s personal injury lawyer, the plaintiff’s severe injuries require the plaintiff to receive medical care at all times of the day. The plaintiff was only twenty-one years old at the time of the collision.

Over twenty-seven million dollars was awarded on the basis of future medical expenses. This is due to the fact that plaintiff will require full-time medical care for the rest of his life. The plaintiff was only 21 at the time of the incident and will therefore require such care for many years.

The personal injury lawyer for the plaintiff went on to add that the award is a true reflection of the costs associated with caring for and treating people who have suffered traumatic brain injuries. When someone loses an appendage, medicine can provide a prosthetic replacement. Unfortunately, when someone loses their cognitive abilities, there simply isn’t very much that medicine can provide to replace such a loss.

At the conclusion of the trial, which lasted for five weeks, the jury apportioned fault to the various defendants. 60% was attributed to the driver striking the plaintiff’s vehicle and 35% to the other driver.

Despite the juries apportionment of 35% of fault to the second truck driver and company, the defendant company maintained that its driver was not at fault at all for this incident.

California had settled with the plaintiff for $10 million prior to the conclusion of trial, according to an attorney for the state.

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Gus Kalakis Legal , , , , , ,

A Quick Overview Of Personal Injury Law

October 5th, 2009
by Gus Kalakis

The legal term personal injury applies to situations where an individual’s physical, mental, or emotional “being” suffers an injury. It is not applied to situations where there are damages involving property. When a plaintiff alleges that a defendant has acted negligently to cause some kind of injury to plaintiff’s physical, mental, or emotional state, they bring a personal injury lawsuit. A personal injury lawsuit is a civil action as opposed to a criminal case.

Typical personal injury claims include traffic accidents, assault claims, and defective product accidents. The term personal injury also incorporates medical and dental accidents and conditions that are often classified as industrial accidents/diseases, including mesothelioma, vibration white finger, occupational deafness, occupational stress, contact dermititis, and repetitive strain injury cases.

If all the elements of a personal injury case can be proven, the plaintiff may be entitled to recover money damages. These money damages may included recovery of lost and future wages, medical costs, and pain and suffering. In the United States, most personal injury lawyers are paid on a contingency fee basis. This arrangement means that the lawyer’s fee is paid from any recovery they are able to procure for their client. The purpose of the contingency fee is to provide access to legal assistance to those that would otherwise be unable to afford a personal injury lawyer.

As American law is rooted in the traditions of the United Kingdom, there is much overlap between English law and that of the United States. For example, in England, there are rules of limitation which require a person to bring a case for compensation within a certain amount of time. There were exceptions to such rules when the injured individual was a minor. This rule of limitation was carried across the ocean to the United States where statutes of limitation have been developed which time-bar stale claims.

There are several elements that an injured plaintiff must prove at trial in order to recover monetary compensation. First, the plaintiff must prove that the defendant owed the plaintiff a duty of care. Second, the plaintiff must prove that the defendant failed to act within that duty. Third, the plaintiff must prove that as a result of the defendant’s failure to use reasonable care, the plaintiff was injured. Finally, the plaintiff must show the jury the nature and extent of the injuries or damages that he sustained.

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Gus Kalakis Legal , , , , , ,

And In This Ring We Have Tort Reform

October 5th, 2009
by Gus Kalakis

Tort reform truly is the sideshow of the health care discussion. Michael Hiltzik tells us why it is so popular:

“Insurance companies love it because the less money they pay out to plaintiffs, the more they get to keep. Republicans love it because trial lawyers give three-quarters of their political donations to Democrats. And Democrats pay it lip service because theyre afraid to look like lawyer lovers.

Couldnt have said it better myself. In almost every political discussion, the giant elephant is self-interest. No one wants to accept that we all argue from our own self-interests. The unfortunate problem is that too many of us are losing sight of whats actually good for us. Misdirection and slight-of-hand are big business in politics today.

That facts according to Hiltzik are:

Liability for medical mistakes is estimated to contribute to no more than three percent of all U.S. health care spending. That means out of the over one-trillion dollars of annual health care costs, approx. fifty-billion dollars is comprised of malpractice litigation. In other words, even if we eliminated medical liability altogether, we would be in the exact same situation with health care.

The insurance lobby spends big money to convince Americans that frivolous medical malpractice cases are the reason they can’t afford health care. While there is no doubt that frivolous cases are filed every day, these cases account for very little of the health care problem in America today. Tort reform is one of those hot button topics that gets everybody fired up, but doesn’t really offer any solution to the greater problem. In fact, we are quick to forget that lawsuits are one of the main checks that drive quality health care in our country.

In fact, in places where tort reform has taken firm root, we have not seen a dramatic decrease in health care costs. Do you know what we have seen in those areas? Greater profitability for insurance companies. Even worse, people with legitimate personal injury and medical malpractice claims go without compensation.

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Gus Kalakis Legal , , , , , , ,

Personal Injury Lawyer In Bristol In Unusual Compensation Case

September 28th, 2009
by Don McGowan

Sperm samples are the one chance of terminally ill patients to live on in this world after they pass away, in the form of their children, created through artificial insemination. Imagine how crushed and furious the six patients of North Bristol NHS Trust were when they discovered that a hospital freezer had failed and their frozen sperm samples were destroyed.

The six men, one of which has now passed away had had their sperm samples frozen because they feared that the cancer treatment that they were set to receive would render them infertile, so whether they lived or died, their partners could have the option to conceive a child regardless. The six men decided to pursue the case through the legal system and, after seeking legal advice from a personal injury lawyer, decided to sue the hospital on grounds of personal injury.

Their sperm was frozen some years ago, yet any hopes for conception were destroyed when a Southmead hospital’s freezer stopped working; because none of the men are expected to regain fertility, their chances for children are now shattered.

When North Bristol NHS trust were asked about the incident, they did admit to a breach of duty, yet a county court judge stated that they were not liable to pay out on the damages of personal injury that were being claimed by the men, as the samples were ‘out of body’. The judge had not seen many cases this unusual.

A Bristol personal injury lawyer contested this point, claiming that the sperm was still living and biologically active, although in a suspended state and that the sperm still contained the same use, potential and intention as it would have had it remained in the men’s bodies’, quite unlike toenails and hair clippings.

In contention, North Bristol NHS trust’s lawyers asserted that the men had suffered no personal injury as the sperm samples were incapable of amounting to ‘property’, certainly not in the legal sense of the term.

If you feel that you have suffered a personal injury that was not your fault and are deserved of compensation, then contact a injury lawyer today, for some useful legal advice; while this case is particularly unusual, you may have suffered some personal injury that makes your damages claimable.

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Don McGowan Legal , , , , , , , , , ,

Ask A Personal Injury Solicitor In Bristol To Help When Claiming For A Childbirth Injury

September 14th, 2009

If your infant has been unfortunate to suffer injury during birth, then a personal injury solicitor will be able to advise you on the best course of action.

If you are eligible for compensation you should pursue it for yourself and your family, even though it can be time consuming and stressful.

The happiness you get from holding your newborn child is one of the few things in life which cannot really be compared.

While most births are uncomplicated, unfortunately and very sadly for some parents, about three and a half percent of births result in childbirth injuries.

Most successful claims of birth injuries are due to the injury being a result of medical negligence. According to Medical Negligence UK, occasionally injuries are caused as a result of medical negligence by doctors or hospitals during delivery.

Damage can occur if excessive force is applied during delivery or there is a delay in performing a necessary caesarean section delivery, or if the delivery team fails to properly anticipate the size of a baby.

Some of the more common injuries are Cerebral Palsy, Erbs Palsy, Klumke’s Palsy ,Bracjial Plexus Palsy, Horners Syndrome, Broken Collar Bone, and Shoulder Dystocia.

All of these illnesses and injuries can have devastating effects on the life of a child or on the lives of the family and loved ones that have to place more care and attention for them than they would had the injury not taken place.

Parents often have to leave work or reduce their other commitments which can put a huge strain on their finances, and this is really where personal injury solicitors can help those that have suffered.

As it can be a very sensitive subject, many law firms offer specialist counselling and legal advice on the best way of processing a claim for a birth injury; a good personal injury solicitor will often be a shoulder to cry on as well as offering excellent legal assistance.

If you want to compare UK injury solicitors or are looking for a Bristol personal injury solicitor, visit Takelegaladvice.com. Don McGowan writes about legal advice.

John Miller Legal , , , , , , , , , ,

Nursing Home Negligence: How a Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help

August 24th, 2009
by Don M. Maxwell

The staff at your mom’s nursing home was negligent and caused major injuries. You need the people responsible to be accountable and you want to prevent it from happening again. Your family needs compensation for what happened. You tried to work it out on your own but got no where. So what now? You need an excellent personal injury lawyer and you need her immediately. She’ll dig into the details of your case and work to get the damages you deserve.

Because there have been so many problems stemming from the incident you need compensation. The nursing home just gave you the run around and it is clear that they aren’t going to do right by you. Your attorney has experience dealing with situations just like yours and will nail them to the wall for what they did. It’s her job to keep track of all the moving parts so that you can pay attention to helping your family. Personal injury lawyers seem to be everywhere. The phone book, television and Internet have tons of ads. Ask your friends and coworkers for a referral and call the local bar association. Don’t settle for just any attorney; get yourself a bulldog.

There are so many personal injury attorneys out there, how do you know the one you picked is the best? First make sure that he is licensed to practice in your state. Find out how long he’s been in practice and how many personal injury cases he has handled. Ask him how many of his personal injury cases go to court and how many are settled. Check with the state bar association to see if he is in good standing with no complaints. Find out who will actually be handling your case. Will he turn the brunt of the work over to a junior attorney in the firm who is less experienced?

The first time you meet with a lawyer it should be a free consultation to find out whether you really have a case and potential damages. Look for one who asks you a lot of questions about what happened and really listens to what you have to say. Find another lawyer if he spends the whole visit boasting about how much money you’ll get before he even learns the details of your case. When you leave, you should clearly understand the process and what to expect. If she’s a good attorney then she’ll have a crack team working for her and you should meet the staff who will work on your case. Don’t go home wondering how she’ll get paid.

In personal injury cases, the details matter. The opposing side will try to minimize the injuries and damages or try to link them to previous incident. Your attorney will want to see all medical records and will probably enlist the help an expert. You and anyone else involved in the case will most likely undergo a formal interview called a deposition in which both your attorney and the other side ask you questions about what happened. You might go through a mediation process to try to settle the case without going to court. Your attorney should talk you through all these steps and any others to make sure you fully understand what is happening and why.

Nursing home negligence can really be a horrific situation and you can’t battle it on your own. The best thing to do is turn it all over to an experienced personal injury lawyer. She’ll go to the mat for you and squeeze every dime you deserve from the responsible party. You can turn your attention to where it really matters, your family, knowing that you hired the best.

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Don M. Maxwell Legal , , ,

Ways That A Personal Injury Solicitor In Sheffield Might Assist You In Your Suit Against Law Enforcement

August 10th, 2009
by Dave Harfield

A personal injury solicitor in Sheffield can help you claim damages against the police if you feel that you have suffered unfair personal injury at the hands of one of their officers.

In present-day society, most believe that police and other authority figures exist to ***protect and serve***, and overall make the world better. This is usually the case, police are there to chase criminals, look out for trouble, and watch out for all of us.

That being said, it’s not unheard of for the police to abuse their power and assault innocent members of the public; these cases need to be pursued and examples need to be made of the offending officers. If no one “polices the police,” our cities will become extremely dangerous extremely quickly — for all of us.

Since a high percentage of taxes go toward police’s wages, commensurate services are expected, and are often rendered skillfully. Although the idea of suing the police may appear completely alien to some people (because they are the people we expect to protect us), if they have abused their position they are no less liable than anyone else.

Retaining a qualified personal injury solicitor will lead to the best resolution of your case and make it much less overwhelming for you.

Due to the complicated nature of these cases, law firms usually have specialists that work on motions against the police. Making a case with police is quite different from making one with public, but it does not mean you should not prefer the claim at all.

The outcome of a police claim is like to be compensation. Your compensation would fall into one of three categories should you get it:

1. Basic damages

2. Aggravated damages – taking into account emotions (frequently not less than 1,000)

3. Exemplary Damages – for when an action was oppressive or violated the constitution

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Dave Harfield Legal , , , , , ,

How A Personal Injury Solicitor Can Help You File A Claim Against The Police

August 10th, 2009
by Dave Harfield

Should you find yourself the victim of unjust personal injury as a result of an action taken by a Sheffield police officer, you can enlist the aid of a personal injury solicitor. The solicitor can assist you in your claim for damages.

In modern society, it is understood that the police are here to protect and serve the general public, making the world a better, safer place to inhabit. Most of the time this is the case, with officers actively pursuing criminals, walking the streets on the lookout for danger and generally watching out for our general well being.

However, there have been instances in which the police have abused their power and position of authority and have assaulted innocent members of the public; these cases need to be pounced upon, and examples made of the offending officers, as without anyone “policing the police”, our society could quickly become a much more dangerous place for us all to live in.

Since a high percentage of taxes go toward police’s wages, commensurate services are expected, and are often rendered skillfully. Although the idea of suing the police may appear completely alien to some people (because they are the people we expect to protect us), if they have abused their position they are no less liable than anyone else.

The legal process can be quite scary for a newcomer so an experienced personal injury solicitor can answer questions and help you attain your desired goals.

Many law firms have specialist teams who deal specifically with actions against the police, chiefly because it can be such a complex and intricate procedure due to the nature of their establishment. Making a case against the police will not be like making a case against a regular member of the public; this does not mean that you should not pursue what you think is a just claim.

Compensation is the likely outcome of a police claim. If you were to get compensation it would fall into one of three categories:

1. Basic damages

2. Aggravated Damages – for injured feelings (usually not less than 1,000)

3. Exemplary Damages – for extreme cases

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Dave Harfield Legal , , , , , ,

The Emotional and Financial Impact of TBI

June 17th, 2009
by Amy Nutt

Traumatic Brain Injury, or TBI, occurs frequently in the U.S. Over 1.4 million people every year suffer from TBI. The impact of this kind of injury to a person who has suffered from TBI is huge.

Normal Functions Diminished A person who has suffered TBI may find that their usual abilities are lessened or lost after their injury.

Thinking capacity may be lowered, including memory and reasoning, and logical sequencing of events.

The sensations may also be affected – touch, smell and taste are often altered beyond recognition for a brain injury sufferer.s

A patient’s ability to use language as a means of expression is nearly always diminished by a TBI. Patients can’t always communicate their thoughts and feelings well, and they often have trouble with non verbal communication. Sending and interpreting non verbal cues is actually tricky business, and brain trauma makes it especially difficult.

Emotions become even more complex and challenging for a person with TBI. Many times these patients suffer from depression and anxiety as a result of their injury, or even as a result of their altered circumstances

Many experience personality changes, increased aggression in their interpersonal interactions, acting out and poor social awareness. They often behave in ways that fall outside the social norms because they no longer understand those norms in a way a person who has not suffered TBI does.

Because of all of these factors, TBI patients often need help for the rest of their lives with basic daily tasks, causing them a great deal of emotional stress and sometimes depression.

There are huge emotional tolls on the person who suffers from these severe brain injuries. These tolls come as a result of the injuries themselves and as a result of knowing that they have decreased mental capacity.

Financial Impact Dealing with TBI has serious financial consequences for the patient and the patient’s family.

Firstly, the care and treatment of the illness lasts for a lifetime. This means a that the medical costs alone can be astronomical. This is an illness that can stretch the lifetime benefits of major policies and leave families holding the bag for additional costs.

ATBI patient will need to have accommodations made for housing, transportation and education, all of which can costs thousands. These costs can also be ongoing and seemingly have no end.

One major cost of TBI that is sometimes overlooked is the loss of income suffered by the victim of the injury.

Many victims are unable to work or unable to work at their chosen careers following a brain injury. Many have to quit school or take an old job back because they are unable to learn or to function properly.

They often get fired from their previous employment because their mental functions are not able to keep up with the necessary tasks. Since many of these people never regain their jobs because the damages caused by brain injuries.

This means a long-term loss of income as a result of TBI becomes a huge factor in counting the financial impact of the illness.

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Amy Nutt Legal , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,