What It’s Like to Work with a Personal Injury Lawyer
If you were seriously injured because of the negligence or willful act of another but have never worked with a personal injury lawyer before, you may be feeling uncertain about what it would be like to hire an injury attorney for help. Let’s start with why people hire personal injury lawyers.
Why do people hire personal injury lawyers?
It is common for injured victims to attempt to negotiate a settlement with the insurance agency themselves. This can be difficult when it isn’t completely clear who is liable for the accident (or how liability should be shared), when the insurance company is refusing to offer a fair settlement or when an uninsured motorist is at-fault for the accident. Injured victims hire personal injury attorneys to fight for a fair injury settlement on their behalf. Often, this means tough negotiating with the at-fault insurance company. A local personal injury attorney is best suited to navigate the negotiations because they know the laws in your state, what your case is worth and how to overcome objections by the defendant’s insurance company. In rare cases, claims go to trial for resolution and your personal injury attorney handles this process as well.
Read MoreWhen Is It Considered a Wrongful Death Car Accident?
According to IIHS, there were 33,654 fatal motor vehicle crashes in the United States in 2018, resulting in 36,560 deaths. The accidents and deaths resulted in a death rate of 11.2 deaths per 100,000 people and 1.13 deaths per 100 million miles traveled. But how do we know when a fatal accident rises to the level of wrongful death?
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Seeking Justice for Sexual Misconduct by a Medical Professional
We place a lot of trust in doctors to help keep our minds and bodies healthy. While the vast majority of health professionals are committed to acting with the utmost integrity, there are a tiny percentage who are predators. When a doctor or other medical professional sexually assaults or acts indecently with a patient, they have broken the duty of care they are expected to uphold and should be held accountable for their actions. Civil lawsuits for sexual misconduct fall under personal injury laws while criminal charges fall under criminal law.
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Read MoreDoes Sexual Misconduct Fall Under Medical Malpractice?
Patients who are victimized by sexual misconduct have the right to hold the medical professional accountable for their actions. A medical malpractice claim may be appropriate. Speak to a medical malpractice attorney who can discuss your legal rights and options.
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Avoid Flooded Roadways Because Of Increased Risk of Car Accidents
How to Drive Safely on an Icy Hill
According to data from USDOT Federal Highway Administration, there are an average of 536,731 icy road accidents every year. Out of these accidents, about 1,836 people die and 136,309 more are injured. NOAA records accident fatalities for a range of weather-related accidents such as flood, wind and cold but not for icy roads. If they did, they would find that the average icy road fatality count is 3.6 times the total deaths from all other weather hazards combined (507 combined deaths over a 10-year average compared to 1,836 for ice alone). See chart at icyroadsafety.com.
Read MoreWhat Types of Evidence Are Gathered for Personal Injury Cases?
A personal injury claim is filed to recover damages for people who were injured because of the negligence of another. Cases involving serious, long-term injuries can yield large settlements but even with less serious injuries people can recover substantial damages for medical expenses and lost wages during recovery. A lawsuit brought by a personal injury lawyer is also a way to hold the negligent party responsible for their behavior. Common types of personal injury claims include wrongful death, motor vehicle accidents, pedestrian accidents, and medical malpractice.
If you have spoken with a personal injury lawyer and they have agreed to take your case, the attorney will begin moving through the steps of a personal injury claim; beginning with gathering all relevant documents and evidence.
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Read MoreNSC: New Year’s Day Holiday Period Traffic Fatality Estimate for 2021
The National Safety Council estimates that 384 people will die in traffic accidents on U.S. roads this New Year’s Day holiday period and an additional 43,800 will suffer an injury severe enough to require medical attention. While this year is not normal, many will still choose to gather with friends and family to celebrate the new year. As it is with most holiday celebrations, alcohol is almost always involved. More people traveling on the roads combined with more people consuming alcohol, leads to increased traffic accident deaths year after year.
Read MoreWhat You Should Know about Drugged Driving Accidents
To drive safely, drivers must be fully alert and focused. Drugged driving accidents are no joke, and the consequences are just as bad. Thousands of unnecessary collisions happen every year because drivers get behind the wheel while they are impaired with drugs or alcohol. A drugged driving accident is when a crash occurs because the driver was impaired from the effects of recent drug use. After alcohol, marijuana is the most commonly found substance in drivers’ blood after they are involved in a crash. The bottom line is that drugged driving endangers the driver, their passengers, and other vehicles and pedestrians on the road.
Read MoreBellingham Woman Involved in Fatal Skagit County Car Crash
As reported by kgmi.com, a Bellingham woman named Sonja Bratz was involved in a fatal highway crash in Skagit County on the evening of Friday, December 18. According to state troopers, Bratz was driving southbound on State Route 20 when she crossed over the center line and struck a vehicle driven by an Anacortes woman. Bratz died at the scene of the accident and the driver of the other vehicle was airlifted to Harborview. At this time, it is unknown if alcohol or drugs were involved; the cause of the accident is still under investigation.