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Posts Tagged ‘automobile accident attorney’

Getting A Lawyer For An Auto Accident Case In California

August 16th, 2010

It’s not a particularly difficult thing to understand, is it? You are driving within speed limits on your own lane and another driver backed right into the side of your SUV, denting the door shut, losing his own tail lights, and having the bumper lost in there somewhere. But things don’t seem too bad when you get out of your car and he out of his; and he apologizes for being such a klutz and setting it all off; and you give him your insurance info, and he gives you his; and you both get back in and drive off. Imagine your surprise the when after you have waited for them to contact you for quite a while what you get is a mail that orders you to appear in court – you should have been the one suing!

It really looks simple enough, don’t you think? Maybe then, but certainly not at this moment; which is pretty much how it is when you think about auto crashes all over the United States – nothing is ever that simple. Even though you seem guiltless in the incident, you might be found guilty in court and have to disburse for the damages to both your car and the other one because you failed to pay proper attention.

But there are so many of them; who could possibly memorize them all? Truth is, you can’t; but at least your auto accident lawyer can. The American Institute for Highway Safety reveals that the states of California and Texas are respectively the first and second highest ranked in auto accidents and fatalities in this country. With 3,643 death causing car accidents and 4,078 resulting deaths in the former to 3,255 crashes and 3,725 deaths in the latter, there is little question here. For this reason California state highway laws are among the most stringent in the country, and you simply should never try to navigate your own way through them without an auto accident lawyer.

I’ll mention just two of them – Gillin Jacobson Ellis & Larsen, and the Henke Law group; the former considered one of California’s more popular law chambers, the second dealing in all kinds of severe bodily harm cases occurring from car and motorbike crashes through the north and south of the state. Several others can be located and contacted through websites like autoaccidentlawyers.com, or with the aid of a proficient search engine.

Increasing safety in the operation of motor vehicles by special methods and efforts, a reduction in accident fatality rates translates into saving lives and property, but even the few that do occur have to be accounted for. If you are liable, you should pay, but not more than you should; and if you are not, you should totally be let go; and you might lose out on your slim chance at having things go your way if your attorney is not by your side when the legal chips fall down in California State.

Accident Attorney

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The “Do And Don’t” List When Employing A New York Injury Attorney

June 16th, 2010

Following is a list of seven things you either should or shouldn’t do immediately following an accident and during any proceedings that invole your New York accident lawyers. Failure to follow these could result in your New York injury attorney having a weaker case, which could result in you losing any potential claims you might have.

1. Calling a Lawyer Before You Visit the Doctor. How serious could an injury be if your first concern is a lawsuit rather than medical attention? A defense attorney worth his salt is going to jump on this if he discovers that you hired a Long Island personal injury attorney before going to a doctor.

2. Going to a Doctor Other than a Medical Doctor Sure, there are plenty of good chiropractors, physical therapists, acupuncturists, holistic healers, massage therapists and others in the healing profession who can help you. However, the gold standard of medical treatment is from a medical doctor. At the end of the day it is your lawyer’s task to persuade the jury that your injuries are real and treatment was needed. Testimony from a medical doctor will be far more persuasive to the jury than testimony from a holistic healer.

3. Always Take Photographs of the Accident. If you’re uninjured, take as many photos as you can. With every cell phone having a camera on it these days, it’s relatively easy for you or someone with you to get photos of the accident. You should also take pictures of any injuries you sustained as soon as you’re hurt and as they heal. You can never have too many pictures. Never have I heard an automobile accident attorney lament the fact that he has too many pictures from his client. You may hear the lawyer on the other side complain as his client ends up having to pay you more because of all the pictures you provided. Jurors want to see the accident more than they want to hear any testimony. Seeing is believing, after all.

4. Record Anything Said at the Accident. Call an ambulance if you’ve been hurt. If you’re not hurt, you should try speaking with the other parties involved. Don’t commit to anything in your statements to the other driver, but if they are apologetic or appear to be drunk, record everything they say. Record the condition of the other driver’s car and your own. Look to see if the driver was distracted with things such as food and drink, make-up, newspapers, so on so forth. Ask for the cell phone number of the phone they have with them at the scene of the accident. Record the exact time of the accident. If you have been injured, have someone else gather all these details for you. Get to a hospital as soon as possible and follow the doctor’s orders to the letter. Once you’ve been treated you can then consider contacting a car wreck lawyer, but not before.

5. Don’t Miss Follow Up Doctor Visits. The severity of your injury determines the amount of money you receive. The severity of your injury is measured by a jury in these ways: first, the pain of the injury. Second, the permanent effects of the injury – such as scarring, loss of use, diminished range of motion, dismemberment, etc. Economic impact is the third factor, and this includes items such as lost wages or a lost job, damage to the property, etc. The last item is rather simple to discover. However, without thorough medical records the first two factors will be impossible to determine. Your credibility suffers if you claim a severe injury but fail to follow up with medical experts with regards to treatment.

6. Talking Too Much. Remember that discretion is the better part of valor. If any insurance companies or lawyers from the other side attempt to call you, direct them to your attorney. Their whole point in contacting you is to get you to settle for the smallest amount of money. They’re recording all that you say. The less you say, the better.

7. Don’t Fake an Injury. This is as bad as it gets. You have to prove to the jury that your injury exists when you claim one. A defense attorney who’s any good will use this the rest of the trial. You will be labeled a malingered and all of your injuries will be called into question. Your motor vehicle accident lawyer will have to deal with this, and the outcome might not be good.

Accident Attorney

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