ENCE
LAW
FIGHTING FOR YOU AND PROTECTING YOUR RIGHTS!
YOUR
RIGHTS WHEN YOU ARE INJURED:
ONLY YOUR LAWYER KNOWS FOR SURE
FACT
#1: You can successfully make a claim against another person
or a company or a branch of the government, even if the one being
sued had no actual knowledge about the condition that caused the
injury. For example, if you fall in a grocery store because of a
piece of lettuce on the floor, the store manager might say that
no one knew the lettuce was on the floor. But if your lawyer can
help you develop evidence that the lettuce had been on the floor
for a period of time, then you can often collect because the store
manager should have known the lettuce was on the floor if he had
been making proper inspections of the condition of the floor. Or
a city can successfully be sued if you are injured when you trip
on a large crack in the sidewalk, even if no one at the city government
actually knew about the crack in the sidewalk. If your lawyer can
help you develop evidence that the crack had been in the sidewalk
for a long time, then you can often collect because the city should
have known about the problem with the sidewalk.
FACT
#2: When you are injured and miss time from work, you can collect
money for the time you missed from work, even if your employer paid
you while you were off. The law does not allow the person who caused
your injury to be able to take advantage of the fact that your employer
paid you while you missed work, and so you are entitled to the full
value of the time you miss from work, whether you were actually
paid for the time off or not.
FACT
#3: When you are injured in an accident, the insurance company
for the party that injured you is not likely to be looking out for
your best interests. Insurance companies, like all businesses, are
interested in making a profit. Many insurance companies are publicly
traded corporations, and so they actually have a duty to their shareholders
to make as much profit as possible. Their interest in talking to
you after an accident is usually to want to settle with you for
as little money as possible. Your case may be worth many thousands
of dollars more than an insurance company offers you before you
get a lawyer. Only a lawyer experienced with personal injury claims
can properly evaluate the money value of your injury. You will almost
always wind up with a better settlement for yourself, even after
your lawyer is paid a fee. That, after all, is part of what you
are paying your lawyer for.
FACT
#4: When you are injured in an accident, there are many expenses
you are entitled to be compensated for, not just your medical bills
and your time off of work. For example, you may be compensated for
the cost of hiring extra household help, whether for cooking, cleaning,
or child care. You may be compensated for extra transportation expenses
you have for traveling to and from your doctor, your physical therapist,
or your other care givers. You may even be compensated for the cost
of job retraining and rehabilitation if you cannot go back to the
kind of work you used to do before the accident. And, of course,
you may be reimbursed for the pain and suffering you go through
because of your injuries. These additional items can often be worth
hundreds of thousands of dollars. Pain and suffering alone can be
worth millions of dollars for very serious injuries.
FACT
#5: Personal injury cases can often be complicated, and many
times important legal work and investigation need to be started
right away. Finding an experienced personal injury lawyer is important.
You have the absolute right to ask a lawyer you are considering
hiring for your case how much experience he has had handling injury
cases. At Ence Law, we have obtained millions of dollars
for our injured clients over the years. We treat every case with
the importance and attention it deserves. We know what your case
needs, and we know what has to be done to fight hard against the
insurance companies.
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HOW
YOU CAN HELP YOUR LAWYER GET YOU THE SETTLEMENT MONEY YOU DESERVE
After
an accident of any kind, your main job is to get better by getting
all of the medical attention you need. If you are not seeing the
doctor and telling the doctor about all of your complaints so that
the doctor can record your problems in your medical chart, then
the insurance company will assume you must be completely better,
even if that is not true. More than anything else, your main job
after an accident is to work closely with your doctors and therapists
and rehabilitation experts to get back on your feet. Let your personal
injury lawyer worry about getting everything else done to get you
the money settlement or award you deserve. Here are some tips for
you that will assist your lawyer in getting you that big settlement:
TIP
# 1: Starting with the day of your accident, keep a written
diary of everything that happens after your accident. You should
write down all of your medical complaints, and all of your visits
to the doctor. You should write down the date and time you have
any important conversations with witnesses or doctors, or anyone
else who might be a part of your case. It may be months before you
are better, or the insurance company may try to stall your settlement,
and unless you keep a diary that includes everything about your
medical condition and your personal contacts, you might forget some
of them.
TIP
#2: Give your attorney all of the information he needs about
your accident. Even if you think some of the information could possibly
hurt your case, your lawyer must know everything. An experienced
personal injury lawyer knows how to deal with all of the facts,
whether they are good or bad - but, your lawyer must have all of
the facts! Your lawyer will keep everything you tell him in confidence,
and he will always treat you and your case with respect and dignity.
TIP
#3: Don't talk to anyone but your attorney about your accident
or your injury. You and your lawyer are the only ones truly interested
in your success and welfare. The party that caused your accident,
and his insurance company or legal representative will be doing
everything they can to keep your final settlement down ---- or even
from getting any settlement at all. That is why you must be very
careful about who you talk to. Simple comments you make may be taken
out of context and used against you. Even if someone asks you how
you are doing, and you say, "Fine," an insurance company
could try to use that simple remark to mean that you weren't really
hurt in the accident. There also may be differences of opinion about
how an accident happened, and an innocent discrepancy in your story
could be used against you. You simply should not speak to anyone
at all about your case without your lawyer's permission.
TIP
#4: Never sign your name to anything that your lawyer has not
seen and approved. A representative of the insurance company for
the person that caused your accident might try to have you sign
your rights away, or agree to a smaller settlement than you deserve.
They might even call you while you are in the hospital, or at home.
You must tell such a person right away that you are represented
by a lawyer, and give him your lawyer's name and phone number.
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