LATEST NEWS
Insurance Defense Tactics
After a serious personal injury, an individual is often confused about what to do to protect their rights. The legal process itself can be daunting. When insurance companies are notified about personal injury lawsuits that clearly have merit, there are usually two avenues they can pursue. If the personal injury claimant does not have an attorney, the insurance company can attempt to settle with the individual directly, usually for “pennies on the dollar” offering extremely low figures in exchange for a full release of all claims. However, if the individual does hire a lawyer to pursue the injury claim, the insurance company will usually hire or assign an insurance defense counsel to defend the lawsuit. Once a personal injury lawsuit is filed, the defense counsel may employ several defense tactics or “strategies” to avoid paying a valid personal injury claim timely: Delay One common defense tactic used by insurance companies
Preparing Our New York City Personal Injury Clients for Their Depositions
Over the years, our firm has learned that telling our clients how their lawsuits will normally unfold and helping them prepare for their depositions are two of our most important tasks. Once we’ve accepted your case, we’ll carefully investigate all the facts, obtain all the pertinent medical records and other documents — and then file the pleadings. Your deposition is part of the lawsuit stage known as discovery. During this process, we’ll request crucial documents and records from the defendant’s attorney (and those possessed by any insurance company that may be involved). We may also send out questions that require sworn answers to familiarize ourselves with all the defendant’s key information and defenses to your claims. And we may send out requests for admissions. Throughout this lengthy stage that can extend until a trial begins (when no agreeable settlement amount could be reached), both sides will try to learn all
Sidewalk Grates & Cellar Doors Can Cause Serious Pedestrian Accidents
While many pedestrian accidents that happen while walking down city sidewalks or crossing the street may be minor, others can lead to severe injuries. Sidewalk grates and poorly fastened cellar doors can send unsuspecting pedestrians or workers tumbling into dark vaults below. People may also stumble over poorly fitted manhole covers, gas caps, and other embedded sidewalk objects. Fortunately, New York City rules and regulations, along with state case law, recognize the need to provide compensation when property owners are negligent. What follows is a general look at liability issues pertaining to sidewalk and street injuries and a summary of some actual past cases involving these types of hazards. A few safety precautions are also shared. More common sidewalk hazards are also noted, along with the likelihood of recovering compensation for fall injuries related to them. Liability for accidents may be shared or assigned to just one party The New
Spinal Fusion Settlements & Lawsuits
If your treating physician recommends spinal fusion surgery for your cervical or lumbar spine injury, you may be wondering what impact this back surgery will have on the value of your personal injury lawsuit. Cervical or lumbar fusion surgery dramatically increase what an injury lawsuit may be worth. After all, when people have surgery, medical complications often occur and there may be a lengthy period of rehabilitation. Patients must also cope with considerable pain due to these operations, even when their doctors say they were successful. And injured parties can also lose significant earnings while completing all recommended forms of treatment. Besides noting other reasons why insurance companies may increase settlement offers after injured victims undergo spinal fusion surgeries, this article will briefly review the types of accidents that often lead to cervical (neck) or lumbar (back) spinal fusion operations. It will also reference some of the difficulties that can
Slip & Fall Lawsuit Values In New York City
How do Slip & Falls Happen? Slip and fall accidents in the New York City area including Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, Staten Island, and nearby areas happen due to a variety of reasons. A person can slip and fall because of a dangerous condition on the floor that a property owner failed to fix. This can include water, oil, ice, or any dangerous or hazardous substance that could cause someone to fall. Loose cables, debris, garbage, or wires can be a leading cause of falls. A Slip & Fall lawyer helps identify the causes of falls by investigating the facts and circumstances of the traumatic event and working with experts such as safety engineers, accident reconstruction specialists, and others. How do I win my slip & fall lawsuit? To prevail in your personal injury case and win your slip & fall injury lawsuit in New York, you will need to prove that the defendant you are suing
World Trade Center 9/11
If you or a loved one suffered serious medical injuries due to the terrorist attacks in New York City on 9/11, it’s not too late to apply for benefits. Your personal injury lawyer can help you complete all the required paperwork. No legal fees are owed to us until we succeed in securing benefits on your behalf. Billions in unclaimed funds are still available. Remembering the Four Planes Hijacked by Terrorists Back on 9/11 Nearly everyone in their late teens or older back on September 1, 2011, remembers the horrifying events that unfolded that day. At 8:45 AM that morning, an American Airlines plane carrying massive gallons of jet fuel crashed into the World Trade Center’s 110-story north tower close to the 80th floor. Hundreds of people in that building were killed instantly and many more were trapped above and below the target area where the plane hit. Roughly 18 minutes later, a second