Compassionate Advice For Personal Injury Claim Procedures

Getting injured due to someone else’s negligence can feel overwhelming. Many victims feel confused about where to start looking for justice. A personal injury lawyer can guide you through the legal process and ensure you take the right steps. Knowing what to do first can make a big difference in the outcome. Seeking professional help early ensures you have the support you need.

Common Obstacles to Claims

Many claimants struggle with paperwork and negotiations. You need proper documentation to support your case and show the extent of your injuries. Gathering evidence strengthens your claim and increases the likelihood of fair compensation. Medical records, witness statements, and accident reports help your personal injury attorney understand the circumstances surrounding it. Insurance companies may try to minimize payouts, making legal support critical for success. Many claimants struggle with paperwork and negotiations.

How Personal Injury Claims Work

A personal injury claim covers many situations and types of accidents. Common cases include car accidents, slip and falls, and defective equipment injuries. If an injury happens on public property, special rules may apply that could impact your claim. Seeking legal advice early helps avoid mistakes that could reduce your compensation. Each case follows a timeline that must be followed closely. The first step is reporting the injury to the proper authorities. Gather proof of damages to support your case. Then, file a claim with the responsible party’s insurer. Negotiations follow, leading to settlement offers

Public Property And Premises Liability Cases

Injuries on public property involve unique legal challenges that can make claims more complicated. Government entities may have different liability rules, which means additional steps may be required. Filing deadlines can be much shorter than private claims, leaving less time to act. Understanding these differences prevents missed opportunities for compensation. Slip and fall accidents are common in public places, often due to unsafe conditions. Wet floors, uneven sidewalks, or poor lighting can cause injuries that lead to significant medical costs. If negligence contributed, you may have a valid claim.

Defective Equipment And Workplace Injuries

Faulty tools or machinery cause serious injuries in many workplaces and industries. If defective products lead to harm, a claim against the manufacturer may be possible under product liability laws. These laws hold companies accountable for failing to ensure product safety. Employers must also maintain safe work environments to protect employees. Reporting workplace injuries ensures proper compensation and medical care. In some cases, additional claims against third parties may be possible.

An experienced personal injury lawyer understands complex claims and the tactics insurance companies use. They negotiate with insurers, gather necessary documentation, and handle paperwork on your behalf. Without legal help, victims may accept low settlements that do not cover their full expenses. Lawyers fight for full compensation, ensuring you receive what you deserve. A strong case requires expert analysis to support your claim. Medical reports, accident reconstruction, and professional testimony can provide critical evidence. The right legal strategy increases settlement chances and reduces stress for the injured party. Having a legal advocate

A Great Personal Injury Lawyer Will Stand Up to Corporate Law Teams

After a personal injury incident, you must fulfill several obligations such as file an insurance claim and if appropriate, build a persuasive case before filing a civil lawsuit that seeks monetary damages. Hiring a personal injury lawyer helps you receive the legal support required to move through the insurance claim and civil lawsuit processes. In addition, a great personal injury lawyer will stand up to corporate law teams.

Facing a corporate law team presents different types of obstacles to hurdle than the obstacles presented by small law firms and individual attorneys. First, corporate law teams possess many more legal resources to pull from when the time comes to litigate your case. Second, corporate law firms assign attorneys to cases that match their legal specialization. You can count on facing an experienced team of litigators that specialize in litigating personal injury cases, Third, corporate law teams consist of experienced attorneys who have established professional relationships with the participants in a case such as the judge.

Let’s see how a personal injury attorney stands up to corporate law teams.

Interacts with the Insurance Company

Insurance companies often take advantage of policyholders who file claims without the legal support provided by a personal injury attorney. Following the advice of the corporate law team, an insurance company might delay processing your claim and/or undervalue the amount of compensation. Your personal injury lawyer interacts with every employee representing the insurance company who is involved with your claim, which includes the lawyers who are part of the corporate law team.

Meet Deadlines

A corporate law team advises its clients not to make you aware of filing deadlines. Although you do not have to meet a deadline to file an auto insurance claim, you should act with a sense of urgency to receive compensation in a timely manner. However, you do have to meet a deadline if you file an appeal on a denied insurance claim or for an insurance claim that is undervalued. For a civil lawsuit, you must file the proper documents before the expiration of the statute of limitations. Each state has established a deadline for filing a personal injury lawsuit.

Negotiate a Settlement

Most civil lawsuits that concern personal injury law never reach the trial phase of the litigation process. Instead, both parties try to negotiate a settlement to avoid a costly and time-consuming civil trial. Corporate law teams assign the most skilled negotiators to go back and forth with personal injury attorneys. This means you should counter that expertise by hiring a personal injury lawyer who has a proven record of success negotiating settlements for personal injury cases. Your personal injury lawyer submits an offer, which the other party accepts or rejects. Several rounds of counter offers can follow until both parties reach a settlement.

Hire the Most Skilled Personal Injury Lawyer

What defines a skilled personal injury attorney? It starts with years of experience. You want to work with an accomplished litigator who has compiled many years of experience getting the clients the compensation that they deserve. Your personal injury lawyer should understand complex medical terms to help you receive just compensation for medical expenses. As previously mentioned, your personal injury attorney should possess effective negotiating skills to counter the skill level of a corporate team of litigators. Finally, a personal injury lawyer should be a responsive communicator to help you navigate the many obstacles that can block the progress of your case.

To confirm the skill level of every personal injury attorney on your shortlist of candidates, read the reviews left by clients on sites such as Yelp and Google. You also should access every attorney’s Better Business Bureau (BBB) page.

A Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help You Settle Slip and Fall Cases Quickly

At first, you feel embarrassed because you slipped and fell. However, the embarrassment wears off fast, as you realize that you have sustained an injury. Slip and fall incidents do not make the front page of the local newspaper like car accident cases sometimes do. They also do not receive the same scrutiny as medical malpractice cases. However, slip and fall incidents can cause serious injuries, such as a fractured arm or a traumatic brain injury (TBI).

According to research conducted by the National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI), slip and fall cases account for more than one million emergency room visits every year in the United States. If you sustained one or more injuries as the result of a slip and fall incident, you should act with a sense of urgency by contacting an experienced personal injury attorney who specializes in handling slip and fall cases. A personal injury lawyer can help you settle a slip and fall case quickly for several reasons.

Monitors Your Insurance Claim

Insurance adjusters love it when policyholders do not receive legal support during the claim filing process. Without a state-licensed personal injury attorney, an insurance adjuster is more likely to deny your claim even if you submit persuasive physical evidence. You also might deal with an insurance adjuster who prolongs the claim review process. By hiring an experienced personal injury attorney who specializes in handling slip and fall cases, you receive an insurance claim review in a timely manner. Your lawyer monitors the progress of your claim to ensure it receives the attention that it deserves.

Negotiates a Settlement

A personal injury lawyer who possesses strong negotiation skills is more likely to settle a slip and fall case much faster than an attorney who cannot negotiate a settlement. You can settle an insurance claim through negotiations, as well as during a civil lawsuit. Negotiations start when your attorney submits a reasonable offer for compensation. The insurance adjuster or the lawyer representing the defendant either accepts the initial offer or sends it back as rejected. Several rounds of counter offers can follow until both sides reach a settlement or decide to take the next step in the process.

Calculates a Reasonable Value for Compensation

One of the most common reasons why a slip and fall case takes a long time to resolve concerns the submission of an unreasonable value for compensation. To calculate a fair value for compensation, your slip and fall attorney adds up all the tangible costs associated with your case, such as the value of diagnostic tests and treatment programs. You also have the right to receive compensation for non-monetary damages, which are often the costs associated with pain and suffering. Your personal injury lawyer has to be careful not to overvalue the costs associated with pain and suffering.

Submit Convincing Evidence

Another key to settling a slip and fall case quickly involves submitting persuasive evidence. If you slipped and fell inside a business, your attorney should be able to retrieve the footage shot by a security camera. Submission of the copies of medical bills proves what types of injuries you sustained, as well as the monetary value attached to diagnosing, treating, and rehabilitating your injuries. Your personal injury lawyer also presents witness statements, which judges and insurance adjusters typically refer to as support for the physical evidence submitted during a civil trial or with an insurance claim.

Get the legal support you deserve by contacting one of our experienced personal injury attorneys to resolve your slip and fall case quickly.

4 Steps in Hiring a Personal Injury Lawyer After a Slip and Fall

According to research conducted by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), slip and fall accidents account for around 25 percent of all workplace-related injuries. They also represent one-third of all preventable deaths.

Slip and fall incidents can unfold at any type of venue that is open to the public, including convenience and grocery stores, as well as entertainment venues such as arenas, stadiums, and movie theaters. Injuries sustained by slip and fall victims range in severity from mild bumps and bruises to compound fractures and long-term whiplash symptoms. Slip and fall incidents represent one of the most common cases handled by a personal injury lawyer.

If you sustained one or more injuries as the result of a slip and fall incident, you should follow four steps when hiring an experienced personal injury lawyer.

Seek Immediate Attention

Regardless of how you feel after a slip and fall incident, the first item on your to-do list involves getting checked out by a licensed physician. As with cases handled by a car accident lawyer, a slip and fall incident can cause injuries that do not develop symptoms for several hours or up to a couple of days, including whiplash, concussion, and soft tissue damage.

Without copies of medical bills and a detailed description of your injuries, you have no chance to get an insurance claim approved, much less win a civil lawsuit that seeks monetary damages.

Gather Physical Evidence

As with a car accident lawyer who collects physical evidence, the personal injury lawyer that you hire builds the strongest insurance claim and legal case possible by gathering physical evidence. However, you can give your personal injury lawyer a head start by presenting some of the physical evidence associated with your case.

Start by taking photographs of what you think caused your slip and fall incident. This can mean a photo of a wet spot on a floor and/or an object sticking out in a high-traffic area. You also should speak with witnesses to find one or more people to confirm what the physical evidence tells you. In addition, asking for footage from security cameras can identify the culprit that caused you harm, as well as determine whether the venue where you slipped and fell should be held legally liable for your injuries.

File an Incident Report

Employees injured by a slip and fall while at work must file an incident report within a certain amount of time. Although you are not under a similar deadline, you should file an incident report as soon as possible after a slip and fall incident. Present all the information you have collected to the owner or manager of the venue, and copy every piece of evidence to ensure your incident report does not leave out any important information by the time the venue owner or manager processes it for insurance purposes.

Receive Legal Support

The time has come to meet with a personal injury lawyer to discuss your case. Your attorney helps you submit a persuasive insurance claim, as well as monitor it to ensure it receives prompt attention from an insurance adjuster. If you encounter resistance trying to obtain video footage, your personal injury lawyer takes the steps necessary to acquire it by going through the legal system. Your personal injury lawyer also files a personal injury lawsuit against the venue if negligence played a role in you sustaining one or more injuries as the result of a slip and fall incident.

4 Examples of Personal Injury Law Benefiting Victims of a Slip and Fall Injury

Personal injury law covers several types of cases, including car and truck accidents, as well as product liability and medical malpractice. All four of these types of personal injury law cases are considered high-profile cases, as stories about these types of personal injury cases appear regularly on the nightly news and your favorite online news source. However, slip and fall incidents can be just as serious as any of the other types of personal injury cases. The National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI) recently released a study showing that slip and fall incidents result in more than one million emergency room visits each year in the United States.

Injuries sustained as the result of a slip and fall incident range from minor cuts and bruises to a compound fracture of the wrist. When we slip and start to fall, the instinctive reaction is to use one or both arms to brace for the impact delivered by the fall. This makes one or both wrists highly vulnerable to sustaining some type of fracture. Although a compound fracture represents a serious injury with potentially severe health consequences, it is just one type of serious injury that you can sustain from a slip and fall. Other types of serious injuries that result from a slip and fall include whiplash, brain trauma, and spinal cord damage.

How Does Personal Injury Law Benefit a Slip and Fall Victim?

Personal injury law protects victims of slip and fall incidents by giving them several rights that help them recover financial losses.

You Have the Right to File an Insurance Claim

When you meet with a personal injury attorney for a free case evaluation, your lawyer explains the process for filing an insurance claim. Without legal representation, the insurance company that you have to deal with might try to take advantage of you.

Filing a persuasive insurance claim starts by gathering and organizing physical evidence, such as photos of the slip and fall scene, as well as footage captured by a venue’s security cameras. Witness accounts also play a pivotal role in filing an insurance claim. Before you file the claim form, your personal injury attorney reviews it to ensure you have completed every section with accurate information. Your lawyer also closely monitors the claim to ensure it processes in a timely manner.

You Have the Right to File a Personal Injury Lawsuit

Filing a civil lawsuit that seeks monetary damages requires more preparation than the preparation required for filing an insurance claim. Your personal injury attorney must prove another party committed one or more acts of negligence. Proving negligence requires your lawyer to demonstrate the presence of four elements, starting with the element called duty of care. The venue where you slipped and fell owed you a duty of care to prevent you from sustaining one or more injuries.

The second element of proving negligence involves showing another party violated the duty of care doctrine. Then, your attorney presents evidence that you sustained injuries as the result of a slip and fall that caused financial losses.

You Have the Right to Seek Compensation

The primary goal of filing a personal injury lawsuit is to win a favorable legal judgment in the form of receiving compensation. You have the right to seek economic damages, which represent the tangible costs associated with the slip and fall incident, such as lost wages, medical bills, and property damage. Non-economic damages do not come with a price tag, but they can be as financially draining as economic damages. After a slip and fall, you might develop symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) anytime that you walk into a similar venue to the one where you slipped and fell.

Punitive damages do not cover financial losses. Instead, a judge awards punitive damages to punish a plaintiff for committing one or more acts of negligence.

You Have the Right to Discovery

One lesser-known benefit of personal injury law concerns your right to gain access to the physical evidence and witness statements acquired by the other party. The discovery phase of the litigation process grants both sides the opportunity to share information, which helps both parties determine whether taking the case to trial is worth the time and money. During the discovery phase of the litigation process, both parties can try to negotiate a settlement that avoids a costly and time-consuming trial.

Why You Should Hire an Attorney Quickly in a Slip and Fall Case

A slip and fall accident can cause one or more serious injuries, such as brain trauma, a fractured wrist, and spinal cord damage. Hiring an experienced personal injury attorney can help provide legal support in many ways, including gathering physical evidence, interviewing witnesses, and ensuring you file a persuasive civil lawsuit that seeks monetary damages.

When you meet with one of our personal injury lawyers, you can expect the attorney to encourage you to act with a sense of urgency for several reasons.

Statute of Limitations

Each state has established a deadline for filing personal injury lawsuits. Most states have set the statute of limitations between two and four years, while a few states grant as long as six years and as short as one year to take legal action. If you fail to file a civil lawsuit that seeks monetary damages before the expiration of the statute of limitations, you can expect the court clerk processing your lawsuit to remove it from the judicial docket.

The sooner you hire a slip and fall attorney, the more likely that you will file a civil lawsuit before the deadline set by the state where you live.

Witness Accounts

Witness accounts of a slip and fall accident provide legal support for the evidence gathered at the scene of a personal injury incident. For example, a fellow shopper at a grocery store can verify the footage captured by a store security camera. However, your slip and fall attorney should interview every witness as close to the date of the slip and fall accident as possible. Witnesses tend to provide less reliable versions of events the longer they wait to meet with a slip and fall lawyer.

Recover Compensation

Unless you arrange a payment plan with a debtor that allows the debtor to take out expenses from an approved insurance claim and/or a favorable legal judgment, you have the financial obligation to pay medical expenses and other types of economic damages until you receive compensation. Since medical bills can quickly run into thousands of dollars, reaching a quick settlement with an insurance company prevents you from falling deep into a financial hole that might require the filing of bankruptcy documents.

Interact with Insurance Company

The insurance company that processes your claim wants you to submit the claim as quickly as possible after a slip and fall accident. Without the legal support of a personal injury attorney, the insurance company might take advantage of you by denying a valid claim or approving a claim that is valued well below what you deserve. Because the insurance company wants you to file a claim shortly after a slip and fall accident, you must act quickly when hiring an experienced personal injury lawyer to handle your case.

Crowded Judicial Docket

The judicial docket for civil lawsuits is typically crowded with cases. This means you might experience a delay in the processing of your case, especially if you plan to take the case to the trial phase of the litigation process. Hiring a personal injury attorney as quickly as possible after a slip and fall accident gets your case heard sooner than if you wait to hire a lawyer a few months down the road.

When the Unthinkable Happens

If your loved one has died as the result of someone else’s negligence, you need a trusted lawyer at your side to fight for your family’s rights.  Fatalities that are the result of motor vehicle accidents, medical malpractice, or product liability are often very complicated and require an experienced attorney who has the expertise to determine who is responsible.  Depending on the circumstances, a case may involve persons, companies, and/or governmental agencies that are legally at fault for acting negligently and/or for acting intentionally.    

The attorneys at Schiff & Associates understand that while no amount of money can make up for the loss of your loved one, we are committed to helping you through this difficult time.  Our team will get to work to seek compensation for your losses including current and future wages from the deceased, lost companionship, funeral expenses, and in some cases punitive damages. 

Several of our attorneys specialize in wrongful death cases such as Craig T. Smith, whose focus is on obtaining settlements, particularly in wrongful death and serious injury cases. To each case, Craig brings his solid legal background as well as a commitment to helping people who are in difficult circumstances. In fact he says that “There’s a satisfaction that comes when I make a difference in people’s lives.”

Filing a wrongful death lawsuit with the help of our experienced attorneys can be the first step toward relieving your financial burden as well as seeing to it that the responsible party accepts responsibility for the accident. Contact us to set up a complimentary case evaluation and consultation.  As we will represent you on a contingency basis, you will pay no attorney costs or fees unless we successfully recover a settlement.

The experienced attorneys at Schiff & Associates have offered the area trusted legal representation in cases of personal injury and wrongful death since 1982.  We have a history of getting clients the results they deserve and recognize that financial recovery from an accident is just as important as physical recovery.  Call today for information regarding legal services from Columbus, Ohio’s top personal injury lawyer.

Slip & Fall Accidents Can Not Only Be Serious But Expensive

The National Safety Council states that, “slips, trips and falls are one of the most common and costly workplace incidents across all industries.”  In fact slip and fall accidents are one of the leading causes of workers’ compensation claims in the U.S. and are responsible for sending 9 million people to the hospital annually.  Furthermore, the average cost of a slip and fall is $20,000 per accident and results in 95 million workdays being lost each year according to the EHS Today website.  The Occupational Safety & Health Administration’s (OSHA) statistics show slip and fall incidences account for 15 percent of all accidental deaths, and are second only to motor vehicles as a cause of fatalities.

The attorneys at Schiff & Associates have a long history of litigating slip and fall accidents and getting results for clients injured in premises liability cases as well as workplace incidents.  Our workers’ compensation attorneys are experienced in handling every aspect of a BWC claim including interacting with the MCO’s, TPA’s and BWC regardless of the severity of the injury or if the accident resulted in loss of life.  In addition our attorneys will represent you at administrative hearings and courts appeals whenever necessary.

Getting injured and then trying to navigate the complicated process of filing a BWC claim can be extremely difficult on your own.  This is why we offer a free consultation and evaluation of your case with one of our specialized workers’ compensation attorneys.   At Schiff & Associates, we have a long tradition of winning, and we welcome the opportunity to talk to you about your case.   Please contact us today.

The experienced attorneys at Schiff & Associates have offered the area trusted legal representation in cases of personal injury and wrongful death since 1982.  We have a history of getting clients the results they deserve and recognize that financial recovery from an accident is just as important as physical recovery.  Call today for information regarding legal services from Columbus, Ohio’s top personal injury lawyer.

Source: ehstoday.com/safety/high-cost-slips-trips-and-falls-infographic

Injured in a Preventable Accident?

If you or a loved one was injured or died as a result of a preventable accident that was the result of someone’s negligence, you need the advice of an experienced slip and fall attorney.  The law offices of Schiff & Associates have a successful track record of obtaining fair settlements for clients injured in premises liability cases.  Our staff knows how to investigate these types of accidents, prove liability and negotiate or litigate for the maximum compensation for personal injury victims. 

Each year, a countless number of people are injured in supermarkets, retail stores, bars and restaurants, parking lots, apartment buildings, and private homes that result in injuries such as serious back injuries, head trauma, or multiple fractures.  In many cases property owners could have prevented these injuries.  As an experienced slip and fall lawyer, we have the expertise to determine who is responsible and fight for a fair settlement. 

Expenses from slip and fall injuries can include medical care, lost wages, and loss of enjoyment of life.  As one of our attorneys, Keith J. Shepardson says, “Helping the injured party who is in a difficult situation helps to balance the scales.”  Keith has been with our firm for over fifteen years and explains that as an attorney he “can fight for the personal injury victim, the person who doesn’t have the knowledge or the resources to confront the attorneys of an insurance company. I can help them with their recovery.”  Another of our lawyers, Terry Hummel sums it up by saying, “As attorneys, our role in society is to obtain some level of justice for our clients,”

Your first initial consultation is free and we work on a contingency basis so you will not pay any attorney fees or costs unless you received a settlement.  Please contact us today to learn more.   

The experienced attorneys at Schiff & Associates have offered the area trusted legal representation in cases of personal injury and wrongful death since 1982.  We have a history of getting clients the results they deserve and recognize that financial recovery from an accident is just as important as physical recovery.  Call today for information regarding legal services from Columbus, Ohio’s top personal injury lawyer.

Soft Tissue Injuries – Get the Advice of Experienced Attorneys

As experienced personal injury attorneys, Schiff & Associates have successfully handled thousands of soft tissue injury cases every year.  These types of injuries can occur as a result of a car accident, sports activities, in the workplace, or on a construction site.  The most common soft tissue injuries involve back, neck and shoulder sprains and strains, whiplash, herniated discs, and other injuries involving muscles, tendons, ligaments, and nerves.  

If you are a victim of a painful, disabling injury that is the result of another party’s negligence, you need to seek the advice of an experienced attorney.  Schiff & Associates understands that the debilitating effects of your injuries may be impacting your quality of life and that there are likely to be medical costs associated with your injury.  In addition you may have lost your income if your injuries are such that they prevent you from working.

Our team of experts has the knowhow to quickly resolve your injury claim and to help you recover medical expenses as well as compensation for pain and suffering associated with your injury.  After our initial consultation, we begin by conducting a thorough investigation of the evidence and medical records with the goal of getting our clients the financial settlement due to them. 

Please see our website to learn more about our quality legal representation and personal services.  Your initial consultation with us is free and you will not pay any attorney fees or costs unless we win you a settlement.  Our attorneys are committed to ensuring that the parties responsible for your injuries pay.

The experienced team of Schiff & Associates has offered the area trusted legal representation in cases of personal injury and wrongful death since 1982.  We have a history of getting clients the results they deserve and recognize that financial recovery from an accident is just as important as physical recovery.  Contact us for more information on expert legal services from Columbus, Ohio’s top personal injury lawyer.