It is hard to know how much your claim is worth when you have been seriously injured. You may measure some things, such as expenses incurred or lost time at work. Sometimes insurance companies only want to pay those things that can be measured. There is also pain and suffering, both physical and emotional, that should be part of the equation when determining what a fair settlement for your case should be. Attorney Steven Heisler has won a lot of settlements and taken many to court to win settlements for clients.
Don’t go alone
When you are injured in an accident you have a lot on your mind. The big insurance companies have a team of lawyers and they hope to pay as little as possible for insurance claims that come their way. Don’t try to take this on alone. Get a free consultation with a personal injury lawyer to help determine the value of your case and what course of action would be best.
We will always try to get the biggest settlement we can. Insurance companies know we are not afraid to go to court. Many cases are settled before they get to court, but the insurance companies need to know your attorney is not afraid to go to court if negotiations fail to reach a fair settlement.
Economic losses
When you have been injured it is important to keep all your receipts so you can show what your expenses have been. When losses are in dollar amounts that can be proven, there is not much question as to the value of the suit. Many times insurance companies will want to reimburse you only for your tangible losses. You may not need an attorney to collect these expenses, though sometimes expenses get denied and you may need some help.
Some examples of economic losses include:
- Damaged property, such as your car.
- Lost earnings now and in the future
- Medical expenses now and future
- Medical expenses
- Lost time from work
- Other expenses like services.
Non-economic losses
Intangible losses are harder to quantify, and that is why many insurance companies balk at these expenses. To be reimbursed for non-economic losses you will likely need an attorney to argue your case.
Pain and suffering, whether that be physical, mental, or emotional, deserve some compensation. What that is worth is hard to quantify. Often we go by what other cases have been settled for in determining the value.
Some examples of this type of loss include:
- Pain and suffering, emotional or physical
- Disfigurement or loss of limb
- Loss of a loved one
- Loss of quality of life
- Consortium, which is the income a family member would have earned if there had been no accident.
Truck injuries
Accidents involving big trucks often cause a lot of damage, mostly because the big truck is so much larger and heavier than the typical passenger car. When drivers, or their employers, try to slip around rules designed to keep us safe, accidents happen. In this type of case, you may have the insurance company and the trucking company to contend with, and they have a strong team of lawyers on their side.
Negligence
Most personal injury lawsuits are caused by someone being negligent. This means they failed to take normal care which caused a hazard. Of course, if it were intentional that would be a criminal matter, but you would still go to a different court to recover losses. Things like drunk drivers, or those under the influence of drugs, can cause accidents. People talking on their phones or texting is another major cause of traffic accidents.
Sometimes the manufacturer of a product is also liable if their negligence can be shown. A defective product they knew was defective, caused you to be injured, you have a solid claim.
Types of injuries
Auto accidents
Car accidents are the most common personal injury lawsuit we handle. A split-second decision can cause a bad accident, and most of the time someone was at fault. If you were injured because the other driver was negligent, you have a good lawsuit.
Slip and fall
You can slip and fall on a wet spot or a piece of ice, and that can cause a significant injury. In those cases, we need to determine if someone was negligent. If a business had a wet floor but did nothing to notify anyone, for instance, that would be negligence.
Workplace injuries
Employers have a responsibility to provide a safe place to work, both for workers and for customers. The employer should take necessary precautions, and make sure there are warnings when hazards exist. Employers are also responsible to provide adequate safety training, safety equipment, and safety equipment for employees.
Medical malpractice
Doctors have a lot of responsibility, but they do make mistakes. When they do you need someone on your side to help you get a fair settlement.
If you have any of these injuries or were hurt by some other kind of accident, give Steve Heisler a call. Accidents happen, and there can be many causes. However, when the cause is someone failed to take action to keep a hazard from affecting you, they should have to give you fair compensation for that negligence. He can help you determine whether you have a solid case, and then can help you determine what a fair settlement should be. There are many factors, and you need a personal injury attorney to put that all together in a solid case.
