Tag: personal injury lawyer

According to the CDC, over one million Americans suffer a slip and fall injury annually. As a result, more than 17,000 deaths are recorded under this personal injury type. The CDC categorizes slip and fall accidents into two basic types:

  • Same-level Falls
  • Elevated Falls

While same-level fall is the most common type and causes the most personal injuries, elevated falls cause more serious injuries and usually lead to a more serious case.

REMEMBER: If you or someone you know has been injured in a slip and fall accident, the steps you need to take after the incident are crucial to building the best possible legal defense in your favor.

Here are the six important steps you need to take immediately after suffering a slip and fall injury.

1.   Seek Medical Treatment Right Away

Anyone who has just suffered a slip and fall injury should prioritize their health first and seek medical treatment right away. Whether you have been hurt or not, it is vital to seek medical assistance and see a doctor for diagnosing any internal or external injury almost immediately. Otherwise, it can become a severe medical emergency. Furthermore, the medical records shall be taken as an essential piece of evidence if you require compensation for your slip and fall injury.

2.   Report and Recount

It doesn’t matter where the slip and fall accident happened. It is important to recount it to the authorized personnel at the location. It is vital to mention every detail, and if you can, capture the surrounding area through your phone and take pictures of your injuries to be used as evidence. It matters a great deal in legal proceedings if you have a written and detailed physical report of your slip and fall accident.

3.   Collect Every Bit of Information

Make sure to collect as much information as possible.  From names and contact details of bystanders, authorized personnel, or the general public at the sidewalk, make sure you have information about every person who could speak on your behalf and testify as a witness to your slip and fall accident.

4.   Keep Your Calm

Understandably, it might not be easy to keep calm in a situation like this, but it plays a significant role. If you talk unnecessarily, create a scene or talk too much with any authorized personnel like a manager or landlord, you may drive the case against your favor. It is best to take the necessary information and seek medical and legal help before making a statement that shifts blame towards you or assigns the blame onto the third party.

5.   Don’t Take the Law in Your Hand

Legal matters are better sorted under professional supervision and guidance. Do not take the law into your own hands by lashing out or documenting the whole scene just to post on social media. This will not shift the blame legally onto you, but you won’t be compensated for your injuries sustained if you go that route.

6.   Call a Personal Injury Lawyer

The best solution is to hire an experienced and qualified personal injury lawyer. Not only will a personal injury lawyer help you get fair compensation, but they will fully back you up, represent you in proceedings, and communicate on your behalf. Furthermore, the third party involved may bring out their lawyer. Hence, it is important that you also have a professional personal injury lawyer fight for you.

If you are looking for a qualified personal injury lawyer in Omaha, Nebraska, Welch Law Firm has a dedicated team of experienced personal injury lawyers awaiting your case.

Contact us for a free consultation today!

Many people don’t feel that it is necessary to hire a personal injury lawyer. They feel simple injury claims can be taken care of without spending money on legal fees.  In most cases, this is a recipe for disaster.

Contrary to popular belief, personal injury claims don’t arise from a few common situations but rather a wide variety of situations and many different types of accidents. For example, the cases can range from a major car accident to getting bitten by a neighborhood dog.

So to say, these situations can be extremely simplistic to undeniably complex. The level of your injury alone can greatly impact the processing of your claim and make all the difference in how easy it is to accomplish.

You may feel you can take on these cases on your own, but you need the best Omaha personal injury attorney there is to handle it for you.

Talk to a Personal Injury Lawyer

Just because you don’t feel the need to have a personal injury attorney represent you, you can be sure the other party will have a lawyer. Lawyers are professionally educated, trained, and practicing individuals. They spend all of their careers gaining fresh experience through fighting new cases. It is naïve to assume you could match the level of expertise with just a day’s research.

Here are some scenarios where having a personal injury lawyer is an absolute must.

I. Your Injuries Turn Out to More Serious Than You Thought

Many people are reluctant to have a personal injury attorney on board for injuries that seem minor. For example, you tripped and fell and bruised your elbow. This doesn’t even sound or seem like that big of a deal initially. However, a day goes by, and you are losing sensation in your hurt arm, and all of a sudden, a minor bruise has become a major health issue.

In such a situation, on your own, you wouldn’t have been given a chance to revisit the situation as you would have already settled for a claim that best fit your circumstances. However, a personal injury attorney would have stopped and advised you the moment you got injured to wait for the full extent of your injury to be known in order to seek the appropriate settlement.

II. Injuries That Lead To Pain and Suffering

There can be life-altering accidents that cause severe pain and emotional distress. A jury considers pain and suffering and emotional distress damages if your case is taken to court, therefore, it is best to have a pain and suffering clause in your settlement, or else it won’t be taken into consideration.

A personal injury attorney would make sure that pain and suffering is included. In fact, the lawyer would help you understand all the damages you may be entitled to, such as injuries that seem minor. Then, they would advocate on your behalf to make sure you receive a fair settlement.

Bottom Line

In conclusion, one should always get a personal injury attorney to ensure:

  • You receive the full spectrum of settlement you are entitled to;
  • Your recovery is fully paid for; and
  • Insurance companies and defendants take your claim seriously.

At Welch Law Firm, we have decades of experience handling personal injury cases across the state of Nebraska. As a result, our firm has the knowledge and expertise to fight for your rights and get you the compensation you deserve.

If you have a personal injury case, you want to secure qualified legal representation as soon as possible to ensure your rights are protected. Call Welch Law Firm today to schedule your free initial consultation and one of our experienced personal injury attorneys will review your case.

The revenue for the personal injury lawyer and attorney industry is set to reach $35 billion by the end of 2019.

This is because more people are standing up for themselves and going for the compensation they are entitled to. However, there are still many who do not pursue legal action even though they could have won a lot in damages.

If you have been in an accident but are unsure if you should reach out to a lawyer, then these are the main signs that you should.

1. A Personal Injury Lawyer can Help if Your Injury is Severe

For all the people you hear complaining about their pains there are often far more who keep it to themselves.

Most people do not want to be seen as weak or be a burden on other people. So, they ignore their issues and try to move on.

This counts for both physical and mental damage. Some people who have been in car accidents become terrified of driving and are unable to commute to work.

If your injury has reduced your ability to work or live, then you need to speak up and get help.

2. The Injury is Permanent

If something happened that was not your fault and changed your life forever then it is very likely you can successfully make a claim.

It does not have to be something serious or life-threatening. For example, if an accident leaves you unable to fully extend your finger then that still affects your quality of life.

If what happened to you is irreversible then a personal accident lawyer may be the way to go.

3. The Cause was Because of Something Faulty

The reason we have regulatory bodies is to ensure a minimum standard of safety in the products we buy.

Sometimes, companies overlook certain defects or faults and hope nothing will go wrong. Other times, they use low-quality parts that get past inspections but do not last very long.

If your injury is caused by something like a car bumper falling off or a machine not working correctly then the company who made it could be liable.

4. There is Evidence You Were Not at Fault

Dashcams have become more popular over the years for this exact reason. Before, car accident claims relied on witness accounts and inferred evidence from crash experts.

But with a dashcam, you can use the footage to prove your innocence and guarantee compensation.

If you have videos, texts, or reliable witnesses who can testify on your behalf, you will have a solid case.

5. There Were Multiple People Involved

When the accident just happened to you or involved one other person, then things are usually straightforward.

However, when many people were affected, you never know who is going to claim what. In these situations, you may find yourself being sued for your role in the damages caused even if you are suing someone else entirely.

These situations are complicated and messy; a personal injury lawyer can help protect you from cases against you and even countersue if the evidence allows it.

6. It Happened a While Ago

Sometimes after going through something traumatizing we need to take time off to recover physically and mentally.

In these situations, the last thing we want to do is deal with legal proceedings when all we want is to get better.

However, because of the statute of limitations, you only have a specific period of time where you can legally file a claim. Depending on the state, this can be anywhere from one year to six years.

Look up the duration of the statute of limitations in the state where the accident occurred. You may be running out of time to get the compensation you deserve.

7. You Are Worse Off Because of Treatment You Received Afterwards

Let's say an accident was your fault and required you to go to the hospital. While being treated something happens which causes your condition to get worse or creates a new problem altogether.

Medical negligence can and does happen. While you cannot sue someone for a small mistake, you can certainly make a claim if they were lazy or missed essential steps in your care.

In these instances, you are in a strong position to make a claim for damages to help cover your medical bills and any other problems that arose because of it.

8. Had Someone Else Been Drinking?

One of the leading causes of accidents comes from excessive drinking.

If you suffered an injury because someone else was intoxicated, then there is already a strong chance you can successfully make a claim. Of course, for this to work, you need to be able to prove the person was drunk or rely on witness testimonies to support you.

9. You are Having Trouble Collecting Money from Your Insurance

Receiving money from insurance companies is like trying to draw blood from a stone.

Despite existing to cover you if something happens, most of the time the company will do everything possible not to pay. Many insurance companies have expert lawyers and teams dedicated to finding loopholes not to pay.

Personal injury lawyers also know the law and are adept at dealing with insurance companies. They can help by going through your contract and finding iron-tight reasons you are entitled to compensation.

10. You are Already Low on Cash

Many personal accident lawyers offer a 'no win no fee' contract and even provide free consultations. If you decide not to use a lawyer, you will still need to pay to file with the courts, pay administration costs, as well as any other expenses like expert witnesses or finding information.

In these instances, the lawyer will only take the case if they think they can win. That means they are willing to spend their own time and money on your case.

Having a lawyer on your side means you have someone in your corner who is fighting for you and also driven to get compensation as well. If they win, sure, you pay them a fee, but then all of your expenses will likely be covered as part of the win.

If Possible Hire Right from the Start

Many things happen after you suffer an injury and as mentioned above, legal proceedings can be the last thing you want to deal with.

If you hire a personal injury lawyer right away, you can take time to recover while also knowing the legal stuff is being taken care of too.

Equally, the lawyer will know exactly what evidence and witnesses the case will require. These are all much easier to gather the closer to the incident.

If these reasons resonate with you, check out our personal injury services and see what we can do for you.