A PERSONAL INJURY STORY

A PERSONAL INJURY STORY
BY: TED ROXAN
the crisp winds of fall brush by your face, it
is sunday morning, and you are feeling real
GOOD. STROLLING DOWN MAIN STREET, YOU ARE
mesmerized by the beauty of the quaint
architecture. several steps more, and disaster!
LOOKING ELSEWHERE, YOU TRIP ON A BROKEN
sidewalk, tumble down with a huge thud. the
ambulance comes, takes you to the hospital, a
STORYBOOK SUNDAY TURNS INTO A COMPLETE
nightmare. was the city negligent by not fixing
the sidewalk? who is going to pay for your lost
EARNINGS WHILE YOU ARE HEALING? A SITUATION LIKE
this requires an experienced attorney, who will
evaluate the facts, and determine whether a
PERSONAL INJURY ACTION SHOULD BE BROUGHT FORTH.
specifically, this requires the expertise of a
personal injury attorney.

in the above scenario, there is a very good
chance an attorney will secure you more monetary
COMPENSATION THAN YOU CAN DO FOR YOURSELF.
personal injury, however, is a specialized field
that requires a qualified personal injury
ATTORNEY TO HANDLE THE CASE.
before you contact an attorney i suggest you
prepare the following documents:

1) write down as much as you can about the
accident itself, your injuries, and any other
LOSSES (SUCH AS WAGES) YOU'VE SUFFERED AS A
result of the accident.

2) MAKE NOTES ON ANYONE WHO MAY HAVE SEEN THE
accident, or whom you may have spoken to, or who
helped you.

3) go back and try to gather evidence, pictures,
eye witness statements, any other information,
OR MATERIALS THAT MAY HELP YOUR CASE.

once you establish whether it was a result of
NEGLIGENCE, IT IS IN YOUR BEST INTEREST TO FILE
your claim as soon as possible. there are time
limits if you plan on suing a government, or
MUNICIPALITY. EACH STATE HAS THEIR RESPECTIVE
statutes of limitations, so check with your own
state on this one.

personal injury victims with a strong case
should not have to pay any out of pocket
EXPENSES. ANY ATTORNEY WORTH HIS SALT WILL TAKE
on a personal injury case on a contingency
basis. this means that the attorney will cover
ALL EXPENSES DURING THE TRIAL, AND TAKE HIS FEE
as a percentage of the recovery. typically, this
ranges from 1/3 to 1/2 of the total damages. the
BEST PLACE TO FIND THE APPROPRIATE PERSONAL
injury lawyer, is through referrals. ask
friends, or relatives, professional lawyers who
DO NOT SPECIALIZE IN PERSONAL INJURY CASES,
however they should guide you in the right
direction. in addition, most local bar
ASSOCIATIONS HAVE REFERRAL SERVICES IN WHICH THE
names of lawyers are available, arranged by
legal specialty.

as with anything, prevention is the best
medicine. try to avoid situations that could be
POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS, OR HARMFUL. IN THE RARE
cases when this is unavoidable, be sure you
follow the appropriate procedures, and don't be
INTIMIDATED BY INSURANCE COMPANIES, OR
government agencies, hire a personal injury
attorney, and receive the compensation you
DESERVE.

about the author:
dr. jay b stockman is a contributing editor for
PERSONAL INJURY ONLINE, AND HAS EXTENSIVE
experience with personal injury cases. for more
information, please visit our
HTTP://PERSONAL-INJURY-ATTORNEYONLINE.COM/
[2]personal injury forum

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