1. Not Filing a Police Report
2. Not Seeking Medical Attention
Nearly each and every attorney in Boston that handles personal injury cases offers potential clients a free consultation. This allows a victim of a personal injury accident to interview different attorneys without incurring any out-of-pocket cost. It is an opportunity therefore for the accident victim to get free legal insight as to whether or not he or she has a legitimate claim that is worth pursuing.
But what exactly happens during a free consultation with a Boston personal injury attorney?
Typically, at the attorney’s office, you’ll meet with either the attorney, or an assistant for the attorney, or even a paralegal for the attorney. The individual who you meet with will begin to ask you some specific background questions about you.
Insurance companies like to play games with innocent injury victims. Don’t fall for their tricks and traps. Here are seven insider secrets insurance adjusters don’t want you to know about.
Cuando se trata de reclamaciones por la causa de accidentes, tener cuidado es esencial ya que la decisión equivocada podría destruir tu reclamo. Como abogado que ha estado representando a víctimas de lesiones personales durante casi dos décadas, me he acostumbrado a cómo funciona el proceso en casos como estos, conocidos como los 5 pecados capitales.
Para empezar, el primer pecado mortal es asumir que la compañía de seguros está de su lado. Las compañías de seguros están en el negocio con el fin de hacer dinero. A menudo, dificultan el pago a las víctimas de lesiones. Las compañías de seguros sólo te tomarán en serio a ti y a tu caso una vez que se muestren pruebas y sea evidente que vas en serio. La mejor manera de hacerlo es contratar a un abogado para que te ayude, suponiendo que necesite uno para su caso.
El segundo pecado mortal es dar a la compañía de seguros una declaración grabada. Esto debe evitarse siempre, sin embargo, si usted ya ha dado una declaración grabada a la compañía de seguros, podemos ayudar a deshacer cualquier daño que la declaración grabada puede haber causado a su reclamo.
When it comes to accident claims, being careful is essential- and the wrong move could wreck your accident claim. As an attorney who’s been representing personal injury victims for nearly two decades-I’ve become accustomed to how the game works in cases like these, known as the 5 Deadly Sins.
To begin, the first deadly sin is assuming the insurance company is on your side. Insurance companies are in the business of making money. They will often make it difficult to pay money out to deserving injury victims. Insurance companies will only take you and your case seriously once proof is shown and it’s evident that you mean business. The best way to do this is to hire an attorney to help you, assuming you need one for your case.
The second deadly sin is giving the insurance company a recorded statement. This should be avoided at all costs, however, if you have already given a recorded statement to the insurance company, we can help undo any damage the recorded statement may have caused to your claim.
Al respecto, cuando se compra un coche o se alquila un apartamento, hay que tener en cuenta muchas cosas, como el seguro, la calidad, el vecindario, etc. Es lo mismo a la hora de contratar a un abogado. Así como es importante contratar al abogado correcto, también es importante no equivocarse de representante. Hay algunas cosas en las que uno se debe fijar cuando está buscando el abogado adecuado.
Para empezar, ¿tiene el abogado un historial de quejas éticas? Si es así, quizás sea el momento de buscar otro abogado. Hay una gran cantidad de abogados que no tienen ningún cargo disciplinario presentado contra ellos. Siempre, revise el sitio web “www.massbbo.org’‘ para buscar un abogado que le interese y guste, para representarse. Si él o ella tiene un historial disciplinario manchado, puede ser una señal mala e indicación que debería seguir buscando otro abogado.
En segundo lugar, ¿le promete el abogado un acuerdo rápido? Eso también puede ser una señal de alarma, no hay duda de que los casos de lesiones personales y de compensación de los trabajadores pueden tomar un tiempo considerable para resolver, a veces el proceso puede tomar muchos meses y a veces incluso años para resolver un caso. Cualquier abogado que le diga lo contrario, no está siendo sincero con usted.
Similar to buying a car, or even renting an apartment – there are many things to consider when hiring an attorney. Just as important it is to hire the right lawyer, it is equally important to avoid hiring the wrong one. Here’s some things to look out for as you search for the right lawyer to handle your case.
To begin with, does the lawyer have a history of receiving ethical complaints? If so, maybe it’s time to look for another lawyer. There’s an abundance of lawyers that do not have any disciplinary charges filed against them. Always, always check out www.massbbo.org to search for an attorney that you were interested in hiring. If he or she has a spotty disciplinary history, that may be a red flag.
Secondly, is the attorney promising you a quick settlement? That too may be a red flag to look out for, there is no question that personal injury and workers’ compensation cases can take a considerable time to settle. Sometimes the process can take many months and sometimes even many years to settle a case. Any lawyer who tells you differently, is not being upfront and honest with you.
They say dogs are a man’s best friend, and while it’s mostly true, like everything else in life there is an exception to the rule. Without notice or warning, a dog can attack and it’s neither enjoyable nor pleasant for the dog, owner, or victim. In Massachusetts, the dog bite law is set forth in MGL c 140, s 155. Majority of the time, the owner of the dog is liable for injuries suffered in the attack with exceptions including if the victim was trespassing, committing a crime, or abusing the dog. While most states require the plaintiff to show proof of previous aggression from the dog, Massachusetts does not. State lawmakers were so prevalent in creating strict guidelines in reference to dog bites given how serious and common they are in the state.
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, more than half of all Massachusetts residents own a pet, and 1 in 4 households own a dog. Moreover, there are an average of 6,300 dog bite injuries reported annually, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. The most common dog bite injuries include fractured bones, scars, infections (including rabies), tissue loss, and lacerations. The Department of Health reports that head and facial injuries are more common in children, while adult injuries usually consist of arm and leg injuries. Once it occurs, the victim has three years from the date of injury to file a lawsuit.
In order to prevent a dog injury bite, it is important that the owner socializes the dog, reducing the risk of the dog biting out of fear. In cases where the Dog Bite law does not apply, the owner has two main defenses: trespassing and provocation. If the victim of the bite was trespassing on private property without permission, the owner cannot face a dog related injury lawsuit. Similarly, if the victim was provoking the dog (purposely teasing and tormenting- or even abusing the dog), the owner is not liable.
Una lesión en el cuerpo, efectos negativos mentales o emocionales por causa de un acidente puede ser perjudicial para la salud. Al presentar una demanda por lesiones personales, es esencial obtener una compensación justa; recibir reparación no solo por las pérdidas económicas, sino también por su dolor y sufrimiento. El dolor y el sufrimiento es el dolor físico y emocional asociado con su lesión, que puede ser transmitido de persona a persona ya que le afecta a todos asociados.
Sí algunos daños relacionados con su lesión son fáciles de cuantificar, otros no lo son. Los daños que se pueden estimar con una calculadora, es decir como ejemplo, facturas médicas o salarios perdidos, se denominan como daños económicos. Sin embargo, los daños que no se pueden cuantificar se clasifican como daños no económicos tal como los emocionales y físicos. El dolor y el sufrimiento entran en esta categoría, sin embargo, hay un par de formas en las que se puede determinar un valor; El método del multiplicador y el método “Per Diem”.
El método del multiplicador es una ecuación que se utiliza con frecuencia, especialmente por las compañías de seguros para calcular las lesiones dolorosas y el sufrimiento. A través de esta ecuación, se suma todos los daños y se multiplica ese número entre 0.5-5. Sin embargo, en algunos reclamos, si los factores son abrumadores para el demandante lesionado, el multiplicador puede aumentarse a seis, siete o incluso diez. Los factores que pueden justificar con un multiplicador alto incluyen una recuperación prolongada (seis meses o más), el médico indica que sus lesiones serán recurrentes o degenerativas, o sufrirá alguna consecuencia permanente (por ejemplo, inmovilidad). Con consideración, este no es el único enfoque para cuantificar su reclamo de valor.
If you are considering taking legal action as a result of suffering a physical injury from someone’s negligence, you might want to consider keeping a victim diary. This diary helps you keep track of your injury by providing important documentation of its complications when pursuing a legal claim.
A victim diary is written documentation of your injury that keeps track of the following items: the date of your entry, pain description, medication taken, medical visit, and bills paid as a result of your injury. Keeping track of the date of your entry allows you to create a timeline for your injury and any ailments you have suffered as a consequence of your injury. It is important to describe the pain you feel from your injury. You may describe your pain on a scale of 1-10 as this provides clear communication of the depth of your pain. You may also describe pain by including how it limits your daily life, for instance, you might not be able to bend down. You may also want to record any medication that was taken and visits to the doctor’s office as a result of your injury. This also creates a clear storyline of how this injury has affected your day-to-day life as you may have had to take time off from work to do so. And most importantly, you might want to consider writing down any bills paid from your injury. These bills may include medical visits or medication taken in order for you to recuperate from your injury. It is important to record these items as this list provides a comprehensive understanding of your injury and what action may be taken for your injury.
Although keeping a victim diary might sound easy enough, it is also important to be consistent in your entries. Consistency allows for you to create a clear narrative of your injury which helps you in your legal claim. It is recommended that you add entries to your diary every day or a few times a week as you recover from your injury. It is also important to be honest when writing your victim diary. Accuracy prevents misinformation and a misunderstanding of your injury. You may also want to keep your diary in a journal or download our FREE PDF of our victim diary.
Massachusetts Personal Injury and Workers' Compensation Law Blog