5 QUESTIONS TO EXPECT DURING LITIGATION IN A SLIP AND FALL CASE

Accident victims in personal injury cases are often unaware or unprepared for the barrage of questions that the opposing party’s legal representatives will ask during a deposition. These questions are sometimes simple and direct. In most cases, however, they take a vicious turn as the victims are bombarded with questions designed to throw them off balance and disprove their claims. The intent behind these questions is to create doubt on the victim’s statement and claims so it important for them to stick to their story. An experienced legal practitioner knows to properly prepare their client for such depositions by letting them know the kind of questions to expect and how to answer them.

What Day of The Week Did the Accident Occur?

As simple as this question is, a wrong answer can mean the claim gets tossed out. It is expected that the victim knows the exact day of the week the accident happened. All evidence, from surveillance footage, timestamps on photographs, and even signed witness statements are expected to provide consistent data to be considered legitimate. 

Where Did the Accident Occur?

Again, another seemingly harmless question. However, it is loaded with traps and an unprepared defendant will fall. Knowing the address of the location where the accident occurred proves the victim is not mistaken in their claims to who is liable. Lafayette slip and fall lawyers who are quite versed and experienced in such cases coach their clients on how to answer such tricky questions.

Is Your Vision Impaired? 

These kinds of questions are intended to fault the victim by proving they exhibited some negligence thereby reducing liability on the part of the opposition. The defendant and their attorney should be able to confidently respond that their impaired vision is remedied with the right equipment (glasses or contacts) and cannot have caused them to fall. They should also emphasize the hazardous conditions that could have caused even a person with perfect vision to experience the same plight. 

Were You Under the Influence of Drugs or Alcohol?

This question is also geared toward fault transfer. In this instance, the claimant needs to be very careful. If the victim was indeed under the influence of drugs (medicated or recreational) and or alcohol, it is expected that their attorney should know long before the deposition. This allows them to construct a strategic response that will prevent the opposition from passing fault to the victim for the accident.

What Were You Carrying at the Time of the Accident?

It is well known that most slip and fall accidents at work, home, or school are triggered by the victim carrying something heavy or unstable which could have caused them to lose their balance and fall. If the victim wasn’t carrying anything of consequence, there is nothing to worry about. However, if the victim was carrying potentially accident-causing items, the attorney will have to ensure that the client’s response refutes any counterclaims disputing the actual cause of the slip and fall for the items being …

• Michael
• Sep 20 2021

Can You File Motorcycle Injury Claims When You Were Not Wearing A Helmet?

Motorcycle accident injuries tend to be very severe, with motorcyclists being around 5 times more likely to end up dead in road accidents when compared to those inside passenger vehicles. Several factors influence motorcycle accidents, including whether or not a helmet was worn. But, this might not be as important as you might think. 

According to a top rated motorcycle accident attorney in Massachusetts, in most cases, you can file injury claims even when you did not wear your helmet. However, there are differences when talking about this from one state to the next. 

No Helmet Defense

There are US states where it simply does not matter if the helmet was worn or not. This is because of the fact that a similar approach happens in regular car accidents in regards to the seatbelt. When states decided that during car accident claims the failure to wear the seatbelt is irrelevant, a very similar approach is taken with the helmet in motorcycle claims. 

Helmet Defense For Lower Damages

In most US states, the defendant can introduce a defense that the plaintiff did not wear their helmet when determining appropriate damages. This is a logical defense because wearing helmets do mitigate some of the injuries suffered. 

The helmet defense appears during the damages phase of the process. To be allowed, this is a defense that requires the defendant to fully prove that the injuries of the plaintiff would have been less serious in the event that a helmet would have been worn. Basically, if broken bones appeared but there are no head injuries, not wearing the helmet is not relevant. 

In the states where this is an acceptable approach, the jury apportions fault for the parties involved. This does include the victim. Injuries can be recovered when the fault of the victim is under 50%. The only difference in payouts is that they are reduced by the fault percentage of the victim. 

Helmet Defenses In Damages And Liability Phases

The last approach is the one that is the rarest. When the motorcyclist does not wear the helmet, it will not influence the accident taking place. Actually, in many states, the adult rider is not obliged by law to wear the helmet while riding a motorcycle. The defendant can thus argue the fact that the injuries would have not appeared when the plaintiff was wearing the helmet but this is irrelevant since the law states nothing about it. 

At the end of the day, what is very important is to get a motorcycle attorney to represent you as you file an injury claim. This is true whether you had the helmet on or not. Your lawyer is going to build the strongest possible case based on the unique circumstances of your accident. Also, the legal professional will make sure that all legal actions that can be taken will be taken so you will receive the highest possible financial compensation. This is the desired outcome in all cases, regardless of injury or actual …

• Michael
• Sep 09 2021

What Should You Do After Motor Vehicle Accidents?

Do you know what to do after being involved in a motor vehicle accident? Stress and panic will most likely appear, together with your injuries. It does become very difficult to deal with what will happen and the steps you have to take. One thing you might not know, according to Regan Zambri Long, is that even before the claim is filed, you have to do the right things. Here are some things to remember. 

Always Stay At The Scene Of The Accident

While this is definitely common sense, in many situations, injured people do not think logically and clearly right after the accident. It does not matter if the accident is just a fender bender. When you leave the scene before you should, it can lead to serious criminal charges. At the very least, your future claims will be compromised. 

Check For The Presence Of Injuries

Check yourself to see if you are injured or not. When you are not injured or you just have minimal injuries, move on and check on the other people inside the vehicle. Then, move to other vehicles to see if emergency medical attention is needed by someone else. Make sure to never move a person who is unconscious or who seems to have some sort of back or neck injury. These are conditions that require the presence of qualified medical care. 

Use Your Phone To Call 911

When you are injured in a car crash or someone else is, there might be several injuries that are not visible. This is why you absolutely have to call 911 as soon as you can. Also, it is a good idea to have police officers on site as soon as possible. The police officers will create a report of what they find. That report will be crucial in your upcoming injury claim. 

An extra related tip is to ask police officers for badge numbers and names. You can easily get a copy of the report filed in just a few days. If you do not know how to do this, the best thing you can do is to tell your attorney to get it. 

Never Apologize

It is very important that you do not apologize to police officers or the other drivers that were involved in the crash. Obviously, you need to be cordial and cooperative as questions are answered or when you exchange information. Something as general and as polite as saying you are sorry can be seen as admissions of guilt. 

Document The Scene

There is a very high possibility you have a cell phone that has a camera. Use it in order to document the car accident scene. Take as many pictures as you can and try to document absolutely everything you can. This is very important because it helps the insurance adjuster and the personal injury attorney to figure out exactly what happened. The photographs will also determine the right compensation for your damages and can easily help you out in …

• Michael
• Aug 28 2021

Why Do Most Personal Injury Claims Settle Out of Court?

When you imagine taking legal action against an individual or a company, you probably picture attorneys battling it out across the courtroom. While these are common scenes in movies and TV shows, the reality is a little different. While some personal injury claims do end up going to trial, the vast majority are settled well before they get near a courtroom. To find out why, take a look at some of the benefits associated with settling out of court:

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1. Resolve the Case More Quickly

Taking any case to court can take a considerable amount of time. In fact, complex cases might take years to actually go to trial, particularly if numerous pre-trial hearings are required. If you’re dealing with the aftermath of a car accident, however, you won’t want to wait months or years to obtain compensation. 

Medical bills might be stacking up and your ability to earn a living might have been limited by your injuries, for example. Due to this, many people are eager to resolve the issue as swiftly as possible and settling out of court enables you to do this. 

2. Avoid Lengthy Appeals

If you think getting a case to court takes a long time, just wait until you find out how long an appeal can take! If a case is resolved via a trial, the losing party may have the opportunity to appeal the court’s decision. If so, this might mean that the case needs to be heard again or it could mean that the amount of compensation you were originally awarded is revised. Either way, it can lead to uncertainty and lengthy delays. 

When you settle a claim, however, the two parties are voluntarily coming to an agreement. As a result, there is no need for either side to subsequently appeal. This adds a sense of finality to the situation and gives you peace of mind that the issue is fully resolved. 

3. Accessing Financial Compensation

If you take an injury lawsuit to trial and you win, you’ll be awarded a specific amount of compensation. Although the losing party will be ordered to pay you this sum of money within a certain timeframe, they may not comply with court’s orders. When this happens, the winning party may have to go back to court and take further action to ensure that they actually receive the compensation they’ve been awarded. Of course, this can add further delays and make the situation more stressful than it needs to be. 

Should You Settle Out of Court?

Although there are many benefits associated with settling out of court, this is a decision that only you can make. However, getting advice from a reputable auto accident lawyer will help you to make an informed decision. Furthermore, having a personal injury lawyer acting on your behalf can help to ensure that you obtain a fair settlement following an accident. With help from your legal team, you can determine whether settling out of court or taking your …

• Michael
• Aug 18 2021

The Basics Of Wrongful Death Cases

We can define wrongful death as the situation when a person is killed due to the misconduct or negligence of another entity. Criminal prosecution is possible, but the wrongful death lawsuit is basically a civil action. It is distinct and separate from the criminal charge. In civil cases, there is a much lower standard of proof used. 

Various circumstances can lead to the wrongful death lawsuit. This includes toxic torts, car accidents, medical malpractice, criminal activity, and manufacturing defects. In every state, there are different laws and rules that apply. There are even some agencies with governmental immunity that cannot be prosecuted for such a lawsuit. 

Based on US state, the lawsuit has to be filed by someone that represents eligible survivors. The official name for the survivals is “real parties in interest”. Family member eligibility does vary a lot from one location to another. In all of them, children, parents (when children are not married), and spouses can be representatives. In some of the states, other individuals, like financial dependents and putative spouses are also allowed to recover damages. Sometimes, even grandparents and siblings are allowed to start a wrongful death lawsuit. 

Proving Fault

The most important part of the wrongful death lawsuit is to prove that the death was caused by the intentionally wrong actions or negligence of another party. It is also important to prove eligibility for the compensation and show who the representative is. Usually, the representative is a personal injury attorney with a specialization in wrongful death cases. 

What Damages Can Be Obtained?

The representative can recover non-economic and economic damages from the party at fault. The economic damages are very easy to understand. They include funeral and medical expenses, lost household, out-of-pocket expenses, loss of income, loss of support, and even lost inheritance prospects. For instance, when an adult that earns a wage and has children dies, children can recover compensation to cover parental guidance loss. Plaintiffs often need to retain economists to properly evaluate a decedent’s life expectancy and future earnings. 

When referring to noneconomic damages, they are much more complicated to calculate. They include coverage for pain and suffering. In this case, interest is added to the amount, starting when the death occurred. 

In some US states, the jury can award extra punitive damages. This happens when the death was caused by gross negligence and egregious conduct. However, there are states where punitive damages cannot be gained. 

The last thing you should know is that there are cases where survival actions are available. This is where decedents do not immediately die and a different personal injury lawsuit was started. This can recover pain and suffering damages for what happened before death. A jury will analyze pain severity, the consciousness of the decedent, and impending death awareness level. 

As you can easily notice, wrongful death cases can become complicated fast. It is very important to hire an experienced personal injury attorney capable of helping you if someone you loved died and …

• Michael
• Aug 12 2021

Who’s Liable When Car Accidents Are Caused By Poor Road Conditions?

The question of liability if roads are badly designed or poorly maintained is often much more complicated than we expect. This is because road conditions can be a contributing factor and it needs to be determined how much they affected the outcome of the car accident. This includes things like erosion, potholes, missing guardrails, and even faulty design. 

So who is liable in a Detroit car accident case when poor road conditions are involved? An investigation will dictate this and it will include several factors that are analyzed, like the following. 

Road Maintenance Responsibility

States, counties, and cities maintain roads. There are various maintenance responsibilities in place for roadways and they can actually be shared by different governmental agencies. As an example, the state can be responsible for paving roads and filling potholes. Then, the city has the responsibility of de-icing and snowplowing. This is why it is very important to figure out the responsibility of every agency involved. 

To put it as simple as possible, you need to determine the agency that was responsible for the road condition that caused the accident. Only then can you file a personal injury claim against that particular agency. 

Proving Negligence

After determining the party that is responsible for road planning or maintenance, the person injured needs to prove negligence and the connection the negligence had with the car accident. This is a very complicated process that aims to prove the responsible agency had noticed there was a road problem, had the possibility of fixing it, and failed in doing so. As a result, the crash happened. Fault can also be determined when showing safety-related defects appeared in road construction execution or planning. 

Can You Sue The Responsible Party?

You might be aware of the fact that most government agencies have immunity. They cannot be sued without permission. Fortunately, governments do provide the permission through the administrative claim process. This is practically the prerequisite of lawsuit filing. 

Basically, you can sue the government agency. However, the process might be very complicated. There are government decisions and actions you cannot use to file a civil lawsuit or claim. In most cases, roadway maintenance negligence is something that can lead to a personal injury claim. However, there are narrow constraints in place that could be activated. 

In every single state, there are rules that will cover government claims at local and state levels. This includes details about possible compensation. Procedures vary and the big thing is that there is only a very short timeframe available to notify the government entity about the fact you want to get compensation and accident details. A specific form might need to be completed. 

To sum up, it is possible to sue government agencies to receive financial compensation through personal injury claims. However, the process can be quite complicated. Because of this, it is really important to hire an experienced personal injury attorney that has as much experience as possible in dealing with cases like yours. …

• Michael
• Aug 10 2021