If you are seriously injured as a result of another party’s negligence, from a car or truck crash, or due to an unsafe or dangerous condition, a personal injury lawyer in Phoenix, AZ should be consulted. The personal injury attorney can investigate and evaluate whether there is a claim for negligence and damages.
Paul Englander PLC: A Phoenix, AZ Personal Injury Lawyer
Serious injuries can occur in a variety of situations. While referred to as ‘accidents’, injuries you suffer are often the result of another person’s reckless or negligent conduct. In these situations, you may be entitled to compensation through a personal injury claim. A collision or fall may result in significant injuries, bills, losses, it is important to take the steps necessary to protect yourself when an accident occurs.
Common Types of ‘Accidental’ Injuries
According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 28 million people each year seek care in hospital emergency rooms throughout the United States as a result of accidental injuries. Among the most common causes include:
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Pedestrian and bicycle injuries
- Slips, trips, and falls
- Being struck by or against objects
- Defective and dangerous products
All of the above may be the result of negligent or reckless actions on the part of another. Driving too fast or disregarding traffic signals, failing to alert customers or visitors to a property with potential dangers, and failing to correct dangerous conditions or defects are all examples of negligence. In these situations, you may be entitled to compensation, through an insurance claim, by filing a personal injury claim or lawsuit with the help of a personal injury lawyer in Phoenix, AZ.
Filing a Personal Injury Claim
Even a minor ‘accident’ can result in major expenses. The National Safety Council (NSC) reports that medical treatment costs alone for injuries can run as high as $10,000.00 or more. To protect yourself and help ensure you get the maximum amount if you pursue a claim, it is important to do the following:
- Make note of any witnesses who may have seen the incident or how it occurred
- Get medical treatment immediately for your injuries
- Follow all of your doctor’s instructions on work or activity restrictions
- Keep records regarding your medical care, and any treatments or medications prescribed
- Refrain from discussing the incident or your injuries or posting about it on social media
- Call a personal injury lawyer in Phoenix, AZ
You may be approached by an insurance company for the at fault party looking to settle any potential claims you may have. It is important to realize that these companies have a financial motive for undervaluing or denying claims, it’s important to promptly speak with an experienced personal injury lawyer in Phoenix, Arizona.
Reach Out to Us for Help
When you are injured, you have just one chance to get the compensation you need to recover. Contact Paul Englander PLC, and get the professional legal guidance you need to ensure you get the maximum amount you may be entitled to in a settlement. Call our office today and request a free case consultation.
Factors that May Be Grounds for Filing a Personal Injury Claim
The types of situations that can result in a personal injury claim are unique in each case, each person’s injury claims are different. Many factors are considered, what are the injuries, how long have the symptoms or disability lasted, are there permanent injuries? How have the injuries affected the person’s enjoyment and quality of life?
A personal injury lawyer in Phoenix, AZ will further consider the injured party’s lost income and work disability, since the date of the injury, and for the future. In more serious cases the involvement of a medical life care planner and an economist may be needed to project future economic losses.
Injuries can be severely painful, emotionally exhausting, and financially draining. We sympathize with your situation and would like to offer you the opportunity to explain your legal options. A personal injury lawyer in Phoenix, AZ, in our firm will pursue a fair and reasonable settlement for your claims for your injuries, pain, and suffering, disability, medical bills and lost income, since the traumatic event and for the future. If preparation for trial or trial is in your best interests to attempt to obtain a better settlement or jury award then that avenue will be pursued.
Examples of significant claims in previous cases include the following. Drunk drivers can cause serious injuries, I represented a mother whose daughter, an ASU student, who was a passenger on a motorcycle. The driver was overserved at a Tempe bar. The motorcyclist was drunk, he crashed the motorcycle, and my client’s daughter was killed. At a jury trial, the drunk driver and the bar were each found responsible, and the jury awarded damages for the wrongful death.
In another drunk driver and bar case, I represented a young man bicycling home from work, who was on a sidewalk. A drunk driver was overserved at a Tempe bar and he drove his vehicle on the sidewalk, and ran over my client, who suffered multiple leg fractures, requiring surgery. A lawsuit was filed, resulting in a settlement with the insurance companies for the bar and the drunk driver.
In another drunk driver and Scottsdale bar case, I represented two University of Arizona students who were proceeding in their car, on Shea Boulevard in Scottsdale. They were going home after getting some coffee. Their car was rear-ended by another vehicle, the driver was going 80 miles an hour on Shea, she was impaired, and over-served at a Scottsdale bar. Each of my clients was hospitalized, each had high medical bills. Following a lawsuit each received a judgment for his and her injuries and medical bills.
A premises liability case involved a dangerous condition that resulted in serious injuries, caused by an unpaved construction trench which crossed a Scottsdale street. The trench was part of an ongoing construction project. My client was a passenger in a golf cart which proceeded over the trench. After going over the trench the front wheels of the golf cart came off, the golf cart rolled over, my client was thrown to the pavement. My client sustained serious injuries, including neck and arm and dental fractures. The golf cart driver, a golf cart repair shop, the city, general contractor and subcontractor were all held responsible for the unsafe and dangerous condition on the roadway, settlements were paid as a result of litigation.
Another premises liability case that I handled involved a woman who fell in a grocery store, where the floor had just been mopped. The store usually mopped the floor before closing time. In this case, not enough wet floor signs had been placed, at the right locations, before my client fell. Mopping should not have occurred while the store was open, this was contrary to the store’s safety policies and procedures. Serious leg fractures and surgery resulted from the fall. Following litigation a settlement was reached.
Another premises liability case involved a woman who tripped and fell due to an uneven and unsafe entryway into an office building. It was learned that other people tripped and fell due to this known, unsafe tripping hazard. Shoulder fractures and surgery resulted, following litigation a settlement was obtained.
Another case that I handled demonstrates the serious consequences of truck driver inattention, and likely fatigue. A group of adults and children were traveling home to Phoenix in their van, eastbound on Interstate 10 near Tonopah. Their vehicle was stopped on the shoulder when it was hit from the rear by a Freightliner tractor-trailer, going sixty miles per hour. My clients’ van was crushed, it rolled and crashed in the desert. Traumatic injuries were suffered. The driver was negligent, further, the hours he had driven, the time of the wreck and irregularities in his logs suggested that he was a fatigued driver. Following a lawsuit, the injured victims received fair settlements for their injuries, medical bills and lost income.
Settling a personal injury claim too soon, before sufficient information is obtained about the nature and extent of injuries sustained and future treatment can be very costly. When a personal injury claim is settled the signing of a release is required. No further compensation for damages is payable, the settlement is final.
With a Phoenix, AZ personal injury lawyer on your side, the extent of your losses, current and prospective, will be considered. Communication between the insurance company will be handled by your personal injury lawyer.
When a family member is killed as the result of another person’s negligence, it may be appropriate to consider hiring a personal injury lawyer in Phoenix, AZ to investigate and pursue a wrongful death case.
Was there negligence, how could the tragedy have been prevented? What are the losses and damages to the decedent’s survivors?
The attorney should have the necessary experience, resources and commitment to competently represent the interests of the survivors and deal with the other party’s insurance company. Investigation issues include who may be at fault, getting witness liability statements, determining applicable insurance coverages and limits. In a motor vehicle crash, were there commercial coverage, underinsurance, uninsured motorist policies. Litigation may be necessary to obtain the best possible result.
In Arizona, the general rule is that a wrongful death claim may be brought by a surviving spouse, child or parent of the decedent, on behalf of the spouse or children, or parents of the decedent.
The amount of damages that a surviving spouse, parent or child may recover will differ from case to case, there are many variables, Paul Englander PLC personal injury lawyer in Phoenix, AZ can assist the family.
Damages that are considered may include the following:
- The loss of love, affection, and companionship since the death of the decedent and in the future.
- The pain, grief, sorrow and mental suffering experienced since the death, and in the future.
- The lost income sustained as a result of the death.
In Arizona when a governmental entity or employee may be responsible for the wrongful death there are Notice of Claim requirements that need to be properly satisfied. There are time limits within which a claim shall be filed against a public entity, the claim must contain sufficient facts outlining the basis of the claim. The claim must also contain a specific amount that it may be settled for, representation by an attorney is critical.
Law Office of Paul Englander, PLC: A Personal Injury Law Firm Ready to Fight for You
At the Law Office of Paul Englander, PLC, you are not another number. You are our client, you’ll be treated with respect and dignity. Feel free to contact Paul Englander, a personal injury lawyer in Phoenix, AZ for a free consultation.