If you are injured in a motor vehicle or motorcycle accident which resulted from the negligence of another party you may have a good case. In the event you are in a motor vehicle accident, you should take some immediate steps to protect your legal rights. First notify your own automobile insurer of the accident, your injuries and the collision damage to your vehicle. Second, consult a physician or other medical provider without delay. Insurance companies often deny or challenge claims when there has been a delay in the onset of treatment after the accident. Third, photograph damages to your vehicle before any repairs are made or the vehicle is taken away by the insurer. Photos are often the best evidence of the severity of an impact. Fourth, write down and save the names and phone numbers of any witnesses that may be at the scene. Witness statements can often be very important to the success of your case. Fifth, do not speak or give a statement to the other party's insurance company. It is advisable to get legal representation as soon as practicable after the accident so that your attorney can make certain the above steps have been taken. Sixth, if you are a pedestrian (even outside the crosswalk) you will likely be entitled to recover from a motor vehicle operator who struck you. Seventh, , passengers in most motor vehicle cases will be able to recover against their own operator, another negligent operator or both operators under a joint tort theory of liability.

See Case Results for an actual case we settled for $1.6 Million Dollars for a client injured in a motor vehicle accident.

Frequently, construction site accidents involve employees of subcontractors or the general contractor who are injured on the work site. An injured employee can not bring a negligence action against his/her employer and is limited to workers compensation unless there is a third party other than the employer which is liable for the employee's injuries. Thus, an employee of a sub contractor may have a valid third party case against the general contractor or project manager for failing to provide adequate safety or security on the job site or against another sub contractor including equipment operators for their negligence. OSHA violations and failure to follow ANSI standards may provide evidence to support the employee's case.

See Case Results for an actual case we settled for $1.8 Million Dollars for a construction laborer injured on a job site.

Any employee unable to work due to an injury suffered in the course and scope of his/her job may be entitled to benefits for total or partial disability, payment of medical bills, vocational re-training, loss of function, and/or disfigurement. Insurers will often deny valid worker's compensation claims by alleging that the incident causing the injury was not witnessed or did not occur in the course or scope of employment. Insurance companies may also contest that the injury was not causally related to the alleged incident, or that there is insufficient evidence of disability. In the event of a workplace injury, the employee should fill out a First Report of Injury or incident report and seek medical help as soon as possible after the incident. The employee is entitled to compensation for all periods (including retroactive) during which he or she is disabled. The total disability rate is 60% of the employee's AWW computed over the previous 52 weeks including all overtime. The employee pays no legal fees except in the case of a lump sum settlement, in which case 80% of settlement goes to the employee and 20% to the attorney. If you are totally disabled for at least one year, the employee should apply for SSDI benefits.

If an employee dies as a result of a work injury, his surviving spouse may be entitled to ongoing weekly payments equal to 2/3 of the employees average weekly wages up for a period of atleast 5yrs in most cases for the lifetime of the surviving spouse as long as the spouse does not remarry.

See Case Results for an actual case we settled for $600,000.00 for the surviving spouse of an employee who died in a work related accident.

In order to recover for an injury due to a slip or fall on someone else's premises, you must be able to establish that the premises was unsafe due to a defect or the negligence of the owner or manager of the premises. These cases may involve defective stairs, lack of handrails, inadequate lighting, inadequate or unsafe railings on porches, snow or ice accumulation caused by some action of the owner/manager, slippery, uneven or unsafe surfaces, or inadequate security or unsafe premises leading to a criminal assault. It is very important to photograph the defective or unsafe condition and have it examined by an expert before it is repaired or removed. Witnesses are very important in these cases which are frequently disputed and notice of the accident should be given to the owner/manager of the premises as soon as practicable. Frequently these cases require the professional services of an architect or engineer expert who we customarily work with on these cases.

See Case Results for an actual case we settled for $399,999.00 for a client who fell on an unsafe stairway injuring her eye.

Scalding or burn injuries to children caused by excessively hot tap water are very serious and common injuries. The dangers associated with tap water exceeding 130 degrees has been well known within the scientific and medical communities since the 1970s. In addition to the landlord in leased premises, the manufacturers of the hot water heater and thermostat may be liable for the victim's injuries. It is very important to hire an experienced lawyer as soon as practicable and to preserve and have an expert examine the hot water heater before it is altered or removed. We have successfully represented children seriously burned by tap water due to defectively designed hot water heaters.

See Case Results for an actual case we settled for $500,000.00 for a youngster scalded by hot bath water.

A defective product or product liability case is one in which a person is injured as a result of a product with a manufacturing defect, poor design, improper or inadequate warning regarding the use of the product. For example a helmut with a manufacturing defect or poor design which which failed to adequately protect a bicyclist against a foreseeable impact may render the manufacturer, distributor and retailer all liable for the injuries caused by the defect.

See Case Results for an actual case we settled for $285,000.00 for a client who injured his back when he sat and fell in a defective chair.

Any person bitten, attacked, or knocked down by a dog may have a good case against the dog's owner or keeper. This is a strict liability case, meaning the injured party only has to prove that the incident and related injury took place and the liable party was the owner or keeper of the dog. Owners/keepers often have homeowners insurance which may compensate the injured victim.

If someone dies as the result another's intentional or negligent act, a wrongful death has occurred. A wrongful death case must be brought against the liable party by the Administrator or Executor of the decedent's estate. Under the Probate law, the next of kin has the presumptive right to become the Administrator/Executor and it is important to file for Administration as soon as practicable after the death. Damages recoverable by the estate include your loss of companionship, loss of consortium, and lost wages or support you would have received from the decedent.

Traumatic brain or closed head injury cases may occur as a result of a motor vehicle/motorcycle accident, a slip or fall or many other types of cases in which the head is struck or shaken. Frequently, these injuries are difficult to diagnose and it is particularly important for the injured party to get the appropriate medical care and tests (CT, MRI, PET scans and EEG tests) to ensure that a proper diagnosis can be made and treatment prescribed.

If you have sustained a concussion or loss of consciousness, it is particularly important to clearly inform your treating doctor of this fact because this may prove to be an important factor in diagnosing or causally relating your head/brain injury to the accident. Symptoms of a traumatic brain injury or closed head injury include forgetfulness, poor memory, poor concentration and focus, headaches, disorientation, poor balance, dizziness, vertigo, poor sense of direction, depression, fatigue, and more.

Insurers often contest claims for these injuries because they are not visible nor easily attributed to the accident. Accordingly, it is most important that the client has an attorney and physicians who are very familiar with the symptoms and difficulties posed by these cases. We have successfully represented many clients who have sustained serious closed head or traumatic brain injuries.

Exposure to dangerous chemicals, lead, asbestos, environmental contaminants, mold, etc. may give rise to an individual action or as a member of a class action against the liable party.

The parents of any child under the age of 6 years who has ingested lead in a rental premises and suffered related injuries has a strict liability claim against the owner or manager of the apartment or rental premises. Lead frequently causes neurological or brain disorders and leads to developmental delays or deficits. If parents suspect lead poisoning, they should request an inspection by the city or town health department, which will provide a written report outlining any rooms containing lead. Also, for both medical and legal reasons, a blood test for lead should be done. If you have a question regarding your child's lead level, please feel free to contact us.

If you are injured in a motor vehicle/motorcycle accident by an uninsured or underinsured vehicle than you may make a claim for uninsured/underinsured benefits on your own auto policy or on the policy of another vehicle in your household. To preserve your rights under your own policy, you must notify your auto insurer as soon as practicable of your uninsured/underinsured claim. Uninsured claims usually involve hit and run accidents or cases with an unidentified or misidentified vehicle. There does not need to be physical contact with the uninsured vehicle. If you are cut off by an unidentified vehicle and forced off the road or into another vehicle causing you injuries you may have a good uninsured motorist case. An underinsurance claim is involved when the party at fault does not have sufficient insurance coverage to adequately compensate your injuries.

If you have been injured as a result of the negligence of another homeowner or his/her household members you may have a right of recovery against the liable party's homeowners insurance. A negligent act occurring at any location will be covered by the liable party's homeowners policy.

In order to recover SSDI benefits you must be able to prove to the Social Security Administration (SSA) that you are totally disabled for the foreseeable future. In many cases, the SSA routinely denies valid claims, finding that the applicant has some residual capacity to perform some level of work. However, with the assistance of an experienced attorney, an applicant will often prevail at a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge. The attorney may demonstrate to the judge that the applicant's age, educational level, job skills, language and/or reading abilities as well as physical, mental or emotional impairments prevent the applicant from working at any meaningful job in the economy, thus entitling the applicant to SSDI benefits. The legal fee is a standard contingent fee agreement paid out of any past due benefits awarded to the employee. The applicant may be receiving workers compensation payments and still receive an SSDI payment subject to an offset. It is very beneficial to get approved for SSDI whether or not you are receiving workers compensation.