May 4, 2022
| By dagmar
| Read Time: 5 minutes
Everything You Need To Know About Hiring A Houston Personal Injury Attorney After being injured in an accident, victims often find themselves in serious pain, unable to work, and drowning in debt. Fortunately, if you’ve been injured in an accident caused by the negligence of another person or entity, you may be eligible for significant financial compensation. However, if you wish to seek compensation for your injuries, you shouldn’t do so without the assistance of an experienced Houston personal injury lawyer. Our knowledgeable attorneys at Milano Legal Group are here to help you obtain the financial compensation you deserve for your Houston personal injury. When you become our client, regardless of the type of accident that caused your injury, our experienced lawyers will do everything possible to see your case through to a successful conclusion. In addition, if you’ve lost a family member due to an accident involving negligence, we will help you pursue a wrongful death lawsuit against the responsible party. In this Houston personal injury lawyer guide, we discuss personal injury cases in Texas and explain how to find an accident injury attorney that is right for you. Types of Personal Injury Cases A Houston personal injury attorney can represent you in a variety of personal injury cases, including: Bicycle accidents Although riding a bicycle is a convenient alternative to driving a motor vehicle, taking public transportation, or walking, it can also be quite dangerous. Unfortunately, cyclists’ relative lack of protection means they tend to sustain serious injuries when involved in accidents with motorists. Distracted driving accidents Distracted driving is more of a problem today than it has ever been. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 400,000 people were injured in crashes involving a distracted driver in 2019 alone. Drunk driving accidents It is no surprise that driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs is a bad idea. Drunk driving kills around 10,000 people every year in the United States. Those who survive their accidents are often left with life-changing injuries. Motorcycle accidents Like bicycles, motorcycles are a great alternative to passenger vehicles. However, bikers involved in accidents with motor vehicles tend to suffer serious injuries, especially when traveling at high speeds. In fact, hundreds of bikers are killed each year in Texas. Pedestrian accidents According to data from the Texas Department of Transportation, annual pedestrian deaths in Texas sometimes outnumber motorcycle crash deaths. Many pedestrians who survive their accidents sustain life-altering injuries. Truck accidents Semi-trucks pose serious risks to other vehicles due to their size and power. The results of a commercial truck colliding with a smaller vehicle are nearly always catastrophic. Wrongful death When someone dies as a result of someone else’s negligence, the deceased’s family members may be able to file a wrongful death lawsuit. Family members of the deceased can obtain financial compensation for the loss of their loved one by filing a wrongful death claim. How a Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help You A Houston personal injury lawyer can help you obtain financial compensation for your injuries, regardless of the type of accident you’ve been involved in or the injury you have suffered. The personal injury process can be broadly separated into the following three stages: (1) investigation and demand, (2) litigation, and (3) financial recovery. When you hire a personal injury lawyer to assist you, they will guide you through each of these stages: Investigation and Demand During the initial stage of your case, your lawyer will collect as much information as possible about your accident. Based on this information, they will then make a monetary demand on the defendant or the defendant’s insurer. If this demand results in a fair settlement offer, your accident injury attorney will take the necessary steps to ensure that you receive the agreed-upon amount. However, if the defendant makes you a lowball offer or declines to settle your case, your attorney will proceed to the next step. Litigation Next, your attorney will draw on their knowledge, skill, and experience to handle all aspects of the litigation process on your behalf. Common litigation tasks include filing paperwork, conducting discovery, and collecting evidence. If your case fails to settle during the litigation stage, your accident attorney will take your case to trial. Financial Recovery Finally, whether you settle your case or win at trial, your accident lawyer will make sure you receive the money you are owed, which may entail filing post-trial motions to collect the court judgment, coordinating payment through the defendant’s insurer, or taking other necessary measures. What to Look for in a Personal Injury Attorney When you hire the right accident attorney, your chances of a successful outcome in your Houston personal injury case increase dramatically. You should do the following to find an attorney who will provide you with the best chance of success: Choose an attorney who focuses primarily on personal injury law: Although this may seem obvious, the accident injury attorney you select should primarily practice personal injury law. Each type of practice area is highly specialized, and attorneys usually only focus their practice in a handful of areas. So, for example, when choosing a Houston personal injury attorney, you shouldn’t hire an attorney whose primary focus is divorce law. Choose a Houston personal injury lawyer who has ample experience handling cases like yours: Not only should the attorney you choose practice personal injury law, but they should have tried similar cases to yours. For example, if you were injured in a pedestrian accident, you should hire an attorney who has previously handled pedestrian accident cases. Choose an attorney who is willing to take your case to trial: Although most personal injury cases settle before trial, if yours is a rare case that doesn’t, you’ll need an accident lawyer with sufficient trial experience. Choose an attorney with a track record of success: No lawyer should ever guarantee a specific outcome to your case. However, attorneys are free to share their previous achievements with you. So,...
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Apr 11, 2022
| By Anthony Milano
| Read Time: 16 minutes
Below you will learn tips and secrets GEICO adjusters don’t want you to know in order to maximize your bodily injury settlement, including answers to frequently asked questions regarding GEICO car accident settlements. Overview of GEICO Claims GEICO, part of the holding company, Berkshire Hathaway, is the second largest property and casualty insurance company in the U.S (by direct premiums written). With GEICO’s unique business model, by initially only insuring the lowest risk drivers and operating without insurance agents, it has proved to be Warren Buffet’s best investment. GEICO was once a better insurance company to deal with as an auto accident victim. Their adjusters had more settlement authority, and their average settlements were much higher. However, over the last 25 years, GEICO, and many other insurance companies, have streamlined their claims process. They’ve adopted the use of claims software to calculate “reasonable and customary” medical bills as well as placing a dollar figure on the pain and suffering element of a bodily injury claim. The results: severely undervalued settlement offers and a host of future motor vehicle accident litigation. So, how can you avoid your claim from being one of GEICO’s many severely undervalued claims or have your case subject to several years of potential litigation in the congested court dockets? The following 10 tips will help you avoid being just another undervalued claim in the endless stack of claims on a GEICO claims adjuster desk: 1. Refuse the Recorded Statement If GEICO is the at-fault party’s insurance company, you should NEVER give them a recorded statement. You certainly are not required to give one. Don’t let them make you think it’s required for your claim to be valid. Many times, GEICO adjusters will say—without a recorded statement they will not be able to determine liability, which will leave you in a waiting game. If they are taking their time with liability because their insured isn’t cooperating, it’s time to call a lawyer. Pro Tip: You can always run your property damage through your own carrier’s collision coverage or uninsured property damage coverage (if hit by an uninsured driver or a victim of a hit-and-run). Your own carrier will usually treat you better and will try to recover your deductible from the at-fault party’s insurance company. 2. Get Medical Treatment Immediately There are three very important reasons to get medical treatment immediately after your accident: Maximize Your Damages “Damages” are what determine your case value. In most cases, the largest part of an auto accident injury case is the amount of your medical bills. So, it’s crucial that you receive reasonable and necessary medical treatment, as well as document and present these bills to the insurance company. Go to the emergency room or urgent care if you feel like you need to. Also, if you feel it’s necessary, go by ambulance to the emergency room. This may be even better for your case. Of course, don’t go only to fraudulently run up your medical bills. Insurance companies are not stupid. They are very good at knowing whether you’re faking your injuries. Legitimize Your Injuries Doesn’t it make sense that if someone is injured they want to see a doctor as soon as possible? Sure, it does. And the opposite is also true. Seeing a doctor immediately will legitimize your injury before the GEICO adjuster. Of course, there are valid reasons why auto accident victims do not immediately see a doctor after their accident (e.g., no health insurance, don’t immediately feel pain, etc.). These need to be carefully explained to the adjuster. Mitigate Your Damages The law places a burden on the injured party to avoid making their damages even worse by neglecting their injuries. A defendant is not responsible for damages that could have been avoided by the injured party. This means GEICO can use the fact that you didn’t immediately seek medical treatment and made your condition worse against you. 3. Don’t Let the GEICO Adjuster Minimize Your Injuries GEICO adjusters are skilled at minimizing your injuries. They’ll ask you questions in a way to have you second guess your injuries and categorize them as only soft tissue injuries that will heal in a few weeks. A very common way to minimize your injuries is when the adjuster tells the auto accident victim that they will only pay for a few weeks of treatment and that they are on your own after that. Don’t believe them! If you are really injured, you should be getting reasonable and necessary medical treatment until you have reached maximum medical improvement. Adjusters are not doctors. They can’t diagnose your condition. 4. Don’t Agree to Anything Without First Consulting with a Lawyer I know this may sound self-interested but if you don’t hire a car accident lawyer from the start of your claim, you will almost certainly be putting yourself at a disadvantage in your case. There are studies that show auto accident victims that are represented by a lawyer get 40% more of a settlement than without one. In our own experience when clients tried to initially handle their cases on their own then hire us to take over, we see the offers previously extended by GEICO are significantly less than what we were able to ultimately settled these cases for. It just makes economic sense even considering the fact that your personal injury lawyer will receive a portion of your settlement as attorney’s fees. Also, keep in mind: personal injury lawyers don’t charge any fees up front. So, you’ll never need to pay out of your own pocket for representation. It’s a win-win. 5. Don’t Ever Agree to GEICO’s First Offer GEICO’s first offer is never their best offer and will most likely be a lowball offer. You should always negotiate your case with the GEICO adjuster. Start off high. Don’t paint yourself into a corner by starting the negotiations off too low. For example, if you want to settle your bodily injury claim for $20,000, don’t start your demand at...
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Apr 2, 2022
| By Anthony Milano
| Read Time: 3 minutes
Herhangi bir trafik kazası, ufak da olsa, zaten yeteri kadar stresli ve ürkütücüdür. Ancak, bir tır veya 18-wheeler gibi büyük ticari araçların karıştığı kazalar çok daha korkunçtur. Bu tür kazalar genellikle tırın büyüklüğü ve bazı durumlarda yükünün ağırlığı nedeniyle çok kötü sonuçlara yol açabilir. Size veya sevdiğiniz birine bir tır veya 18-wheeler gibi büyük bir araç çarparsa, sonrasında ne yapacağınızı bilmek önemlidir. Kazadan Hemen Sonra Yapılması Gerekenler Bir tır veya 18-wheeler gibi büyük ticari araçların karıştığı kazalarla ilgili hukuki danışmanlık almak öncelikle sağlığınız için en iyisi olmakla beraber aynı zamanda sigorta şirketi nezdindeki tazminat taleplerinizle ilgili olarak da en iyi sonuçları almanıza yardımcı olur. ÖNCELİKLE İYİ VE GÜVENDE OLDUĞUNUZDAN EMİN OLUN VE DERHAL 9-1-1’I ARAYIN En önemli önceliğiniz sizin sağlığınız ve güvenliğinizdir. Öncelikle güvende olduğunuzdan emin olun ve ardından 9-1-1’i arayın. Müdahale ekipleri gelene kadar aracınızda kalın. Güvenli bir konumda bulunmuyorsanız, güvende olabileceğiniz alana doğru hareket etmeye çalışın. Araçta sizden başka kişiler var ise onların sağlık durumlarını da kontrol edin. Eğer yaralılarsa onları hareket ettirmemeye çalışın ve ilk müdahale ekiplerini bekleyin. DİĞER SÜRÜCÜ İLE BİLGİ / BELGE ALIŞVERİŞİNDE BULUNUN Size çarpan ticari aracın sürücüsü ve çalıştığı şirket hakkında aşağıdaki bilgiler dahil olmak üzere her türlü bilgiyi edinin: Kazaya karışan kişilerin adı, adresi ve telefon numarası Sigorta bilgileri ve poliçe numarası Araç tescil kartı Tır şoförünün çalıştığı şirketin adı, adresi ve telefon numarası Tırın markası, modeli, yılı, rengi ve plakası VIN numarası. Genellikle sol alt ön camda ve/veya sürücü kapısının iç tarafındadır. Eğer yukarıdaki bilgileri alamadan acilen hastaneye sevk edilirseniz, olay yerine gelen polis memurları, yukarıda belirtilen bilgileri alacak ve bu bilgileri içeren bir kaza raporu hazırlayacaktır. Dolayısıyla, kaza raporunu teslim aldığınızda yukarıdaki bilgilere de vakıf olacaksınız. KAZA MAHALLİNE DAİR HER TÜRLÜ DETAYI NOT EDİN Kazanın tam yerini, sokak adlarını ve adresi ve ayrıca tanıklar var ise her birinin iletişim bilgilerini not alın. Fiziksel olarak yapabiliyorsanız, aşağıdakilerin fotoğraflarını çekin: Her yönden ve açıdan kaza mahalli ve çevresi Yoldaki herhangi bir patinaj izi Kazaya karışan her araç ve bu araçlarda meydana gelen hasarlar Tır şoförünün ehliyeti Yaralarınız. Eğer araç içi kameranız varsa, tüm video çekimlerini kaydettiğinden emin olun. Tüm bu bilgiler, kazadaki sorumluluğun karşı tarafa ait olduğunu kanıtlarken ve tazminat taleplerinizde size çok yardımcı olacaktır. HİÇ VAKİT KAYBETMEDEN 18-WHEELER KAZALARI KONUSUNDA TECRÜBELİ BİR KAZA AVUKATIYLA İLETİŞİME GEÇİN Tır ve 18-wheeler kazaları konusunda deneyimli bir kaza avukatından hiç vakit kaybetmeden ücretsiz danışmanlık alın. Tecrübeli bir kaza avukatı size sonraki adımlar ve kaza neticesinde uğradığınız tedavi masrafları, araç hasarı, maaş/ücret kaybı ve diğer tüm zararlarınızın karşılığı olan maksimum tazminatı almanız için yol gösterecektir. Neden Tır veya 18-Wheeler gibi Büyük Ticari Araçların Yol Açtığı Trafik Kazaları Sıklıkla Olur? Tır veya 18-wheeler araç kazalarına neden olan en yaygın ve kanuna aykırı eylemler şunlardır: Yola Dikkatini Vermemek: Araç kullanırken cep telefonuyla konuşmak, mesajlaşmak, yemek / içmek, TV izlemek veya internette gezinmek gibi. Şoförün Uzun Saatler Yolda Olması: Bir tır şoförünün uzun saatler yolda olması onun uykulu olmasına, dikkatsiz bir şekilde araç kullanmasına ve hatta direksiyon başında uyuyakalmasına bile sebep olabilir. Kusurlu Araç Kullanımı: Şoförün yoldayken uyuşturucu veya alkol kullanması ihtimalinde agresif veya güvensiz sürüş manevraları veya hız sınırı aşımları söz konusu olabilir. Aracın Gerekli Bakımlarının Yapılmamış Olması: Özellikle tır veya 18-wheeler gibi ticari araçların bir yolculuğa başlamadan önce römorklarının ve araçtaki tüm parçalarının düzgün ve güvenli bir şekilde çalışıyor olduğundan emin olunmalıdır. Römorkun aşırı yüklenmesi, uygun olmayan bağlantı elemanları, havası sönmüş lastikler, kırık aynalar ve diğer eksik araç bakımları çok büyük kazalara neden olabilir. Yetersiz Eğitimli Sürücüler veya Deneyim Eksikliği. Şirketler, kamyon sürücülerini işe alırken ihmalkâr davranabilirler. Bir başka deyişle, şoförlerin sürüş geçmişleri araştırılmadan, yasaklı madde kullanımına dair gerekli testler yapılmadan ve iyi bir sürüş eğitimi verilmeden işe alınan sürücüler büyük kazalara sebebiyet verebilir. 18-Wheeler Kazaları Konusunda Deneyimli Bir Kaza Avukatı ile Görüşün Siz veya sevdiğiniz biri tır veya 18-wheeler gibi bir araç ile kazaya karışırsa yasal tazminat hakkınız olabilir. Bu tarz kazalar konusunda deneyimli Milano Legal Group Kaza Avukatları ile iletişime geçin, ve böylece hayatınızı tekrar bir araya getirmenize ve maksimum tazminatı almanıza yardımcı olalım. Ücretsiz danışmanlık için (855) 720-0495’i arayın. Hukuk ekibimiz 7/24 hizmetinizdedir. Bize haftanın her günü ve günün her saati ulaşabilirsiniz.
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