When a Lawyer Can Help With a Personal Injury Case

There are many legal cases that can be handled by citizens without the help of a lawyer. For small claims in civil court, the cost of hiring a lawyer is often higher than the cost of the claim. If you are lucky and the other party behaved maliciously, you might get the court to pay for all your legal costs. If you have been sued however, the only way to recover any court costs is to sue them back, which leads to a drawn out legal process. Personal injury cases complicate the matter, especially if your health is in a state where it would be hard to represent yourself.

If you were severely injured, it is best to hire a Denver injury attorney because the cost of your medical bills will probably be significant. Not to mention that you want to spend your time recuperating and not talking to witnesses and dealing with the insurance company.

The first thing the injury lawyer will do after talking to witnesses is start recording all your losses from the accident. These may be medical bills, lost work or personal distress. The higher the possible compensation, the larger the possible range and things like negotiating with the insurance company start to kick in. The insurance company's job is to pay as little as possible, so it is better to have a Denver personal injury lawyer to represent your interests.

If you were sued for an injury someone is claiming you are responsible for, it is also a good idea to have legal representation. If the charge is ridiculous you can move to have it dropped, but it is important to not ignore any lawsuit or the other party can ask the judge to rule for a default judgement. This means if you never respond to the lawsuit, the plaintiff automatically gets whatever they asked for.

Other cases where having a Denver personal injury attorney represent you is important are ones where the other side is sure to have an insurance company and a high power legal team on their side. This may be a doctor or hospital in medical malpractice cases or a corporation in negligence cases that led to injury. Injuries from toxic products are also hard to get paid because these conglomerate corporations have both the best legal teams and defenses set up through their legislative lobbying. Proving a toxic chemical injured you often requires expert scientific witnesses.

The last case where it would be prudent to hire a lawyer is if the insurance company for the defendant refuses to pay. Insurance company lawyers are even more well versed than the average corporation at dodging their legal responsibilities. You may have to hire a lawyer to get anything at all, although you will have to pay the cost of hiring. For large cases that the law firm judges could be quite lucrative, the firm may offer to take the cost of their services out of the settlement if they win.

Getting the Right Care For Brain Injury Victims

Serious brain injury is a catastrophic condition that leaves the victim struggling to cope with life changing effects. However, they differ in that they affect life on multiple levels. Victims of brain injuries are not only physically affected but also psychologically scarred and often socially isolated. It affects the ability to think, to communicate and to connect with other people. For approximately 85% of sufferers, those problems eventually resolve themselves. But the remaining 15% of victims have lasting difficulties. A brain injury can introduce a frustrating amount of confusion and uncertainty into the victim's life.

What is a brain injury?

Damage to the brain caused by an event or disorder such as a tumor, stroke, or traumatic injury. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is more specific as it implies trauma to the brain caused by an external force, such as a car crash, affecting the head and brain.

The effects of an injury to the brain can be wide ranging and depend on a number of factors such as the type, location and severity of injury. Every person's injury is unique, so they will experience any number of the symptoms, which can range from mild to severe.

Help available to brain injury victims

Rehabilitation care is constantly being developed to help both those suffering from brain injury and their families adapt to a normal way of life. Teams of professionals are dedicated to the intensive case management, support for families, and involvement of voluntary and service organisations to help meet patient and family needs for services and assistance.

Due to the complexities of the brain, there are many possible consequences that can be sustained from a brain injury. Areas affected include speech and communication, physical ability, confusion, difficulty with thinking skills, memory loss, behavioral issues or inappropriate emotional responses. There are also less severe affects such as headaches, nausea, and changes to vision. A huge range of support and resources are now available to those suffering and their families.

There are medical professionals available to victims who are dedicated to the brain injury rehabilitation process, different areas of therapy are available depending on the individuals needs, these include speech, occupational, physical and educational therapy as well as general counseling for the sufferer and the families involved.

Specially designed programmes have been created by rehabilitation professionals to facilitate skill acquisition for victims. These are designed specifically to help them return to their community or work place and resume a normal rhythm of living.

Home evaluations are also available, which involves professionals assessing and providing the right modifications to homes and vehicles to providing victims with necessary independence.

As well as the physical and psychological support there is also financial assistance for those suffering with a brain injury. If the victim and their family are pursuing a compensation claim, there is always going to be some delay between when the injury occurred and when the final settlement can be achieved. To help minimise the impact of the timescale, interim payments are available for victims to help them pay for rehabilitation support, treatment or home modifications. Thanks to the help of dedicated professionals both in the legal and medical professions, brain injury victims can and do regain control over their lives.

What Should I Do If I Suffer a Serious Burn Injury?

Even the most minor of burn injuries can be extremely painful. Severe burns are very traumatic, and may result in disfigurement, excruciating pain, and, in the worst cases, death.

Statistics from the United States Fire Administration demonstrate that in this country, on an average basis, there are about 3,700 deaths and 19,400 fire-related injuries annually. In the past decade, an annual average of about 1.6 million fires resulted in an estimated $10.9 billion direct dollar loss yearly. In 2007, alone, a fire department responded to a fire every 20 seconds in the United States.

Burn accidents can happen at any place and time, often when someone least expects them. Although many burn victims sustain their injuries in the workplace, fire-related accidents frequently occur at home or during recreational activities. Common causes of burn injuries include: motor vehicle collisions; dangerous heating equipment, like kerosene space heaters; scalding hot water from faucets, electrocutions; explosions; and caustic chemicals.

Many burn accidents are preventable. Often, fires are caused by human error or negligence, defectively designed or manufactured products, or improper installation/maintenance of electrical or mechanical devices.

After securing all necessary medical care and treatment, you should consult with an experienced and knowledgeable New York personal injury attorney if you believe that you or someone you care about has been injured due to the fault of another party. Too often, a burn injury results in months of expensive, but necessary, medical care, and lost time at work. A qualified attorney may recover compensation for medical care, lost income, and pain and suffering. Be aware that there are time limitations that govern the filing of lawsuits, and an attorney should be consulted promptly. Typically, attorneys representing injury victims work on a contingency fee basis. This arrangement means that attorneys' fees are payable at the end of a case, once there is a monetary recovery. An injured party will not have to pay attorneys' fees at the start or during the middle of a lawsuit.

Tips That Help You Find a Personal Injury Attorney

When you see yourself in a situation that requires legal service, it is best if you know who the good Personal Injury Attorneys are. Whether you want to file a claim against your insurance company, or are involved in a lawsuit, a litigation lawyer can help you.

Finding the right injury lawyer may not be difficult, if you follow our simple tips. Remember that having a competent lawyer is your best tool to have a good litigation or settlement. There are many ways to find lawyers who do well in their specialization.

Your friends, relatives and even colleagues can be a good source. Maybe, at one point in their lives, a few of them had hired a lawyer. Whether it was divorce, immigration, or car accident lawyers, they can be helpful.

Surely, the attorneys whom your friends or relatives hired before may know many personal injury attorneys who can take care of your needs. Depending on your situation, you can even get a free consultation from a litigation lawyer.

If they cannot recommend a good legal help to you, or if they do not know where the law offices are located, in your local area, you can do a search on the web.

If you have access to the internet, you can type the word injury attorneys, to narrow down your search to your specific needs. A list of their websites will then appear on your screen.

Start getting the contact details of the ones that are nearest to your home or office. You can also visit their site to determine the reputation of the law office.

The American Bar Association can also help you to find the best personal injury attorneys. When you visit their website, you can do a search of lawyers on the box that says, "Find Legal Help".

The search tool will take you to the US Map. You have to choose which State you are located in so that the website will give you links to a list of attorneys in your area. The bureau can even provide other legal resources that can help your legal situation.

If you cannot access the web, you can do your search using the telephone directory. It contains complete contact information on legal offices in your city. You can start making a list of potential personal injury attorneys and start calling their offices for appointment.

Sometimes, people have a list of questions they will ask the potential injury lawyer once they meet. This is a good way to gauge the competence of the litigation lawyer.

It depends on your style and confidence, but some people are straightforward in asking questions about the lawyer's qualifications. For example, people may ask directly how long they have has been in their specialization and what are their rates.

They also ask how many cases he had handled and how many juries have given him favorable verdict. Most importantly, people ask how many settlements he had worked out in behalf of his clients.

Good personal injury attorneys put you at ease during your meeting and are attentive to your needs. They may also give you advice on how to proceed with your situation or what your best options are.

At times, it will be useful to know straightforward about their legal fees. Some personal injury lawyers have been in business for a long time and their reputation gives them the ability to charge a bit higher than others. Take those free consultations that lawyers give so you can evaluate them. Work with one that you feel comfortable with, since you will be talking with him frequently.

Seek Help From a Personal Injury Lawyer

The first thing your personal injury attorney will do if you think that you have been injured too badly to work is have you visit a physician. You will need medical forms and official diagnoses in writing or any claim you try to file won't hold up. Thinking you are hurt and actually being hurt are not the same. If you want to be awarded a claim, you will need medical proof that you are truly injured.

Your employer will also need to provide documentation. The documentation should include information on your normal salary, how many hours you normally work and how many hours or days of work you have missed. The documents should also include information on how often, if ever, you put in overtime and whether or not you were due for a raise while you were unable to go to work.

Where things get tricky is determining what you could have done if you had not become ill or injured due to your job. This is where a personal injury attorney is helpful. Getting an employer to pay for wages lost due to a work related injury is fairly basic. What is tricky is getting an employer to pay for wages lost due to work you could have done. For example: an employee who starts out in the mail room of a corporation who gets crushed when a shelving unit lands on him. He is knocked unconscious and ends up needing brain surgery and is left mentally incapacitated and incapable of obtaining anything above entry level janitorial work.

Before the accident the employee could have worked his way up in the company and ended up earning hundreds of thousands of dollars per year and now is unable to do that and has mountains of bills to pay. This is when a personal injury attorney goes to work. Your lawyer will hire experts who will do tests and confirm that the employee was of perfect mental health before the accident and that there is no way to completely repair him and get him to full capacity. The lawyer will get the employees former boss to confirm if the employee was on an upward track.

From here it becomes a numbers game of wages that could have been earned over a lifetime of work with the company and this is when the fight begins.

Once the lawsuit goes to court the amount of money awarded (or not) is mostly up to a jury if the defendant decides against settling, but if your personal injury attorney is good, the case should be won in the employee's favor.

Brain Injuries Are Often Difficult to Diagnose

Brain injuries are the injuries that result from any kind of accident or a slip and a fall that involves any severe impact on the head of a person. Brain is encased inside the skull of a person, and when there is an impact on the head; muscle tissues in the brain get damaged causing swelling, rupturing or bleeding thus causing abnormal behavior from a man. Brain is the most vital organ in our body and we react to the world around us due to our brain, whether it is things, situations or our relationships. But when there is any injury to the brain, it leads to improper functioning of the brain causing our world to come crashing down.

Brain injuries are of two types, namely closed and open brain injuries. When there is an accident or when we slip or fall, and the brain strikes against the skull, a closed brain injury takes place. But when the impact is from outside such as being hit by some other person, or some hard object piercing inside our head, the brain tissues get ruptured or some bones of the skull get broken and pierce inside the brain. This causes an open brain injury. Whatever the type of injury, the result is somewhat similar as brain impairment leads to improper functioning and the person and along with him the entire family suffers fro a long time.

Some brain injuries are such that there are no visible signs and the person resumes duties after an accident or a mishap. But with passage of time, symptoms of brain injury appear and it is noticed that the way a person talks, walks, behaves and reacts to things and situations has all changed. These changes are proof that he is suffering from brain injury. Apart from disorientation there are other symptoms that are indicative of a brain injury and these include dizziness, headaches, blurred vision, and inability to make judgments and decisions, excessive sleepiness, loss of memory, speech problems and hearing problems. A person should consult a neurosurgeon as soon as he detects any such abnormal symptoms.

If you or someone you know got brain injury because of negligence, or acts of commission of others, it is only just that you get compensation for your treatment and any loss resulting from such brain injury. There are many brain injury attorneys who can help you getting a claim for your medical bills.

There some types of brain injuries where the brain cells begin to dye as a result of a severe impact and this is called anoxic brain injury. This causes a person to be in a vegetative state and sometimes he even slips in a coma.

Whatever the type and cause of the injury, it is true that a person suffering from brain injury cannot behave normally until he gets proper attention, diagnosis and medical care, and in some cases, doctors have brought the patients who received brain injuries from the brink of collapse to near normal state.

The Lawyer's Responsibility in a Personal Injury Case

Personal injury claims are quite common in the UK. Most individuals have it easy - their cases are straightforward, and their insurance companies cannot deny the fact that their injuries were indeed caused by other parties and that their claim is valid. The compensation is thus paid up and the victim is relieved of running around. However, very often a personal injury case becomes a criminal dispute, typically when it is not clear who or what is responsible for the injury. At this juncture, it is a lawyer who will be able to prove in the court of law, who is responsible for a particular injury, and therefore ensure that your claim is successful.

In order to do this the lawyer has to prove three things:

1. That the factor responsible for the injury was outside of what maybe considered 'normal' course of events
2. That the accused is responsible for the factor
3. That the injury happened because of the factor

1. In the first instance, the lawyer has to prove that the injury was caused because the party responsible did something that was illegal or was not considered 'normal'. For example, lets' say you were in a car accident, because another car did not stop at the red light and crashed into you, when you were going on green. By traffic rules, a car is expected to stop at the red light. Thus, what he did, was outside of law, and also outside of 'normal' course of events. (Normally, you would also expect that a car will stop at the red light.)

2. In the second instance, the lawyer has to prove that the action was caused by the one we're holding responsible. For example, in the above example, we will need to prove that the accused was driving the car and he was responsible for jumping the signal of his own volition. (Unlike a super-hero movie wherein the car could be in remote control of an evil scientist and the poor hero is blamed for negligence; or where the hero jumps the signal to save his girlfriend who's being held captive by the evil scientist - in which case we would have to prove that the evil scientist is responsible for the injury) Hopefully, you get the point

3. In the third instance, the lawyer has to prove that your car met with the accident and you were injured because of what this other driver and his car did. Here it is important to prove beyond reasonable doubt that no other factor was responsible for the injury, other than this other driver jumping the signal.

Although your lawyer will already know and also understand what he needs to prove, it is also important that you know it. Proving a case such as this in court requires evidence and witness statements that you can help collect since you know best how things happened and where. Helping your lawyer in this manner will help close the case faster and also help you win.

Young Boy Suffers Brain Aneurysm and the Results of a Doctor's Failure to Diagnose

It is every parent's nightmare to lose a young child, but that turned out to be reality for one family in this medical malpractice case.

"Gerry" was a 9th grader who competed in track and field. One day after track practice, Gerry called home to tell his father that he was not feeling very well and that he had unexpectedly vomited. The father picked his son up at school and when they got home, Gerry was so weak that he had trouble getting out of the car. His father called a doctor who told him to make sure the boy had enough fluids and to keep an eye on him. Gerry drank Gatorade, ate some toast and went to bed.

The next day Gerry woke up still weak and with a stiff neck. His mother called the doctor who was concerned about the stiff neck and insisted that the boy be brought in immediately. The doctor gave Gerry a rapid strep test, which came back positive -indicating that bacteria was developing in his throat and neck. Gerry was sent immediately to the emergency room.

At the hospital Gerry was given a brain scan and a spinal tap. The hospital staff discovered blood was in the fluid removed from the spine. One of the doctors said she "nicked" Gerry during the spinal tap but that Gerry was okay. The hospital continued treating Gerry for another 24 hours based a diagnosis of possible meningitis. He was discharged from the hospital despite his complaints of his neck still being stiff, and him not being able to read. One doctor told Gerry's mother that it was just sinusitis and strep throat.

Two days later, Gerry was taking a shower and collapsed. He was taken to a different hospital with different doctors. When the original medical records arrived, it was revealed that Gerry had previously suffered a brain aneurysm and this was a "second bleed". Tragically, the young boy died. As it turned out, the blood found in the spinal tap was not a result of a "nick" - but an aneurysm that if detected earlier, could have been treated with emergency surgery. With a medical malpractice lawyer a wrongful death suit against the hospital had been brought and settled for a substantial sum - right after the defendant's pediatric neurologist testified that she should have considered that the blood in the spinal fluid could have also been the result of an aneurysm.

How to Tackle a Personal Injury Cases

Here is a myth about Personal Injury: car crash and medical negligence are considered as personal injury. This is not right. Any sort of injury resulted by someone else's negligent is considered as personal injury and filed under Tort law of the state.

With that said, car accident, truck accident, boat accident, aircraft accident, slip and fall, pesticide exposure, work place accident, DUI car accident, brain injury, RSD, medical malpractice, wrongful death, product liability, dog bites - all can come under personal injury cases if someone else's recklessness harm a third person.

For each area of personal injury, you will find specialized lawyers, attorneys and law firms. Slip and fall attorneys, car crash lawyers, accident attorney, medical malpractice lawyers, DUI attorneys are there to help victims.

To sue the guilty party, consult personal injury lawyers and ensure success of your case from the very beginning.

As personal injury laws are defined at state level, local courts handle personal injury lawsuits. If you get injured in Florida, you should file your case in Florida court of law. Similarly, those who have been injured in California should take legal action there only.

That is why you should deal with state or local attorneys. State lawyers have better knowledge of state laws and hence, can help you in a better way. So, to file your personal injury compensation claim in Florida, consult Florida lawyers who are experts in personal injury cases.

Find out experienced and senior attorneys in your state to ensure that case goes in your favor and you receive suitable compensation as well. Personal injury lawyers guide injury victims from the start to end of the case. Competent legal professionals represent their clients in the court, sketch optimal plan of action, gather evidence and support documents and aggressively fight the case to get the victim justice.

Law firms consisted of senior attorneys can help people with all types of personal injury complaints. Once you get in touch with the members of a reputed law firm, you get advice on how to face the trial, what to say in court and what not to, how to interact with opponents and many more important subjects.

Accidents like slip and fall generally lack evidence. A simple road accident that occurs due to poor road-keeping or improper house keeping of an organization, shop, restaurant and private or commercial place can be harmful enough, but how to prove the premise-owner's fault at maintaining standards? An efficient personal injury lawyer gathers all necessary evidence and wins difficult slip and fall cases too!

Florida attorneys, who have been taking personal injury cases for many years, are the best persons to seek advice from. Their expertise, experience and knowledge help them anticipate problems. As a result they can alert their clients accordingly and take proper precautions at right time.

Most personal injury lawyers work on no fees until you win basis. The pro bono style is good for victims - claimants need to pay attorney fees. The fees are collected from compensation amount. And if, though very much unlikely, the case is lost, all attorney fees are waived. Hence, filing personal injury claim lawsuit is worth a try.

How to Handle a Motor Vehicle Injury

There are many ways you can suffer as a result of being in a car accident. Not only can it effect one aspect of your life, but it can take a toll on many areas; including work and family. Find financial compensation for your damages that resulted from a Motor Vehicle Injury. Learn what you should do first and how a claim works against another party.

If you were injured in an accident then it is usually not just you that is suffering. Your entire family could be feeling the effects of your car accident. Not only are you not able to interact and play with your kids and family properly, but you may also suffer from financial loss. When you cannot pay your bills on time or rack up debt because you are not working, it can cause stress on everyone in the home.

Keeping your records safe and stored away is the best way to prepare for a future case. Everything stemming from the accident should be kept to ensure that your files are current and informative. Any future lawyers will want to see all the paperwork you have so that they can proceed with a case.

Doctor records are crucial to keep. You may be seeing more than one doctor or specialist. Keep track of all of your visits by writing down the dates and times of all your appointments. Keep any trail of paperwork and bills that you have and file them properly for easy checking. An organized file will help your case move along quickly.

An accident claim has a limit of two years to be filed. So if you were part of an accident and would like to sue the person who hit you in your car, then you should follow this time frame. A lawyer will also need some time to process the legal papers and send them across to the other person's lawyer and insurance company.

If you are serious about suing the person who caused your accident, then you have several different choices. The first option is suing the other person's insurance company for damages, and if there is still an outstanding balance, you can then go after your own insurance coverage. If you still want to get more money out of the settlement, you can also sue the person and his own personal finances for the difference.

Court dates and lawyer visits could prolong the total time it takes to complete a claim against someone else. And while some cases are taken care of quickly, most cases take a few years to finalize. If you have your documents in order and everything is filed and organized properly, then you can feel confidant that you have done everything you can from your end. The rest is up to the courts and lawyers in charge of both you and your party.

If a Motor Vehicle Injury has made you suffer either financially or emotionally, you should try and get some compensation for your damages. You and your family are entitled to something to make up for the loss of time and work you have had. A claim could leave you financially happy or content, or just give you a small amount of money. Whatever amount the court decides you, it will help to make a difference in your difficult time.

Brain Damage and Personal Injury

Brain damage can occur in a variety of ways, but is considered to be any type of injury to the structure of the brain that disrupts or prevents normal brain function or healthy brain development. Brain damage can occur after birth (acquired, non-traumatic or traumatic brain injuries) or before birth (congenital brain injuries).

Most brain damage that occurs after birth is due to an injury of some sort. Unfortunately, many of these injuries are due to accidents that were caused by negligence on the part of someone else. Car accidents account for the majority of traumatic brain injuries. In these cases the driver of the car that caused the accident may be held accountable for the injury.

Similarly, brain damage injuries that occur before or during birth may also be the result of someone else's negligence. In these cases the doctor or other member of the medical staff could have made a mistake and caused the injury, or made the injury worse. In these cases you may be able to seek legal counsel to help you determine what your legal rights are, and to help you recoup some of your monetary loss.

To help you gain more insight into brain damage, it is first important to understand the different types of injuries and how they can occur. Let's begin by taking a look at congenital brain injuries. These types of injuries can be caused by a trauma, genetic defect, infection, poisoning, anoxia, or hypoxia. The result can be quite devastating and can appear in the form of conditions such as cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, fetal alcohol syndrome, epilepsy, or dyslexia.

Cerebral palsy has been linked to several causes, including trauma during birth, premature birth, infection, poor oxygen or blood supply to a developing fetus, and infant diseases such as encephalitis or meningitis. This condition is often a result of a birth injury and can manifest itself in a variety of neurological disorders that can prove quite debilitating.

Down syndrome is another type of birth disorder that is caused by the presence of an extra chromosome in each cell. The condition can lead to mental retardation, gastrointestinal issues, and heart conditions. Down syndrome occurs more so among the children born to women over the age of 40.
Fetal alcohol syndrome is an incurable brain disorder that is a result of the mother consuming alcohol while pregnant. This can lead to mental retardation, growth issues, and low birth weight. Children with fetal alcohol syndrome often have problems with their central nervous system, as well as behavioral issues.

Epilepsy is another incurable brain disorder that can develop before birth. Epilepsy causes the brain to produce intermittent bursts of electrical energy that can be quite intense and adversely affect overall brain function. The condition can manifest itself by producing convulsions and loss of consciousness. Epilepsy has been linked to brain development problems, as well as birth injuries. It can also develop later in life.

Dyslexia is a common type of learning disability that causes the brain to misinterpret what the eyes see and then translate into written or spoken language. Letter and words often appear incorrect, backwards, or cannot be recognized properly. It is not known exactly what causes dyslexia to occur.

Finally, congenital hydrocephalus is a type of brain damage that presents itself with an excessive amount of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain during the birth process. This condition is caused by prenatal bleeding, infections, or other genetic disorders. It is often associated with other types of birth defects.

Acquired brain damage can occur after birth, and can be classified as either non-traumatic, or traumatic. These types of injuries often are the result of accidents, violent acts, sports injuries, or from other conditions such as neurodegenerative diseases or internal conditions.

Traumatic brain injuries can be either closed head injuries, or open head injuries. Closed head injuries do not involve objects penetrating the skull. Open head injuries involve objects penetrating the skull and directly impacting the brain.

Symptoms of both closed and open head injuries can range a great deal from very subtle to very severe. There can be many different cognitive and behavioral changes, as well as various types of physical ailments.

A traumatic brain injury can show up in the form of a concussion, blood pooling (hematoma), bleeding (hemorrhage), bruising, or skull fractures. Infections, epilepsy, intracranial pressure, hydrocephalus, ischemia, and vasospasm are common secondary injuries that can result from traumatic brain injuries.

It is often quite difficult to diagnose traumatic brain injuries because the symptoms can range a great deal and may be accompanied by other conditions. Imaging tests, monitoring of the length of time of unconsciousness, and the Glasgow Coma Scale are common tools used to diagnose these conditions.

The end result of a traumatic brain injury can also be quite varied, and may require nothing more than bed rest, all the way up to complicated neurosurgical procedures, and lifelong rehabilitation treatments. Patients who have suffered only mild injuries may be able to fully recover, while individuals with moderate to severe injuries may never recover. Permanent disabilities, loss of brain function, coma, a persistent vegetative state, and even death can result.

Non-traumatic brain injuries occur from internal or neurodegenerative conditions that cause damage to the neurons. Infection, alcohol abuse, hypoxia, anoxia, stroke, and tumors can all cause this damage. The result is a progressive deterioration of brain function; issues with memory, speaking, muscle control, problem solving and reasoning are all quite common.

If you or a loved one has experienced brain damage, or had any of these conditions made worse by someone else's negligence, a lawyer who specializes in personal injury can help. These types of attorneys will evaluate your case, explain your legal rights, and establish a course of action. He or she can determine how much monetary compensation you are entitled to receive as well. A personal injury attorney has plenty of experience handling these types of claims and knows exactly how to take your case to court. He or she will handle all aspects of the case from gathering evidence, to locating expert witnesses. This will allow you to focus on your or your loved one's recovery, while getting back to some state of normalcy.

Personal Injury Money

The legal process that involves seeking for compensation when someone has a valid case of personal injury is sector in the legal fraternity that has developed a life of it own. It may be extremely difficult for a lay person to follow through the complex legal issues that are involved when they are seeking for compensation and that is where an attorney comes in.

Many of the lawyers who handle personal injury matters will offer their services without making any direct charges to you especially when you are not able to afford the charges upfront. In a system they call "no win, no fee", they will handle your compensation claim until the end of the matter and when you get compensated they will then deduct their agreed fees from the amount of money you will be awarded. However if your claim is not successful you have no obligation to them. Some charge their legal expenses to the opposing side especially when they know they have a watertight case so that you will end up going home with all the money you will be paid.

When you enter a contract with a legal firm will only need to understand all that is involved in the agreement you are entering. It's advisable to read and understand their terms and conditions and where anything is not clear, you may want to ask that it be interpreted in layman's language. Get to understand about what fees are involved and at what stages and if you are liable for any of them directly.

Brain Injury Compensation

Did you know that one million people in the U.K. suffer from a serious brain injury every year? Of those one million, nearly one hundred and fifty thousand will suffer what is referred to as a "minor brain injury resulting in brief unconsciousness for less than fifteen minutes." These statistics are remarkable and certainly justify the need for brain injury compensation lawyers. Currently, there are more than one hundred and twenty thousand people in the U.K. who are suffering with long term brain damage as a result of some kind of traumatic injury. While these numbers are a reminder that we should always tread carefully, they also serve to remind us the importance of proper compensation.

The life costs associated with proper care for those with these kinds of injuries are astronomical and are all too often devastating to the family unit. Negligence is responsible for many of these injuries and a personal injury lawyer who is qualified and experienced to handle brain injury compensation cases are often a family's only hope. The legalities are complicated and overwhelming and attempting to deal with these legalities without proper legal representation is akin to treating the brain injury itself without the experience of a neurosurgeon. But how do you find the right lawyer who can protect your loved one?

You will want to be sure the personal injury lawyer has had past success with brain injury compensation claims. Because of the intricacies involved, it is often better if a lawyer has some working knowledge of proper terminology, nuances and other details that only appear insignificant to the untrained eye. Not only that, but those attorneys who are experienced have access to credible medical personnel who can work in tandem with the lawyer's efforts as they discern the extent of the damage while comparing it to another physician's diagnosis.

Also, there are typically statute of limitations issues, meaning there is a limited time frame a brain injury compensation suit can be filed. Your lawyer will be able to explain the details and how they apply to your individual case. It is important to not let these statutes expire as the courts rarely reconsider these cases after the time period has expired.

Finally, while your lawyer will work diligently to properly represent you or your loved one, you can help by documenting doctor visits, attempts by insurance companies to contact you with offers of a settlement and maintaining a timeline of visits to physicians and medical facilities. Remember, your lawyer is fighting to help you cover the bases for the rest of your life. While medical advances are made every day, there is still so much that remains unknown about the human brain.

Suffering these injuries is heartbreaking, life changing and traumatic for the entire family unit. Finding the right legal representation who can handle the brain injury compensation is crucial - the sooner the better. Recovering from these devastating injuries is often a lifelong experience; removing the financial burdens can play a big role in the success of the recovery efforts.

Car Accidents are Common in Los Angeles--Good Personal Injury Lawyers Aren't

Every year tens of thousands of California and Los Angeles vehicle drivers are involved in a car accident resulting in injuries to themselves or others. A high percentage of these accidents result in personal injuries. If you have suffered a personal injury you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries. Personal injury cases can become very complicated.

In all automobile accident cases it is essential that steps be taken immediately to preserve evidence, investigate the accident in question, and to enable physicians or other expert witnesses to thoroughly evaluate any injuries. Therefore, is important to choose an experienced personal injury attorney in pursuing a claim to recover for your personal injuries.

Traffic Accidents in Los Angeles and Orange County are the most common types of personal injury cases. Cases involving personal injury resulting from accidents are litigated under the principles of negligence, (link to negligence) unless the state has determined to do away with fault as an issue. The injured plaintiff is required to prove that someone was negligent, that the negligence caused the accident, and that the accident caused the plaintiff's injuries. In some cases your gut feeling may tell you that the other driver, cyclist, or pedestrian acted carelessly, but not what rules they violated.

Types of Car Accident Injuries

Side-impact injuries

A side-impact injury occurs as a result of another vehicle barreling into you from the side. It is the deadliest form of car accidents leaving 10,000 persons dead each year. In a head-on collision you are protected by several feet of steel, engine, and bumper. A side-impact accident leaves only a few inches of door and some window glass between you and the other vehicle.

Every vehicle on the road is required to pass the government implemented side-impact standards. Many people feel these standards are outdated. The government tests have been criticized for failing to test head standards in all vehicles. It uses a dummy representing an average size male that doesn't register head injuries, and its test only looks at what happens when similar size vehicles collide.I was a passenger involved in a car accident and I suffered injuries, can I get recovery for my personal-injury damages?

Passenger Injuries

If you were a passenger in a vehicle involved in an accident, and if you have sustained injury as a result, you are entitled to receive compensation for your injuries. As a passenger, you have a claim against both the driver of the vehicle in which you were riding as well as the drivers of any other vehicles (or any other negligent party) involved in the collision. As a passenger you generally cannot be considered to be at fault or partially at fault for causing an accident unless you do something to cause the accident such as distract the driver.

Paraplegia

Paraplegia is a type of paralysis which affects both the legs and the trunk. Persons affect by paraplegia have no movement in their legs, and are often limited or have no movement in their torso. Paraplegia results from spinal cord injury. (Link to Spinal Cord Injury) Many accident victims are paraplegic as a result of unsafe or defective vehicles.

Paraplegia interrupts sensory messages to the brain so that the affected individual cannot "feel" their affected body parts, and are generally insensitive to pain or heat. As a result, a victim's health and safety is jeopardized because of this inability to differentiate pain. Some victims have damaged nerves resulting in phantom pain and heat sensations. Paraplegia significantly impacts the patient's quality of life by affecting sexual drive, digestive capabilities, bladder control and shortened life expectancy.

Car accidents have often caused the major trauma (link to traumatic brain injury) that result in paraplegia. Vehicles such as SUV's are prone to roll over and do not have adequate roof structure. As a result, the roof crushes and caves in causing spinal cord injuries. Fortunately, there are steps to be taken to reduce such injuries including paraplegia. There are step that auto manufacturers should take to ensure that vehicles are safe and have the best airbags, seatbelts to prevent ejection, sound vehicle design and roof stability

Spinal Injuries

Although the spinal cord is only 18 inches long, and is made up of tiny, delicate nerve cells, a spinal cord injury (SCI) can be a traumatic and devastating injury resulting in a lifetime of pain, suffering and huge medical expenses. At the California Attorney Group, we know how devastating these injuries can be.

An SCI typically involves some type of trauma to the nerve cells that form the spinal cord. As the spinal cord carries messages from the brain to various parts of the body to control functions such as movement, breathing, speaking, and other critical body functions, an injury to the spinal cord disrupts this communication, leading to the impairment of the body's sensory, motor and involuntary reflex functions. Depending upon the nature and extent of the SCI, these disruptions can lead to two devastating conditions: paraplegia (paralysis of the lower portions of the body) or quadriplegia (paralysis of the upper and lower parts of the body).

The principal causes of SCI are automobile accidents [link to Car Accidents, slip and falls [link to Slip and Falls], acts of violence, sports-related injuries, injuries at work, and other incidents that cause injury or compression to the nerve cells of the spinal cord. Approximately 250,000 Americans currently suffer from some form of SCI, and there are about 11,000 new cases annually.

The costs related to SCI can be staggering. More than half of all spinal cord injuries result in quadriplegia, resulting in an average hospital stay of 95 days and approximately $140,000 in medical expenses. For individuals who sustain SCI at the age of 25, the average lifetime medical costs for quadriplegia is $1.35 million. And these figure does not take into account the physical and emotional suffering of the victims, the loss of wages and other income, and the financial and emotional burdens that SCI places on the victims' care givers, who are more often than not close family members of the victim.

Moreover, if you are in a car accident, you could have injuries such as Brain Injuries and Spinal Injuries. It is important for your attorney to understand the possibility of theses injuries and not overlook them. Many unscrupulous attorney's will push to settle their personal injury cases as quickly as possible to generate revenue for themselves. They will overlook symptoms such as simple headaches which could be an indication of a brain injury. {link to brain injury] A poorly timed or crafted settlement can leave you liable for thousands of dollars in medical bills. Our goal at California Attorney Group is to make you whole. This means our first goal is to assure the medical fitness of our clients and settlement of our cases second.

Brain Injuries

Most often brain injuries are caused by serious vehicle accidents, drastic falls, bus or train accidents, amongst other sever accidents. Every 15 seconds someone suffers a brain injury. The impact of a brain injury on someone's life can be devastating, but a brain injury attorney can help lessen the strain the brain injury has caused by recovering damages the brain injury patient is entitled to. Of all the injuries that an individual can suffer, brain related injuries are among the most frightening and the most deadly. At California Attorney Group, we can handle brain injury cases, and we know how traumatic they can be.

There are several different types of traumatic injuries that can damage the brain. A skull fracture occurs when the bone of the skull cracks or breaks. A depressed skull fracture occurs when pieces of the broken skull press into the tissue of the brain. This can cause bruising of the brain tissue, called a contusion. A contusion can also occur in response to shaking of the brain within the confines of the skull. Damage to a major blood vessel within the head can cause a hematoma, or heavy bleeding into or around the brain.

Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injury, commonly referred to as TBI is sudden physical damage to the brain. The damage may be caused by the head forcefully hitting an object, such as hitting the wheel, window or dashboard of car (closed head injury) or by something passing through the skull and piercing the brain, such as a bullet or a knife (penetrating head injury). A closed head injury can also be experienced when the brain undergoes severe shaking or twisting, such as whiplash.

The common symptoms among adults are:

low-grade headaches or neck pain that won't go away

having more trouble than usual with mental tasks (e.g., remembering, concentrating, making decisions)

slowness in thinking, speaking, acting, or reading

getting lost or easily confused

feeling tired all the time, lacking energy or motivation

changes in sleeping patterns (sleeping a lot more or having a hard time sleeping) *

feeling light-headed or dizzy, losing your balance

increased sensitivity to sounds, light, or distractions

blurred vision, eyes that tire easily

loss of the sense of smell or taste

ringing in the ears

mood changes (e.g., feeling sad or angry for no reason)

Among children, the symptoms are:

listlessness or tiring easily

irritability or crankiness

changes in eating or sleeping patterns

changes in the way the child plays

changes in performance at school

lack of interest in favorite toys or activities

loss of new skills, such as toilet training

loss of balance, unsteady walking

Brain injuries can result from a number of different causes, with the leading causes being motor vehicle crashes, slips and falls, sports-related injuries strokes, anoxia, tumors, viral infections, degenerative diseases, near drowning, and other conditions not involving external force. Approximately 1 million Americans are treated and released from hospital emergency rooms each year as a result of TBI, and an estimated 5.3 million Americans are living today with some form of TBI-related disability.

Moreover, if you are in a car accident, you could have injuries such as Brain Injuries and Spinal Injuries. It is important for your attorney to understand the possibility of theses injuries and not overlook them. Many unscrupulous attorney's will push to settle their personal injury cases as quickly as possible to generate revenue for themselves. They will overlook symptoms such as simple headaches which could be an indication of a brain injury. A poorly timed or crafted settlement can leave you liable for thousands of dollars in medical bills. Our goal at California Attorney Group is to make you whole. This means our first goal is to assure the medical fitness of our clients and settlement of our cases second.