EFFECTIVE REPRESENTATION WHEN YOU NEED IT

An injured person deserves proper compensation.  You cannot un-break a bone, reverse a brain injury, or undo a scar.  The reality is money is usually the only remedy.  People are seriously injured everyday in car, truck, bus and motorcycle accidents, injuries from heavy equipment, injuries on another’s property, injuries from animal bites and many other circumstances.  Serious injuries include broken bones, loss of limbs, internal injuries and infections, concussions, severe brain injury or trauma, lacerations, burns, paralysis, head/neck injury and/or dislocation.  These injuries can be stressful and life-changing events.  If you or a loved one is seriously injured as the result of the fault of another person or entity, please call our office to set up a time to meet and discuss your potential claim.  The initial meeting is always free.

We work on the following types of cases:

Bus/TRUCKING CASES

Bus and Trucking cases are sometimes different than other types of vehicular accidents.  A bus case can also be different than a trucking case.  Bus cases can involve a City, State or Municipality.  In such cases, a Notice of Claim (A.R.S. § 12-821.01) must be made to the State or government entity who has an interest in the bus which may be liable.  The Notice must be served within 180 days from the date of an accident involving a bus.  Failure to do so could result in loss of claim.  In addition, buses have separate regulations that need to be evaluated.

Trucking cases are also unique.  Truckers must follow federal trucking laws, and failure to do so could be contributory to fault.  In addition, truckers have to carry a minimum amount of insurance because of the catastrophic damage and injuries that usually result from an accident with a truck. 

The lawyer you hire should be aware of these different issues and if not it does not benefit the injured party.

AN ATTORNEY CAN PROTECT YOU FROM AN INSURANCE COMPANY

You should consult with an attorney before making any statement to any insurance company.  You may have a duty to cooperate with your own insurance company, but not without representation, and you are certainly not required to do everything the opposing side’s insurance company may ask of you.  Most people get nervous and confused when speaking with any insurance company.  Take yourself out of this uncomfortable position and allow us to assist you.   We will contact the respective insurance companies and advise of our representation.

One of the first things that must be done in an injury case is to obtain the investigative reports and determine who may be the potential party (or parties) at fault.   Was someone cited for a traffic violation or charged with a crime?  This helps us determine some of the issues in a particular case.  We may also need to have witnesses located and interviewed, evidence preserved, photographs taken, medical reports obtained, wrongful death beneficiaries identified, and insurance policies located and examined.  These are just some examples of what may need to be done initially in a case. Different cases may require different investigations, and we have investigators to handle any situation. This process may also take time and money.  If we take your case, we may elect to cover initial costs until the case is resolved.

Remember, insurance companies have adjustors, investigators and teams of lawyers to protect them from paying what an injured person’s claim may be worth.  They don’t charge premiums to just give it all way.  We have a team of investigators and lawyers as well to handle most any injury or wrongful death case.  If it is not the type of case we specifically handle, we can refer you to someone who can.

INVESTIGATION

An injury case starts with good, thorough investigation.  This includes not only investigation of the scene, but investigation of witnesses, the liable parties, and insurance policies.  We have a team of investigators who are hired for specific types of cases.  Our investigators help us to identify the facts and key issues we need to focus upon to determine liability and damages.  The investigation in an injury case is fluid and develops over time.  Preservation of evidence that could be lost or destroyed must be addressed as soon as possible.  We will send preservation letters to various parties or entities to preserve vehicles, equipment, computer information, video and audio evidence, and other evidence that could be lost.  This is important to understand when considering which lawyer to hire. 

EXPERTS

Along with the investigators, experts often needed to be consulted depending on the type of case and injury you or a loved one may have suffered.  Because I am a criminal defense attorney as well, if your injury is the result of a crime, I am uniquely qualified to look at these different issues. 

For example, if the injury results from an accident by a person who has been over-served with alcohol (Dram Shop), I have the experts to determine alcohol concentrations and the cause of the accident, and in addition, the liability of the establishment’s owner.

Often in vehicular cases (auto, bus, trucking, motorcycle, ATV) fault may need to be determined by an expert.  We have several experts in this field with qualified backgrounds to examine scenes, vehicles and other evidence.  Experts work in tandem sometimes with the Investigator.

 The point is the lawyer you hire should know and have these issues in mind.

LIFE CARE PLANS

For seriously injured people that will need on going attention, a life care plan expert is key.  Case in point, we represented a young girl who was severely burned on her leg by a tire.  She needed skin grafts.  However, she needed additional skin grafts as she grew.  The life care planner we used helped us and the opposing side understand the costs and explained the treatments.  This type of expert is not needed in every case but when one is needed, we have the resource.

Minors/Incapacitated adults

Cases involving minors or adults who may be incapacitate can be challenging, not only from an injury standpoint because of the fragile nature of children or an incapacitated adult, but legally as well.  Minors must have a Conservator to oversee their claims and protect any monies they may receive from a case resolution.  Parents are usually appointed conservators.  However, again, a parent may not always be the right one for the job (highly complex resolutions, immigration status, divorce).   In certain cases, a third-party conservator can be used after consultation with all concerned family members.  We have used third party conservators in other cases and it can be a useful and beneficial tool.  This is another issues to consider with these types of cases.