Personal Injury Attorney Serving the People of Meridian, Idaho

Perhaps you are considering filing a personal injury claim after being injured by a negligent person or entity. This typically occurs after an automobile accident, but can also occur in the following situations:

• Injuries sustained from a dog bite;
• Injuries sustained by an elderly person living in a nursing home due to neglect or abuse;
• Injuries sustained by children in a daycare due to neglect or abuse;
• Injuries sustained as a result of a dangerous drug or medical device;
• Injuries from an incident like a slip and fall in a public area due to negligence, or
• Injuries on a construction site.

It is interesting to note that, according to the U.S. Government, only about four to five percent of personal injury cases will actually go to trial, while the remainder will be settled pretrial. This is relevant because most people imagine their case will be heard by a jury, while in all actuality, it will be settled. For the minute number of cases that do go to trial, those which are heard in front of a trial judge rather than a jury tend to receive higher settlements.

The primary reason cases are settled outside of a courtroom boils down to time. Once a case is headed to trial, it can take months, or even years to culminate in a verdict. The majority of personal injury victims need money now, in order to pay medical expenses as well as expenses associated with possibly being off work because of the extent of their injuries. When a personal injury case is sent to trial, there must be a lengthy investigation, including depositions, and witness interviews.

Car, Truck & Motorcycle Injury Cases

The majority of personal injury cases are the result of a truck, car or motorcycle crash, and bicycle accidents. When a significant accident occurs, the injuries sustained can be catastrophic – leading to a lifetime of suffering and permanent disability. When a car accident is caused by a negligent driver, you have a right to seek compensation for your injuries, medical expenses, lost wages, loss of future earnings, and pain and suffering.

Unfortunately, insurance companies are not on your side after a car accident – even when the accident was clearly not your fault. Their main objective is to protect their bottom line – and they do this by offering injured accident victims a fraction of what they need to recover. This is why it is critical to speak to an experienced personal injury attorney as soon as possible after your car accident. Your attorney will be able to negotiate with the insurance companies to ensure that all of your medical needs are considered before reaching a settlement.

Causes of Car Accidents

The majority of car accidents are caused by negligent drivers – and these could have been prevented with a little extra caution. Car, truck, and motorcycle accidents are often caused by:

• Distracted drivers
• Intoxicated drivers
• Drivers under the influence of drugs
• Speeding drivers
• Road rage
• Drowsy drivers

Getting the Help You Need after a Car Accident

To ensure that you receive the maximum compensation to which you are entitled after an automobile or pedestrian accident, consider this:

• Call the police – a police report is invaluable when proving fault and establishing liability after an accident. Even if the accident was minor, it is important to contact the police and file a report.
• Seek medical attention – many injuries can be masked by adrenaline after an accident. As such, numerous accident victims initially believe that they are uninjured, only to find out that they have worse injuries than they believed. Always seek medical attention after an accident – even if you believe that you are uninjured. In addition, always follow your doctor’s instructions, attend all follow up appointments promptly, and fill medications as ordered.
• Document evidence– if you are able, snap pictures at the accident scene to preserve the evidence. Note the other car, any skid marks, any signs at the intersection, the damage to the vehicles, and your injuries. If you can get the names and numbers of any eye witnesses, be sure to do so. This will go a long way to helping your case.
• Contact an experienced attorney – always speak to an experienced personal injury attorney after your accident to review all of your legal options. Your attorney will review your injuries, the damage to your vehicle, the police report, and help you choose the legal path that is best for you.

Slip and Fall Personal Injury Cases

According to OSHA, most industry accidents include a slip, trip or fall, and slip and falls cause 15 percent of all accidental deaths, following behind only motor vehicle accidents as a cause of fatalities. The National Safety Council found that falls from the same level are more common than falls to a lower level. A slip can occur when a floor becomes slippery due to a spill, or an oily surface, or when there are items left in walkways, uneven floor surfaces, bunched-up floor mats, uneven carpeting, holes in working surfaces, or steps on stairs which are not uniform in height. Slips and trips can result in a fall, and that fall can cause serious injury.

Although same-level falls are more common, elevated falls are more likely to result in severe injury or death. Nearly a third of all those who experience a slip and fall will suffer moderate to severe injuries such as brain trauma, head injuries, hip fractures and internal organ damage. Most commonly, fractures of the spine, pelvis, upper arm, hip, forearm, hand, ankle and pelvis occur from a same-level slip and fall. Older Americans are the group most likely to suffer a slip and fall, and many of these falls can result in serious injury to the elderly person.

Among lost-time work injuries, one in six results from a slip, trip or fall, and slip and fall injuries result in an average of eleven days away from work. Nearly one-sixth of all Workers’ Comp expenses are tied to a slip and fall injury, with each slip and fall injury costing approximately $40,000. The key in a slip and fall case is finding who the negligent party is, then determining how the party was negligent. As an example, if you fall in a mall because of a soda spill, your attorney will have to figure out who the owner of the mall is, and who was responsible for not cleaning up the spill in order to find the negligent party.

Your attorney will seek to prove the following:

• The property owner or the property owner’s employee should have recognized the dangerous condition and taken steps to correct the condition;
• The property owner or the property owner’s employee had sufficient time to remedy the situation prior to the occurrence of the accident, and
• The property owner or the property owner’s employee caused the dangerous condition which led to the slip and fall, and it was reasonably foreseeable an accident could occur because of that dangerous condition.

Compensation You Might Be Entitled to for Your Personal Injury Case

You may already know you are entitled to recover your medical expenses from the negligent party, but may not know what other compensation you are entitled to. Medical expenses can include hospital and surgical expenses, prescription drug expenses, physician expenses and rehabilitation expenses. You may also be entitled to pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of wages and loss of future earning capacity. In certain cases, punitive damages could apply, if the negligent party showed particular maliciousness in their behavior, and that behavior caused your accident and subsequent injuries.

Punitive damages are meant to punish the negligent party, as well as to deter such behavior in the future. An example of punitive damages would be if a medical manufacturer continued to sell a defective medical device, even after they were aware the device was defective. In such a scenario, a jury might award punitive damages to the plaintiff, both to punish the manufacturer for its behavior, as well as to deter other medical device manufacturers from acting in the same manner.

If you have been injured in a Meridian, Idaho accident, and you believe your injuries are the result of negligence on the part of the other party, it could be beneficial to speak to a Meridian personal injury attorney, as soon as possible. You are much more likely to obtain a settlement which is fair and equitable, if you have an experienced personal injury attorney by your side. Don’t wait, hoping the issue will go away, because it will not, and you will be left injured, with no way to pay for your medical expenses and lost wages.