San Antonio Legal Advice

Welcome to “Do I Need A Lawyer?”
Thanks for joining us!

If you have a question you would like for me to answer, or if you would like to speak with me regarding a potential claim, please pick up the phone and give us a call right now. (770) 934-8000.

Our Firm
I was riding on my motorcycle on Pleasant Hill Road. It was about 2:00 p.m. – early afternoon. The roads were dry. The weather was sunny and there was not a cloud in the sky. This elderly woman pulls out of a fast food restaurant’s parking lot. She was trying to turn left and pulled out in front of me. She didn’t even look – or wasn’t paying attention when she pulled out. I laid down the bike as best I could but still crashed into the rear driver’s side of her car. I broke my right ankle and actually had to have surgery on it because it was really messed up.
Do I need a lawyer? And can you help me???” -Glenn in Norcross.

I am so sorry to hear about your wreck – and to answer your questions – yes and yes!
You need a lawyer and I would be happy to help you.

But let me give our viewers some alarming statistics from government studies about motorcycle accidents:
* In 2010, 4,502 people were killed in the United States in accidents involving motorcycles.

The at fault driver was attempting to turn left out of the fast food restaurant driveway when she pulled out in front of you.
Now what is the main reason these motorcycle accidents happened?

So let’s look at how we can prevent these wrecks from ever happening in two ways:
First – from the perspective of the person riding the motorcycle.
Here are 5Tips I’d like to share:

(2) Follow the speed limit!
And this really does apply to all of us, not just to motorcycle riders.
Speed kills.

In fact, a motorcyclist not wearing a helmet is 40% more likely to die of a head injury than one who wears a helmet.

(4) Keep your headlight on at all times.

Colors that stand out – like yellow, orange, or bright red jackets will help you be seen by others.

Now here are a couple of helpful hints for all of us:
(1) Look Twice, Save A Life!

You should always double check to make sure the road is clear before you pull into a roadway from either a stop sign, a yield sign, or a driveway.

(2) Keep your eyes on the road!

No Texting and no trying to dial the phone.

Insurance adjusters are trained to act like your long lost friend. They will tell you things like “You don’t need a lawyer. We are here to help you.”

You really have to ask yourself – Do you want to take on the insurance company and THEIR lawyers by yourself?
Let me show you just how much of a difference hiring a lawyer can make on your case.
A consumer panel survey of auto accident victims by the Insurance Research Council showed the following:
* Injured victims receive an average of 40% more money just by consulting a lawyer to learn their rights!

* Injured victims receive an average of 3 and ? times more money when they hire an attorney to defend their rights!
3 and ? times more money.
Let’s put that in real dollars.

That money could be used to take care of your future medical needs or to help you catch up on your bills.
Please – you owe it to yourself to call a lawyer to discuss the facts of your specific claim.

Just pick up the phone right now and give us a call at (770) 934-8000.
Our legal professionals are standing by right now to speak with you.
The consultation is FREE and completely confidential.
I encourage you – if you don’t call us, please call someone to help you with your claim.

So give us a call right now. (770) 934-8000.
And stay tuned for more of “Do I Need A Lawyer”

Personal Injury Law

What are the 3 things YOU must prove in your personal injury claim?

Welcome to “Do I Need A Lawyer?”
Thanks for joining us!

If you have a question you would like for me to answer, or if you would like to speak with me regarding a potential claim, please pick up the phone and give us a call right now. (770) 934-8000.

Our Firm
Gary: My wife and I were hurt in a car accident about a month ago. We were not at fault. I am ok but my wife is not. The other driver slammed into the passenger side door where she was riding. She is still treating with the doctor. We are already getting a lot of medical bills in the mail. If we hire a lawyer, what do we have to prove to be able to recover from the driver’s insurance company?
Our staff of legal professionals are standing by right now to take your information.
The call is completely confidential, there is no obligation, and the consultation is free.

Now let’s go to the next question from one of our viewers.
Jeff in Decatur
Gary: My wife and I were hurt in a car accident about a month ago. We were not at fault. The other driver slammed into the passenger side door where she was riding. She is still treating with the doctor. If we hire a lawyer, what do we have to prove to be able to recover from the driver’s insurance company?
Thanks for the question though I’m sorry to hear about your wife’s injuries and the wreck.
There are several things we have to prove in these personal injury claims:
* Someone was negligent in causing the wreck (besides our client);
* This person’s negligence was the proximate cause of our client’s injuries;
* We have to prove the damages our client sustained in the wreck.

Other examples include:
Following too closely
Driver distractions due to using a cell phone or adjusting the radio

Driver fatigue because they drove their tractor trailer more than Federal law allows
Proximate Cause:
Once we prove the other driver was negligent, then we must show that this negligence was the proximate cause of your injuries.
Here is an example:

The Defendant’s negligence was the proximate cause of the wreck and your injuries.
Here is another example:
You have a green light allowing you to proceed straight through the intersection.
The Defendant is traveling in the opposite direction.
He does not see you and he attempts to turn left in front of your car and crashes into your vehicle. You sustain a broken arm and leg in the crash.
His failure to yield while turning left is the proximate cause of the collision and your injuries.
(3) Damages:

Damages could include compensation for:
Medical bills, including:

-medical doctors and specialists

-physical therapy
-prescriptions

Lost wages:

It can be very problematic, however, if someone misses time from work but is paid “under the table” and there is no record on the books. It gets even messier when there is no mention of this work on the tax returns.
Transportation costs
You would not have to be driving around from doctor’s appointments to physical therapy to the pharmacy to get your prescriptions filled if the Defendant had not caused the wreck.

Parking in some of the private lots can also add up.
Keep track of your round trip mileage to these appointments and save those parking receipts!

The key component to making a claim for these future medical expenses is to get a doctor’s narrative addressing the medical needs, why they are necessary, how they were caused by the wreck, and the costs of the procedure(s).
FUTURE lost wages
The standard for proving future lost wages is simple, yet can sometimes be a difficult hurdle to overcome.
The way a jury measures future lost income is for them to determine what the plaintiff would otherwise have earned in his job or profession but for the injury.

Punitive damages:
Sometimes the defendant’s conduct in causing the wreck or his actions immediately after the wreck are so egregious that the law allows us to seek additional damages known as punitive damages.
The purpose of punitive damages is to punish, penalize, or deter the Defendant from repeating the conduct.
For example, punitive damages can be sought in wrecks where:
– The Defendant causes a wreck and attempts to flee or does flee the scene of the collision.

General damages are designed to compensate an injured victim for losses such as pain and suffering, emotional suffering, hardship, or inconvenience.
These damages are hard to quantify for everyone and are highly subjective, so the law instructs the judge or jury to assign these damages on an individual basis.

There is an old saying that “[T]he easiest pain to bear is someone else’s.”
There is a lot of truth to that statement.

This is clearly one of those areas where an experienced personal injury attorney can help argue the specifics of your case to the insurance adjuster.
Now – if you have questions about a potential claim, please give us a call.
If not us, please call someone – but call an attorney that specializes in personal injury law.
You have absolutely nothing to lose by calling a lawyer, but think of all you can lose if you don’t!
If you would like to speak with my law firm about your claim, we make it easy for you.
Just pick up the phone right now and give us a call at (770) 934-8000.
Our intake specialists are standing by right now to speak with you.

And stay tuned for more of “Do I Need A Lawyer”
We’ll be right back.

Personal Injury Law