Whether you have a viable personal injury case depends on many factors. At a minimum, you should be able to prove that you or a loved one suffered injury due to the negligence or fault of a person or a company. This is true whether you are dealing with a claim involving personal injury from an automobile/ motorcycle accident, a slip & fall mishap or other forms of negligence. Contact the experienced personal injury attorney, Ron Maidenberg for more specific advice regarding your case. Because every case is different, you should always consult an experienced and skilled personal injury attorney for legal and practical advice on these issues.

If you’re considering filing a personal injury lawsuit over a car accident, slip and fall, or any other kind of injury, you may be wondering “What is my case really worth?” The answer comes down to “damages” — figuring out what your injuries have cost you monetarily, physically, and mentally (and, in some cases, whether the defendant’s conduct should be punished). In a personal injury case, money damages are paid to an injured person (the plaintiff) by the person or company who is found to be legally responsible for the accident (the defendant or their insurer). A damage award can be agreed upon after a negotiated settlement — among the parties, their insurance companies, and their attorneys, for example — or may be ordered by a judge or jury following a court trial.

A personal injury case can last anywhere between a few months to a few years, and can even proceed possibly even longer. A few months is the bare minimum, and it is very rare for a personal injury case to take up that short of a time frame. Every case is different, and sometimes a longer time frame means greater efficiency.

A personal injury case can last its shortest time span if the liability is clear, the injuries are significant and your insurance can and will cover the damages. Be on the lookout for insurance companies that try to drag out your case as long as possible solely to increase profit. This is another factor as to why personal injury cases can take up much time.

In a personal injury case, the most important person is the individual affected. They were the ones injured, and they are the ones who need the settlement. Thus, it is up to the client to choose how long the case lasts, how long does medical care take to resolve personal injury related issues and depending on how long they are willing to wait for the settlement.

The second most important person in a personal injury case is the attorney, as it is their job to collect, document, and provide all existing information to the involved insurance company as well as protect the rights of the client. The attorney is the client’s liaison between themselves and the case, which can mean the amount of the settlement itself. Because of this, an attorney should always be contacted as soon as possible after the injury has occurred, so the appropriate documentation and procedures can begin as soon as possible.

Attention: Before you speak with any insurance company, contact The Law Office of Ron Maidenberg to discuss your case. Prevent the insurance company from obtaining your recorded statement and using it against you. Adjusters are trained to make you give a statement that is detrimental to your claim. The recorded statement is the insurance company’s #1 priority.

1. Even though you pay them a monthly premium , insurance companies do not represent you . They represent shareholders, and their job is to make a profit by collecting premiums and paying out as little as possible. That is why they have claims adjusters and a host of investigators and lawyers on staff. The role of each of these people is to ensure that the insurance company does not pay one penny more than is necessary — and far less if they can get away with it. Studies have shown that injured people who hire an attorney to handle their serious injury claim walk away with more compensation than those who do not hire a lawyer, even after the attorney’s fees are paid.

Attorneys can do several things for accident victims:
1. Your insurance company will try to settle your case for the lowest possible amount. An experienced attorney understands the true value of your injury claim and can advise you on whether to settle or whether to fight for all the compensation you deserve.

2. The insurance company will try to settle your case early, before all of your expenses are known. An experienced personal injury attorney, like Ron Maidenberg, understands that serious injuries can have consequences long after the initial accident. A lawyer who works for you — and you alone — will advise you not to settle too soon.

3. The insurance company has its own lawyers working to limit your financial recovery and even to find loopholes so they do not need to pay you at all. Your attorney is your own legal advocate dedicated to protecting your interests. Having your own lawyer levels the playing field. Even attorneys who do not practice personal injury law usually retain a skilled personal injury attorney to represent them or their family members if they are injured.

A letter from the doctor recommending you not to work would be helpful. A lost wage verification form from your employer would also be helpful. If you are self-employed, then your tax returns would be helpful.

As your personal injury attorney, having a doctor’s letter and wage verification form from your place of employment showing exactly the amount of work you missed will go far to prove your income loss. Proving your lost wages due to your injury has an added benefit. It shows you were hurt in the accident. It shows that you responded to this accident like someone who was hurt. It adds to your credibility to have the above-information before requesting compensation for lost earnings from missing work when negotiating with the insurance company.

It is not uncommon for insurance companies to make car accident victims believe that lost wages are not part of the compensation. Even when they do admit that they should pay for these damages, they often force these individuals to jump through hoops just to prove that they lost income. However, the process should not be so hard. You might have to show past tax returns, or a letter from your company or boss to show that you lost wages as a result of the accident. However, this process can become quite more complicated in a work environment where:

You work on commission
You are self-employed
You work as an independent contractor
You lost an important bonus as a result of time missed from work

Most insurance companies strategically place roadblocks in place in order to make it very difficult to prove lost wages. Ultimately, they hope that you will simply give up on your right to receive compensation for lost wages.

Many times with an injury you will miss work. Your income will decline, and you will have less money. You might even get fired because you can’t work anymore. Receiving lost wages and future lost wages can be very important to many claims.