Blog Articles
Experienced Lawyers Serving Kansas and Missouri
When you have been arrested or injured in an accident, you want an attorney on your side who understands the purpose and importance of aggressive advocacy.
We are experienced criminal defense and personal injury lawyers with a substantial record of success fighting for our clients' rights. When we can, our law firm argues for acceptable plea bargains or settlements for our clients. When that proves impossible, we aggressively pursue your best interest at trial, persuasively explaining to the jury the situation.
The qualities that have helped our success in the courtroom and at the negotiation table include:
Powers of persuasion
Persistence
The love of the fight
Past successes and experience
Past jury trial wins
If you have been injured or arrested, contact our law firm immediately for a free consultation. When you hire us as your personal injury, DUI, or criminal defense attorney, you know you have an advocate at your side who will not back down, who will fight for your rights and keep pushing until we get the best possible outcome.
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Personal Injury Cases
If you have recently been injured in an accident without any fault on your part, you can be lost, not knowing which to choose lawyers. After an injury, many people turn to lawyers to help them protect their rights and help to ensure that they receive fair personal injury compensation for lost wages, medical expenses and pain and suffering.
Depending on the accident, medical aid may or may not be necessary in personal injury compensation. In a car accident, for example, the person who caused the accident will be responsible for all maintenance work on the car of the victim and compensation has already been mentioned. Most people hire a lawyer soon after the accident occurs, even if negotiations on the settlement usually starts only after completion of treatment.
After finding medical treatment, lawyers as personal injury specialists will negotiate with the insurance company representing the person who caused the accident. Meanwhile, lawyers will appreciate the amount of medical bills, medical reports and diagnosis, lost wages, damages and try to determine a fair amount of pain and suffering. After obtaining your consent, personal injury lawyers will submit proposals for the insurance regulator for review. Usually it takes 30 days to respond, which likely will refuse the offer. At that time, personal injury lawyers will discuss the proposals with their client and see if a fair settlement can be achieved. If not, then the lawyer will prepare another letter explaining that the proposal of settling is not acceptable and will request that the case be settled for an amount slightly less than the amount originally proposed.
This is a test from each side, as the counsel for the defendant wants to settle the case for as little as possible, the plaintiff's lawyers want their clients to receive adequate personal injury compensation. After several letters and vice versa, and possibly some telephone calls, lawyers advise their clients if a fair proposal was reached. Although they can teach their clients about what to do, they may indicate the validity of the proposal and how this figure could change if the case should go to court.
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A personal injury is often defined as an injury that is caused to the body, mind or emotions, that has resulted in any kind of loss. A personal injury is usually caused as a result of the negligence of some other person, or due to the actions of some other person, or due to the fault of some other person. The party which has been injured or affected as a result of the negligence, actions or fault of the other party, can file a claim of compensation and settlement in the court of law. Some of the categories under which a person can file a case of personal injury include:
-Road accidents
-Tripping accidents
-Accidents when at work
-Assault or physical attack
-Accidents within the office, house and any private place
-Accidents or injuries caused as a result of usage of a particular product
-Claim against tarnishing reputation and public image
-Character assasination and mental trauma
-Physical trauma
In short, a person can file a claim compliant with the court of law and receive compensation for loss due to personal injury, if the court thinks fit.
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The Importance of Expert Witnesses
Posted May 7, 2010
In a personal injury case, you, the plaintiff, must show by a preponderance of the evidence that it was negligence or wrongful conduct on the part of the defendant that directly caused your injuries. Often, your attorney will recommend that you call an expert witness to testify on your behalf. Most states require that both the plaintiff and the defendant call expert witnesses to testify in the case. Expert witnesses are generally doctors or other individuals with special expertise in a given subject which is pertinent to your case. Expert witness testimony is crucial in proving that your injuries were in fact caused by the actions of the defendant.
In a medical malpractice case especially, it is imperative that you engage expert witnesses to support your case. If you are claiming that a doctor or other medical professional provided incorrect or negligent care which led to your injuries, you obviously must have other medical experts who are very familiar with the treatment administered in similar cases to buttress your claim that the individual who treated you was somehow at fault. Without expert witnesses, it is virtually impossible to prove your claim of malpractice.
An attorney who practices personal injury law will know how to locate expert witnesses who are qualified to address the particular issues in your case, so if you believe you have a personal injury or medical malpractice claim, it is critically important to obtain qualified legal representation as soon as possible.
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What to Expect when you file a Personal Injury Suit…
Posted April 24, 2010
A personal injury suit generally addresses 3 primary issues:
Liability: Were you injured as the result of someone’s negligence?
Damages: How badly were you injured?
Collections source: Will an insurance company or will private assets compensate you?
A number of considerations will affect your settlement, including the following:
The financial costs of medical bills.
Loss of income, both now and in the future
The potential cost of future medical treatment
Your age
Any permanent limitations or disabilities that are the result of your accident
Any activities that you can't do any more
Activities you can do, but that you don't enjoy as much anymore
Your medical prognosis
In addition, pain and suffering are taken into account. This term refers not only to the physical pain you’re experiencing, but also the mental anguish you’re suffering, possibly facing surgery or prolonged treatment or special care needs and finding that you can’t enjoy the things you used to enjoy to the same degree.
There is no minimum or maximum settlement, as each case presents a unique set of circumstances. Almost 95 % of cases are settled before trial.
A good lawyer begins with one goal – to win for you what a reasonable jury would consider a fair and adequate compensation.
