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PERSONAL INJURY CLAIMS COME IN MANY FORMS
DON'T GO IT ALONE!
YOU NEED AN EXPERIENCED CONNECTICUT PERSONAL
INJURY ATTORNEY TO ADVISE YOU, REPRESENT YOU, AND MAXIMIZE YOUR
FINANCIAL RECOVERY!
NO-RECOVERY / NO-FEE GUARANTEE
AUTO ACCIDENTS
In an auto accident life comes to a screeching halt. You may be
severely injured, in a hospital bed, with your vehicle
inoperative. Medical bills start to mount. This is not a fun
time.
But help is close
by, if you’d like to take advantage of it. When an auto accident
is caused by somebody’s negligence, and that can be proved, you
may be entitled to:
Start
documenting the accident
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Take photos of
your injuries, as soon as possible after the accident
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Take similar
photos of your automobile damage, and of the scene before
any vehicles are moved.
Note:
a disposable camera is a great thing to carry in your car, along
with the first aid kit, blanket, flashlight, pen and paper, and
jumper cables.
Any documentation
you can provide to your injury lawyer, if you need to hire one,
will be invaluable, and will give him or her a quicker start on
the investigative process.
You may be very sure
that the accident wasn’t your fault. That’s excellent, but it
needs to be proved, and that’s where an injury attorney can be
so helpful.
The
insurance company
Insurance companies
send out an adjuster as soon as possible after any accident. The
adjuster’s job is to save money for his employer. He may offer
you a quick settlement, but be careful.
Don’t sign anything
or accept any check without consulting an accident attorney.
Your interests and those of the insurance company are not the
same. You’ll be in a better negotiating position with the
insurance company if you have an experienced accident lawyer at
your side.
Personal injury
lawyers have handled hundreds of accident cases across the
country involving the most severe, such as:
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DOG BITES
Many dogs may be lovely pets, but don’t know how to deal with
small children, who may make sudden movements, loud squeals, or
other actions that startle the dog. Small children don’t
necessarily know how to approach a strange dog.
Most dog bite
accidents happen to children and elderly people.
Sometimes a dog will
bite because it’s being teased, or because the person bitten was
trespassing on its premises. If that’s the case, a good dog bite
attorney can discover that fact and there may be no injury case
possible.
Negligence
If you’ve been
bitten and feel that you have a valid claim, contact us right
away. Most dog bite accidents involve dogs who have bitten
someone before. They’re usually of certain breeds:
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Pit
bulls
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Rottweilers
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German
shepherds
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The owners or
caretakers of those dogs should be aware of the tendency to
bite, and restrain the dog accordingly. When they don’t they can
be found negligent, and therefore liable for injuries inflicted
by the dog.
Leash laws are
designed to prevent dog bite accidents. A dog’s teeth can
penetrate well below the skin, into muscle, connective tissue
and bone, and do serious damage. Ugly scars can result,
requiring plastic surgery, especially if they’re on a child’s
face.
If you’ve been
bitten by a dog, we can investigate the incident and determine
whether you’re entitled to collect compensation for:
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Medical
costs
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Pain and
suffering
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Lost
wages
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In many instances,
dog owners are covered under their own homeowners or renters
insurance policies.
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DANGEROUS PREMISES
Property owners are responsible for keeping their property safe
for guests or the public, whether the property is:
-
A public park
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An apartment
complex
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A local
business, or
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A neighbor’s
yard
When the owner fails
to eliminate hazardous conditions, innocent guests and residents
may pay the price, incurring injuries that could have been
avoided.
The most serious
injuries, and the most difficult and expensive to heal are:
Local and Federal
premises liability laws are created to compensate injured
victims when a property owner’s negligence causes injury. These
laws also require owners to carry insurance for premises
liability accidents.
Although the
insurance companies will usually try to avoid paying large
settlement amounts, an experienced premises liability attorney
can evaluate the situation and help you obtain the full amount
you may be entitled to.
We can draw on
skilled investigators and medical experts who can carefully
examine the environment in question and clarify the details of
your injuries.
Examples of
dangerous premises cases:
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Slip and fall
accidents
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Swimming pool
drownings
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Balcony injuries
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Assault or rape
due to negligent security
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Elevator
accidents
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Stairway
accidents
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Falls due to
poor lighting
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Injuries due to
falling merchandise in stores
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Sickness due to
toxic mold
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Construction
site accidents
If you’ve been
injured on someone else’s property, find out more about your
rights.
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BOATING ACCIDENTS
Many residents enjoy the waterways for recreation. It’s good to
remember that we have a responsibility to:
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Learn how to
operate vessels properly, and
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Follow the
regulations of boat operation and safe waterway travel
Waterways
are to be shared
For everybody’s
safety and enjoyment, we all need to observe the speed limits
and respect each other’s right to share the water. There are
also passenger limits, and if they’re disregarded, the
overloaded boat can become an unsafe place to be.
Waterway navigation
rules are established to protect boaters and keep the waterways
accessible to all, just as road rules are in place to keep our
roads and highways safe.
And just as
automobiles must be checked for emissions, and are expected to
have properly operating brakes in order to avoid auto accidents,
boat and engine equipment standards are designed to make sure
only safe vessels are in operation.
Negligence
Sometimes boat
owners or renters drive recklessly and ignore the rights of
other boaters. If a boat owner fails to maintain boating
equipment, the boat can become a moving hazard.
Negligence causes
many accidents, and can be compounded by other undesirable
circumstances, such as:
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MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENTS
Many people enjoy the freedom of motorcycle riding and most are
responsible riders, observing speed limits and following the
rules of the road.
Motorcycles
hard to see?
Many vehicle drivers
claim they do not easily see the bike riders. Our roads have
become more full of 18-wheelers in recent years, as well as the
larger-sized and very popular SUVs, so there may be some truth
to the claim that bike riders are hard to see.
However, it’s every
driver’s responsibility to do such things as:
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Enter
intersections with caution
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Allow oncoming
traffic to proceed before making a turn
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Be aware of the
blind spot
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Check rear view
mirrors frequently
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Refrain from
drinking and driving
Severe
injuries
While a motorcycle
helmet gives protection to the head, and leather clothing gives
a certain amount of protection to the body, a motorcyclist is
still vulnerable on the road.
Being thrown from
your bike can cause severe harm:
These are among the
most drastic and painful injuries, and the most expensive and
time-consuming to treat. They can have permanent results such as
paralysis, loss of memory, and large scars. They’re often fatal.
A motorcycle rider
is also more vulnerable than someone inside a vehicle to direct
impact from another vehicle and again, this can cause drastic
injury.
When severe injuries
are involved, much expert medical testimony is needed, which
takes a relatively long time to process.
The sooner you
consult a motorcycle accident attorney, the sooner this long
discovery process can begin. If you’ve been injured yourself, or
if you’ve lost a loved one in a motorcycle accident, contact us
immediately. We can evaluate the case, investigate the
circumstances of the accident, and help you deal with the
insurance company.
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SOFT-TISSUE INJURIES
The force of
impact in a car accident can cause
soft tissues to stretch
considerably, resulting in significant damage. As a result of
this damage, individuals often experience pain, swelling, and
loss of function. Bleeding may result as well.
Though
soft
tissue
injuries are very
common, they cannot be detected using x-rays. For this reason,
it is more difficult to detect
soft tissue
injuries quickly than
it is to detect bone injuries.
Often, an individual with soft
tissue
injuries will not
experience symptoms for hours after a car accident. In some
cases, it takes days for car accident victims to begin
experiencing symptoms.
Once a person
with soft
tissue
injuries begins having
symptoms, he or she may experience persistent pain. Often,
inflammation is present. This is a natural result of
soft
tissue injury and helps
to make the accident victim aware that a body part has been
damaged. The pain, however, can be significant and can stall or
inhibit healing if left untreated.
One of the most
common soft
tissue
injuries is whiplash.
Whiplash is a term that describes injury to muscles,
ligaments,
and soft tissue in the neck. Contrary to popular belief,
whiplash is not a medical term, but it is still the most
commonly used term for such a neck injury. Typically, whiplash
occurs as a result of a rear end vehicle collision or sports
injury, but other accidents can account for similar injury to
the neck.
This injury
occurs when a person in a car is hit from behind in a car
accident. In this type of collision, the head of the accident
victim often snaps forward and back again. The head weighs a
considerable amount, and when it snaps backward, it exerts
significant force on the neck. The resulting whiplash can lead
to a range of serious conditions, including but not limited to
chronic pain, joint dysfunction, and herniated discs of the
spine.
Whiplash, also
known as neck sprain or cervical sprain, is a direct result of
the neck being forced out of its normal range of motion. Since
it is an injury primarily involving muscles and ligaments, it
can take up to 12 hours or more before the effects of a whiplash
injury are evident. Symptoms of whiplash include stiff neck and
neck pain, limited mobility, back and shoulder pain and
headache. The signs and symptoms of whiplash should not be
confused with symptoms of a head injury in the event of an
accident. Medical attention should not be postponed if any
trauma to the head has occurred.
Diagnosis of
whiplash is usually not a difficult one and typically involves
only a physical examination. Most muscle and tissue sprains or
injuries will not appear on x-rays and only severe injuries are
typically sent for imaging.
Treatment for
whiplash may consist of pain medication and muscle relaxants
along with range of motion exercises. In years past, it was
believed that a whiplash injury should be immobilized with the
help of a collar, but in recent years, doctors have begun to
encourage mobility for faster healing. Sometimes a soft collar
brace is provided for the first week or two, but this is now
used in conjunction with exercise. Heat therapy may also help
with neck pain and tension. In some cases, physical therapy and
traction are used if an individual is experiencing severe pain
with mobility or has suffered back injury along with neck
injury.
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BRAIN INJURIES
A
traumatic brain injury (TBI) can be classified as mild, moderate
or severe. Most, about three quarters, are mild. The others are
moderate or severe and the term “traumatic” is not an
exaggeration.
Almost all people who sustain a severe TBI will be disabled for
the rest of their lives. About two thirds of those with moderate
TBI will also be permanently disabled.
About 600,000 TBIs happen every year in the U.S., of which about 10% are
fatal. About half of those TBIs are caused by automobile
accidents. Others are caused by falls, assaults and penetrating
trauma, i.e. something piercing the skull.
Primary and secondary brain injury
Primary
– initially there’s an impact to the skull which causes the
brain to be slammed up against the inside of the skull. This
causes a contusion, or bruising, to the brain. A bruise is
actually tiny broken blood vessels.
Secondary
– this is the results of that original injury, which can take
many forms, such as:
· Lowered
blood pressure from excess bleeding.
· Lowered
amounts of oxygen coming to the brain because of damaged blood
vessels and lowered blood pressure.
· Raised
pressure inside the skull. Since the brain is inside a bony
shell, there’s only a set amount of space in there. When blood
starts pooling, or other body fluid, inside the skull, pressure
builds up and further damages brain tissue.
Closed and penetrating head injury
Closed
– when the skull is intact, but the brain is suddenly pushed
against the inside of the skull. And example would be a violent
blow to the head, or whiplash injury, when the head is abruptly
stopped in its forward motion (with the vehicle), so it jerks
forward, and then in reaction, jerks backward. This injures the
neck, and may also injure the brain.
Penetrating
– when the skull is pierced or somehow opened, and something
enters suddenly, hitting or piercing the brain.
Permanent care
Intensive
medical care can often improve a TBI victim’s functioning, but
usually only up to a point. There’ll remain a permanent
disability, and permanent assistance will be needed for the TBI
survivor to get through each day.
There could be
partial or full paralysis, some degree of memory loss, speech
loss, loss of sensation, and many other disabilities. This all
results in large medical costs.
Help is nearby
A personal
injury lawyer can help you deal with these devastating events.
Contact us today so that we can start immediately on assessing
the circumstances. We can investigate the accident and determine
whether negligence was a cause, and if so, we can help you build
a strong case.
You may be
entitled to compensation for:
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Medical
bills
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Lost
wages, present and future
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Loss of
consortium
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Pain and
suffering
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and other
things, depending on the circumstances.
We know a
brain injury is a frightening and catastrophic thing, whether
it’s your own or a family member’s, and by taking care of the
legal and bureaucratic work, we can give you more space for
healing.
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SPINAL CORD INJURIES
A spine
injury, like a brain injury, can cause permanent disability. In
both cases, our nervous system is affected badly, which means we
can sustain loss of both movement and sensation.
The
spinal cord
The spinal
cord consists of many major nerves which carry both motor and
sensory information. They run inside the vertebrae, the bones of
the spine, which are hollow, and which also have apertures on
each side. Through these openings, the spinal nerves run from
the spinal cord itself out into the rest of the nervous system.
There are 31 pairs of these spinal nerves.
In between
the vertebrae are cartilage pads which cushion the bones from
each other, preventing them from rubbing and causing pain. When
the vertebrae are damaged, or these cartilage pads in between
them, the delicate nerves are easily damaged also, by being
torn, stretched, compressed, or even severed clear through.
When
the spinal nerves are damaged …
… that means
information can’t be transmitted normally between the brain and
the rest of the body. If it’s sensory information that’s
blocked, we experience numbness and lack of sensitivity to heat,
cold, texture, etc. If it’s motor information, we experience
paralysis.
When the
nerves damaged are motor nerves, and when they’re near the top
of the spine, more of the body will be affected. So if the
top-most spinal nerves are hurt, quadriplegia can result, i.e.,
paralysis of the body from the neck down. If the injured motor
nerves are lower on the spine, paraplegia can result, i.e.,
paralysis from the waist area down.
In some
cases, loss of movement means loss of the ability to breathe,
and then the person must be on a respirator, which will
automatically breathe for him.
Treatment
Sometimes
surgery can repair the damage and restore full sensation and
movement. Surgery can be followed up by intensive nursing care,
and then gradually physical therapy can be added, or respiratory
therapy. Occupational therapy can help restore hand movement,
eye movement, and hand-eye coordination, as well as other
activities.
Other times
though, such as when nerves are completely severed, surgery
can’t repair the damage, and permanent disability is the painful
result.
A personal
injury lawyer has experience with the aftermath of spinal
injuries. We know how catastrophic it can be, both for the
injured person and for the family. Why not let us help you deal
with it?
We can
examine the circumstances of the accident which caused this
injury, and determine what sort of compensation you may be
entitled to. Our medical experts can estimate future medical
costs based on their assessment of the extent of the injury. If
we can build a case for you that’s strong and well supported,
you can potentially be compensated for:
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Medical
costs
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Pain and
suffering
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Loss of
consortium (if it was a spouse injured)
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Loss of
support (if it was a parent injured)
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Lost
wages, present and future
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NECK INJURIES
Any injury to
the neck is potentially an injury to many of our body systems
and potentially fatal. Our necks contain:
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Breathing
passages
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Crucial
large nerves in the spine
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Large,
major blood vessels
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The
esophagus, for swallowing food
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Our voice
box
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Four
glands, including the thyroid gland, a very important one
Although the
neck is protected above by the skull, behind by the spinal
bones, and underneath by our ribs and sternum, it’s unprotected
in the front and sides. Those protective bones can also be
damaged in a severe accident.
And in
addition to all that, there are many muscles and ligaments
around the neck which could be torn or severed in a severe
accident.
Whiplash injuries
These are
common injuries in auto accidents. When we travel in a motor
vehicle, and for some reason the vehicle suddenly stops, our
head continues to travel at the speed the vehicle was going,
jerking forward roughly until it’s stopped by the bones, muscles
and ligaments attaching it to the spine. After being abruptly
flung forward by this momentum, it then reactively gets flung
backwards. This is why headrests are valuable, as they cushion
that backward movement and block it.
This rough
back and forth movement can cause severe injury to the spine,
including the nerves within those spinal bones. Whiplash
injuries are famous for their delayed appearance. The pain isn’t
necessarily noticeable until the next day, or next week or
month.
Blunt
trauma and penetrating trauma
As with brain
injuries, neck injury can be sustained with or without
penetration of the skin.
Blunt trauma
– is often sustained in road accidents but can also be part of a
sports injury, or a result of an assault.
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If the
head is twisted too much, blood vessels can rupture
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If
there’s a blow to the throat, the larynx (voice box) could
be crushed
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If the
neck is stretched or compressed too much, the neck bones can
be pushed out of alignment, potentially damaging the nerves
in the area
Treatment
Emergency
medical care must be performed very carefully, so as not to
worsen the injuries or cause undesirable consequences such as
nerve damage or airway damage.
There are so
many potential neck injuries that treatments can’t be listed.
But surgery can help in some cases, as well as:
If you’ve
suffered a severe neck injury, or if a loved one has, consider
consulting a personal injury lawyer. We’ll listen to your
concerns and assess your legal situation. If somebody’s
negligence was part of the accident, we can investigate. We can
interview people and call on our medical experts to assess your
injury. Potentially we can build a strong case for you.
You may be
entitled to compensation for:
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Medical
costs
-
Pain and
suffering
-
Lost
wages
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