How To Pay Your Bills Following a Bicycle Accident

If you were involved in an accident while on your bicycle, you may have heard that you can seek financial compensation. When you aren’t at fault for an accident, it can be difficult to determine how you’re supposed to pay your medical bills. Most people don’t have the savings necessary to pay for extensive medical assistance. However, if you were to seek financial compensation from the driver, you do not receive it automatically. Here is what you need to know about receiving medical attention following a bicycle accident.

Use Your Health Insurance First

When you arrive at the hospital, you should use your health insurance. When you undergo medical treatment, you have to pay your bills the same way that you would under any other circumstance. Even if you know that another person is responsible for your injuries, you have to wait for your settlement before you can hold him or her accountable. If you have to provide upfront payment, then you should.

When you receive your compensation, you can add all of the medical bills that you already paid. After all, the award is supposed to make up for the cost that you already paid and the costs that you may pay in the future.

Discuss a Payment Plan

If you don’t have the finances to pay all of your bills upfront, then you may want to discuss a payment plan with your medical facility. Many hospitals are willing to work with you when you can’t afford high medical bills. Make sure that you don’t ignore the bill, however. If you ignore what you owe, then your bills could go to a collections agency. Once there, it can harm your credit and you could face a lawsuit of your own.

Seek Financial Compensation

Soon after the accident, you should contact a car accident lawyer. He or she will guide you through the process of filing a claim against the driver. When you are in the middle of a personal injury claim, you can discuss the case with your physician. The hospital may allow you to forego paying bills until you receive compensation. The hospital would put a lien on your award.

When it comes to medical bills, you do need to pay them. Your health insurance can still pay for your medical care. If you do receive compensation, as a personal injury lawyer from Daniel E. Stuart, P.C. can attest to, the insurance company may demand compensation also. 

What To Do If You’re Partly at Fault for an Accident

Nobody enjoys being in an accident. If you’re at fault for the accident, it can be more stressful. Maybe you’re not completely at fault, however, and you feel you have a stronger case than the other party. What should you do?

Be Careful Who You Talk To

If you feel you could be partly at fault for an accident, you should be careful about who you talk to. Any information you give to a police officer can be used against you. If you give too much information to an insurance adjuster or other insurance representative, that can also be used against you. Your friends and family members aren’t always going to keep your secrets and any witnesses you speak to could also give information about your conversation to the insurance company or the authorities. It’s often in your best interest to keep all of your confidential information for your lawyer.

Gather Evidence

Each state handles partial fault cases differently. In some areas, you may not be able to seek any compensation if you hold even a small percentage of fault. In other areas, you can be compensated up to 50%, after which you are no longer entitled to compensation. To receive the most compensation possible, you should gather all the evidence you can. This would include photographs of the accident and photographs of your injuries. You should get witness statements and contact information. You should hold on to medical records and other professional documents that give an accurate picture of what happened.

With all of your evidence, it’s possible you can gain more compensation than you may have thought to begin with. You might be able to prove that you weren’t responsible for any portion of the accident after all, which could lead to greater compensation.

Work with a Lawyer

Too many individuals who are injured at the hands of another will try to handle the case on their own. While this could be effective in mild cases, it is often more efficient to work with a lawyer. Especially if a police report or insurance adjuster claims you are partially responsible for the accident, a legal professional might be your best bet for gaining any compensation at all.

As you can see, it’s not the end of the world if someone says you are partly responsible for an accident. Being careful who you talk to, gathering evidence and working with a lawyer are just a few ways you can have more success when seeking compensation. Contact a personal injury lawyer, like one from David & Philot, P.L., when you’re ready to learn more.

Types Of Compensation for Wrongful Death Cases

What Types of Compensation Can I Recover in a Wrongful Death Suit?

When your loved one dies because of someone’s negligence or wrongdoing, most states allow you to sue the responsible person for wrongful death if you’re a close relative of the deceased, such as his or her spouse, parent, or child. Other states require the person appointed as the personal representative of your loved one’s estate to sue on behalf of you and the other next of kin. An experienced local wrongful death lawyer, can advise you of your state’s laws.

Wrongful Death Causes

A wrongful death can result from a variety of situations, including the following:

• Motor vehicle accident
• Premises liability accident
• Medical malpractice
• Nursing home abuse and neglect
• Defective product accident

Compensation Categories

Usually, you can recover two categories of damages in a wrongful death suit. The first pays for such things as the following:

• Your loved one’s pain and suffering from the time of the accident until the time of his or her death.
• His or her medical expenses.
• His or her lost wages from the time of the accident until the time of his or her death.
• His or her funeral and burial expenses.

The second category of damages pays for your own losses occasioned by your loved one’s wrongful death. Examples include the following:

• Your loss of the decedent’s support from the time of his or her untimely death until the time he or she would have retired had he or she lived to retirement age.
• Your loss of the decedent’s love, affection, companionship, guidance, etc.

Keep in mind that some states require you to bring two separate actions, one for wrongful death and the other called a survivors’ action, in order to recover both types of damages. Again, your wrongful death lawyer can advise you.

In rare cases, you may also be able to get punitive damages. Juries only award this type of damages, however, when the defendant’s actions in causing the wrongful death were particularly outrageous, reckless, or otherwise egregious. Their purpose is to financially punish the defendant.

Types of Payouts

In all likelihood, you will get to choose whether to take the settlement or jury award as a lump sum or as a structured settlement. As its name implies, a lump sum payment means that you receive the entire payout at once. The advantages are that you can quickly pay all of your loved one’s outstanding bills and expenses.

A structured settlement, on the other hand, means that you will receive an agreed-upon amount each month from the defendant’s insurance company. The advantage here is that you receive continuing financial support over a relatively long period of time.

Stem Cell Therapy And Knee Replacement

Knee Surgeon

Up until the latest developments came into play the last several years, older adults with arthritic or poorly functioning knees have only had further deterioration and total knee replacement in their future. As a knee surgeon can explain, knee replacement surgery, like most other surgeries, carries substantial risks, may have an extended hospital stay, and one to two months of healing and physical therapy to boot. 

For some patients, this process is painful and challenging. People with active lifestyles may be forced to give up specific high-impact activities for the rest of their lives. But, stem cell intervention may change traditional knee treatment routines and enable patients to return to their daily lives and activities with less pain and movement restriction.

What is Stem Cell Therapy?

Stem cell therapy can be a viable alternative to total joint replacement and other surgical interventions. In this procedure, a patient’s own stem cells are harvested, minimally processed, and injected back into the injured or arthritis-damaged joint. Adult stem cells have the unique ability to transform into different types of cells and may be able to create new cartilage in the knee.

A Comparison of Recovery Times

One of the biggest reasons that stem cell therapy has gained such popularity is its quick recovery time. Stem cell therapy is an outpatient procedure, so there is typically no need for an uncomfortable and risky (in terms of infection) hospital stay. 

After stem cell injection, most patients can walk around within 24 hours. A recovering stem cell patient may also wear a knee brace for a short time. There may be a low level of soreness in the joint several days to a week after the injection.

Once injected, the stem cells go to work repairing and regenerating tissue. It may take up to about three weeks for improvement to set in and repair and progress may continue for up to six months or so. Some patients may need additional injections—possible two or three in a year’s time.

On the other hand, knee surgery patients will typically spend a couple of days in the hospital after undergoing an invasive, extensive surgical alteration. A hospital stay can pose a significant staph infection risk. Once discharged from the hospital patients may have to go to a rehab facility for a time, or go home and undergo a regimen of outpatient physical therapy, which may consist of:

• Walking to regain mobility
• Knee-strengthening exercise
• Slowly resuming normal daily activities

Additionally, knee surgery has other possible risks, including:

• Infections
• Heart attack
• Stroke
• Blood clots (leg or lungs)
• Nerve damage

Plus, driving is usually restricted for 4 to 6 weeks after surgery. Certain weight-bearing activities may put too much pressure on the knee implant and must be avoided.

You may be wondering if stem cell therapy can help you. Your knee pain specialist can discuss all treatment options with you and make suggestions as to which treatments can help you the most.

What Steps Should You Take if You Were Injured Due to Someone Else’s Negligent Actions? 

Nobody wants the hassle or pain of being in an unnecessary accident. Accidents happen every single day, though, which is why it is important to know what to do if you are ever involved in one. The very first thing you need to do is contact a personal injury lawyer, like one from Greenspan & Greenspan P.C., immediately. He or she will help you form your case and look at all of the details surrounding the accident to determine who was at fault and how much compensation you may be able to receive. 

Check Yourself for Severe Injuries

The very first thing you need to do after being involved in a bad accident is to check yourself for any serious injuries. If you think you were terribly injured and need assistance, ask someone nearby to call an ambulance. If there is not anyone around, call for one yourself. 

Call the Police to the Scene of the Accident

In many instances, you may want a police report about the accident. If someone else’s negligent actions caused it, for example, you will want an officer to come evaluate the scene of the accident and write down an incident report. This will offer an unbiased viewpoint on what may have happened to cause the accident. This report will give information of each of the people as well as offer some pieces of truth if your case goes to court. 

Get Witness Statements

If there were any witnesses, make sure you get their contact information and have them write down or give a voice recording on what they saw. These details are important to get in writing while the memory of the event is still fresh. The witness may be called upon to testify on your behalf at a later date. It can be a key to winning a personal injury case. 

Exchange Information with the Other Party

If someone else was involved or possibly at fault for the accident, you need to get their information so that you can reach out again about compensation. You may decide to go through their insurance or you may seek compensation by going to court. A lawyer will be useful for deciding what the best next steps to take will be.

Contact a Personal Injury Lawyer Today

You should not hesitate if you were injured in an accident. You need to contact a personal injury lawyer right away so that you do not miss the statute of limitations for filing. Every state has a deadline of filing a case if you were injured in an accident. If you miss it, there will be no chance of seeking compensation in the future. Your lawyer will evaluate your case immediately and make sure you stay on track for getting compensated for everything. Most personal injury lawyers offer free initial consultations and many work on a contingency fee basis, which means they do not collect compensation unless they win your case. 

4 Basic Types of Auto Insurance Coverage 

Car Accident Lawyer

Car insurance laws depend on the state in which you live. State laws mandate the kind of coverage you are required to carry and any minimum amounts of that coverage.There are many types of policies offered by insurance companies, and if your state does not require all of them, it may be worth the time to look into them. Learn some of the basics about car insurance policies and the variety that may be available to you.

Liability Coverage

The most fundamental auto insurance is considered liability coverage. It is typically mandatory. Liability coverage encompasses property damage and bodily injury. The property, in this instance, is usually the insured vehicle, but if you live in a fault-based state, it may cover the damage to the other vehicle. Bodily injury works in the same way, covering the other driver in an at-fault state. Liability coverage is set based on policy minimums required by state law.

Uninsured and Underinsured Coverage

In addition to liability coverage, you may be offered uninsured and underinsured motorist policies. These may be required to some extent by your home state. Even if they are not, you may want to check into adding them to your liability policy. That is because you may face a crash in which the at-fault driver does not either have sufficient coverage or has no insurance. In these cases, your underinsured or uninsured policy will kick in and cover your property damage and any medical bills.

Comprehensive Coverage

Comprehensive insurance policies deal with damage to your vehicle inflicted by something other than an accident. The most common incidents are theft, vandalism or a natural disaster. A hail storm, for instance, may leave extensive body damage to your car. This is not covered under your liability policy since it is not a vehicle crash. When your car is stolen, the comprehensive coverage policy will pay out the then-value of your vehicle.

Medical Payments Coverage

If you do suffer injuries from a car accident, you may wind up with extensive medical bills. If you live in a no-fault state, you will be required to carry medical payments coverage, called personal injury payments. Unlike liability coverage, this protects you and pays for the medical care you require after a crash. It also comes in handy should the opposing insurance company not pay out timely when the other driver is at fault.

It may help to speak to a car accident lawyer after an accident. A car accident lawyer can help you understand what happens next with your insurance company and the other driver. 

4 Types of Personal Injuries

Pedestrian Accident Lawyer

You might be wondering whether you have a viable personal injury case on your hands. As a pedestrian accident lawyer in Kansas City, MO from a firm like  Royce Injury Attorneys LLC can explain, you can gauge the validity of your case by comparing it to preexisting cases. There have been many personal injury cases throughout history, and these cases can all be placed into specific categories. Take a look at this list of four types of personal injury cases and see which sounds the most like your current situation.

1. Motor Vehicle Accidents

Motor vehicle accidents are quite common, and depending on your commute you might see them almost every day. These accidents occur when someone driving a car, bus, or truck makes an illegal maneuver or fails to pay attention to the road, which leads to one or more vehicles being struck or losing control. Drivers who speed and those who text and drive are frequently involved in motor vehicle accidents. People can sustain spinal cord injuries and broken bones as a result of such accidents.

2. Pedestrian Accidents

Pedestrian accidents involve an individual who is not in a vehicle being struck by a moving object, such as a car or motorcycle. A pedestrian can file a personal injury claim if he or she can prove that the person driving the vehicle was negligent in some way. For example, a driver could have run a red light or failed to stop at a stop sign. Pedestrians may suffer bone fractures or brain injuries after an accident.

3. Nursing Home Injuries

Elderly people can be abused or neglected while residing in a nursing home. Some senior citizens might fall and damage their skin and bones because nursing home staff members did not assist them correctly. Others have been victims of staff members who make grievous medication errors, fail to treat their infections, and forget to feed and hydrate them. People can file a claim on behalf of their elderly relatives if they can prove that nursing home practitioners and assistants mistreated them or did not conduct themselves professionally.

4. Animal Bites

Animal bites often occur when a pet, such as a dog, attacks an individual. Such bites can lead to nerve damage, severe infections, disfigurement, and emotional distress. Victims of animal violence must prove that the pet owner’s actions caused the attack. Maybe the owner did not leash the pet, or he or she let it roam without supervision. Keep in mind that many homeowner’s and renter’s insurance companies compensate victims of pet bites.

There are several kinds of personal injury cases. Contact a personal injury attorney as soon as you can to determine whether you have a legitimate one.

What Is the Statute of Limitations for Filing a Personal Injury Lawsuit?

Personal Injury Lawyer

Statutes of limitations are state laws setting forth the times within which you have to file various types of lawsuits and other restrictions pertaining thereto. Each state has its own set of statutes of limitations, and they vary widely from state to state.

With regard to filing a personal injury lawsuit, the SOLs of most states give you 2-3 years from the date of your injury in which to file your suit. This time frame, however, may be considerably shorter depending on the type of personal injury lawsuit you file and against which defendant(s) you file it. Your wisest course of action is to contact an experienced local personal injury lawyer like one from Hall Justice Law Firm as soon as possible after your accident who can advise you of your state’s statute of limitations for your type of injury.

Types of Personal Injuries

Keep in mind that you can sustain a personal injury from a variety of causes, including the following:

• Motor vehicle accident
• Motorcycle, bicycle or pedestrian accident
• Boating or other waterway accident
• Medical malpractice
• Nursing home abuse or neglect
• Slip, trip, fall or other premises liability accident
• Defective product accident
• On-the-job accident

Types of Defendants

As stated, your state’s personal injury SOL may well depend on not only what type of injury you sustained, but also on the person or entity you plan to sue. For instance, many states severely limit the time in which you can file suit against a municipality, city or county if poor road conditions contributed to your accident.

Amount of Damages

Sometimes a state law will limit the amount of damages you can receive in a personal injury lawsuit, especially if the court determines that you were partially to blame for your own injuries.

Other laws, called damage caps, most often apply to the amount of punitive damages, if any, you can recover in addition to your economic and non-economic damages.

Still other laws may severely limit the circumstances under which you can sue an employer or coworker in addition to filing a workers’ compensation claim if you sustain a work-related injury. They may also limit the amount of damages you can receive in such a situation.

All in all, navigating your way through your state’s personal injury statutes of limitations and other laws can be quite tricky, at best. This is why you need the advice, counsel and representation of an experienced local personal injury lawyer who can ensure that your lawsuit is filed against the proper parties within the allotted time frame.