DO CLIENTS EVER GET DISCOURAGED FROM PURSUING A PERSONAL INJURY CASE?
Yes. They get discouraged often with the pace of the medical treatment because it’s often longer and more intense than they imagines at the beginning, maybe weeks and weeks of physical therapy and they have to take off work for half a day to go see a doctor or physical therapist. They are in pain, they tend to get touchy, their expectations can often be too high, they tend to be tired because they’re usually not sleeping well because of their injuries.
The length of time it takes for a claim to be ripe and mature, or for even beginning negotiations after their treatment and then the pace of negotiations is just extremely frustrating to clients, even when you walk them through the process in the beginning.
When they get in the middle of it and they are missing time from work and they are suffering emotionally and physically from their accident and then they have to wait again for negotiations to be complete, it is very common for clients to get testy, frustrated with everyone; with their doctors, with the insurance company and their lawyers. It’s just part of the process, part of the game, part of the way of life for the attorney and the client during the unfolding of a personal injury case.
How Can Someone Expedite A Personal Injury Case?
I would recommend that they follow their doctor’s healthcare advice to a T and to absolutely do everything their healthcare providers tell them exactly and fully; don’t skip appointments, don’t go against medical advice, do everything the doctors tell you, fill every prescription, and go to every therapy appointment because all of it is good for you and it’s good for your case. Follow the attorney’s advice to go to all the doctors’ appointments because it’s in the best interest of them and their claims.
They should follow their attorney’s advice about things that we have talked about; not going on social media, acting in the truthful and correct way in their life consistent with their injuries. Don’t go out dancing or bowling or riding a bicycle if it’s not consistent with your medical condition and medical advice. The attorney will also counsel patience on the part of the client and ask them to not get frustrated, although they will. When it comes to recommending an amount for settlement, there will come a time when the insurance company will say, “That’s it. No more. Take the money we’ve offered or sue us”.
After back and forth negotiations, they should seriously consider following their attorney’s advice when it comes to telling you to accept a settlement because it’s as fair and reasonable as it will get and it will take a year and a half for a trial or, on the other side, they tell you to not accept an offer and go to trial because you can do much better with the judge or a jury.
The simple lesson is, follow your doctor’s advice and follow your lawyer’s advice.
What Makes Your Firm A Good Choice For Someone With A Personal Injury Case?
I have been handling personal injury cases for years; probably several thousand personal injury cases during that time, and they have included almost every kind of personal injury case; motor vehicle accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, bicycle accidents, slip, trip and falls, dog bites or product liability cases in which a product is defective and injures someone.
We’ve experienced just about every type of personal injury action that is out there and we have collected millions of dollars in total for our clients. That is the first reason.
The second reason is we give the client a plan of action. We tell them exactly what we have talked about so far, the anatomy of a personal injury case, the way their case will be handled, the direction it will likely go, their responsibility and ours. I am very big on putting a great deal of responsibility for the case on the client because it requires their cooperation with the doctors and their work and their life and they need to know how to handle that, as well as to complete our due diligence and the work necessary to convince the insurance company of the validity and the value of the claim.
That is what I have done and what we collectively have done in Northern Virginia.