Accident Lawsuit Lawyers

Choose a Top Accident Law Firm to Handle Your Personal Injury Case

If you’ve been recently injured in a car accident, right now, you probably feel as if your whole life has been turned completely upside-down. As experienced auto accident and personal injury attorneys, we feel a sense of tremendous sympathy for good people injured through no fault of their own.

Whenever we receive a call from someone who is a victim of negligence, we are saddened to hear about their pain and suffering, lost wages, property losses, medical bills, and other hardships. At Parker Waichman LLP, we know that financial compensation can’t always fully make up for these losses, but it can ease your burden during a difficult time. That’s why retaining qualified legal representation makes a lot of sense for those victimized by someone else’s negligence. Our law firm has successfully “put the pieces back together” for thousands of injured people throughout the United States.

Parker Waichman has recovered an astounding $2 billion in verdicts and settlements.  You can only generate these kinds of results by treating each and every single client’s case as if it were your very own. We’ve established a reputation for thorough preparation and aggressively fighting on each client’s behalf. Our accident injury lawyers leave no stone unturned in their quest to maximize the recovery for each client.

Local Accident Lawyers

• New York Accident Personal Injury Lawyers
• Long Island Accident Lawyers
• New Jersey Accident Injury Lawyers
• Florida Accident Injury Lawsuit Lawyers

Types of Accident Cases We Handle

Our personal injury law firm has successfully represented clients involved in:

• Motor vehicle accidents, including car wrecks and commercial vehicle crashes
• Medical malpractice incidents and birth-related injuries
• Slip and fall accidents and other injuries occurring on the property of another person or business
• Other incidents that result in harm or loss

Types of Injuries Commonly Sustained in an Accident

Whether you call them “accidents,” “incidents,” “mistakes,” or some other term, there is no denying the fact that an injury can hurt in more ways than one. Aside from broken bones, internal bleeding, spine, neck or head trauma or loss of limbs, a car crash or other injury incident can cause other types of difficulties and harm to you and your family:

• You may suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder or other mental and/or emotional trauma requiring counseling or therapy.
• You may require one or more additional surgeries or prolonged periods of rehabilitative and/or occupational therapy before you are able to return to your normal daily activities.
• You may need prescription medications to assist you in managing your pain and/or medical assistive devices such as a wheelchair, motorized scooter or crutches.
• You may miss significant periods of time from school or your job while you recuperate.
• Even when you are able to return to work, you may not be able to go back to your previous job due to a temporary or permanent work restriction.
• Your home life may also suffer: You may not be able to complete the tasks you used to do for your family around the home or engage in the same hobbies and activities that you once enjoyed.

Who are you and what is your experience with various accident lawsuits?

Hi my name is Jerrold Parker I’m the founding partner of Parker and Waichman. I’ve been an attorney for almost 40 years and our law firm has one of the largest settlements of a tractor trailer accident in New York state. The firm is large and well financed and we don’t need a quick settlement to pay this week’s bills. We look at each case individually and we do that immediately because sometimes there might be other defendants involved in the case and there may be certain things that we need to do quickly in order to preserve that evidence in an accident lawsuit.

What makes a good accident lawyer?

What makes a good personal injury lawyer is someone who is thorough. Not treating every case like it’s cookie cutter. We have an assembly line and we have a list of things that we have to do and get done and in order. You’ve got to look at every case because every case is different like every plaintiff is different, like every defendant is different. Every case is different. Sometimes there are defendants that might not be apparent just looking at it on paper but when you get out there you’re going to see that the stop sign is down or the traffic light isn’t working or maybe a grocery store on the corner has a video camera outside that might have caught the view of what happened at that intersection. If you’re just going to treat a case as any other case as oftentimes does happen, then you’re not going to get the benefit and your client is not going to get the benefit of getting a totally thorough attorney and that’s what you need.

Video: Car, Semi-Truck, Motorcycle, Bicycle & Pedestrian Accident Lawsuits

How Much is My Accident Case Worth?

Putting a price tag on the costs that result from an injury accident is not easy. While the law does permit you as the injured victim to recover compensation from the person or persons who caused you injury or loss, you are responsible for proving not only that you suffered a particular loss, but the monetary value of that loss. Some of these losses are simple to prove.  Medical bills and timesheets, for example, can serve as evidence of the amount of medical expenses you incurred or lost wages you suffered. Other types of damages, however, are tougher to quantify. You may be entitled to recover:

• The cost of medical treatments, appointments or surgeries required to restore your health or enable you to reach your maximum recovery
• Lost wages, as well as any future wages, you are unable to earn if you are not able to return to your former position or employer, but must instead accept a position with a lower wage or less demanding schedule
• The cost of assistance in the home, whether you need someone to assist you with chores and housekeeping or someone to provide you with more skilled, health-related assistance
• A financial award to compensate you for the loss of enjoyment of life you experienced as a result of your accident
• Monetary damages to compensate you for the pain, suffering, and stresses you experienced

While obtaining compensation that fully addresses all of the losses and harm you experienced will not instantly restore your health or reverse any permanent damage you sustained, it will allow you to recover from your injuries without the financial pressure and stress that unpaid bills and reduced income can cause. And having the assistance of one of Parker Waichman’s knowledgeable accident lawyers can alleviate a great deal of the stress that would accompany attempting to handle your accident case on your own. A top accident attorney with our firm will know how to build the best case for you.

Do I Have Grounds for a Claim?

You may have a claim for compensation following your injury accident if the accident came about because another person or people were behaving in a negligent (careless) manner and this behavior brought about the series of events that ended with your injury. Your ability to recover compensation in an accident lawsuit does not require that the person or people intended to cause you harm or meant for you to suffer injuries and losses as serious as the ones you did. A claim for compensation can be defeated, however, if there is no evidence that the defendant’s careless behavior actually caused your injuries to occur. You and your accident injury attorney will need to present evidence or witness testimony to establish that your injuries would likely not have occurred or not have been as severe as they were if the defendant had not behaved in the manner in which he or she did. If you would have suffered the same injuries and losses regardless of how the other involved parties acted, your lawsuit may be unsuccessful. You may still be entitled to some compensation even if you contributed to your injuries and losses in some way, such as by not wearing a seat belt in a car wreck or failing to keep follow-up medical appointments. In such a situation, your carelessness and the carelessness of the defendant will be calculated as percentages of fault (the sum of all parties’ negligence will add up to 100 percent). States take one of a variety of approaches when you, the injury victim, have any percentage of fault attributable to you:

• In a few states, any percentage of fault attributable to you will result in your claim for damages being denied; you will receive no compensation at all.
• In other states, you may recover some compensation even if you are determined to be predominantly responsible for your own injuries and expenses. In these states, any compensation you do receive would be reflective only of the amount of fault that can be fairly and justly apportioned to the other party or parties.
• In the remainder of the states, you are able to receive compensation for your injuries and expenses as long as you are not the primary cause of the accident and your resulting injuries or your percentage of fault does not exceed the sum of all other involved parties’ percentages of fault.

Speaking with an injury accident lawyer early can improve the chances that you are able to discover and preserve evidence and witness testimony critical to maximizing your monetary recovery and minimizing the negative consequences of any of your own conduct. Speaking with an attorney early is also important because you only have a limited amount of time within which to file your injury lawsuit. This is because each jurisdiction has a specific statute of limitations that prevents injury victims from filing lawsuits that are too old or “stale.” These statutes of limitations can range in length from as little as one year to four years or more. Accident lawsuits filed after the statute of limitations can be dismissed without any consideration of the merits of your claim, so it’s important to speak with a qualified accident attorney as soon as possible after an injury accident.

The Process of Pursuing an Accident Case

Your case will proceed through the same general stages whether you’re filing car crash lawsuits, medical malpractice suits or other types of personal injury cases. Knowing what you can expect to encounter at each stage can help you keep track of the progress of your case, though your Parker Waichman injury attorney will also be sure to keep you well-informed about the status of your lawsuit.

1. Initial Stage: During the initial stage of your lawsuit, the facts of your injury case are investigated by your attorney and you and your attorney discuss what evidence and witnesses are available to support your claim. You and your attorney will also decide whether it makes sense to file a lawsuit. If you choose to proceed, your lawyer will prepare your initial complaint or petition and ensure that it’s filed with the court and served on the party or parties at fault.
2. Discovery Stage: Once your lawsuit has commenced and it appears to the court that you may have a legitimate claim, your case will enter a stage called discovery. During this stage, you and the other party or parties exchange information and evidence so that no one is able to “surprise” the other side with evidence or witnesses at trial. By requiring all parties involved in a personal injury lawsuit to “show their cards,” the discovery process also acts to encourage a settlement or other out-of-court resolution. For example, if you learn during discovery that the other party has one or more compelling legal defenses to your allegations, you and your attorney may want to try to reach an amicable resolution rather than risk having your lawsuit defeated in court.
3. Trial and Post-Trial Stage: Cases that proceed past the discovery phase will generally proceed to trial, where a judge or jury will determine whether you are entitled to compensation based on the facts and the applicable law. If the judge or jury determines that you are owed compensation for your injuries and losses, the judge or jury will also determine the amount you are to receive and which party (in the case of multiple at-fault parties) is responsible for what amount. The trial and the resulting verdict are not necessarily the end of the case, however, as the losing party often has the opportunity to appeal the verdict.

How Long Does it Take for an Accident Lawyer to Resolve a Claim?

Your injury lawsuit may take anywhere from several months to a year or more to resolve, depending on factors such as the complexity of your case, the availability of witnesses and evidence to support your claims, the number of individuals or entities whose behavior contributed to your injuries, and other circumstances. While a lawyer cannot guarantee that your case will be completed within a certain timeframe, having an experienced personal injury attorney to assist you throughout your case will generally yield results sooner than if you attempt to handle your case yourself.

Accident Claim FAQs

As an injury victim, you likely have questions about your legal rights and how you can best protect your rights while helping yourself and your family recover from your injury accident. Here are some of the more frequently asked questions posed by Parker Waichman clients.

Will My Case Settle, and if So, How Quickly?

Not every personal injury lawsuit can or should settle, so the answer to this question is different for every case. While a settlement generally guarantees that you will receive a certain amount of compensation more quickly than if you simply proceeded to trial, you will almost invariably be required to give up important legal rights as part of a settlement. Most significantly, you will not be able to obtain additional compensation if the settlement amount you accept is not enough to cover your expenses. Before you accept a settlement offer, speak with your attorney about the ramifications of accepting the offer.

The Statute of Limitations Has Already Passed in My Case: Is There Any Way I Can Still Obtain Compensation?

There are a few exceptions to the statute of limitations, but these are very case-specific and will not be available to all injury victims. For example, the discovery rule gives an injury victim additional time to file a lawsuit if the injury victim had no reason to know that they had, in fact, suffered a compensable injury at the time the injury was sustained.

What Will My Accident Lawyer Need From Me When I Retain Their Services?

You should keep any medical bills or records, letters and other correspondence (via email or fax), timesheets or any other document pertaining to the accident itself or any loss or expense you incurred as a result. While your attorney can generally obtain many of these documents on their own, some documents can become inaccessible by the time your attorney is retained. Moreover, having these documents available when you first meet with your attorney can help them provide more accurate legal counsel to you. And having these documents on hand saves your attorney time, giving them more time to focus on getting your lawsuit filed so you can obtain compensation. At Parker Waichman, we believe that arming our clients with knowledge about their rights and the legal process helps them make better decisions about their cases, enables them to feel empowered rather than at the mercy of others, and generally enhances their satisfaction. We are happy to answer any and all questions you may have at any stage of your case.

How Can an Accident Lawyer Help Me?

There are many benefits to retaining a compassionate and dedicated accident attorney to help you with your case. One of the greatest benefits your attorney provides is knowledge of the substantive and procedural laws applicable to your case. This saves you countless hours of studying case law, statutes, and other legal resources to learn about your rights and how to advance your case.

Your accident lawyer also has access to experts and other resources that can be helpful in proving your case. For instance, in a car crash lawsuit, you may need an accident reconstruction expert to help explain how the crash occurred. In a medical malpractice case, you may need one or more medical experts to review your case and render opinions on the foreseeability of your injuries and the professionalism of your doctor. Finding these and other experts can be a daunting task for the average person, but your attorney will already know of reputable and persuasive individuals who can perform these vital tasks. Finally, a skilled accident lawyer is best equipped to tell a judge or jury the “story” of your injury accident in a compelling manner that will maximize your chances of receiving full compensation for your losses.

If your case makes it to trial, the facts of your case need to be presented clearly and coherently and in a way that helps the judge or jury understand how the laws should be applied in your case. This sort of presentation can only come from someone who knows how to effectively speak about the law to those with and without legal training.

While an injury accident may make it feel as if your life is out of control, you do have rights and legal recourse available to you if your injuries and the accompanying expenses are the result of another person’s careless actions. Your medical bills, lost wages, lost future earnings, and pain and suffering may all be compensable if you file an injury accident lawsuit. Don’t let your opportunity to provide financial security for yourself and your family pass you by after an injury accident: Speak with an attorney at Parker Waichman as soon as possible and let us help you travel the road to legal recovery. At Parker Waichman, we believe that you should not have to pay the price for someone else’s negligence after an accident.

In many instances, the accident that caused your injury may have been avoided if the person responsible had acted with greater attention. We have seen how simple inattentiveness or lack of regard for others has caused considerable physical, mental, and financial pain for our clients, and we are committed to helping them obtain justice. Once you enlist our assistance and services, we will use our firm’s experience, knowledge, and resources to bring a swift and successful resolution to your case. Don’t trust your case to just any accident attorney near you.