Areas Served
What is negligence?
Attorney Franks: Negligence is when someone has an unintentional mishap. If an individual slaps your face, that wasn't an accident. However, if they run into you in a crowd of people, that had not been willful. Negligence implies they really did not mean for a particular consequence to take place, yet as a result of their fault, it occurred.
Somebody's negligence causes a crash. Who pays my doctor bills?
Lawyer Franks: Our goal is to ensure the other side pays your doctor expenses. They might pay your doctor costs straight away, or they can give you money to pay your medical bills later on. Several customers have medical insurance they utilize throughout this process till the matter is settled. Various other times, we deal with local doctors to provide you therapy on what's called a letter of protection. That indicates they don't invoice you until settlement of your situation.
Do I still have a claim if my medical insurance pays my doctor costs?
Lawyer Franks: Yes. But after that, you may have to go back and reimburse the health insurance company for anything they paid once you obtain a reimbursement.
Can the health insurer file a lien against my case?
Lawyer Franks: They will send a letter to your personal injury attorney, letting them recognize they have an interest, and also the lawyer will certainly notate the documents. We'll discuss with your health insurance firm to lower the quantity owed.
What's my case worth?
Every instance is distinctive but valuable. A customer that's harmed via somebody else's negligence has a beneficial situation. The worth is different relying on scenarios and also facts. We do our foremost to recoup as much as possible for our clients.
What kind of questions do they ask me in a deposition?
Attorney Franks: Depositions start with really basic questions like, what's your name, where do you live, and how long have you resided there? After that they inquire about the crash and also try to access what occurred. They additionally want to know about treatment you got as well as losses sustained. Nevertheless, deposition is not necessary unless we need to file a suit. We usually settle the case before it reaches that.
Who conducts the deposition?
Lawyer Franks: The lawyer for the insurance provider. You and I are there, together with the other lawyer, as well as a court reporter. If an inquiry is improper, I'll raise an objection. As soon as the other lawyer has actually finished, I'll ask you some questions as your personal injury attorney. The other attorney may have a couple of follow-up inquiries. You might not be the only one to be deposed, as we have a right to depose the other person in the accident.
For how long does a lawsuit take?
Lawyer Franks: It'll depend upon how long you have therapy and also other variables. A suit can take 1 or 2 years, and that's why we attempt to take care of issues without filing suit. The courts are backed up, and also it sets you back more money and time to head to trial. You can expect somewhere in the two to 3 month range, after you have actually finished treatment, to know if we need to go to court. Nevertheless, we do our best to obtain the maximum amount from the insurance provider without litigating.