Information and Insight for Injured Iowans

     Truck accidents can cause a lot of unforeseen expenses. With mounting medical costs, car repairs, and insurance costs, a quick settlement offer can sound very appealing. It is important to consider all the future expenses you must pay (including some to your own insurance companies) before accepting a quick settlement.                       

      Insurance company representatives will often try to convince a truck accident victim to quickly settle his or her personal injury claim by throwing out a settlement figure that—at first glace—seems fair. What they often do not mention is that the truck accident victim may not be entitled to keep all of that money.

Often a truck accident victim has had medical bills or lost wages paid by his or her:

·         Health insurance company

·         Auto insurance company (“medical payment coverage”)

·         Short-term disability insurance company

·         Employer’s workers’ compensation company

     Almost all of the insurance policies described above require an accident victim to pay back any amounts received if the accident victim reaches a settlement with the negligent driver or his or her insurance company. This legal obligation, which is known as “subrogation”, can leave an accident victim with little or nothing after a settlement. We protect our clients from the shock of subrogation by always advising our client about how much of any settlement off they will actually be able to put in their pockets. We also work to reduce our client’s subrogation obligations whenever possible before a settlement is reached.

     To learn about other tactics insurance companies use against truck accident victims, go to Iowa Truck Accident Facts to download a free 35-page guide.
     If you have any questions or immediate concerns, do not hesitate to contact us
toll-free:  1-888-546-6529.  We will do our best to answer your questions and there is not fee for an initial consultation.
 

     There are mistakes that can easily be made when proceeding with a motorcycle accident claim. One such mistake is not hiring a qualified motorcycle accident expert. Because motorcycles are much different to drive and operate than cars or trucks, not everyone has the expertise to understand how they work. That is why it is essential to hire a motorcycle expert to review your case.
     Motorcycles and the techniques used to ride them are very different from cars or trucks. Understanding how motorcycles work requires specialized expertise. In most cases, it is very important to hire an expert who understands motorcycles to review your case. Motorcycle experts can study the following factors that may have caused your crash:

• Measure skid marks to determine the speed you and other vehicles were traveling at the time of the accident.
• Study damage patterns on your motorcycle or on the other vehicles to determine the exact manner the collision occurred in.
• Study the weather conditions on the day of the accident to determine what, if any, factor that would have played in your accident.

     All of this analysis can help prove who was really at fault in an accident and can help you be compensated for the injuries you sustained.
An attorney who specialized in motorcycle accidents knows the importance of performing an extensive investigation of your claim, one that includes expert review. The attorney will collect medical and police records, and interview you and other witnesses to determine whether or not your can be proven in front of a jury. They will have your case reviewed by experts who can provide opinions on either the cause of the crash or the cause of your injuries.
     Avoid other mistakes you can make in a motorcycle related personal injury claim and go to Iowa Motorcycle Accident Facts to download a free 35-page guide.
     If you have any questions or immediate concerns, do not hesitate to contact us
toll-free: 1-888-546-6529.  We will do our best to answer your questions and there is no fee for an initial consultation.

     Even though car accidents are common across the country, there is a lot of confusion surrounding car accident claims. Part of a car accident claim includes negotiating for a settlement, which is complicated and risky if you are inexperienced.  As Cedar Rapids, Iowa personal injury attorneys, we are skilled and knowledgeable about negotiations and its repercussions.

     Insurance companies save money by paying as little on injury claims as possible. Insurance company representatives are trained to get you to say things that will sooner or later hurt you case and decrease any possible settlement. There are many ways to weaken a legitimate personal injury claim when dealing with an insurance company representative – the more severe your accident-related injuries, the more dangerous the consequences.

     To learn other ways to prevent damaging your car accident claim, go to Iowa Car Accident Facts to download a free 35-page guide.

     If you have any questions or immediate concerns, do not hesitate to contact us

toll-free: 1-888-546-6529.  We will do our best to answer your questions and there is no fee for an initial consultation.

   Have you ever not written something down, being sure you would remember it later and then forgetting it? It can happen to the best of us, but should be avoided when dealing with a car accident. The factors surrounding a car accident are important in determining what occurred and who was at fault, so it is important to remember the details.

In our experience as Cedar Rapids, Iowa personal injury attorneys, we recommend you write down everything you remember about the crash as soon as you get home. Draw a diagram of the scene and the vehicles involved. Make note of the following information about the accident:

·         The time of day

·         The weather

·         The road conditions

·         What you saw

·         What you heard

     Put the notes in a safe place so that they are available if you have to speak with an attorney or go to trial.

     To learn more ways to protects yourself after a car accident, go to Iowa Car Accident Facts to download a free 35-page guide.

     If you have any questions or immediate concerns, do not hesitate to contact us

toll-free: 1-888-546-6529.  We will do our best to answer your questions and there is no fee for an initial consultation.

     As Cedar Rapids, Iowa personal injury attorneys who handle truck accident cases, we have seen cases wrecked by small mistakes that could have been easily avoided. We feel it is our duty to help truck accident victims know these mistakes and how to steer clear of them. One such mistake is failing to proof-check the trucker’s log book.

     The National Transportation Safety Board blames driver fatigue as a probable factor in 20-40% of tractor-trailer crashes. Some drivers even refer to log books as “comic books” because they are so easily falsified. That is why it is usually necessary to gather the GPS tracking records, the e-mail logs, the bills of lading and the gas receipts and then take a blank log book and properly fill in all events and times that are supported by independent proof. Such an exercise may uncover and law and regulation violations that explain why the truck wreck occurred.

     For the truth about other mistakes that can impact your truck accident claim, go to Iowa Truck Accident Facts to download a free 35-page guide.

     If you have any questions or immediate concerns, do not hesitate to contact us

toll-free: 1-888-546-6529.  We will do our best to answer your questions and there is no fee for an initial consultation.

     After a serious injury caused by malpractice, there are whole new list of worries in your daily life, including inding and hiring an experienced medical malpractice attorney. To ease your worries and assist with your search, we have created a step-by-step guide to finding a qualified malpractice attorney for your case. The first step is to create a list of names of Iowa attorneys who handle medical malpractice cases.

     This sounds fairly simple, but it is a very important first step. In many cases people do not stop to learn about their options before hiring an attorney. Think of it like this – when you combine the amount of time and money invested into a medical malpractice case, it could be as big an investment as a new house. You would not buy the first house that you saw without stopping to look at others in the market and exploring other options. You should not do that with an attorney either. Here are a few places to start your search:

·         Do an Internet search. The internet can be a great tool for doing an initial search for names of Iowa malpractice attorneys, but be careful. There are dangers of relying too heavily on online directories of referral services, such as finding an attorney without a guarantee of expertise or experience. The key to searching the internet is not do a general search like “Medical Malpractice Attorney.” You will get thousands of results from all over the country. Make sure to include “Iowa” as one of your search terms. Also, do not rely too heavily on the information contained on a particular lawyer’s website. The purpose of searching the internet is not to hire an attorney on the spot, but to build an initial list of names that you will investigate more closely.

·         Check the Yellow Pages. Again, here you need to be careful. Focus on what the phone book ad is telling you about the attorney. Because medical malpractice law is so complex, consider limiting your search to attorneys who list one or two closely-related specialties (for instance, “Personal Injury” and “Medical Malpractice” are closely-related specialties). Some Yellow Pages will also list subcategories of lawyers after the general heading “Attorney.” Do not forget to check the subcategory of “Malpractice” or “Professional Negligence” as well as the general “Attorney” heading.

·         Ask your friends who are attorneys. If you have a friend who is a lawyer, ask him or her for the names of attorneys who practice primarily in medical malpractice. The odds are that your friend does not handle medical malpractice cases him or herself, but your friend probably knows attorneys who do. Your friend can give you the names of Iowa attorneys who have a good reputation for handling your type of case. If you have names come up from every lawyer you ask, those names are probably the malpractice attorneys with the best reputation in the area.

     For a step-by-step guide to finding the right malpractice attorney for you, go to Iowa Malpractice Facts to download a free 35-page guide.

     If you have any questions or immediate concerns, do not hesitate to contact us

toll-free: 1-888-546-6529.  We will do our best to answer your questions and there is no fee for an initial consultation.

      There are many myths surrounding car accidents. As Cedar Rapids, Iowa personal injury attorneys, we are often asked questions about claims. One such question is when to settle.

     Most insurance companies will only issue one settlement check for a car accident injury claim and –after that check – the insurance company will never pay any additional money for that particular accident in the future – even if your injuries get worse. If any of the following applies, you usually should avoid a quick settlement:

·         If you are still receiving medical care for accident-related injuries

·         If your accident-related injuries will likely require additional medical care in the future

·         If you have not yet been able to return to normal activities – especially work-related activities

     If you are still in one of the above situations five months after a car accident, you should immediately consult with an attorney to see what legal deadlines may apply to your personal injury claim.

     To learn other ways to protect your car accident claim, go to Iowa Car Accident Facts to download a free 35-page guide.

     If you have any questions or immediate concerns, do not hesitate to contact us

toll-free: 1-888-546-6529.  We will do our best to answer your questions and there is no  fee for an initial consultation.

      Being a smart consumer is easier than ever nowadays; we have newspapers, phonebooks, and the Internet, all at our fingertips. However, due to this ease of getting the information quickly, many people only look at one source of information and don’t do any more research on their own.  As a medical malpractice law firm based in Cedar Rapids, IA, we have witnessed the damaging effects that can arise from failing to thoroughly search for attorneys.

     What we are talking about here is the type of service –either over the phone or on the internet—where you are directed to describe your situation and give your city and state. In exchange, you are then provided with the name of an attorney to contact. A lawyer is listed by an attorney referral service or website not necessarily because they are good at the specific area of law, but because they have usually paid a fee to be listed. You won’t get a guarantee of the recommended lawyer’s expertise or experience. You need to have more information available to you to make an informed decision. Without more information, it is dangerous to rely solely on an attorney referral service or website’s recommendation or any other single source of information.

     For a step-by-step guide to finding the right malpractice attorney for you, go to Iowa Malpractice Facts to download a free 35-page guide.

     If you have any questions or immediate concerns, do not hesitate to contact us

toll-free: 1-888-546-6529.  We will do our best to answer your questions and there is no fee for an initial consultation.

     There are many mistakes that can be made after a truck accident, especially regarding a potential claim. These mistakes, while they may seem small or unimportant, can greatly impact the potential settlement or verdict you receive. That is why it is so important for truck accident victims to not assume someone else is handling their claim information.

     Sometimes, it is enough to rely upon law enforcement officers to perform a sufficient scene investigation after a car accident. That is rarely a good idea after a tractor trailer accident causes death or serious injury to a motorist. It is standard practice for trucking companies to send their own lawyers, adjusters and accident reconstruction experts to the scene of a serious truck wreck in the first 24 hours. Therefore, an injury victim or the injury victim’s family can be “out-gunned” if they don’t have their own experts evaluate the crash site as soon as possible.

     For the truth behind other mistakes that can impact your truck accident claim, go to Iowa Truck Accident Facts to download a free 35-page guide.

     If you have any questions or immediate concerns, do not hesitate to contact us

toll-free: 1-888-546-6529.  We will do our best to answer your questions and there is no fee for an initial consultation.