Information and Insight for Injured Iowans

      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.

We all know how much of an inconvenience it is to have one’s car be damaged or un-drivable. Our first priority is usually to get vehicle fixed cheaply and quickly.  However, after a car accident, this should not be the case. If you are involved in a car accident claim, a quick fix to your car could cause major problems.

     While taking photographs of any damage to your vehicle is advisable, you should also find out what procedures your insurance company requires before arranging for car repairs. If you fail to take this important step, your company may refuse to pay your repair bills. If anyone was seriously injured or killed in the accident, you should also talk to an attorney before having your vehicle repaired.

     For more information about protecting 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.

      While searching for a qualified medical malpractice attorney in Iowa, you will no doubt notice the various distinctions and honors that some attorneys have listed. Before picking an attorney based on these credentials, you should find out how attorneys are given these honors and what it can tell you about the attorney’s experience. One such honor is being listed in The Best Lawyers in America.

     The Best Lawyers in America is a publication that is updated every two years and is one of the largest guides to attorneys in the United States. In order to be listed, you need to be nominated by someone who is already a member, and then go through a review process conducted by other attorneys around the country.

      The Best Lawyers in America book details which attorneys focus on certain areas like medical malpractice. A listing in The Best Lawyers in America does not guarantee that a lawyer is right for you, but it does demonstrate that this attorney is well-respected in the legal community.

     To learn what other questions to ask your potential medical malpractice attorney, 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.

      Mistakes can be made almost immediately after a truck accident; mistakes that can impact your ability to receive compensation through a settlement or verdict. One such mistake is failing to look for wrongdoers beyond the trucker.  Truck accidents victims are entitled to all the damages caused by another party, not just the driver.

     The parties who bear responsibility for a serious trucking accident may extend beyond the person in the truck’s driver’s seat. Because multiple parties may have contributed to a semi or its driver losing control, it is important to investigate the roles of:

·         The entity who hired the truck driver

·         The entity who controlled the trucker’s work

·         The entity who owns the tractor

·         The entity who owns the trailer

·         The entity who is responsible for vehicle maintenance

     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.

     As Cedar Rapids, Iowa car accident attorneys, we understand the importance of choosing the right representation for your claim. The best way to determine the credentials and qualifications of an attorney is to ask.  The problem is that many people don’t know what questions to ask. One such question is “Are you eligible under Iowa Rule DR 2-105(C) to advertise that you practice primarily in personal injury law?”

This is a question that only a legal insider would likely know to ask. In order for an Iowa attorney to advertise that he or she “practices primarily” in personal injury law, the lawyer must file an annual written report with the Iowa Supreme Court’s Commission on Continuing Education swearing that:

·         The greater of 400 hours or 40% of the lawyers time in the preceding year was spent doing personal injury cases; and

·         The lawyer has attended 15 hours of continuing legal education in personal injury matters in the preceding year.

     Do not be fooled if a lawyer tells you that he or she is eligible under Iowa Rule DR 2-105 (B) rather than (C)! Iowa Rule DR 2- 105 (B) requires only 100 hours or 10% of the lawyer’s time in the preceding year was spent doing personal injury cases. This question – “Are you eligible under Iowa Rule DR 2-105 (C) to advertise that you practice primarily in personal injury law?” – is the fastest way to find out whether you are talking to an experienced Iowa car accident attorney who is making an effort to stay informed of the latest medical and legal trends. Relatively few Iowa attorneys can answer this question with a “Yes.”

     To discover other questions to ask potential car accident attorneys, 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.

     A truck accident can occur in a matter of seconds, which is what makes it so difficult for drivers to avoid. Thankfully, preventing damage to your truck accident claim can be very easy and fairly quick, and can be very beneficial for your case.

     One way to prevent damage to your claim is by seeking immediate medical attention after a truck accident. If anyone is injured at the accident scene, call 911. If you are offered an ambulance ride to the hospital, take it. In all cases, the safe thing to do is seek immediate medical attention regardless of whether you think you are injured. Symptoms of an injury may not show up immediately after a crash. Some physical problems may not show up until hours or even days after a crash. In our legal system, the victim is always responsible for proving that he or she was injured in a particular accident. As Cedar Rapids, Iowa truck accident attorneys, we know the best way to prove you were injured in a semi accident is to have records from a medical examination that occurred immediately after the crash.

     After a person is discharged from initial medical treatment after an Iowa truck accident, we advise them to download and read our free 35-page guide for truck accident victims by going to Iowa Truck Accident Facts.

     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.

     Are you looking for a qualification that can easily set attorneys apart? A sure sign of experience and knowledge is the ability to teach others. Attorneys who teach at law schools can be an easy way to help you select a quality attorney.

     Law schools will often invited distinguished lawyers and judges to teach classes to their law students. A good number of lawyers volunteer their time to judge law student competitions or give guest lectures. Very few lawyers and judges are asked by a law school to teach an entire course. Lawyer who teach entire courses at a law school, but also practice law, are often described as “adjunct professors” or “adjunct faculty.” Adjunct professors are typically selected by a law school for their expertise in a particular area of law.

     Find out other questions to ask your potential attorney by going 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.

     To many malpractice victims, the thought of meeting with possible attorneys and evaluating their experience can be overwhelming. As Cedar Rapids, Iowa medical malpractice attorneys, we understand your concerns and want to help your search.   The best way to determine which attorney to hire is by asking questions. One such question is “Are you a member of the Iowa Academy of Trial Lawyers?”

     The Iowa Academy of Trial Lawyers is an invitation-only organization limited to the top 250 trial attorneys in Iowa. In order to be inducted, a lawyer must be nominated by a current member and then be evaluated by all Academy members. The Academy executive committee then selects inductees from among the qualified nominees. Membership in the Academy demonstrates a lawyer has a good reputation for trying cases in Iowa’s courtrooms.

     To learn what other questions to ask your potential medical malpractice attorney, 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.

     Most car accident victims will receive a request from an insurance company to sign a medical release form.  Often, an insurance company representative will suggest that his or her company cannot start paying medical bills until it receives a signed medical release. Do not be bullied into signing one of these forms.
     The first thing to realize is that the other driver’s insurance company is not likely to pay any medical bills until you are willing to settle your case once and for all. Signing a medical release or any other insurance company document is not likely to change that. An insurance company is eventually entitled to review records of any medical treatment for which you ask to be reimbursed. In our experience, however, most medical release forms are written in such a way that they give the insurance company access to all of your medical records – even records that are unrelated to your accident injuries.

     Often insurance companies will then turn around and use your pre-accident health history as justification for making a low settlement offer. Our firm protects our clients from this tactic in a number of ways:

·         We advise our clients to avoid giving an insurance company a signed medical release until we have reviewed your medical records first

·         If our review uncovers items in your medical history that may impact your claim, we make sure that you know about them before the insurance company does

·         When we do provide the insurance company with a signed medical release, we make sure that the release only applies to relevant medical treatment

     To learn more ways to protect yourself from unfair insurance company tactics, 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.