Posts Tagged ‘medical bill’
Wednesday, September 8th, 2010
Many accident victims suffer whiplash injuries, among others, when they are involved in a car accident. According to car accident attorney Emery Ledger of Ledger & Associates, you should not diminish the possible consequences of a whiplash injury.
A whiplash injury is a hyperextension (over-extension) injury to the neck. A whiplash injury often happens as the result of being struck from behind. Frequently, this is the result of the impact from a vehicle in a car accident. The mechanics of whiplash injury are thought to be as follows: The victim may be first pushed or accelerated forward, pushing the body forward, but the head remains behind momentarily, rocking up and back, and some muscles and ligaments may be stretched or torn. These muscles, in a reflex action, contract to bring the head forward again, to prevent excessive injury. There may be overcompensation when the head is traveling in a forward direction as the vehicle decelerates. This may rock the head violently forward, stretching and tearing more muscles and ligaments. The effect of a whiplash injury is often not felt immediately after the accident. Sometimes a victim will not feel the pain from the injury until the next day or even a few days after the accident. This is unfortunate because the first few hours after the accident are when you can do the most to prevent the swelling and pain from the injury.
Car accident attorney Emery Ledger says that even if you think you did not suffer any injuries in a car accident you should be seen by a medical professionally immediately. Only a doctor can properly diagnose a whiplash injury and provide you with a treatment plan to reduce the pain and future complications that can be associated with a whiplash injury. While most whiplash injuries heel relatively quickly and without long-term complications, it is possible to feel the effects of a whiplash injury for month-or even years- after the accident. If a whiplash injury is sever enough, it can produce damage to your neck that can come back to haunt you years down the road in the form of a herniated disc or other more sever problems.
If you have been in a California car accident, seek the advice of a medical professional as soon after the accident as possible. Follow the advice given to you for treatment of your injuries. Your next step should be to consult with an experienced California car accident attorney. A car accident attorney can explain your legal options and give you an idea of the value of your case. You may think that you were not seriously injured, but your medical bills down the road could be significant. For this reason, you should pursue compensation with the help of a car accident attorney now.
If you would like to make an appointment for a free detailed evaluation of your California car accident case, please contact the car accident law firm of Ledger & Associates at 1-800-300-0001 or visit their website at www.ledgerlaw.com for more information.
Tags: accident, accident attorney, accident case, accident law firm, accident victim, accident victims, amp, attorney, attorney emery ledger, california car accident attorney, car accident, car accident attorney, car accident case, cat, compensation, consequences, emery, emery ledger, herniated disc, injury, juries, law, Ledger, ledgerlaw.com, legal options, ligaments, medical bill, medical bills, muscles, options, vehicle, whiplash, whiplash injuries, whiplash injury
Posted in Auto Accident Lawyer | No Comments »
Monday, September 6th, 2010
A car accident can have tragic consequences for everyone involved. Even a minor accident can leave you without a vehicle for days or even weeks, can cause you to miss days or work and require you to spend weeks under a doctor’s care. Not surprisingly, at some point after an accident you start asking yourself “Am I going to get compensated for all of this and how much am I entitled to?” Those are very normal and important questions to ask according to California car accident attorneys at The Law Offices of Ledger & Associates.
In a car accident, what you receive in the form of monetary compensation for your injuries is called “damages”. In the state of California, damages are divided into two main categories: economic and non-economic damages. The first category – economic damages- covers the things can be easily quantified. In other words, the things that you have a bill for or proof of the amount that you have lost or paid as a result of the accident. Examples of economic damages in a California car accident include lost wages from work, damage done to your vehicle, medical bills and lost earning capacity. While economic damages may seem fairly straight forward and easy to calculate, it is best that you confer with your car accident attorney before valuing your damages. Many times, victims fail to include the likelihood of future medical bills in their damages total and may lose out on a substantial amount of money that they are entitled to. In addition, but failing to include the possibility of future medical problems relating to the accident, a victim may be faced with extensive medical bills months or even years down the road that should have been covered by the responsible party in your car accident.
The second category of damages in a California car accident case is non-economic damages. Non-economic damages include things that are not easily quantifiable such as pain, mental suffering, emotional distress and loss of consortium. These are very real consequences of a car accident in many cases and as the victim you are entitled to be compensated appropriately. Many factors can go into placing on value on non-economic damages including, type and extent of physical injuries, age and health of the victim, earning capacity of the victim and lifestyle of the victim. Placing a value on non-economic damages can be very complicated and it is best to work with your car accident attorney when attempting to value these damages.
If you have been the victim in a California car accident case, you are entitled to recover damages that you have suffered as a result of the accident. Talking to an experienced California car accident attorney will help you determine what your legal options are and what the value of your accident claim is. A car accident attorney can help make sure that you are compensated sufficiently for the injuries you have endured and for the suffering you may experience in the future.
For a free detailed evaluation of your California car accident case, contact the firm of Ledger & Associates at 1-800-300-0001 or visit their website at www.ledgerlaw.com.
Tags: accident, accident attorney, accident case, accident claim, after an accident, amount of money, amp, attorney, attorney emery ledger, california car accident attorney, car accident, car accident attorney, car accident attorneys, car accident case, cat, claim, compensation, consequences, damages, economic damages, ego, emery, emery ledger, emotional distress, extent, juries, law, law offices, Ledger, ledgerlaw.com, legal options, loss of consortium, medical bill, medical bills, minor accident, monetary compensation, money, options, physical injuries, responsible party, state of california, stress, suffering, tragic consequences, vehicle, wages
Posted in Auto Accident Lawyer | No Comments »
Tuesday, August 31st, 2010
Unfortunately, car accidents happen every minute of every day. If you live in the state of California then you are undoubtedly aware of this. Whether you live in a large city like Los Angeles or in one of the picturesque towns in wine country, you can’t turn on the television or the radio without hearing about a car accident. If you have been involved in one of these accidents, you will eventually ask yourself whether or not you really need to hire a car accident attorney to represent you in your car accident case. The answer to that question, according to California car accident attorney Emery Ledger of Ledger & Associates, depends on a number of factors. The two most important factors, however, are negligence and damages.
There are situations when you truly do not need to hire a car accident attorney to represent you in a car accident case. When trying to decide whether or not to hire a car accident attorney, the first issue that you should consider is the issue of negligence. Negligence is a legal term that is used to describe fault or blame. In the state of California, the comparative negligence approach is used meaning that more than one party to an accident can be at fault. So the first question you need to ask yourself is whether the other driver is accepting the blame for the accident. If they are accepting some blame then the next question is how much? In order to handle your own car accident case, negligence should be agreed upon by the parties. If the other driver-or more importantly their insurance company- is accepting 100% negligence then you are in a good position to handle your case without the help of a car accident attorney. On the other hand, if the other driver (or insurance company) is not agreeing to negligence, or is only agreeing to partial negligence, then you may need the help of a car accident attorney to settle the issue of negligence. You cannot receive ANY compensation unless the other driver is more at fault then you were in the accident. Additionally, the amount of compensation you receive is directly related to the percentage of negligence that the other driver accepts. For this reason, if negligence is not clear, then you should consult with a car accident attorney.
The second issue that needs to be considered when deciding whether or not to hire a car accident attorney is the value of your injuries or “damages”. “Damages” in a car accident case is the legal term used for the injuries you have received. Damages can be economic such as lost wages, medical bills or car repairs or non-economic such as pain, suffering and anguish. If you suffered only minor injuries and had only minimal car repairs then you may be able to handle the case without the help of a car accident attorney. Make sure, however, that you are thoroughly checked out by a medical professional and that you do not jump at an early offer to settle by the insurance company. Many car accident injuries do not show up for days after the accident. Additionally, some internal or soft tissue injuries that do not seem significant at the time may ultimately cause you a tremendous amount of pain and suffering-not to mention medical bills- down the road. If you have ANY doubt about the extent or value of your injuries, then you should consult with a car accident attorney before accepting an offer to settle.
If you have been involved in a California car accident and would like an experienced car accident attorney to evaluate your case, please contact the law offices of Ledger & Associates for a free consultation. They can be reached at 1-800-300-0001 or you may visit them on the web at www.ledgerlaw.com
Tags: accident, accident attorney, accident case, accident injuries, accidents, attorney, attorney emery ledger, california car accident attorney, car accident, car accident attorney, car accident case, car accident injuries, car accidents, comparative negligence, compensation, consultation, damages, juries, law, law offices, Ledger, ledgerlaw.com, medical bill, medical bills, minor injuries, Negligence, offer, pain and suffering, soft tissue, soft tissue injuries, state of california, suffering, wages
Posted in Attorney-Lawyer | No Comments »
Saturday, August 7th, 2010
If you have recently been in a California car accident, you may think that you didn’t suffer any serious injuries and that your car damage was minimal so why hire a car accident attorney. The insurance company for the negligent driver has probably contacted you and offered to fix your vehicle. They may even have offered you a modest sum of money to settle any and all claims you may have against their insured. This often seems like the easiest way to handle the accident. After all, you didn’t beak any bones and you don’t have any visible injuries right? WRONG!
Car accident injuries can be sneaky. You may think that you didn’t suffer anything more than a little whiplash and that you’ll be fine after a couple of days of rest. Sometimes that actually is the case – you really didn’t suffer any additional injuries. Other times though it turns out that you actually suffered internal injuries or soft tissue injuries that are more serious than you originally thought. Internal injuries can be life threatening if not treated immediately. Other injuries may take years to create any serious problems for you, but they are nonetheless a result of the accident. It is not uncommon for someone to find that they are suffering from a herniated disc in their neck or spine years after a car accident that is the result of the damage done to their spine in the accident. By deciding not to consult with a car accident attorney after an accident, you could be putting yourself at risk of losing out on benefits for injuries that you have suffered.
A California car accident attorney can evaluate your case in detail and make sure that you are properly evaluated by a medical professional. Your car accident attorney will insist on diagnostic reports and tests as well as a detailed report indicating what the future prognosis is and what, if any, medical bills or medical problems you may expect to have in the years to come as a result of the car accident. Your car accident attorney will then factor all of that into the settlement demand that he asks for in your car accident case. Studies repeatedly show that a person that is represented by a car accident attorney receives, on average, a settlement award more than two times that of a person that is not represent by a car accident attorney. While the money aspect of a car accident settlement is certainly important, the fact that your injuries may continue to cause you problems well into the future are also important. Taking that token settlement amount that the insurance company offers you may seem like a little extra cash at the time, but down the road you will wish that you had taken the time to consult with a car accident attorney and insisted on a settlement that will actually cover your future medical costs.
If you would like to consult with an experienced California car accident attorney please contact the law offices of Emery Ledger & Associates at 1-800-300-0001 or visit them online at www.ledgerlaw.com. Ask for your free detailed evaluation with attorney Emery Ledger.
Tags: accident, accident attorney, accident case, accident injuries, acto, after an accident, amp, attorney, attorney emery ledger, california car accident attorney, car accident, car accident attorney, car accident case, car accident injuries, cat, claim, emery, emery ledger, herniated disc, Hire, insurance, insurance company, internal injuries, juries, law, law offices, Ledger, ledgerlaw.com, medical bill, medical bills, medical costs, money, negligent driver, offer, risk, settlement, soft tissue, soft tissue injuries, spine, suffering, vehicle, whiplash
Posted in Auto Accident Lawyer | No Comments »
Monday, June 28th, 2010
If you have been involved in an accident in the State of California, you may be entitled to compensation for the injuries you sustained in the accident. Accidents come in many forms: car accidents, airplane accidents; train accidents; motorcycle accidents; pedestrian accidents and many more. Regardless of what type of accident you were involved in, if someone else was negligent, you may be entitled to compensation to cover your medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering and other things associated with the accident. First, however, you must determine who was responsible.
According to California accident lawyer Emery Ledger of Ledger & Associates, accidents in the State of California are covered under the laws of negligence. Negligence is basically a legal term that means fault or blame. Under the laws of negligence, you must prove four basic elements in order to be entitled to compensation for your accident. The first element that you must prove is that the defendant owed a duty of care to the plaintiff. The defendant is the person that you believe is responsible for the accident. You are the plaintiff. The relationship between the two of you must have included a duty of care owed to you. This can be shown in many ways. Sometimes, the duty of care is obvious. For instance, if you were the passenger on an airplane – clearly the pilot owed you a duty to be careful flying the plane. In car accidents, the duty of care is often inferred by the simple fact that the other person was operating a vehicle on a public roadway. Each case is fact specific, but must include a duty of care owed to you.
Second, the defendant must have breached that duty of care. Again, sometimes this is obvious. If the defendant was driving while intoxicated for instance, they have clearly breached the duty of care. Other times, it is not so obvious. In the case of products that have caused injuries, it may take months or even years to determine who was responsible for breaching the duty of care, but is the product was defective then SOMEONE breached the duty. Airplane accidents can also take a substantial amount of investigating to determine the reason for the accident. Once the reason has been determined, your lawyer will have a better idea of who was responsible for breaching the duty of care.
The third element necessary for a negligence claim is that the defendant’s breach caused your injuries. The last element is that you show damages. “Damages” is the legal terms used to describe injuries. Damages can refer to property damages as well as physical and emotional injuries.
Once all four of these elements have been met, you and your lawyer are ready to file a personal injury accident lawsuit and recover the compensation that you are entitled to for the injuries that you suffered. If you have been injured in a California accident, then the responsible party is required to compensate you under the laws of negligence in the State of California.
For more information, or to schedule a free detailed evaluation of you accident case, please contact accident lawyer Emery Ledger of Ledger & Associates at 1-800-300-0001 or visit him online at www.ledgerlaw.com.
Tags: accident, accident case, accident lawyer, accidents, airplane, airplane accident, airplane accidents, california accident lawyer, car accident, car accidents, compensation, damages, duty of care, juries, law, lawsuit, lawyer, ledgerlaw.com, legal terms, medical bill, medical bills, motorcycle accident, motorcycle accidents, Negligence, negligence claim, pain and suffering, pedestrian, pedestrian accident, pedestrian accidents, Personal Injury, personal injury accident, plaintiff, plane accident, responsible party, train accident, train accidents
Posted in Personal Injury | No Comments »
Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010
For the millions of people in America now suffering with mesothelioma cancer, the question of whether or not they have a valid lawsuit and what it may be worth surfaces. Hearing a diagnosis of cancer is traumatic under any circumstances. Hearing that you may have planted the seeds for that cancer decades ago simply by doing your job is devastating news. That, however, is exactly what has happened too many of the mesothelioma cancer victims in the United States.
Estimates vary, but even conservative estimates put the number of mesothelioma cases that are caused by previous exposure to asbestos at 80%. Some experts put that percentage as high as 90%. Mesothelioma was once considered a vary rare form of cancer. .In people afflicted with mesothelioma, malignant cancer cells are found in the mesothelium, a protective sac that protects and covers many of the body’s internal organs. Scientists and doctors believe that when someone is exposed to asbestos dust particles, these particles are breathed in and subsequently enter the lungs. Years, even decades, later, those particles can cause the cells of the mesothelium to become abnormal and eventually lead to mesothelioma cancer.
If you have recently been diagnosed with mesothelioma cancer, you may be entitled to receive compensation for the injuries you have suffered as a result of the cancer. Under the California laws of negligence, if someone that had a duty of care to you breaches that duty and causes injuries, then you may be entitled to compensation. In the case of asbestos related mesothelioma, if you once worked in any of the numerous industries that used asbestos, then your employer or the manufacturer of the products that contained the asbestos could be responsible for your injuries. According to California mesothelioma lawyer Emery Ledger of Ledger & Associates, under a California personal injury lawsuit such as an asbestos related mesothelioma case, the victim may be entitled to economic and non-economic damages. “Damages” is a legal term that is used to refer to injuries. Economic damages generally include things that have a quantifiable numerical value such as medical bills or time lost from work due to the illness. Non-economic damages are what many people think of as pain and suffering. In addition, under some circumstances, punitive damages can be awarded when the judge believes that the defendant’s actions (or inactions) were particularly egregious and that the defendant acted with malice. California courts have led the way with some of the highest mesothelioma awards in the country and judges have not shied away from awarding punitive damages as part of those awards.
If you have recently been diagnosed with mesothelioma, seek the advice of an experienced California mesothelioma lawyer as soon as possible. While the statute of limitations for asbestos cases does not require that a lawsuit be filed shortly after exposure as many other personal injury cases require, it does require that you file a lawsuit within a short time after you have been diagnosed. For a free and confidential detailed evaluation of your mesothelioma case, contact the mesothelioma firm of Ledger & Associates at 1-800-300-0001 or visit them on the Internet at www.ledgerlaw.com.
Tags: asbestos, california law, compensation, damages, defendant, duty of care, economic damages, emery, emery ledger, injury, juries, law, lawsuit, lawyer, Ledger, ledgerlaw.com, lungs, malignant cancer cells, medical bill, medical bills, Mesothelioma, Mesothelioma lawyer, Negligence, numerical value, pain and suffering, Personal Injury, personal injury case, personal injury cases, personal injury law, personal injury lawsuit, ploy, punitive damages, states, statute of limitations, suffering
Posted in Personal Injury | No Comments »
Wednesday, June 16th, 2010
If you were injured in an accident in California and you believe that someone else was at fault for the accident, you may be faced with medical bills, property damage and time lost from your job. Depending on how severe your injuries were, you may even have lost your job and may be facing additional medical bills in the months or even yeas to come. You could even be facing problems finding a medical provider to treat your injuries if you did not have medical insurance at the time of the accident. You are not alone. Accidents of all kinds happen every day in California and the victims are left trying to figure out how to pay for medical treatment, how to repair damage to vehicles and what to do about their job. This is where a California accident lawyer can help. You may be concerned that on top of all the other bills you now have that you cannot afford to hire a lawyer to represent you in your accident lawsuit. The good news is that you may not need to worry about money for your California accident lawyer.
The benefits of hiring an accident lawyer to represent your interests are numerous. Statistics show that accident settlements and jury awards are consistently higher for victims that are represented by lawyers. This means more money for you to pay your bills and to compensate you for the pain and suffering you have experienced as a result of someone else’s negligence. In the short run, having a lawyer represent you means that you do not need to talk to the insurance company, the defendant or the courts. You can focus on healing the injuries that you suffered. Additionally, if you are having problems getting your vehicle fixed, finding a medical provider to treat you or are in jeopardy of losing your job, your lawyer may be able to intervene and help.
Unlike many other types of cases that lawyers handle, accident lawyers frequently accept personal injury accident cases on a contingency basis. A contingency arrangement basically means that you will not be charged anything upfront. Your lawyer will aggressively investigate, negotiate and even try your case to a jury without you having to pay anything. At the end of the case, your lawyer will receive a percentage of the final settlement or jury award as payment for their services. This method of payment was developed many years ago precisely for situations like yours where the victim would be left without any way to be compensated for their injuries if they had to pay a lawyer upfront just accept the case. This type of payment arrangement also gives your lawyer an incentive to get you the most compensation possible. At the end of your accident case, your lawyer will pay out any medical providers, expert witnesses or other bills associated with your case and then your lawyer will be paid his agreed upon percentage. Everything that is left will be your compensation for the injuries you have received.
In the end, if you have been the victim in a California accident, you may be able to hire an accident lawyer to represent you without having to worry about yet another bill. If you have additional questions or would like a free and detailed evaluation of your accident case, please call California accident lawyer Emery Ledger of Ledger & Associates at 1-800-300-0001 or visit him online www.ledgerlaw.com.
Tags: compensation, contingency, emery, emery ledger, fault, Hire, hire a lawyer, injury, injury accident, insurance, insurance company, juries, jury award, law, lawsuit, lawyer, lawyers, Ledger, ledgerlaw.com, medical bill, medical bills, medical treatment, money, Negligence, pain and suffering, Personal Injury, personal injury accident, settlement, statistics, suffering, vehicle, witness, witnesses, worry
Posted in Auto Accident Lawyer | No Comments »
