Massachusetts Personal Injury Lawyers
How To Hire An Experienced Personal Injury Attorney in Massachusetts
Choosing a personal injury attorney can be as simple as a basic search on the internet. Suppose choosing the right personal injury attorney was just a matter of asking the right questions? That would make your task a whole lot easier.
Susan was in an automobile accident and she needed to hire a Massachusetts personal injury attorney. She did a Google search on ‘massachusetts personal injury lawyer‘ and found Joe Jones (name changed) at the top of the search results page. She wrote down only his number, called him up, and hired him on the spot.
Then the troubles began. She found out that although Joe had been an attorney for 12 years, he had only recently started to take up personal injury cases, and he specialized in corporate claims. He had never done automobile accident cases. In the end, she had to settle for a paltry compensation amount owing to Joe’s inexperience.
Sharon was in an automobile accident and she needed to hire a personal injury attorney. Like Susan, she did a Google search. She wrote the names of 10 attorneys. John Brown’s name was seventh on the search page but he seemed to fit the bill. His 12-years experience in personal injury cases is what made him seem suitable. She was glad she had chosen John Brown to represent her.
Not everyone has time to ask for referrals while choosing an attorney. Most people prefer to do a search on the internet but this is not a fool-proof method. Before you make your choice, you need to ask a few questions. Here are some criteria to select a personal injury attorney.
Experience in court
An attorney who has experience going to trial will be better able to represent you than someone who is new to personal injury claims.
Experience in handling similar cases
There are many different kinds of personal injury cases. If the attorney does not have experience in cases similar to yours, he might not be the best person to represent you.
These standards will give you a fair understanding of the experience and success rate of the Massachusetts personal injury attorney you are considering.
Diana Joseph has an in-depth knowledge in dealing with in injury claims. She has written numerous articles on injury claims issues, particularly those involving car accident and other topics of claims. Please contact her for further information on claims related issues.
By Diana Joseph
Published: 5/13/2008
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Personal injury refers to damages incurred by a person to people or property because of someone’s negligence. The party causing the injury can be another person(s) or a company. People are injured due to several reasons: explosions, slips and falls, being hit by a vehicle, sexual assaults, use of defective products, fire injuries, wrongful death, bites from animals and any others. They can also arise out of mishandling or abuse by professionals such as doctors, nurses, nursing home staff, the police, or toxic torts, lack of proper security measures in the work place, frauds, birth injuries or false arrest.
There are several personal injury laws in Massachusetts like the Tort Law that give protection to people who have been injured for any reason. As per these laws, a person who has been victim to personal injury can claim compensation that generally covers medical bills, lost wages (including overtime), pain & suffering, physical disability, disfigurement, permanent scars, emotional trauma, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment, loss of love and affection, embarrassment, mental disability, property damage, and all out of pocket expenses (such as transportation charges, house cleaning and others). The Tort Law aims to provide compensation to victims; obligate the person who has caused the injury to pay punitive damages, legally; prevent the recurrence of similar injuries caused by negligence or reckless action; and defend the victim’s legal rights.
For filing a suit against a person or a company on the charges of personal injury, the victim has to first prove that the person/company was responsible for the injury. The suit can be based on negligence, strict liability or intentional misconduct. A victim who is partly at fault for the injury can also file the suit under the concept of “comparative negligence” or “contributory negligence.” Personal injury claims should be filed as soon as possible, because every state has statues of limitations that is the time allowed for cases to be reviewed. For instance, a malpractice suit in the state of Massachusetts has to be filed within three years.
Both parties coming to an agreement can also settle Massachusetts’ personal injury cases out of court. And if this is not acceptable, they can go to court. In any case, a person filing a suit for personal injury needs the help of an experienced lawyer to win the. It is better to take the help of a lawyer who has expertise in personal injury cases. Most law firms have attorneys who have expertise in such cases. The Internet is a good source for finding more about Massachusetts’ personal injury lawyers. Some law firms also have websites where the client can register and give a brief profile of the case for online/offline/phone consultation.
In Salem Superior Court, a jury awarded the family of Priscilla Jardine $2 million for her wrongful death. Jardine died on February 26, 2004 soon after giving birth to a baby girl during an emergency cesarean section. The jury issued its Massachusetts wrongful death verdict after finding that Jardine’s obstetrician, Dr. Debra Gail Knee, acted negligently when she recommended that the 32-year-old then pregnant mother take the drug labetalol.
As a result of taking the drug, Jardine’s blood pressure fell to dangerous levels and decreased her unborn baby’s fetal heart rate so that it became undetectable. Soon after delivering her daughter, Jardine went to cardiac arrest and died. Knee’s lawyer says that his client did not issue the directive for Jardine to take the medication and that another doctor who made the call has acknowledged that it was exclusively on his order.
