Is My Construction Accident a Personal Injury or a Workman’s Comp Case?
July 1, 2013 | Adriel B. VillarrealThough non-employees are injured in construction accidents the bulk of construction accidents happen to employees. Sometimes the parties involved can try to avoid responsibility by telling you that it’s a workman’s compensation matter and nothing more. If you’re injured on the job then you certainly do have the right to seek workman’s compensation benefits. However, you may be entitled to additional compensation if the negligence of a third party caused your accident. Determining this negligence can be difficult. For example, your injury might have been caused by defective materials that a vendor provided to your company. You might not ever learn this without an extensive discovery process. It’s worth talking to a lawyer simply because workman’s compensation benefits will rarely cover all of the costs of a construction accident, costs which often include not only medical bills but lost wages as well. You shouldn’t expect to be able to pinpoint all of the responsible parties by yourself, and you certainly shouldn’t rely on your employer’s interpretation of events since your employer might well have a stake in avoiding a personal injury conflict. It usually takes a qualified personal injury attorney’s discovery process to locate the proof that you’re entitled to more compensation. This is because construction cases are often a complex web of…
Read MoreHow Long Does it Take to Get Compensation in A Personal Injury Case?
June 27, 2013 | Adriel B. VillarrealIt takes time to settle a personal injury case. There are a lot of factors that go into the timing. While you may want it all to be over with as quickly as possible that’s not always a good idea. Sometimes it can take months for all of the complications of an injury to come to light. You should never settle a personal injury case until you’re sure that you know the extent of all of the injuries. However, much depends on other factors such as the complexity of the case and the willingness of all parties to come to a fair settlement. Each case goes through a specific process. On average this process takes 12 to 18 months when the court is involved. The process starts when you hire a personal injury lawyer. The attorney will start communicating with the insurance company on your behalf. The attorney will also start to gather all of the information that he or she can gather. He or she will try to ascertain what happened and who is responsible. He or she might find other insurance companies or parties who might also be responsible for paying damages. Negotiations for a settlement may start shortly after you hire the attorney. Taking a settlement is always your choice….
Read MoreEmployee Spotlight: Eny Maldonado-Johnson, Paralegal
June 26, 2013 | Barna, Guzy & Steffen, Ltd.BGS Criminal/Personal Injury Paralegal Eny Maldonado Johnson joined the firm in 2008 as part of a firm wide effort to increase our abilities to serve our greater community. She speaks fluent English and Spanish and offers translation skills within our firm, particularly within our Personal Injury and Criminal law practice areas. Eny moved to the United States from Ecuador and now makes her home with her family in Andover, Minnesota. She graduated from North Hennepin Community College in the Spring of 2009 with a perfect 4.0 grade point average. She offers Spanish/English translation services to all BGS areas of practice, however, she works most closely with Criminal/Personal Injury Attorney Adriel Villarreal who is also fluent in both English and Spanish. We asked Eny to write for our community blog page and she submitted this piece about the importance of volunteerism. Why Volunteer? by Eny Maldonado-Johnson There are many answers to the question, “why is volunteering important?” Volunteering gives you an opportunity to change lives, including your own. Even though this is not something you will get paid for, the benefits can actually be greater than money. It is an important way to create a healthy community. During times of disaster, people need help; if you are feeling frustrated or overwhelmed by the news…
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