Category: Personal Injuries
Employee 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…
Read MoreWhen Should You Speak to a Personal Injury Attorney?
June 24, 2013 | Adriel B. VillarrealMany people wait far too long before speaking to a personal injury attorney. Waiting to call an attorney can be a problem if they’ve already taken actions that could severely limit or impact their ability to obtain a fair settlement. Any kind of accident can be chaotic. Your first priority in any accident is to promptly seek the medical care that you need. Be sure to follow all of the doctor’s orders and remain under their care until release. Do not leave before the doctor would recommend or stop treatment because you “feel better” as you could be in for problems later. Many injuries or injury complications don’t show up for weeks after the accident. Once you’ve received your immediate medical care you can start contemplating the next steps. You should talk to an attorney first before you talk to anybody from the insurance company. This includes insurance adjusters, lawyers, or even customer service personnel. In a personal injury case, most of the effort revolves around getting the insurance company to pay a fair and balanced settlement that takes all of your injuries and complications into account. Often, the insurance company will try to lure you in by offering a settlement that may seem high to you but which could be, in reality,…
Read MoreWho Pays The Medical Bills for The Passenger in a Car Crash?
June 20, 2013 | Adriel B. VillarrealMinnesota is a no-fault insurance state. That does not mean that as a passenger in a car crash you are not entitled to make an insurance claim for the injuries sustained in an accident. It merely impacts whose insurance will be responsible for paying the bill. In this case, as the passenger, your own automobile insurance should be paying for your medical bills and lost wages. This would happen regardless of who is ultimately responsible for the accident, or who owns the car in question. What if you don’t have insurance because you don’t have a car? If that happens there’s an “order of priority” that the law follows to find out which insurance company needs to foot the bill. It goes like this: If you don’t have car insurance, the claim would go to the auto insurance policy of a family member that you live with. If you don’t live with anyone who has car insurance, the car insurance of the vehicle you were in at the time of the accident would be responsible for the bill next. If the person who owned the vehicle wasn’t carrying insurance on the vehicle the claim would typically go to Minnesota’s Assigned Claims Plan. You may also be entitled to additional compensation from other insurance…
Read More