Category: Personal Injuries
What is Whiplash?
June 17, 2013 | Adriel B. VillarrealPopular media sometimes likes to portray whiplash as a “pretend” injury, something that unscrupulous people make up in order to get lots of money. In reality, whiplash could be a very serious injury. During a car accident it is common for the head to be flung forward and back at unnatural speeds. The neck and back can sustain serious damage from this motion. Whiplash is literally a sprain or strain of the neck that damages the joints, discs, ligaments, and nerve roots in your back and neck. The symptoms can take up to 24 hours to appear. This is normal, and it’s not a victim’s attempt to claim erroneous pain “after the fact.” Symptoms can include headaches, neck pain, pain in the back, shoulders, and shoulder blades, numbness and pain in the arms, and dizziness. It can also impact your cognitive ability, causing a “brain fog” sensation that impacts both memory and concentration. All of these symptoms can have a significant impact on your ability to function normally. They should not be ignored or dismissed. These injuries do not show up on X-rays. Normally, it takes a CT scan or an MRI to detect it. Whiplash is one of the many injuries and complications that can occur after your first post-accident doctor visit….
Read MoreAm I Taking Unfair Advantage of a Property Owner if I Pursue a Slip-and-Fall Case?
June 13, 2013 | Adriel B. VillarrealMany of our clients are often concerned about whether or not they are being fair when they file a slip-and-fall claim. Most of our clients are good people who would be the last ones to ever take advantage of anyone! It’s true that some slip-and-fall accidents are just that: accidents. Property owners are not responsible for all of them, and if that’s true in your case a good personal injury attorney will certainly advise you of that fact. However, some slip-and-fall injuries are caused by negligence on the part of property owners. Property owners have a legal obligation to maintain safe conditions on their premises, and they do not always follow through. Here are some examples of this kind of negligence: A restaurant spills grease on the floor and fails to clean it up. Freshly mopped floors in a grocery store are not clearly marked with a warning sign. Ice or snow on a walkway that should have been properly shoveled and salted before business hours began. A broken hand rail that ought to have been properly maintained causes someone to trip and fall down a flight of stairs. A loose floor tile, floor board, or bit of carpeting that was neglected for months causes someone to slip and fall. If you have…
Read MoreDo I Lose Money by Hiring a Personal Injury Attorney?
June 10, 2013 | Adriel B. VillarrealMany people believe they’ll ultimately end up with a smaller check in their pocket after hiring a personal injury attorney, so they avoid calling a lawyer when they could actually really use the help. In reality, the opposite is often true. Hiring a personal injury lawyer can help you save time and energy fighting with insurance companies, and worse, collection companies looking for payment on medical or other your injury may have prevented you from covering. Hiring a personal injury attorney may also mean a larger settlement than you could have negotiated for on your own in the end. As personal injury attorneys our job is to help you get the maximum legal compensation for your claim. This is often the opposite of what other parties in the case want to do. They usually want to get you to settle for the minimum legal amount they can offer you. We can help you by advising you on what you’ll need to do in order to get the full value for: Your medical bills, especially for injuries that doctors might not have diagnosed on the day of your accident. If the accident has rendered you unable to work for any period of time, your lost wages. The loss of your vehicle, vehicle value, or…
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