No matter the circumstances of your injury, whether it be a car accident, a slip and fall accident, or a workplace accident, suffering a serious injury can have many long-term after effects. For example, if you’ve suffered even a minor brain injury you may experience:

• Headaches
• Vision Problems
• Changes in Personality/Mood Swings
• Vertigo
• Memory Problems

These side effects can have a long-term impact on your life including preventing you from returning to work, causing you to bear the burden of long-term medical expenses, losing your future earning potential, and enduring tremendous pain and suffering. What may seem like a minor injury caused by an accident can actually drastically alter your life for years to come.

If that’s happened to you, it’s critical to seek the legal counsel of an experienced brain injury attorney . You need legal representation from a law office, such as the Law Office of James Zier, P.C., because your case needs to be investigated immediately and some injuries due to accidents have a time limit for legal recourse. With representation, you may be able to recover damages to help get your life back on track.

Unfortunately, suffering a brain injury may not be the extent of your pain and suffering. Sometimes brain injuries can become more severe, or new injuries can happen, because of negligent care, or medical malpractice. Sometimes medical malpractice can occur and stem from:

• Failure to diagnose
• Wrong diagnosis
• Improper procedure
• Unnecessary or Excessive treatment

In these instances, too, you’ll want the legal representation of a medical malpractice attorney because any fault of your physician can lead to the same, if not more extensive, long-term health problems as listed above. Personal injury attorneys such as those at the Law Offices of G. Oliver Koppell & Associates can represent your interests. Through an investigation, a personal injury attorney may be able to seek a settlement to help you recover from your injuries and experience.

Injuries are never simple and can lead to long-term issues that have a drastic impact on your life. Because the long-term impact of injury may not be felt right away, and because there are time constraints involved, you’re better having legal representation from the beginning to make sure you don’t settle for less than you deserve.

Factors That May Determine Personal Injury

While accidents happen everyday in a variety of settings, you may be informed by an Albuquerque personal injury attorney that certain accidents aren’t always entitled to any sort of extra compensation. If you are involved in a minor car accident, for example, you may only be entitled to what your insurance company offers to repair your vehicle. Or in the case of workplace accidents, no one may be found at fault and Workers Compensation may be all that you are entitled to.

However, an Albuquerque and Santa Fe personal injury lawyer can investigate your accident to determine if you’re entitled to compensation. Generally, you can be entitled to compensation if:

• The accident was caused by direct recklessness and/or negligence
• The accident was the result of a defective product
• The accident was caused by professional malpractice

These are just general instances that an Albuquerque personal injury lawyer may investigate to determine if your accident could have been prevented. If your personal injury lawyer determines that someone else is responsible, you may be entitled to monetary compensation for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and more.

Factors That May Determine the Amount of Compensation

Each accident case is unique and there are no hard or set rules about what kind of compensation you may be entitled to. There are many factors that go into what your Albuquerque personal injury attorney will argue you deserve. Some basic guidelines are compensation for:

• Medical expenses and long-term care
• Lost wages while unable to work
• Loss of future earning potential
• Inability to enjoy life as you did before the injury
• Pain and suffering

In the worst-case scenario if personal injury results in death, the next of kin may also be entitled to compensation for future lost wages, the loss of insurance, and even funeral expenses.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, seek legal counsel to review your case and determine if you may be eligible to pursue compensation.

Product Liability

If a product was sold and caused you any type of injury you may have a case against the manufacturer, distributor, and/or retailer of the product. There are many different courses of action in a product liability claim, including: defective design, defective manufacturing, and defective and/or misleading marketing. Because there are many laws in place to protect consumers, a product liability case can be difficult and you’ll want an Albuquerque defective products lawyer to represent your interests in seeking any possible compensation.

Medical Malpractice

When we’re ill we place our trust in physicians to do all they can to treat us and help us regain our health. However, when a medical professional makes a serious error that causes you serious harm, you may be entitled to legal action. When an error results in serious injury or death from improper treatment, misdiagnosis, or surgical errors, for example, you may be entitled to compensation for things like future medical expenses and for pain and suffering. If you believe you’ve been the victim of medical malpractice, you’ll want to contact an Albuquerque or Santa Fe medical malpractice attorney to review your case and determine what type of legal action, if any, you may be entitled to.

Wrongful Death

Wrongful death applies to the loss of life due to the negligence and recklessness of someone else. This can be the result of anything from an auto accident to a faulty product and even medical malpractice. Whatever the cause of this unfortunate event, an Albuquerque or Santa Fe wrongful death attorney can review and investigate your case. If it is determined someone else is at fault, you may be able to seek compensation for current and future lost wages, funeral expenses, and pain and suffering. Again, you’ll want to contact a Santa Fe or Albuquerque personal injury attorney to investigate and review your case.

An unfortunate reality of life is that accidents happen on a daily basis and can have long-lasting effects on your life. Personal injury attorneys can review your case after an accident and fight to get you fair compensation from an insurance company or liable party.

Determining the full value of a spinal cord injury case can be difficult without proper legal assistance. Not only must you consider your current expenses and losses that have come about as a result of your injury, but your future expenses and losses. Spinal cord injury attorneys can help you determine how much money you will need to live with your injury so you have one less thing to worry about as you focus on adjusting to life with a spinal cord injury.

Keep in mind that many insurance companies offer victims low initial offers as they are trying to protect their own bottom line. Be sure to talk with an experienced personal injury lawyer in Santa Fe (or whatever city you live in) before you accept an insurance company’s offer. A good attorney can make sure your best interests are protected and fight for the money that you need and deserve.

Whenever someone else’s recklessness or negligence results in a catastrophic injury, like an amputation, the party responsible for the injury may be held accountable for their actions. Victims of such serious personal injuries have legal recourse and may fight for compensation for things like:

• Medical Bills
• Prescription Drug Expenses
• Cost of Prosthetic Devices
• Rehabilitation Costs
• Time Missed From Work
• Inability to Work
• Loss of Future Earning Potential
• Pain and Suffering

Since it can be difficult to calculate the full value of such devastating injuries, it is a good idea to contact an experienced amputation lawyer if you or a loved one has had to have a limb removed as a result of another person’s negligence. Remember, once you accept a check from an insurance company, you may not go back later and ask for more if the amount you accepted is not enough to cover your actual expenses. Hiring an experienced personal injury attorney in Albuquerque, New York or wherever you are located can give you the peace of mind that you are receiving all of the money to which you are legally entitled.

Examples of Wrongful Death

Determining wrongful death can be difficult, but many cases revolve around accidents, due to negligence, recklessness or intent, that lead to death. Some other examples of wrongful death include medical malpractice and even defective products. In cases of the former, a medical malpractice attorney like Gottesman & Hollis, P.A., can investigate your case and sort through the complexities of medical malpractice law. If it is determined that legal action can be taken, these attorneys can represent your case and seek possible damages.

In the case of the latter, an experienced wrongful death attorney can look into the defective product and may be able to determine that its defect led to serious injury or wrongful death. Attorneys like Stephens, Anderson & Cummings have experience with all types of personal injury and wrongful death cases; so, even if your situation was caused by a malfunctioning or defective product, you’ll want to contact an attorney to determine any possible legal actions.

Why Seek Legal Help

If you suspect a loved one or friend passed away as a result of wrongful death, you’ll want to contact a wrongful death attorney because an attorney can determine if you do have a legal case against anyone that may be responsible. If you do have a wrongful death case, an attorney can help you fight for justice. As can be typical with many accidents, insurance companies may attempt to settle your case without giving you all of the compensation you may be entitled to. Any possible compensation can be used to:

• Offset funeral expenses
• Loss of income
• Pain and suffering
• And more

An experienced wrongful death attorney like those at the Law Office of James Zier, P.C., can represent you in any potential wrongful death case to help get your life back on track after such a tragic loss.

What Are Personal Injury Suits?

A personal injury lawsuit is a way to hold any wrongdoers accountable for their actions. Personal injury attorneys, like those at Scharf & Dubinsky, P.A., handle many different types of personal injury cases.  Personal injury attorneys generally have experience with different types of cases including everything from auto to construction accidents and slip and fall accidents to even dog bites.

Why File a Personal Injury Suit?

If you are injured, you may be responsible for large medical bills, long-term expenses such as rehabilitation, and even lost wages. Injury attorneys can meet with you, go over your case, and possibly file a lawsuit for possible monetary compensation to help offset medical costs, lost wages, and even compensation for pain and suffering. Again, you’ll want to contact an experienced attorney or law firm like the California Personal Injury Law Firm for a consultation.

What Are Some Examples of Personal Injuries?

As mentioned above, there are many different kinds of personal injuries that you can suffer. Now that you know what a personal injury is and why you may want to file a lawsuit, here are some specific examples of personal injury:

• Auto Accidents – The most common form of personal injury. Whether you’ve been involved in a car, motorcycle, or semi truck accident, you should contact an auto accident attorney or auto accident law firm like the Airola Law Offices to learn about your rights and legal options.
• Construction Accidents – Accidents suffered on a construction job site can result in severe, life-long injures. These types of accidents may result in death and can leave a family emotionally and financially devastated. Construction site and workplace attorneys like those of Martinez, Hart & Thompson, P.C. can review your case and advise you of the best course of action to obtain justice.
• Slip and Fall Accidents – Sometimes we all take a bad step and lose our footing, but when we do so because of a poorly maintained property, you may want to talk to a slip and fall accident attorney to discuss what happened. If your fall was the result of negligence on the part of a property owner, law firms like the Moffett Law Firm, P.C., may be able to file a suit on your behalf.
• Brain Injury – A traumatic brain injury from any cause can have permanent effects on someone’s life. A qualified brain injury attorney can determine if someone is at fault for the traumatic event. There are attorneys  with experience in brain injury cases who can help you with legal action if it’s warranted by your claim.
• Dog Bites – These types of injuries are not trivial. They can be especially tragic if it’s a small child that is bitten. An experienced dog bite injury lawyer can determine if the owner of the animal is at fault. If it’s determined legal action can be taken, law offices like the Law Offices of Maurice B. Smith an represent your case and seek compensation from the dog’s owner.

This list is just a basic overview of some types of personal injury. There are so many different and unique types of injury that you’ll want to contact a personal injury attorney to determine if yours merits legal action.

Personal injuries can lead to long-term physical and emotional damage. If they are the result of someone else’s action or inaction, that person can be held responsible. Don’t wait until it’s too late. If you’ve been injured, seek the legal help you’re entitled to.

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS, http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/tbi/tbi.htm, 2007), symptoms of traumatic brain injury include such things as problems with:

• • cognition (thinking, memory, and reasoning),
  • sensory processing (sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell),
  • communication (expression and understanding), and
  • behavior or mental health (depression, anxiety, personality changes, aggression, acting out, and social inappropriateness).

Severe head trauma may also result in stupors, comas and vegetative states. All of this can severely impact an individual’s way of life. If someone you love has been involved in an accident, it is imperative that you seek medical attention and keep an eye on your loved one’s behavior, noting any unusual behavior.

Once you have received appropriate medical care for your loved one’s injury, you should consider consulting a brain injury lawyer to recover damages (see Types of Damages). If a traumatic brain injury is the result of someone else’s negligence, a personal injury lawyer may be able to help you receive compensation for such things as medical bills, pain and suffering, loss of ability to provide/earn income, and the costs of lifelong assistance needed by someone with TBI. A personal injury lawsuit may be your best course of action if your loved one’s TBI is due to someone else’s behavior (see Understanding Personal Injury Lawsuits).

Since traumatic brain injury can be difficult to detect immediately after an accident and may only become evident with time, it is important to not only seek medical attention right away, but also legal advice. A brain injury lawyer should be able to tell you what documentation you will need to make a strong case for a personal injury lawsuit. Such things would include, an accident report, medical records, a neuropsychological report that details future care needs, a life care plan that will help determine the economic needs of a TBI victim throughout the remainder of their life, and a record of the financial burden a TBI has had on your family. A brain injury lawyer should be able to advise you on the specific information that you will need to pursue a personal injury lawsuit.

If a loved one has been the victim of an accident or intentional act that resulted in traumatic brain injury, choosing a good personal injury lawyer is crucial (see What to Look for in a Personal Injury Lawyer). Be sure to choose a brain injury attorney who has experience handling traumatic brain injury claims. Your ability to recover the maximum amount of compensation for your loved one’s injury may be directly related to the quality of the lawyer you choose. If you are concerned about the cost of hiring an attorney, most personal injury lawyers work on a contingent fee basis. That means, your attorney will not receive compensation for his or her work unless they are successful in recovering money for you (see Understanding Attorney Fees).

Mesothelioma (cancer caused by asbestos) is a painful disease where the cells of the membrane that protects many of your body’s organs (mesothelium)

become abnormal and start dividing uncontrollably. Mesothelioma from asbestos exposure usually starts in the membrane lining the chest (the pleura), but is an aggressive cancer that is difficult to control and can easily metastasize and affect other parts of the body.

Some of the symptoms of mesothelioma include shortness of breath, chest pain, and a dry cough. Symptoms like these often resemble other diseases, such as viral pneumonia, which can lead to a delay in diagnosis. While the symptoms of mesothelioma are generally non-distinct, diagnosis is usually determined by a chest x-ray. If the x-ray reveals that fluid is present, a fluid sample is often taken to determine if it is benign or malignant. Sometimes a needle biopsy is used to confirm a diagnosis of mesothelioma.

Since mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos and the hazardous nature of asbestos has been well-known since the early twentieth century, if you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, you may have a personal injury laim (see Understanding Personal Injury Lawsuits) against the source of your asbestos exposure (i.e., employer, landlord, restaurant, school, etc.). For example, personal injury lawyers have recovered billions of dollars for people with mesothelioma because the victim’s employers did not take the proper measures to protect them from exposure to asbestos (see What is a Tort?).

If you were diagnosed with mesothelioma, it is essential that you talk to a personal injury lawyer with experience handling mesothelioma claims. Even if it has been years since you worked in an asbestos environment, it often takes decades before any of the symptoms of mesothelioma are experienced; therefore, you may still be able to file a claim for damages (see Understanding Statutes of Limitations). An experienced personal injury lawyer who is familiar with mesothelioma claims can help you know and understand your rights.

• Headaches
• Eye, nose and/or throat irritation
• Vertigo
• Difficulty concentrating
• Fatigue
• Sensitivity to odors
• Dry or itchy skin

Symptoms can vary greatly between occupants of a building and are usually only present when a person is in a building; symptoms are generally relieved immediately upon leaving the building. Illnesses caused by a sick building are most likely related to poor indoor air quality due to poor building design, improper building maintenance and occupant activities; but finding a specific cause of illness is often difficult to determine.

Prolonged exposure to toxic mold and other substances (i.e., cleaning chemicals, asbestos, etc.) that produce volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can result in serious health conditions. You may be eligible to sue for damages if you develop a serious illness as a result of prolonged exposure to a toxic environment.

It can be difficult to prove sick building syndrome as symptoms can greatly vary among occupants of a building and can also be attributed to stress and other socio-psychological factors. For this reason, it is important to hire an attorney with experience representing sick building syndrome cases. An attorney should have access to medical doctors and health inspectors who can testify as to a building’s toxicity; be able to determine who should be accountable for a sick building based on careful investigation; and organize a class action lawsuit if appropriate.

If you believe that you suffer from sick building syndrome, contact an attorney right away. A qualified attorney can give you the advice you need to make informed decisions about your situation and help you determine if you have a case against an employer, builder, building management company or landlord.