Personal injuries are something we all have to be prepared for. Car crashes, slips and falls, and other accidents can all lead to serious injuries, ranging from broken bones to amputations, loss of mobility, facial disfigurements, and more.
However, not all accidents are truly accidental. Many are caused due to the negligence of at least one other party, like a fellow employee, supervisor, or another driver. When this happens, victims of personal injuries may have grounds for a lawsuit.
But filing a lawsuit is one thing; winning it is another. That’s why, when the time comes for you or a loved one to file and win your personal injury lawsuit, you need to contact knowledgeable Staten Island personal injury attorneys.
Schwartzapfel Lawyers is ready and able to help with your upcoming personal injury case, so contact us now at 1-516-342-2200.
What Is a Personal Injury Lawyer?
Personal injury lawyers are qualified legal professionals who can help accident victims mount successful lawsuits. Personal injury lawyers are well-educated on New York personal injury laws and know:
- When someone is liable for injuries and can be sued successfully
- What the statute of limitations is for a personal injury lawsuit (usually three years from the accident or injury date)
- How victims can recover compensation or damages for their injuries
- And much more!
While victims can file a lawsuit or pursue arbitration alone, it’s never recommended. Personal injury lawyers can provide valuable legal assistance and advice, which is vital when trying to secure maximum damages.
Personal Injuries on Staten Island
Personal injuries are very common on Staten Island and the rest of New York City. For example, official data from the New York City Police Department indicates that 338 motor vehicle collisions occurred on Staten Island in just February 2020. These accidents resulted in 86 injured motorists, 51 injured passengers, and 25 injured pedestrians.
Furthermore, official New York State Debarment of Health statistics indicate that over 155,000 individuals are injured severely enough to need hospitalization each year. The most common causes of hospitalizations include injuries and poisonings, as do the most common causes of emergency department visits.
In total, hundreds of thousands of people are injured across Staten Island because of assaults, auto accidents, accidental poisonings, fires, and a variety of other incidents. These accidents can cause injuries ranging in severity that include but are not limited to:
- Broken bones
- Sprains, strains, and ligament tears
- Serious bruising
- Minor cuts, serious lacerations
- Internal bleeding
- Internal organ damage
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
- Spinal injuries, including paralysis
Hence, if you or a loved one is injured because of another person’s negligence, you should contact experienced personal injury attorneys right away. Don’t wait. Call Schwartzapfel Lawyers now at 1-516-342-2200 and allow our expert personal injury team to fight for you!
What To Do After a Personal Injury
If you or a loved one has been involved in an accident and suffered a personal injury, don’t worry about legal compensation just yet. Instead, get yourself and others to safety and call emergency services if needed. Alternatively, check yourself into a hospital so you can receive appropriate medical attention.
In many instances, getting medical attention ASAP could minimize your symptoms, lower your medical bills in the long term, and prevent your injuries from exacerbating. Getting medical help is the first step you or a loved one should take after being involved in an accident.
Only after you are stabilized and/or have been checked into a hospital should you contact a personal injury attorney firm. However, you should always speak with a personal injury lawyer before contacting the insurance company. Why?
Simply put, insurance agents are not your friends. Their job is to save insurance companies money. If you contact an insurance company first, they may try to deny you coverage, put you in a subpar negotiating position, or cause other issues that can hurt your case.
Personal injury lawyers can communicate on your behalf with an insurance company and make sure you get the money you need to cover your medical bills, at least in the short term.
How a Personal Injury Lawyer Helps
To make your life easier and optimize your legal outcome, personal injury lawyers can help in a variety of other ways as your case progresses.
Negotiates for You
For example, personal injury lawyers know how to negotiate on your behalf with insurance companies, other parties, or the legal team of a lawsuit defendant. As experienced negotiators, personal injury attorneys know what to say, how to speak, and how to represent your interests while you recover.
This gives you more time to heal from your injuries and removes some of the stress and burden of a personal injury lawsuit when you already have a lot on your plate. Calling a lawyer before speaking to any insurance company is vital, so contact Schwartzapfel Lawyers today at 1-516-342-2200.
Gathers Evidence
The right personal injury law firm can also gather evidence so your lawsuit is a success. They may gather evidence like:
- Police reports, which include unbiased reports of the evidence at the scene of the accident
- Eyewitness accounts
- Your personal testimony
- Security camera and/or traffic camera footage
All of this evidence can be vital when trying to secure compensation for your medical bills and other expenses. This evidence may be necessary to prove negligence on the part of another driver, a construction crew, a pedestrian, a workplace or business, or any other party.
As knowledgeable legal professionals, your personal injury lawyer can do all this legwork while you rest. Plus, an attorney knows who to contact and where to get this evidence in the first place.
Offers Legal Advice
More broadly, the right personal injury lawyer will offer sound legal advice throughout your lawsuit. They may tell you who is likely to be held liable for your accident, your chances of a successful lawsuit, and when you need to file your paperwork before the statute of limitations expires.
This assistance is invaluable, especially when you’re juggling injury recovery, medical payments, and other stressors.
Present a Strong Case
When the time comes to present your evidence in the best light possible, your personal injury attorney will stand for you and ensure that you’re represented fairly. As such, you will not have to deal with the stress of having to represent yourself in court.
How To Choose the Right Personal Injury Law Firm
While personal injury law firms can help with most accident-related cases, choosing the right personal injury law firm can make all the difference in receiving the compensation and benefits you deserve. To make sure you have the right attorneys on your side, you should consider a few key factors.
History of Past Success
First, make sure that any law firm you hire has a history of past successful cases across Staten Island. Schwartzapfel Lawyers’ testimonials page demonstrates our commitment to our clients and our past successful verdicts. Over the years, we have helped people just like you secure millions of dollars in damages and compensation for their personal injury lawsuits.
We’re well-equipped to assist with New York and Staten Island personal injury cases, no matter the details. We can handle auto accident cases, workplace injury cases, or any other lawsuit you may need to file.
Contingency Fee System
Moreover, a good personal injury attorney won’t charge you money unless they win your case. That’s why Schwartzapfel Lawyers operates on a contingency fee basis.
We’re so committed to our clients that we don’t want to put excessive financial pressure on you, especially if you are already trying to pay your hospital bills. That’s why if you don’t win, we don’t win; so you won’t ever need to worry about paying us a penny until your lawsuit is won.
Dedication to Clients
More than anything else, you should hire a personal injury attorney that offers an unwavering dedication to its clients.
At Schwartzapfel Lawyers, you’ll quickly find that we fight for you from start to finish, no matter how tough things get or how complex your case may be.
When a new client hires us, that client becomes part of our long-term, extended family. Your case immediately becomes the most important one at our firm, and we’ll dedicate all of our resources to helping you secure the damages you need to recover ASAP.
Summary
As you can see, there are many reasons why personal injury lawyers can be beneficial to your Staten Island lawsuit. Schwartzapfel Lawyers has the experience, the legal know-how, and the dedication to help your case succeed in even the toughest courtroom or arbitration setting.
Why wait? Instead, contact Schwartzapfel Lawyers today at 1-516-342-2200 and allow us the honor and privilege of starting you off with a free case evaluation. In one phone call, we’ll make sure you know all your legal options as well as what to expect in your upcoming lawsuit.
Act now and protect your financial future by speaking with one of our skilled personal injury attorneys directly. Call 1-516-342-2200 day or night and learn how Schwartzapfel Lawyers will fight – and win – for you!
Sources:
Schwartzapfel Lawyers, P.C. | Fighting For You™™
Motor Vehicle Collision Report Book With Prompts | NYC.gov
Injury and Violence in New York State | New York State Department of Health
10 Leading Causes of Hospitalization, New York City, 2012-2014 Highlighting Injury | NYC.gov
