Personal injuries can range from minor to severe, but they are always difficult to handle, especially if they are caused by another party. Personal injuries like broken bones, spinal damage, brain injuries, and other medical complications can not only leave you physically debilitated – they can also be very expensive.
That’s why personal injury victims should contact a lawyer when considering filing a lawsuit against an at-fault party. Personal injury lawyers are well-equipped with the legal knowledge necessary to secure an optimal case outcome and ensure that you get the compensation you need to pay for medical bills, lost income, and so on.
Schwartzapfel Lawyers P.C. doesn’t settle for the bare minimum. We’ve recovered millions of dollars for New Yorkers just like yourself over the years, and our practice areas range from general personal injury to medical malpractice to auto accidents and more.
No matter how you’ve been injured, we can help you secure the funds you need and deserve. If you’re hurt and need a lawyer, call Schwartzapfel Lawyers P.C. right away.
When Injuries Aren’t Your Fault
Accidents happen. However, in many cases, the injuries sustained from those accidents are due to the negligence of another party, such as an employer, another driver, or a workplace employee. When injuries aren’t your fault – and are caused by another person or party – you may have grounds for a lawsuit.
If successful, a personal injury lawsuit could give you the funds you need to pay for your medical bills, compensate you for pain and suffering, and more.
Legal Negligence
Legal negligence applies to a vast array of situations and circumstances. A party may be found negligent when they:
- Have a standard of care or a general responsibility to others, also known as a safety rule
- Knowingly breach the standard of care or responsibility
- The breach of a safety rule leads to injuries
Car accidents are good examples. All drivers share a collective responsibility to operate automobiles safely and carefully. If a driver gets behind the wheel while intoxicated, they are considered knowingly negligent and may be found liable for any accidents they are involved in.
Slip and Fall Injuries
Slip and fall injuries occur when a person slips on icy or hazardous ground and falls backward. Slip and fall accidents can lead to injuries like broken wrists or hands, broken tail bones, bruises, and even head injuries.
Some of the most common slip and fall injuries occur in icy weather or at workplaces. For instance, a business whose employee mops the floors and doesn’t put up a wet floor sign may be liable for a lawsuit. They directly contributed to the injuries sustained by falling patrons.
Auto Accident Injuries
New York City and the state at large are hotbeds for auto accidents. While New York drivers try to be careful, avoiding collisions is not always possible. Some collisions can lead to severe injuries like traumatic brain injuries, paralysis, broken bones, and more.
Many auto accidents are preventable and are due to the direct negligence of another driver. Examples include:
- Driving while distracted, such as while talking on the phone
- Driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol
- Driving at unsafe speeds or ignoring stop signs and red lights
In each instance, the at-fault driver broke the law and could be criminally liable for a lawsuit. The right personal injury attorney can ensure you get the compensation you need for injuries, damaged property, or any pain or discomfort you experience as a result of the accident.
Workplace Injuries
Many injuries occur at the workplace, especially in industries like construction. Workplace injuries are often covered under worker’s compensation insurance, which most New York companies are required to have for just these circumstances.
But some employers refuse to pay worker’s compensation to their employees or demand unreasonably high evidence standards before paying out. A worker’s compensation attorney can help you navigate the intricacies of this legal process, plus help you gather airtight evidence to present to a court or your employer as necessary.
Furthermore, the right attorney can help you determine whether your employer was criminally negligent and contributed to or directly caused your injuries. For instance, a contracting company that refuses to provide adequate protective gear to its employers may be liable for a lawsuit if one of its employees is ever injured in the course of their duties.
Other workplace injuries occur due to third parties, such as distracted drivers, unruly patrons or customers, or fellow employees. Injuries sustained during these incidents might be grounds for personal injury lawsuits.
Whether your workplace injuries are due to your employer or another party, a legal team on your side can make the lawsuit process smoother and more likely to result in an optimal outcome.
Medical Malpractice Injuries
We all trust doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals to care for us when we are injured or sick. However, sometimes medical professionals make mistakes.
For example, a doctor who comes to work while intoxicated could make an incorrect diagnosis or botch a surgery. In such circumstances, they could give their patients additional injuries or cause further medical troubles later down the road.
This is a clear-cut instance of medical malpractice. Medical malpractice victims may have grounds to sue the medical practitioner responsible for their injuries or chronic conditions. Negligence is taken especially seriously in medical malpractice cases, with very strict standards regarding:
- What constitutes a standard of care
- What the medical practitioner’s responsibilities were
- How the medical practitioner may have breached those responsibilities
Once more, the right personal injury attorney or medical malpractice law firm can help you get the compensation you need to pay for any medical costs or loss of income.
Malfunctioning Product Injuries
Product manufacturers also have responsibilities to create and test their products, so they are safe for use, especially if they are meant to be used by the general public. However, manufacturers sometimes skip tests, push manufacturing quotas to meet certain deadlines, or don’t inform the public about potential dangers.
When this happens, it could cause products to injure their users or lead to health complications like illness. Victims of malfunctioning products may be able to hold manufacturers liable for negligence – those who make public goods are ultimately liable for any injuries or damages they cause.
This extends to workplace tools and systems as well. For example, a construction crew that relies on hard hats to protect their heads from injuries may sue a hard hat manufacturer if the hats are too weak or brittle for safe use.
Other Personal Injuries
The above examples are just the beginning. No matter the personal injury you suffer, a personal injury lawyer may be able to help you file a lawsuit against the at-fault party and recover compensation to pay for any expenses incurred as a result.
More importantly, the right lawyer may help you identify which lawsuit will be most strategically effective to file. Different lawsuits fall under different statutes of limitations and legal restrictions, resulting in different compensation thresholds.
With Schwartzapfel Lawyers P.C. on your side, you’ll know what your personal injury qualifies for and who may be truly liable for damages awarded to your estate. In complicated personal injury cases, which involve multiple parties and which may be due to the negligence of several people, you’ll want the best of the best fighting for you™: that’s Schwartzapfel Lawyers P.C.
To better understand what your particular circumstances might entail, give us a call at (516) 342-2200. You have a limited amount of time to collect the money and benefits you are entitled to, so reach out sooner than later.
How a Lawyer Can Help with Your Personal Injury Case
The right personal injury attorney can assist with lawsuits by carrying out several important duties and, perhaps most important, shouldering the burden while you recover. Filing a lawsuit and keeping track of all of its details can be very difficult under normal circumstances, but this is doubly hard when you’re injured because of the negligence of another.
Let law firms like Schwartzapfel Lawyers P.C. take on these responsibilities and make recovery much easier for you in the weeks and months following your accident. No matter the details, we can offer significant support in several key areas, culminating in an airtight court case that results in a stellar outcome.
Gather Evidence
Personal injury attorneys can help to gather the key evidence you need to win your lawsuit. In the immediate aftermath of an accident, you may not be able to keep track of everything or get the evidence needed to prove negligence.
Your legal team can gather the evidence for you, including:
- Police reports
- Eyewitness accounts
- Medical records
- Photos and videos of the injury or the scene where it occurred
All of these documents may prove invaluable when showing the court who was really at fault for an accident and who should be liable to pay for your injuries and damages.
Present a Strong Case
More importantly, personal injury attorneys are well trained and can help ensure your case is as strong as possible when your court date arrives.
For instance, workers and employers may have different perspectives about who was ultimately at fault for a workplace accident. The worker should hire a personal injury attorney to make sure that their point of view is properly represented and that their employer doesn’t get away with avoiding worker’s compensation payouts.
Offer Legal Advice
Lastly, personal injury attorneys can offer calculated, sound legal advice throughout the lawsuit process. Even the most apparently cut and dry personal injury lawsuits may stretch on for weeks or months. During that time, many things can change.
But your attorney will advise you from start to finish and help manage the day-to-day challenges inherent in any lawsuit. This is often more critical than expected – it’s tough to handle the specifics of your lawsuit if you are also recovering in a hospital, for instance.
There’s no reason you have to go through your personal injury lawsuit alone. You can rely on Schwartzapfel Lawyers P.C. for the best legal advice in the areas of personal injury, worksite injury, medical malpractice, and more.
It all stems from our extensive experience in these areas. We know the ins and outs of the New York legal system and can help you determine which lawsuit may be ideal to file for the best possible results. Contact our experienced legal team today at (516) 342-2200.
Summary
No matter the circumstances of your personal injury case, the right legal team can make a major difference. In some cases, having a lawyer on your side can mean getting as much compensation as possible for your personal injury.
That’s why Schwartzapfel Lawyers P.C. is the overall best choice if you’ve been hurt and need a lawyer. We’ve got years of experience with cases involving personal injuries, medical malpractice, auto accidents, and similar fields. In short, we’ve dedicated ourselves to helping regular New Yorkers just like yourself recover damages for injuries sustained due to the negligence of another party.
There’s no reason to wait, especially since we offer a free case evaluation when you give us a call. Contact Schwartzapfel Lawyers P.C. today and see how we can help your case succeed.
Sources:
Negligence | Wex | US Law | LII / Legal Information Institute
Police Department City of New York Data | NYC.gov
Products liability | Wex | US Law | LII / Legal Information Institute
