Accidents and Personal Injury

Have you ever gotten injured as a pedestrian, get bit by a dog, or tripped at work due to an uneven surface? Or did you suffer an injury from a traumatic incident, such as being in an automobile or bicycle accident? Our attorneys at Fanger & Davidson LLC show you how to endure it all and get the compensation that you deserve.

Personal Injury: What To Do?

It is important that the proper reporting agency is immediately notified. You must file a police accident report and contact the responsible parties’ liability insurance carrier or your own in case the other party does not have one.

Immediately take photographs of your injuries, the damaged property, and the location where the incident occurred. You will need to receive immediate medical attention and, if the injuries warrant, follow-up care from a therapist, specialist, or your regular physician.

Your vehicle, bicycle, or other damaged property will need to be repaired as quickly as possible. If you are without a vehicle, will you be able to get to work? Is there rental insurance coverage available to you? What about any missed time from work? Must you use your sick time and/or vacation time to still receive a paycheck? And will you be able to recover those vacation and sick time hours? How do you then proceed to recover for your actual monetary loss, and for your pain and suffering?

We, at Fanger & Davidson LLC, can answer your questions and assist you with every aspect of your claim. Our attorneys have more than seventy (70) years combined experience in handling these personal injury claims and obtaining the best end results for our clients.

We collect no money from you. Our fees are based upon a contingency — that is, if you recover, we take a percentage of your proceeds. But if you do not recover, we collect nothing. There is no risk to you. We only ask that you follow our sound, legal advice to maximize your recovery potential. It is our goal to settle these claims without the need to file a lawsuit, as that takes time (yours and ours) and money.

Most of our clients’ frequently asked questions are: (1) how much am I going to get? and (2) when can I get my money?

We think it is best to clarify that you should never consider settling your claim until you have achieved "maximum medical improvement". In other words, the doctors must have done all they can for you and make sure that they will be unable to change some residuals from your injuries. This may take two months to two years, but each case is different. The treating physician will render his or her opinion as to your prognosis (what you can expect from the injuries sustained).

As to how much you will receive, several factors go into play, namely:

  • Is there a question of liability?
  • How severe are your injuries?
  • How often and for how long were you treated by the doctor?
  • What type of doctor treated you?
  • What was your health condition before the accident?
  • How much time did you miss from work?
  • How much property damage did you incur?

When it comes to settlement claims, that is where our experience really comes into play. We can advise whether any proposed settlement offer is fair and we can then suggest which direction to go – either settle or file a suit. Whichever means is selected, we will be with you every step of the way, offering sound guidance and always considering what is in your best interest.

Motorcycle Accidents: Serious and Deadly Matters

The phone or doorbell rings. You answer it. It’s a police officer. He informs you that your loved one was involved in a terrible accident. Your mind goes blank. You are unsure what to do, where to go, or who to speak with. In cases like these, you need to call Fanger & Davidson. We will listen, we will advise.

Each year, as the weather starts to warm, and the ice and snow melts, motorcycle enthusiasts, both young and old, turn their thoughts to driving their bikes and hitting the road. Having prepared their motorcycles for roadworthiness, it is impossible to hold back the excitement, as plans have most likely been made for creating new adventures and memories.

Nevertheless, we must not forget about safety awareness. Always keep in mind that motorcycles are less visible and less stable than automobiles, and that their riders are much more exposed to dangers.

All the happiness and enjoyment motorcycle riders experience while on the road can be wiped out because of error in judgment. More than one-half of all crashes involve another vehicle and occur from a lapse in judgment by the other driver. For instance, the other driver may attempt to enter a roadway and fail to yield the right-of-way to the motorcycle operator. It can also be due to an oncoming driver who attempts to turn left in front of the bike, thinking he has enough time to make his turn. Other crashes occur when an automobile attempts to pass or overtake a motorcyclist. One of the most frightening statistics is that deaths occur on motorcycles more than 26 times the number of deaths that occur in cars.* Who would have thought that a mere split second error can create a nightmare for so many people (drivers, passengers, spouses, children, or parents).

Should you or your loved ones be confronted with such a situation that has left you injured, helpless, in despair, or in need of advice and direction, we at Fanger & Davidson LLC can be there for you. Act quickly and appropriately following a collision is crucial. You or your loved ones, as injured parties, usually do not know which way to turn, where to start, or what to do. And that is why we are here. We will protect your rights and claims, and maximize every benefit to which you may be entitled to recover. This is what needs to be done:

  1. Immediately notify the proper reporting agency. This means you would have to file a police accident report and contact the responsible parties’ liability insurance carrier or your own in case the other party does not have one;
  2. Immediately take photographs of your injuries, damaged property, and location of the incident;
  3. Receive immediate medical attention and, if the injuries warrant, follow-up care from your regular physician, a specialist, or therapist;
  4. Determine how you can settle your medical bills and living expenses if you are unable to work for any period of time; and
  5. Get your damaged property repaired or replaced as quickly as possible. If you are without a vehicle, will you be able to get to work? Is there rental insurance coverage available to you? What about any missed time from work? Must you use your sick time and/or vacation time to still receive a paycheck? Will you be able to recover those vacation and sick time hours? How do you then proceed to recover from your actual monetary loss, and from your pain and suffering?

Our attorneys at Fanger & Davidson LLC can answer your questions and assist you with every aspect of your claim. Our staff of attorneys has more than seventy (70) years combined experience in handling these personal injury claims and obtaining the best results for our clients involved in motorcycle accidents. We collect no money from you. Our fees are based upon a contingency — that is, if you recover, we take a percentage of your proceeds. But if you do not recover, we collect nothing. There is no risk to you. We only ask that you follow our sound, legal advice to maximize your recovery potential. It is our goal to settle these claims without the need to file a lawsuit, as that takes time (yours and ours) and money.

Most of our clients’ frequently asked questions are: (1) how much am I going to get? and (2) when can I get my money?

The family of someone who is killed in an accident may be entitled to pursue a wrongful death claim. This claim is brought to the decedent’s estate on behalf of those left behind. Every claim, whether it is a wrongful death claim or an injury claim, has two components: Economic Loss and Non-Economic Loss. In wrongful death claims, economic loss would include medical and last illness expenses; funeral and burial expenses; loss of the value of the deceased’s services around the household; as well as lost earning capacity and loss of employment fringe benefits (based upon the estimated work life expectancy). Usually, a forensic economist prepares a report and provides a “present day value” of this economic loss. Meanwhile, non-economic loss includes pain and suffering endured by the deceased before dying, loss of services, companionship, care, protection, guidance, counsel, mental anguish, and any other intangible loss suffered by the survivors.

In a claim that does not result in death, economic loss would include medical expenses, loss of present and future income, property damage, and any other out-of-pocket loss or expense. The non-economic loss factors would be the same.

An injured party should never think about settling an injury claim until he or she has reached "maximum medical improvement". In other words, the doctors must have done all they can for you and make sure that they will be unable to change some residuals from your injuries. This may take two months to two years, but each case is different. The treating physician will render his or her opinion as to your prognosis (what you can expect from the injuries sustained).

As to how much you will receive, several factors go into play, namely:

  • Is there a question of liability?
  • How severe are your injuries?
  • How often and for how long were you treated by the doctor?
  • What type of doctor treated you?
  • What was your health condition before the accident?
  • How much time did you miss from work?
  • How much property damage did you incur?

When it comes to settlement claims, that is where our experience really comes into play. We can advise whether any proposed settlement offer is fair and we can then suggest which direction to go – either settle or file a suit. Whichever means is selected, we will be with you every step of the way, offering sound guidance and always considering what is in your best interest. Talk to us today and we shall be happy to listen to your needs. We will work with you to make sure that you recover everything that you possibly can from the person(s) who turned your world upside down.

Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 2015. Traffic safety facts, 2013: motorcycles. Report no. DOT HS-812-148. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Transportation.

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