How do I know if I have a case?
How much can I get for my injury?
What is your hourly fee?
What about medical and other expenses?
How long after the injury can I still file a lawsuit?
What is an auto accident?
What is to be proved in a personal injury action under auto accident?
What are the damages recoverable in an auto accident?
How do I know if I have a case?
The best way to find out about your case is to meet with a knowledgeable attorney
with experience. Jeffrey J. Shapiro and Associates offers a free initial
consultation. Call 800-728-5478 to find out about your case.
How much can I get for my injury?
It works this way: the greater the injury, the greater the compensation. The law
allows you to recover the full extent of your losses, including lost wages, medical
expenses, and pain and suffering. That being said, there's no way to know what
your case is worth without talking to an attorney.
What is your hourly fee?
We do not charge for an initial consultation or for that matter, for any time
it might take us to decide whether you have a case. Our firm, like almost all law
firms who handle these types of cases handle them on a "contingent fee" basis,
meaning that we only get paid at the end of the case if the case results in a
settlement or a plaintiff's verdict. Our fee is a percentage of the recovery, usually
one-third. The fee we earn is contingent on a successful outcome, which means
that you do not pay us if we lose.
What about medical and other expenses?
We will advance expenses incurred in the preparation of a case. If there is a
successful outcome we deduct the expenses "off the top" of the recovery and apply
the percentages to the net sum (in that way we share part of the expenses). While
New York allows lawyers to advance expenses for their clients the rules state that
the client must be ultimately responsible for the expenses if the case is lost. Since
so much is riding on the outcome, we are very careful about the cases we take.
How long after the injury can I still file a lawsuit?
It depends upon the type of case and who is being sued. This period of time is called the Statute of Limitations. However, you don't want to delay. As time passes, crucial witnesses and evidence may disappear and that can hurt your case. Acting promptly to explore your rights is always a good idea. If you think you've been hurt due to negligence, call an attorney immediately.
What is an auto accident?
A person who operates a vehicle is expected to exercise reasonable care. A failure to use reasonable care resulting in an accident is considered negligence. A person who negligently operates a vehicle may be required to pay for any damages, either to a person or property, caused by his or her negligence.
What is to be proved in a personal injury action under auto accident?
The injured party is required to prove that the person who caused the accident was negligent, that negligence was a proximate cause of the accident, and that the accident caused the plaintiff's injuries. A driver may also be liable for an accident due to his or her intentional or reckless conduct.
What are the damages recoverable in an auto accident?
The law permits a person to seek recovery after an accident to make his/ her whole again. The central concept is that one should be compensated in a manner that, as best as the law can arrange, places one back in the same position as he/ she were before the accident. In addition to normal compensatory damages, punitive damages are awarded in extreme cases if the injury was the result of someone else's reckless or irresponsible behavior, or if the cause of the accident or the extent of the injury was caused by defective or dangerous nature of the vehicle that the manufacturer ought to have corrected.
