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let the city know about the dangerous situation so no one else got hurt.
Building a successful case from the very beginning means identifying the things that are most important, and our experience means we know what to look for. We can help you identify what treatment to get, choose which doctors to see, document liability, find the responsible party, and hold them accountable. Immediacy in all of these steps is key. Your legal team needs to act promptly to turn over all the stones they need to fight your case while you focus on getting yourself better. – Renée Nordstrand
documented, and sent an expert to look at the scene and gather evidence about the dangerous condition. The expert gave us the information we needed to determine the cause of her fall and the responsible parties, which turned out to be both the city and the adjacent property owner. Because a government entity was responsible, a government claim had to be filed within six months of the incident — another reason it was beneficial to make these discoveries early on. Even before filing a claim, we were able to
Getting a lawyer early can also help you preserve evidence. A lawyer will look at all the social media for the responsible party. These days, people post an array of information online. We always thoroughly explore the responsible party’s online presence because you never know what kind of valuably incriminating evidence they might provide, both early in and throughout the case, before anything is removed from the internet.
TIMELY MEDICAL ATTENTION IS MANDATORY
We often see clients who are afraid to spend time or money on seeing medical providers after they’ve suffered an injury. Some forgo proper treatment because they don’t have medical insurance or are afraid the insurance company will deny their claim. But whatever the case, the risks of not getting the care you need following an injury accident are too great to ignore. When you file a claim, the insurance company looks at your injuries, what type of treatment you received, and when you received it. The value of your case is determined this way, so seeing a general practitioner, who doesn’t specialize in your type of injuries and isn’t accustomed to documenting properly for litigation, can be harmful to your case. If a lawyer gets involved early, they can help determine what you need and recommend specialists who know how to document a claim and do the testing necessary to identify and treat injuries. I once sent a client to a chiropractor I know is extremely thorough. He did testing from head to toe and identified that my client had shoulder pain the client wasn’t even aware of.
Eight months later, after the client recovered from their most painful injury, he became more aware of the shoulder pain and ultimately needed shoulder surgery. The insurance company tried to claim the shoulder injury was unrelated to the accident, but we were able to go back to the initial chiropractic records where the shoulder issues were thoroughly noted within one week of the incident. This information ended up making a difference of over $100,000 in the settlement. In another case, our client began treatment after an accident with her own primary care doctor. While this is good practice, that doctor was not willing to treat all the areas that needed attention, probably due to the compensation structure of her health care plan. The doctor wanted to take care of one injury at a time, ignoring her knee pain to focus on her hip pain. I instead recommended my client consult two doctors, a knee and hip specialist, who not only provided great care and treatment but also aided in greatly increasing the case value.
medical care from the right medical provider. I’ve had several clients who serve in the armed forces who, when injured, immediately go to their doctor on base. This is a good start but I always send them to specialists outside the base to document their injuries and get alternate recommendations the military doctor might not articulate for purposes of litigation. Much of a specialist’s expertise and usefulness in building a case comes from being willing to take the time with the patient, adequately recording their patients’ injuries and using the right language to prove causation. If you have a medical provider you’re happy with, your lawyer can talk to them to be sure they are willing to provide a thorough examination and proper documentation. If you’re worried about expenses and have a strong liability case, your lawyer can talk to your doctors about treating you on a lien, which means that your doctor will await payment until your case is settled. We have so many options to explore, so don’t put your health or case at risk by opting out of the treatment you need.
Getting well and increasing case value is often about getting the right
2 • NORDSTRANDLAW.COM
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