Being involved in a car accident can be a trying time in one’s life. Experiencing an injury from such an event changes your life. No matter the perceived extent of your injury, you should not ignore them. One of the most controversial and common injuries in rear-end collisions is Whiplash. So What is the big deal about Whiplash? What do you do if you have Whiplash from an Ohio car accident?
What is Whiplash?
Whiplash is a non-medical term used to cover the symptoms of neck pain. It results from sudden trauma of forceful back-and-forth motion of the neck, like the cracking of a whip. It happens most commonly when involved in a rear-end collision – even at speeds as low as 5 mph. Over 2 million American suffer from this type of injury every year. Whiplash usually has a recovery period of at least a few weeks. You should not treat this injury lightly! Even though they are rare, long-term complications do occur. Even minor pain can indicate the very real threat of a fracture and should be checked at the hospital or at your family doctor’s office.
If you have been injured in a car accident – get help immediately. Call 911!
Headaches, most often starting at the base of the skull
Tenderness or pain in the shoulder, upper back or arms
Tingling or numbness in the arms
Fatigue
Dizziness
Blurred vision
Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
Sleep disturbances
Irritability
Difficulty concentrating
Memory problems
Depression
What should you do if you have whiplash?
Just like any other injury in a car accident, there are steps you should take to protect yourself.
To learn more about what to do if you are in an Ohio car accident, click here.
Whiplash is linked to rear-end collisions, meaning someone has usually hit you with their car – and you may not be at fault. If you or a loved one has suffered from Whiplash and do not know what to do, we are here for you. Call our offices to schedule and appointment and allow us to help you navigate the confusing aftermath of an Ohio car crash. You don’t have to suffer alone.
A car accident can change your life permanently. If you have suffered any type of brain injury from a car accident, you will need to adjust your daily activities to accommodate your new normal. But what can you expect to face after such an injury? Furthermore, if you weren’t at fault for the accident, how do you hold others accountable for it? How can you receive the compensation you deserve after such a traumatic event?
What is a brain injury?
According to brainline.org ¨Traumatic brain injury (TBI) refers to damage or destruction of brain tissue due to a blow to the head.¨
There are many types of traumatic brain injuries, however, for the purpose of this article we are going to focus on ¨closed¨ injuries. One of the most common issues after an accident is whiplash. The quick movement of the head back and forth causes the brain to make contact with the skull- and can cause severe damage. This contact can lead to broken blood vessels, bruising, and can stretch and break the nerves responsible for proper brain function. This is why many patients who suffer a brain injury from an Ohio car accident have damage to their frontal and temporal lobes.
memory Brain injury Ohio car accident
What happens after you have a brain injury from an Ohio car accident?
First and foremost, if you believe that you have suffered from a brain injury- get help! Call 911 if you are able, and have paramedics sent to you.
Many people assume you have to pass out to have a closed brain injury. This is NOT true!
Even a mild brain injury can impair your cognitive abilities, change your behavior, and impact your ability to enjoy life or work to earn a living. Regardless of the severity of your injury, you should see a doctor after a possible brain injury from an Ohio car accident.
Do you have any of the following symptoms?
severe or unrelenting headaches
changes in you behavior or mood
dizziness
misplaced time
disorientation
memory loss
slurred speech
weakness in limbs
If so, consult with a doctor as soon as possible.
So, what happens next?
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with a brain injury, it will change your whole life. The physical and emotional toll may impact your friends, family, and work-life. Beyond these hurdles, your journey to recovery is often arduous and expensive. Fighting these types of personal injury claims can be long and complicated, but you don’t have to do this alone. Our compassionate team is here to help you receive the fair and full compensation that you deserve. Call us at (937) 222-2030 for a case evaluation today, and eliminate one type of headache caused by dealing with your brain injury.
Dealing with a personal injury case can be exhausting. There are so many different items to check off on your to do list to prove your case. A million thoughts run through your head like:
Did I take enough pictures at the scene? Or am I able to show that I wasn’t at fault? When will I be able to go back to work? And for some the most important question: How in the world am I going to pay for all this?
While we may not be able to stop your internal chatter (we can’t help but give it a shot) we can answer that big question. While the financial aspect may loom and seem all encompassing, the pivotal part of a personal injury case is to focus on healing.
Easier said than done you say? Fair enough. For those of you who still have questions, here’s the scoop:
When hiring an attorney, most people assume that they will be stuck with high hourly fees to pay. Luckily, personal injury attorneys do not operate in this manner. Basically, this is a fee structure that works highly in your favor. It means that the attorney only gets paid if the result is an outcome that is favorable to you.
While that fee varies by attorney (typically 33%) what this means, across the board, is that your attorney will pay the fees up front (like investigation fees, setting up depositions, court costs, etc) and will be reimbursed if you win your case. Simply put, if you don’t win, you don’t pay.
Many successful personal injury cases rely on an expert witness to support your case. An expert witness is, as their title would suggest, experts in their field, often holding advanced degrees in their respective fields. At Cowan & Hilgeman Law, we know that the opinions of a reliable, highly-qualified expert witness can make or break a trial.
If we take your case on, you can rest assured that we will employ and pay for the best expert witness to support your case, with no out-of-pocket cost for you.
The best way to get all of your niggling questions answered is to set up a meeting with a personal injury attorney. We will be happy to let you give voice to your questions and settle your fears. Give us a call today and take the first step into regaining your peace of mind. Call (937) 222-2030 to schedule your FREE, no-obligation consultation with a personal injury attorney.
Facing a car accident can cause extreme strife and hardship in one’s life. Even a small fender bender with a tiny hybrid can be traumatic, and cause extensive damages to your well-being and the care of your car. When the smallest vehicles can cause such issues, you might shudder at the thought of the potential issues with something larger – like a commercial UPS truck…
Sadly, these accidents are all too often the cause of long term damages, and can even be lethal. If you or a loved one live in Ohio and are involved in an accident with a UPS truck, there are things you need to know.
First, you could be the beneficiary of compensation if you are not at fault.
However, it must be mentioned that the last thing a company like UPS wants is to make a large payout. They will try to avoid this with a legal team, drawn-out court dates, and denying liability for the accident. Our firm despises this lack of culpability, and have dedicated ourselves to prevent this from occurring with our clients. If you find yourself in this situation, please know that there is help available to you. There are specific steps you can take to help make your case. The following tips will help you if you have a car accident involving a UPS driver.
First and foremost, stop for a moment and give yourself a once over.
Are you feeling disoriented, dizzy, or sick? If you need medical attention, call 911 immediately. Before you can do anything else, it is paramount that you take care of yourself. Don’t push aside even the smallest discomfort, as it is common to have injured your neck, back, or spine without noticing it at first. This may seem odd, but when your body is put into flight-or-fight response, it may be difficult to ascertain the true nature of your injuries. If you do not get medical attention at the immediate time of the accident, it is still important that you visit a doctor in the next 24 hours. Request hard copies of the doctor’s report for your claim, and tell your physician that you were involved in an auto accident with a UPS truck.
Next, call the police.
Do not let the driver leave until they arrive. Have them come to the scene to file a traffic accident report. State the facts from your point of view, and do your best to remain calm and collected while doing so. You can ask the arriving officer to tell you who they cite to be at fault on the record. Also make a note of when you can expect it to be filed. Usually, this will happen in a few business days.
Like any other traffic incident, you should be sure to collect information from the UPS driver. Record their name/driver ID, the make and model of the vehicle, their insurance information (including any coverage provided by UPS) the license number, and also, whether they were actively working a shift or not. Before vehicles are moved or you leave the scene, try to make a clear physical record of the incident. Some important details to document are:
Date/Time it occured
Your location
Was it raining, foggy, sunny? Weather conditions could be a factor to negligence.
Pictures of all vehicle damage
Other details that may explain why the accident happened (sthe driver ran a red light, failed to use a turn signal, didn’t break, ect)
Put all of the information together to make a clear record of what happened. The more thorough you are, the better off you will be. Keep an eye out for any potential witnesses. If someone saw the accident, you may ask them if they would be willing to make a statement. Get their phone number and email.
Once you feel like you’ve collected all the evidence you can, the next step is to contact your insurance company
Call the UPS representative as well. (contact UPS at 1-800-742-5877) Don’t be surprised if UPS tries to claim that they aren’t liable for their driver – they often hire independent contractors, and try to use this as a loophole in these cases. Or if an employee was technically off duty (like a lunch break) or running a personal errand, the company can claim they were not at fault because it was outside the daily duties of the driver.
However, this does not mean that your claim is invalid – you just may need to take extra steps. No matter the circumstances of your accident with a UPS truck, or how UPS reacts, it can be tough to file a claim on your own. Don’t be afraid to reach out for extra resources.
Personal injury attorneys have dedicated their careers to protecting people like you. Having a trustworthy firm represent you after a truck accident could be one of the best decisions you make during these trying times, and gives you the best odds to receive the compensation you need. Why give yourself more strife? Call us for a free consultation today – (937) 222-2030
As a parent, our children are our top priority. We go out of our way to safeguard their health, well being, and to secure their happiness. Yet despite our best efforts, kids have a way of getting themselves into trouble. They learn the hard way. They have accidents. It’s entirely normal and to be expected – but sometimes it is others’ negligence that causes our kids to get hurt and isn’t their fault.
In these instances, it is easy to be bewildered that harm has come to your child, and to want to protect them in every way possible. In some cases, a child may have a right to make a personal injuries claim; however, in the great state of Ohio, it falls upon us as parents to take care of this for them. But is this legal?
Like most legal aspects of your minor child’s life, you are their legal guardian. According to The Ohio Rules for civil procedure rule 17(b) states that a “parent or legal guardian can file suit on a minor’s behalf.” When this occurs the parent is said to be suing as “next friend” of the minor.This means that minor is not required to personally seek recovery in court, and that the minor’s parents are allowed to stand in for him or her.
So yes, a parent can file a personal injury claim for their child in Ohio.
However, the law handles cases with minors differently than they would for an adult. The following highlights the major differences when dealing with a minor’s personal injury case, and how you as a parent can resolve the case for them.
The first thing you should be aware of for your child’s case is the difference in the statute of limitations for a minor. In cases with adults, the legal time frame for filing a claim is typically within 1-2 years of the injury, depending on the type of case. When a minor is involved, the time frame does not start until the child comes of age, at 18. This means that if your child is injured at say, age 14, you will not start the clock on the statute of limitations until their 18th birthday. So you have two years after the birthday, rather than two years after the date of the incident.
Beyond the change in the statute of limitations, as a parent you should be aware that you are entitled to consortium.
What is consortium? Consortium is ¨an association of two or more individuals, companies, organizations or governments with the objective of participating in a common activity or pooling their resources for achieving a common goal.¨ It can also be interpreted as the time you spend with a loved one under the activity category. So in this case, it means that you as a parent are entitled to compensation for a life-altering injury to your child. If you as a parent are forced into a new lifestyle because of the need to care for your child’s injuries, this can fall under loss of consortium, and you may be entitled to compensation as well. Like the statute of limitations, the time frame for loss of consortium begins after the minor turns 18. While there is precedent for receiving compensation for parents with loss of consortium involving a minor, it must be thoroughly proven in the claim. The best way to make sure this is fully covered in court is to enlist the aid of an experienced personal injury attorney.
Finally, one of the biggest differences in filing a claim for a minor in Ohio is how settlements are handled. As an adult, you have the legal authority to come to a settlement after being injured, without having to continue your suit in court. Yet as a child, this is not the case.
Under Ohio law it is known that a child can not be considered to have legal capacity to make contracts, including settlements. Even if a parent or legal guardian is filing a claim on behalf of a minor, a settlement will still have to go to court. This is how the Ohio court system ensures that any settlement is in the best interest of the minor, by providing a forum for unbiased judgement.
If your child has been injured and you feel you may need to file a personal injury claim on their behalf, call us today at (937) 222-2030. Our compassionate and dedicated staff will help you to handle the legal aspects of your claim so you can go back to doing what you do best – focusing on caring for you child.
One of the first questions many people have is: Is an Ohio personal injury lawsuit expensive? How much will this cost me? Can I afford it?
Dealing with a personal injury lawsuit is a tumultuous and potentially difficult time in one’s life. Not only are you dealing with all of the difficulties entailed in being injured and recovering, but you have the additional stress of potentially missing work, finding a lawyer to work with, and filing a suit. One of the main worries those injured face is the cost of the lawsuit.
Many people do not understand that depending on your individual circumstances, the lawsuit can become costly very quickly. There are many factors that determine the price you will face when you file, but here are some rough guidelines to help you get a ballpark of the typical cost of an Ohio personal injury lawsuit.
To begin with, feel free to shop around for your attorney. Most will offer free consultations or case evaluations and can give you a better idea of a quote when you are actually in front of them giving the details of your claim. Next, ask them about contingency fees.
In layman’s terms, a contingency fee is the fee an attorney collects if, and only if, the client has money recovered for them (usually by a settlement or even a jury verdict) by the firm representing them. This practice can help to let you focus on recovering rather than worrying over the cost of your suit.
In the circumstance that the lawyer doesn’t recover any compensation, then the claimant may not pay for anything, except court filing fees or similar costs. Contingency fees are usually based on a percentage that equals about a third of the money recovered in the suit – which is only taken out after the money is awarded. If your lawyer chooses to use contingency fees, you will sit down with them and write out the rate and terms in a contract.
Under Ohio law, these contracts must follow the guidelines set by the Ohio Rules of Professional Conduct. The Court Statistics Project states that the average cost of an auto accident lawsuit averages $40,000 and that a simple slip and fall lawsuit can be up to $50,000. In many cases, big insurance companies or individuals will attempt to drag out litigation in hopes that the victims will give up, or accept a smaller settlement that they may be entitled to.
Beyond the costs of litigation, one must also be aware of the time frames involved in the type of suit you are filing for. In other words: how long do you have to file your suit. In Ohio, these are your guidelines for typical claims:
Personal Injury: Two years from the date of injury
Medical Malpractice: One year, the “clock” starts to run at the time the injury is discovered, or when the doctor/patient relationship for the treated condition ends.
Product Liability: Within two years after “cause of action” accrues.
Wrongful Death: Two years from the time of the victim’s death or from the date it was discovered that negligence was involved in the death.
Since these time frames are relatively short, if you plan on filing a personal injury suit it is paramount that you begin your research as soon as possible. In most cases, victims will have better chances of filing a suit and settling it in a timely manner with a personal injury attorney on their side.
At our firm we believe that everyone has a right to proper representation with the clients best interest at heart. We care about our neighbors in Ohio, and do everything in our power to make sure they are compensated fairly. We strive to ensure our clients can focus on what matters most – getting back to feeling well- as opposed to staying up at night, worrying over their case. We hope that this information has helped answer any questions you might have about if an Ohio personal injury lawsuit is expensive. If you have any questions about your potential claim, call us today at (937) 222-2030 to schedule your free consultation.
"I obtained the services of Jack and they made sure that everything was taken care of to aleviate stressors, and made my tragedy much easier to cope with without the extra mental burden of my pending case. The staff is always friendly and helpful and you couldnt find a better team to defend you or your family." Daniel U U
Contact Us
New Clients: (937) 729-0000 Existing Clients: (937) 222-2030 Fax: (937) 224-7182 Email: Jack@cowanhilgemanlaw.com Visit our Office.: 12 W. Monument Ave., Suite 100
Dayton, OH 45402
