Posted on July 08, 2022 in Workplace Injury

Since 2018, Colorado has specifically extended Worker’s Compensation protection to undocumented workers. While it may be illegal for a U.S, company to employ undocumented immigrants, if they do, and one gets hurt, the injured worker is just as entitled to receive Workers’ Compensation as a U.S. citizen. If being undocumented is holding you back from pursuing compensation after a workplace injury, it should not. While seeking Workers’ Compensation may be intimidating for undocumented individuals, you should know that you have rights. Our law firm has handled workplace injury claims for undocumented workers before, with great success. If you were injured at work, we may be able to help you receive the compensation you deserve. 

How Can I be Sure That I am Eligible to Receive Workers’ Compensation?

Look no further than Colorado Revised Statue section 8-40-202. The law in this state explicitly states that for the purposes of Workers’ Compensation eligibility, the term “employee” includes foreign nationals. There is no distinction between those who are lawfully present in the country and permitted to work and those who entered the country unlawfully and are not legally eligible for employment. Therefore, all that matter is that you are, in fact, an employee working for and being paid by an employer. 

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 Posted on June 28, 2022 in Car Accident

What you do not do after a car accident is just as important as what you do. Taking the right steps is important, but so is avoiding the wrong steps. Doing the wrong thing after a negligent driver crashes into you could end up costing you. There are a few common mistakes that car accident attorneys see over and over again, all of which could potentially reduce the amount you can recover or even prevent you from winning your claim. Calling a lawyer immediately is never the wrong answer when you have been hurt in a crash. You may not be thinking clearly after being injured in such a sudden and potentially traumatic way. Insurance companies may take advantage of this by contacting you quickly, possibly while you are still recovering in the hospital. It is better to have legal counsel take over sooner rather than later. 

5 Actions You Should Never Take in the Aftermath of a Car Wreck

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 Posted on June 22, 2022 in Car Accident

After a car accident, you may not feel up to tackling the legal side of the aftermath right away. You probably want to rest and recover. You may even still be in the hospital if your injuries were very serious. However, there are certain types of evidence that need to be collected promptly. That is where a good lawyer comes in. An attorney can take over the process of investigating and collecting evidence very quickly. It is important that you do not wait too long to get in touch with a lawyer. Some physical evidence at the crash scene may be cleaned up or washed away by the weather very quickly. Other evidence, like witness reports, tend to rapidly diminish in quality and reliability. Ideally, you should make the call to a law firm like Hoggatt Law Office, P.C. on the day of the accident if you are able to. 

What Time-Sensitive Evidence Needs to Be Preserved Quickly?

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 Posted on June 15, 2022 in Workplace Injury

No matter what line of work you are in, there is always the potential for a workplace injury. Whether you do your job sitting at a desk or on a construction site, no worksite is completely safe. While in Colorado, you do not need to prove that your employer was negligent in causing your injuries, a large percentage of workplace injuries could have been prevented by a more safety-minded employer. It is not always the conditions of the work site alone that lead to injuries. The true causes of workplace injuries are often much more difficult to spot than a stray live wire. If you were injured in the workplace, Workers’ Compensation is most likely available to you. An attorney can help you determine how best to pursue compensation. 

Common Safety Concerns in the Workplace

Some of the greatest dangers in the workplace are the hardest to notice. A few safety concerns you may be faced with in your workplace include: 

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 Posted on June 08, 2022 in Car Accident

Rollover accidents can be some of the most deadly, and the most terrifying to live through. A rollover accident is not an overly common event. It takes significant force or a steep enough hill to send a car rolling. These accidents tend to involve major carelessness or even recklessness on the part of the at-fault driver. Rollover accidents can be devastating for everyone involved, including the loved ones of those inside the car. If you were injured in a rollover accident caused by an unsafe driver, you may be able to recover compensation for your injuries. As rollovers often involve severe injuries that will require ongoing care, it is important that you let a lawyer help you calculate the amount you deserve before you consider an insurance company’s offer. 

What Careless or Reckless Behaviors Cause Rollover Accidents?

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 Posted on May 27, 2022 in Car Accident

You probably more or less know what to do after a routine car accident with another driver in a personal vehicle. However, if the driver who caused your accident was a city or state employee in a government vehicle, that can really throw a wrench in things. Government vehicles are of course insured like any other vehicle on the road should be. However, the process of dealing with the aftermath may look a bit different. Everything from reporting the crash to filing a claim and recovering compensation may involve just a slightly different procedure. The safest thing to do is to work with an attorney who is experienced in handling personal injury claims against the government before. Hoggatt Law Office, P.C. has this type of experience, and we are not intimidated by the idea of going up against the state.

Examples of Government Vehicles in Colorado

The term “government vehicle” is fairly broad. A government vehicle could be a:

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 Posted on May 22, 2022 in Car Accident

Neutral third-party witnesses can make or break a motor vehicle accident case. People who just happened to be nearby when you were hit by a negligent driver and do not know either party can provide some of the strongest and most believable evidence in your case. Should it come to a trial, juries tend to put a lot of trust in bystander witnesses as they have absolutely nothing to lose or gain and no reason to lie. They can also provide a different, outside perspective on what happened from their own point of view. If you are able to, it is a good idea to flag down potential witnesses after the accident. Both the police and your attorney will be highly interested in what they have to say.

Why Are Eyewitnesses Important After a Negligent Driver Causes an Accident?

There are two sides to every story. Your version of events and the careless driver’s version of events are likely to be quite different. The driver who hit you is likely to make excuses or even outright lie in an effort to escape liability. Witnesses can be very helpful in a number of ways, including:

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 Posted on May 18, 2022 in Car Accident

Waiting too long to call a lawyer after you have been injured in a car accident could be a costly mistake. Making this common mistake could make recovering financial compensation more difficult. It is quite common for people to think about it for several days or more before finally deciding to reach out to an attorney. People may initially think they can handle their claim alone, only to discover that the process is much more complicated than they thought. The best possible course of action after a car accident is to call an attorney as immediately as is possible. The sooner you contact a lawyer, the easier it may be for them to uncover the evidence they need to prove your case. An attorney can also help you avoid making further mistakes that could impact your case. Hoggatt Law Office, P.C. is always ready to start protecting your interests as soon as we hear from you.

Why Calling a Lawyer Quickly is Important

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 Posted on May 06, 2022 in Car Accident

A car insurance company is first and foremost, a business designed to make money. Earning a profit is their number one goal. Offering you fair and full compensation after one of their customers injures you is contrary to that goal. In nearly all cases, that means they are not going to do it unless someone - usually your lawyer - forces their hand a bit. This is why the other driver’s insurance company is going to be very eager to talk to you as soon as possible after the accident. You may not even be home from the hospital when you start getting phone calls. Generally, their goal is to get to you before you can get to a lawyer. They know they are more likely to “win” when they deal with an unrepresented party. This means that contacting an experienced attorney is rather urgent when you have been hurt in a car accident. Insurance representatives can be very convincing.

What Tactics Might Insurance Companies Use When Dealing With an Unrepresented Party?

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 Posted on April 28, 2022 in Car Accident

Proving who was responsible for a car accident can be more difficult than it may seem. The simple fact that many people will lie to avoid liability for a crash they caused can easily complicate your case. When drivers and other vehicle occupants tell conflicting stories after an accident - which they often do - you will need to come up with some more concrete evidence showing what happened. There are a variety of types of evidence that can help you if this is the case. This is one of the reasons that time is of the essence when it comes to contacting an attorney after a car crash - they will want to collect evidence from the location of the accident as quickly as possible.

What Types of Proof Can Show Who Caused a Car Crash?

Unless your accident happened in the absolute middle of nowhere at midnight, odds are it was either caught on camera or there were witnesses. Even if this is not the case, physical evidence can still be used to show that the other driver was responsible. Your lawyer may use evidence like:

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