Posted on September 12, 2018 in Personal Injury

When you’ve been injured in a car accident, it can be difficult to find a good lawyer. Sometimes people sign up with an auto accident attorney who they think is good, but months down the road find themselves wondering if they are getting the best representation they could be. For the people wondering if they’ve hired the best auto accident lawyer for their case, we have put together a list of some of the ways you can tell if you have a good car accident lawyer who is working for you and your best interests. We hope you will find it helpful.

#1. How do you feel when you think about calling your attorney’s office?

Nobody really looks forward to calling their lawyer, and we get that. However, if the thought of calling your lawyer’s office fills you with dread, annoyance, or frustration, you may not be in the right place. If you call during normal office hours, there should always be a friendly voice on the other end to take your call. If the person you need to speak to is not available, you should still feel like your call is important to the person taking the message and you should definitely get a return call within 24 hours.

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 Posted on September 12, 2018 in Workplace Injury

How you handle a work-related injury or illness from the beginning will substantially increase the likelihood that the insurance company will cover your claim, pay for your medical treatment, and compensate you for any lost wages. Many people have never been through something like this before and don’t realize they may be making critical errors even within the first hour of sustaining an injury at work. We want you to be prepared and have the information you need right from the beginning so we have summarized for you five simple steps to follow when you’ve experienced a workplace injury:

1) REPORT TO YOUR SUPERVISOR:

Immediately after sustaining a work injury, you should inform your supervisor. This begins with verbally reporting the circumstances to your supervisor. When doing so, make sure you explain how you were injured (mechanism of injury), how it was within the course and scope of your employment (what work related activity you were doing at the time), and which body parts you injured. It is essential that you report every single body part that is hurting, even if one is minor compared to another.

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 Posted on September 12, 2018 in Car Accident

When people come to us seeking car accident legal advice, one of the first questions we ask is, “when did you first seek medical treatment for your injuries?” We often meet potential clients who were injured in a car accident but waited several weeks before seeking medical treatment, which can be detrimental to a claim.

One of the best pieces of personal injury lawyer advice I can offer is do not hesitate to seek medical treatment immediately following a car crash, even for the most minor symptoms. If your symptoms resolve and your claim settles quickly, then at least you will have peace of mind from being checked out and knowing you are ok. If your symptoms don’t resolve, become worse, or end up more severe than you thought, you will be very glad you got medical evidence and a doctor’s opinion right from the start.

Often times people don’t want to go through the hassle and hope the injury will resolve on its own. Sometimes people don’t get treatment because they don’t have the time or the money. We also frequently meet people whose symptoms didn’t begin right away or didn’t become severe until several weeks after the crash.

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 Posted on September 12, 2018 in Car Accident

What do the different types of coverages offered by insurance companies actually mean?

At the Hoggatt Law Office, we see people come in all the time who either don’t know what is covered under their type of car insurance, or have waived certain portions of their offered coverage not fully understanding what that is. We will attempt to explain several different types and aspects of automobile insurance coverage, and why certain aspects can be helpful if you’re involved in an accident.

Unfortunately, despite its common use, the term ‘full coverage’ does not have any accepted standard meaning. Many different insurance companies offer ‘full coverage,’ but what is included varies from company to company. While the below list is not exhaustive of all types of coverage that can be offered, and it does not fully explain the intricacies of the different types of coverage, it will hopefully give you an understanding of what these different types of coverage actually mean to you as an insured driver.

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 Posted on September 12, 2018 in Car Accident

The time immediately following a car crash can be hectic, frantic, and downright scary. It is not a situation that you have likely prepared for or, hopefully, been in before. While this is not a comprehensive list and should not take the place of common sense, it will hopefully provide you with some guidance on what to do if you’re in a car accident.

1. Make Sure Everyone Involved is OK and Safe

The first step to take after you’re involved in a car crash is to ensure that everyone is physically ok and safe. This will start with you! Take a moment to make sure that you are not hurt or bleeding. If you have anyone else in your vehicle, ensure that they are not hurt or bleeding as well. Ask them: “Are you OK? Are you hurt?” Look them over for any signs of obvious injury. Sometimes a person can feel perfectly fine but can be bleeding significantly.

You then want to ensure that you are safe. Make sure that your vehicle is in a safe position while you wait for the authorities. If you can, you should get out of your vehicle and see if you are about to move it. Before potentially moving any vehicles, check for any leaking fluid. If possible, take photographs of the cars in their original positions before moving them. If you’re able to, move your car to the side of the road to prevent an additional accident from occurring.

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 Posted on September 12, 2018 in Wrongful Death

Losing someone you love is hard. Losing someone you love because of someone else’s misconduct or negligence can be even harder. Below are some of the most frequently asked questions about wrongful death claims to help you begin to navigate this difficult situation.

#1 What is a Wrongful Death Claim?

Colorado law provides compensation for family members of anyone whose death was the result of “a wrongful act, neglect, or default of another.” Some examples of situations that may justify a wrongful death claim include:

• Death caused by a drunk, reckless, or careless driver
• Death caused by a slip and fall or other hazards on private property
• Death caused by a defective or mis-labeled product
• Death caused by medical malpractice
• Death caused by nursing home negligence or abuse
• Work related deaths
• Death caused by assault, battery, and other crimes

Of course, there is no amount of money that will make up for the loss of your loved one or the grief you are experiencing. The purpose of a wrongful death claim is to protect the interests of family members who, through no fault of their own, are suffering the emotional and financial burden of the loss of their loved one.

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