Lowell Stanley Injury Lawyers Blog
by admin@gotechark.com | March 21st, 2022
Many car accident victims expect that the other drivers’ insurers will play hardball when it comes to handing out settlements after crashes. But they’re often surprised when they go to their own insurers for compensation and find that their settlements are reduced or denied. Unfortunately, insurance companies don’t care if you’re a longstanding policyholder—all they see is a claim that can cut into their profits.
Insurance companies are known for denying all types of claims, and that includes claims like uninsured/underinsured driver coverage or collision coverage. Even when policyholders aren’t at fault and have the right type of coverage for their expenses, they may still find out the hard way that their insurer either won’t pay them a fair settlement or won’t pay them, period.
At Lowell Stanley Injury Lawyers, we work hard to help injured car accident victims get compensation, no matter which insurance company they’re filing a claim against. We know that injured victims’ insurers are just as likely to deny their claims as the insurers of at-fault drivers. And while this often takes victims by surprise, it doesn’t shock us. In fact, we expect it and begin preparing accordingly when victims contact us.
Don’t be caught off guard by your own auto insurer’s uncooperativeness after a crash. Contact our Virginia auto accident lawyers today for a free consultation. We want to protect your rights to the money you’re owed.
by admin@gotechark.com | March 14th, 2022
Disabling injuries are among the most devastating. Not only are they painful and traumatic when they occur, but they can change victims’ lives forever. When people become disabled, they may be unable to work and earn a living for themselves and others, and they also may be unable to participate in hobbies or enjoy time with friends and family like they could before.
When disabling injuries happen to children, especially children who have just been born, it’s even more tragic. They haven’t even had a chance to enjoy their lives yet and they are already dealing with a disability because of someone’s negligence. For those children and their families, their disabilities go beyond physical limitations and can often result in lifelong medical bills and expenses.
At Lowell Stanley Injury Lawyers, we push hard to get birth injury victims and their families maximum compensation. In many cases, that means compensation for the rest of their lives. An initial settlement is rarely enough to fairly compensate children who may never be able to work or who may need medical treatment for decades to come. They need compensation that can last them for the long haul.
If your child was injured by a negligent doctor or other provider before, during, or after birth, we want to help. Contact our Virginia birth injury lawyers today for a free consultation. We have the experience and aggressiveness you need to get a fair settlement for your child’s injuries.
by admin@gotechark.com | March 7th, 2022
Dog bites are often more serious than people initially think, but a large percentage of victims either don’t get compensation or fail to get enough compensation.
Dogs have long, sharp teeth and very powerful jaws. When they bite, their teeth can severely damage skin, tissue, nerves, muscle, and even bone. Complications associated with dog bites include nerve damage, infection, bleeding, and loss of mobility.
Many people who file compensation claims after dog bite injuries only consider their upfront costs, which can include an ambulance ride to the hospital, surgery, overnight stay, prescription medications, and physical rehabilitation. They also may get compensation for some of their lost wages. But many dog bite victims suffer from the effects of these injuries for the rest of their lives.
For example, it’s not uncommon for dog bite victims to lose permanent sensation in their fingers, hands, arms, legs, feet, or toes, depending on where they were bitten. They also may lose some or all usage of those body parts. That means that even if they are able to return to work, their effectiveness at their jobs may be diminished, which can affect their careers and lifetime earnings.
They also may be unable to participate in their hobbies and pastimes to the same degree as they could before their injuries. This can result in a significantly reduced quality of life. Unfortunately, these aspects of dog bite injuries aren’t always considered in claims, but they should fairly compensated when victims get settlements.
If you were bitten by a dog, our Virginia dog bite lawyers want to help you get maximum compensation. Contact Lowell Stanley Injury Lawyers today for a free consultation.
by admin@gotechark.com | February 28th, 2022
Getting injured on the job isn’t just painful. It can also be disastrous for you and your family from a financial perspective. When you can’t work, you can’t earn the paychecks your loved ones depend on. Thankfully, Virginia’s workers’ compensation system helps injured workers get money for their lost wages and medical bills—but getting approved through this system is anything but guaranteed.
Unfortunately, fraud is common in workers’ compensation claims. The idea of getting paid not to work is appealing to many people, and they may make up stories about how they got hurt on the job. To combat fraud, the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission (VWC) has strict criteria for overseeing, reviewing, and approving claims. However, that means that some valid claims get denied.
If your claim gets denied, it’s not the end of the road. You can appeal the VWC’s decision, but your appeal may be scrutinized even more harshly than your original application. That’s why it’s so important to have an experienced Virginia workers’ compensation lawyer on your side.
At Lowell Stanley Injury Lawyers, our team understands how the VWC reviews both applications and appeals. We know what commonly causes applications and appeals to fail, and we’ll work hard to ensure your appeal is airtight and free from errors, missing pages, incomplete information, and more.
Finally, our years of experience with workers’ compensation claims means we can minimize the amount of time you wait to get benefits. We know you need money right now, and we work smart, fast, and hard to get our clients paid. Contact us today for a free consultation.
by admin@gotechark.com | February 21st, 2022
In most auto accident claims, victims are eligible to get two types of compensation: economic damages and non-economic damages. Economic damages cover expenses such as medical bills and lost wages, while non-economic damages cover reduced quality of life, pain and suffering, and more.
However, in some rare cases, victims may be entitled to a third type of compensation called punitive damages. But instead of this money being awarded to victims to truly “compensate” them for their losses, it is instead levied against the at-fault parties to punish them for their extreme misbehavior. These damages are rarely awarded, and they are capped at $350,000 under Virginia law.
When it comes to auto accident cases, punitive damages may be assessed for things like driving under the influence, especially for extremely high BAC levels or repeat offenders, road rage-related crashes, reckless driving, and more. Punitive damages aren’t awarded when cases settle out of court. Instead, they are levied against at-fault drivers in court by the juries assigned to their cases.
At Lowell Stanley Injury Lawyers, we know when auto accident claims may be eligible for punitive damages, and we don’t pass up that opportunity to help our clients get maximum compensation. When we build claims, we build them with an eventual trial in mind, even though most injury claims settle out of court long before they’re tried in front of a judge and jury.
We believe in being prepared for all possibilities, and that’s just one way we work hard to get our clients the financial recoveries they’re owed. Contact our Virginia auto accident lawyers today for a free consultation.
by admin@gotechark.com | February 14th, 2022
There’s a common image of motorcyclists being speed demons and adrenaline junkies. And while those labels may accurately describe some riders, they certainly don’t describe all. Unfortunately, motorcyclists tend to get lumped in together, and after crashes, it’s common for police, other drivers, and insurance companies to assume that riders were at fault.
In Virginia, that can be a double whammy. First, Virginia uses a contributory negligence system for awarding compensation after crashes. It means that people who are assigned even 1% of fault are ineligible for compensation. And second, insurance companies are extremely reluctant to give motorcyclists compensation even when they were following all traffic laws to a “tee.”
As a rider, you must do everything in your power to not give the insurance company any wiggle room to deny you compensation. That means not only avoiding legitimate fault for a crash—even 1% of it—but also not even giving them room to make up their own idea of fault.
You can achieve this by never speeding, always signaling before turning or changing lanes, coming to a complete stop at stop signs and red lights, and never following vehicles too closely, just to name a few. Unfortunately, safe riding can’t always prevent crashes, and when they occur, riders frequently find themselves in uphill battles for compensation.
The Virginia motorcycle accident lawyers at know the unique challenges riders face after crashes, and we’re here to help if you get hurt in a crash that wasn’t your fault. Contact Lowell Stanley Injury Lawyers today for a free consultation.
by admin@gotechark.com | February 7th, 2022
Workers’ compensation is designed to help injured workers get money when they can’t work and earn paychecks. Because it’s a no-fault system, which means that almost everyone who gets hurt on the job is eligible, you might think that it’s easy to get benefits. But in reality, it can be very difficult to get approved for workers’ compensation benefits.
The biggest reason for that is to cut down on fraud. Although most injured workers simply want to get better and return to the job, some people find the idea of getting paid not to work very appealing. They may exaggerate their injuries to stay out of work and receive benefits for a longer period of time, or they may even make up false injuries to get benefits in the first place.
Because of the potential for fraud with workers’ compensation, the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission is strict when reviewing and approving claims. Unfortunately, their strictness can mean that valid claims fall through the cracks and end up getting denied. Claims can be denied for many reasons, including lack of evidence, inconsistent statements, incomplete paperwork, and missing documents.
When you’re out of work, you don’t have time to submit your application only to find out that it has been denied. You need benefits right now. Having an experienced Virginia workers’ compensation lawyer on your side from day one can help you maximize your chances of getting approved and getting the benefits you need as quickly as possible.
Contact Lowell Stanley Injury Lawyers today for a free consultation. It’s our goal to help you get the benefits you’re owed after a work injury.
by admin@gotechark.com | January 31st, 2022
There are many good reasons to get around town on a bicycle. They have the lowest cost per trip of any type of transportation aside from walking, they provide exercise, and they allow you to soak in your surroundings and appreciate your neighborhood and community. But they also come with a huge drawback: a serious risk of injury when you’re involved in an accident.
America has been a car-centric nation for a century, and Virginia is no exception. We’ve built our cities to accommodate wide, multi-lane highways and giant parking lots. And while bike lanes are present in many cities and help cyclists stay safer, they aren’t a foolproof option.
Ultimately, the safety of bicycles comes down to drivers paying attention to them and being on the lookout for them, but that doesn’t always happen. Motorcyclists are already overlooked, despite having loud engines. Bicycles make no noise, making them even easier for drivers to overlook.
Unfortunately, when cyclists get hurt, they may have insult added to injury when they find out that their claims aren’t taken seriously. Insurers may either believe that they caused their own accidents or that their injuries aren’t as severe as they claim. In some cases, adjusters may be biased because they believe that bicyclists shouldn’t be allowed on public streets.
At Lowell Stanley Injury Lawyers, our Virginia bicycle accident lawyers know the frustrations and stresses that injured cyclists face. Insurance companies are notorious for giving just about all auto accident victims a tough time, and cyclists often get the worst of it. We can stand up for your rights to the money you’re owed. Contact us today for a free consultation.
by admin@gotechark.com | January 24th, 2022
Sleep problems are rampant in America. Many of them are caused by a condition sleep apnea. People with this condition may stop breathing throughout the night, with episode lasting up to one full minute. They may not be aware that it’s happening, but it dramatically interferes with their sleep quality, leaving them exhausted and prone to falling asleep while eating, working, or even driving.
Many people who have sleep apnea rely on continuous positive airway machines (CPAP) to help them breathe throughout the night and to restore their sleep quality. However, machines from one of the most popular CPAP manufacturers has been linked to serious health risks.
In June 2021, Philips Respironics recalled several of its CPAP machines after it was discovered that they increased the risk of users developing:
- Lung damage
- Pneumonia
- Lung cancer
- Stroke
- Heart attack
- And more
These machines put users at risk due to their foam insulation breaking down, which is then swallowed or breathed in by users. The foam has been found to be toxic, but it’s found in around 4 million of the CPAP machines.
If you or someone you love was injured or developed a serious illness after using a Phillips CPAP machine, you may be eligible for compensation. The Virginia defective product lawyers at Lowell Stanley Injury Lawyers want to help you get the money you deserve. Contact us today for a free consultation.
by admin@gotechark.com | January 17th, 2022
All personal injury claims should be carefully reviewed before victims demand and accept settlement offers. Too often, victims end up getting far less money than they’re owed because they didn’t realize how much their injuries will truly cost them. They may only look at their current medical bills and lost wages, or they may anticipate that they’ll recover faster than expected.
At Lowell Stanley Injury Lawyers, we never take anything for granted when we build claims for victims. We always gather as much evidence as possible to not only prove they weren’t at fault, but also to forecast how their injuries will affect them well into the future. This is especially important for traumatic brain injury (TBI) claims.
TBIs are particularly devastating because they can interfere with many aspects of life. Victims may suffer physical and cognitive effects from TBIs, which can make it difficult or impossible for them to work. They also may need ongoing physical and cognitive rehabilitation to regain some of their lost skills and abilities. In extreme cases, victims may even require live-in assistance from nurses and other caregivers.
To make matters worse, TBIs are often permanent. Although the brain has the capacity to heal and regrow connections, TBIs often cause the deaths of many cells, neurons, and tissue. Because of the permanent nature of most TBIs, injury claims should always be based on the assumption that victims will never fully recover and may even get worse.
If you or someone you love suffered a TBI after an accident that wasn’t your fault, we want to help. Contact our Virginia brain injury lawyers today for a free consultation.
