Perrysburg Personal Injury Lawyer

If you were injured because of someone else’s negligence, substantial compensation may be available. This compensation usually includes money for economic damages, such as medical bills, and noneconomic damages, such as pain and suffering. However, the insurance company does not simply give this money away. Victims must claim what is rightfully theirs.

The assertive attorneys at Lafferty, Gallagher & Scott stand up for victims in both the negotiating room and the courtroom. During settlement negotiations, we clearly lay out your claim for damages. We never compromise our demands, unless that compromise is in your best interests. If the case goes to court, we steer your claim through the pretrial minefield as we fight for the compensation you deserve.

Types of Personal Injuries in Toledo

Unintentional injuries affect millions of families every year. Contrary to popular myth, these incidents are usually not “accidents.” In most cases, the tortfeasor (negligent actor) could have done something to prevent the injury but failed to do so. That lack of ordinary care manifests itself in a number of different situations, such as:

• Car Crashes: Human error causes about 95% of the vehicle collisions in Toledo. Some tortfeasors make poor choices before they get behind the wheel, such as driving with a serious medical condition. Other tortfeasors commit operational errors while driving. Either way, if a collision results, the victim’s injuries are usually serious or fatal.
• Slip-and-Fall: In most cases, property owners have a legal duty to keep their grocery stores, parking lots, hotels, and other areas free from hazards like wet spots on floors, loose stairway rails, and burned-out lights. A substantial number of falls occur in nursing homes. These victims are particularly vulnerable to serious injury.
• Dog Bites: Animal attacks account for about a third of homeowners insurance claims in Ohio. Generally, if the owner has any reason to believe the animal was dangerous and the dog attacks someone, the owner is liable for damages.
• Swimming Pool Injuries: Unintentional drowning is by far the leading cause of death among children under 4. Other victims are injured by the harsh chemicals, like chlorine, that are in most common pool-cleaning ingredients.

In all these cases, the victim/plaintiff must normally establish liability by a preponderance of the evidence (more likely than not).

How Much is My Claim Worth?

Determining an appropriate settlement value is one of a personal injury lawyer’s biggest jobs. Generally, it is impossible to begin this task until your attorney completes a thorough investigation and your medical treatment is entirely or substantially complete. Once the process begins, it is partly science and partly art.

The aforementioned economic losses, such as medical bills, property damage, and lost wages, are usually rather easy to calculate. In many personal injury cases, an attorney negotiates with the medical provider for lower fees. If that is the case, the victim usually retains the difference.

The pain and suffering category is a bit more subjective. To determine it, most attorneys use a multiplier based on things like:

• Strength of the victim/plaintiff’s evidence,
• Type of injury,
• Any insurance company defenses, and
• Likely composition of a jury.

After considering these and other factors, an attorney multiplies the economic damages by a factor of three, four, five, or whatever. This figure is a starting point for pretrial settlement negotiations.

Sometimes, attorneys use a per diem calculation. For example, if the victim spent 180 days in recovery and earned $200 a day, the noneconomic losses would be $36,000.

Contact Hard-Hitting Attorneys

Injury victims may be entitled to significant compensation. For a free consultation with an experienced personal injury lawyer in Perrysburg, contact Lafferty, Gallagher & Scott LLC. Attorneys can connect victims with doctors, even if they have no money or insurance.