Last week I explained how DubiLaw has established itself as “Trial Counsel to The Profession” over the past 28 years. Based on the number of inquiries I have received from attorneys wishing to know more, I think a follow-up is called for.
Most of these attorneys do not practice personal injury law, but have clients who were injured because of someone’s negligence or misconduct. They want to refer these clients to a knowledgeable, experienced personal injury attorney who both they and their clients can trust to aggressively advocate for the maximum possible compensation the injured clients deserve. In addition, they want an attorney who has a successful track record at the negotiating table as well as in the courtroom.
The most frequent question they ask is, “What kinds of personal injury cases do you handle?” The quick answer is, “Virtually all kinds,” but the details include the following:
- Vehicle accidents: auto, truck, bus, motorcycle, bicycle
- Pedestrian accidents: crosswalk accidents, hit-and-runs, sidewalk accidents
- Construction accidents: malfunctioning elevators, open elevator shafts, defective scaffolding, crane accidents, falls from heights
- Premises liability accidents: slips, trips, falls, attractive nuisances, improper repairs, improper warnings
- Product liability: inherently dangerous products, defective products, manufacturing defects, failure to properly warn, false advertising and/or claims
- Medical malpractice: physicians, nurses, hospitals and health care facilities, pharmacists, lab technicians, et al.
- Dental malpractice: dentists, oral surgeons, dental practice employees
- Nursing home abuse and neglect: falls, bedsores, malnutrition, broken bones, bruises, mental and emotional abuse
The other question they ask is actually a request. “Tell me more about your success stories.” So here are two more.
- The Construction Worker and the Highway Department
An attorney who does not practice personal injury law referred one of his clients to me, a construction worker who worked for a contracting company hired by the county to help with a sewer consolidation project involving roadway repairs. To keep traffic flowing properly while the work was going on, the construction worker was assigned the task of putting up concrete barriers weighing approximately four tons each to guide traffic into the proper lanes. The worker moved the barriers by means of lift straps attached to an excavator machine. Due to an improperly secured machine, one of the attachments broke while carrying a barrier. It fell on the worker’s left leg and foot, crushing them. He was disabled for several months, but ultimately made a full recovery. I took this case to mediation and obtained a $2.5 million settlement.
- The Mom and Her 8-Month-Old Daughter
A taxi dropped off a young mother and her infant daughter in front of their apartment building in the dead of winter. It was very cold and the sidewalk had not been properly cleared of ice and snow. The mom took the child in her arms and gingerly began making her way to the front door. However, she slipped and fell on a patch of ice. The mother twisted her back and neck attempting to shield her little one, but the baby nevertheless hit her head on the concrete. Mother and daughter were taken by ambulance to the hospital where x-rays revealed that the baby had suffered a scalp hematoma and displaced skull fracture; the mom suffered a fractured femur in addition to her other less severe injuries.
This was a referral case that I settled through private settlement negotiations between myself and the attorney representing the owner of the apartment building. The owner disputed liability, claiming that they had acted reasonably in salting, sanding and shoveling the sidewalk, but we prevailed in our argument that such was not the case.
Since this case involved a minor, the judge needed to sign an Infant’s Compromise Order. Based on the mother’s testimony and an affirmation by the treating physician that the child had fully recovered without incident, the judge signed off on a $130,000 settlement for the child. I was also able to recover $300,000 for the mother.
If you need outside counsel to help you serve your personal injury clients better, please call me toll-free at 833-FOR-DUBI (833-367-3824). I will be happy to talk with you and explain in further detail how I can be of service to you and your clients.