Being injured because of someone else’s negligence presents you with a lot of hurdles. You have to focus on your recovery but also file a personal injury claim. These aren’t easy to do on your own. They require expertise and attention to detail so you can have a favorable settlement. But you may also wonder if you case will reach a settlement or if you’ll have to go to trial.

While it’s rare for a case to go to trial, your lawyer should be preparing for a trial even if you’re still trying to reach a settlement. Having your case prepared will give you a stronger footing in the courtroom. The Milwaukee personal injury lawyers from Urban & Taylor can help you with your personal injury case. As we work to get you the compensation you deserve, we’ll also keep in mind that there’s a chance this could go to trial. We’ll be ready if it does.

If you’re considering filing a personal injury claim, you’re going to need hard evidence to prove you’re deserving of compensation. While police reports, medical records, and eyewitness testimonies will be taken into consideration, the strongest type of evidence often comes in the form of pictures – the right pictures.

Supporting Your Claim with Pictures

As we all know, a picture is worth a thousand words. This is especially true when supporting your personal injury claim. Any photos you take have the potential to:

• Establish how the accident happened
• Provide evidence as to who is at-fault
• Show the accident’s sequence of events
• Convince insurers, judges, or juries that you are entitled to compensation

Four percent to five percent of the personal injury cases in the United States go to trial.  Most personal injury cases are settled pretrial.

A settlement occurs when an insurer or defendant makes an offer of payment to an injured person.  Accepting a settlement means that the plaintiff must sign a full liability release relinquishing all potential claims against the defendant arising out of the accident or incident.

Settlements are almost always offered in cases involving insurance companies, which is true for the vast majority of personal injury cases.  Insurance companies have the money to pay claims, expect to have to pay claims, and fear losing financial control of a claim that goes to trial.

Some injuries may cause pain, require medical attention, and need time to heal, but eventually they do heal and you can return to your everyday life. Catastrophic injuries have a different outcome. These injuries often have long-term consequences and the person may never fully recover. Catastrophic injuries limit a person’s ability to work and often have mental repercussions as well. The trauma of the injury and the change in lifestyle can cause mental illnesses or personality changes.

Catastrophic injuries can also prove fatal. The sudden loss of a loved one is devastating, especially when it was due to negligence.  If a loved one has passed away because of catastrophic injuries, you can seek justice for them. A Milwaukee wrongful death lawyer from Urban & Taylor will stand up for your loved one and get you the compensation you deserve.

When you need a personal injury lawyer, the free consultation is a time for you to see if this lawyer is the right choice for you. You should take time to find the lawyer that you think will do the best work for your claim. If you go with the first lawyer you meet, you may not pick the best one. They could have poor track records, bad communication, or a negative attitude when dealing with their clients.

One way to tell whether a lawyer is a good fit for you and your potential case is to ask them the following questions during the initial consultation:

Riding a bike is a fun and healthy way to travel on Wisconsin roads.  It is a responsible choice for the environment and for your finances.  But riding a bicycle on a road with cars and trucks can be dangerous.  Bicycles offer zero protection to their riders, making a collision between a bike and a car catastrophic.  Following these basic safety tips can protect Wisconsin bike riders and make sure they reach their destination safely.

Wear a Properly Fitted Bicycle Helmet.  A helmet is your greatest defense in the event of a crash.  Research has proven that helmets save lives, as many bicycle accidents involve a massive blow to the head.  Whether it be collision with the ground or with another vehicle, bike riders can protect their brain and, in many cases, save their life just by choosing to wear a helmet.

Corporations hold a great deal of power in the United States because of one simple fact: Money talks. A major corporation can cut a large check to a high-end organization and more often than not, that check has the ability to encourage action. We saw this in the 1970s and 80s with big tobacco companies. We see this every election season with each candidate’s influenced TV ads.

When corporation-influenced political events happen, we don’t generally hear about every detail until it’s too late. Major corporations are powerful because they wield a great deal of money, but also because they work with large legal departments that can sometimes change the course of what information is made public and under what circumstances.

It’s summertime, and that means that boating enthusiasts will be found throughout Wisconsin’s lakes and rivers, enjoying the cool water and warm sunshine. Boating is one of the most pleasurable summer activities across the United States, but boat operators and passengers alike need to prioritize safety and do whatever they can to avoid dangerous boating accidents.

Boating accidents are more common than most believe. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, over 4,000 recreational boating accidents occurred in 2014 throughout the U.S. In those accidents, 610 people died and over 2,500 were injured. These figures are significant when you consider the fact that recreational boating is often seen as an enjoyable, risk-free pastime. Any activity on the water is potentially dangerous, however, especially when combined with motorized vessels, high speeds, and human error.

If you’ve undergone hernia repair surgery in the last ten years, there’s a good chance you may have had a mesh hernia patch inserted during your procedure. Hernia mesh is often used to cover the openings that cause ventral hernias in the abdominal wall. Most types of hernia mesh are made from a porous, flexible material that the body can naturally absorb. This lets the tissues heal over time and become stronger, reducing the chances of hernia recurrence.

In 2010, a hernia mesh manufacturer by the name of Ethicon placed a type of mesh on the market that does not allow the body’s tissues to naturally absorb the material. This mesh is called Physiomesh and it’s comprised of 2 layers—one that is porous and flexible and an outer layer that is not. The outer layer is hard and inflexible. Since the body’s tissues cannot absorb this outer layer, new tissues are forced to grow on the patch. This can cause dense, painful adhesions to develop.

If you are making a personal injury claim, you are hoping to recover money for medical expenses, lost wages, and emotional damage you have experienced as a result of an accident.  It is important to be aware of common mistakes you can make that can severely damage your case or ruin your chances of receiving the financial compensation you deserve.

Do not sign any document related to your accident.  Insurance companies will encourage you to sign forms early on in the process of car repairs and medical treatment.  Though these documents seem simple and unassuming on the surface, many have complicated hidden clauses and fine print that the insurance company assumes you will not read.  You can quickly and easily unknowingly sign away your right to pursue a case against the insurance company and release them from further responsibility for future injuries that may arise.