Posted on March 19, 2012 by Fast Lawsuit Team
An accident can range from a simple fender bender, an embarrassing fall to something much worse. With the first, you just emerge a little shaken and perhaps with a dent on your car or a scratch on your arm. With the latter, the injuries may be catastrophic that they can change your life (and that of your loved ones) forever. That’s tragic enough, but what makes it worse is that you may not receive the compensation that befits your injuries unless you file a lawsuit against the other party (and their insurance company as well).
When it comes to personal injury claims, it helps to understand your rights to compensation. The other party may try to get you to settle for a certain amount, which most likely is smaller than the actual value of your particular personal injury claim. Before you sign anything, it’s best that you consult a lawyer to help you determine the full amount of the compensation that you should get.
Here are some personal injury claim areas that you should look into to make sure that you get a fair and just amount:
Liability. When liability can be proven to sit squarely on the other party’s side, you can work towards getting the maximum amount of compensation. In some states, if the accident was partly caused by your negligence as well, this can decrease the amount of compensation. It is important for you to be able to present proof with regards to the other party’s liability – that they indeed, by virtue of their negligence, mistake or willful act, caused the accident to occur. That is why it is important for you to document the site of the injury, as well as the doctor’s reports that show the extent of your injuries.
Type and Extent of Injury. Injuries can be minor, catastrophic or fatal. Compensation can be determined based on the type of injury you sustained. The type of injury will help determine future medical expenses, as well as the amount you may need for adaptive equipment and future expenses for therapy and home care. Injuries may fall under the following:
- Temporary partial disability. The total disability is only temporary and the patient is reasonably expected to recover from the disability. After which, the patient should be able to do activities he used to do.
- Temporary total disability. The patient is totally disabled during his hospitalization and recovery, but afterwards is expected to resume full function.
- Permanent partial disability. The disability is permanent, but the patient is still able to do some of the activities he used to do and is still able to work to earn some money up to a certain extent.
- Permanent total disability. The disability is permanent and the patient is not expected to recover from the impairment.
Please note that there are different definitions of disability (as it may apply in certain states). A person may be considered disabled if he is unable to perform the tasks he needs to do his current job.
Medical damages. Be sure to keep records of all your medically-related expenses. These include:
- Ambulance expenses
- Emergency and in-patient hospital bills
- Professional fees (doctors, chiropractor, surgeon, etc.)
- Prescription medications and over-the-counter drugs
- Diagnostic fees, laboratory fees
- Surgical apparatus or prosthetic appliances
- Nurse fees
You should also take into account future medical expenses if it can be shown that you need to get continued medical care.
Non-Medical “Special Damages”. This includes expenses during your hospital stay such as expenses for gasoline (going to and fro the hospital), lost wages, lost sick leave or vacation leave, hotel and food expenses (for the caregiver), as well as child care and household help during the hospitalization and recovery.
Lost income/loss of a Job. Not only should you fight for the income you lost while you were laid up and recovering. The compensation should also cover future lost income or the eventual loss of your job. You should also seek compensation if the injuries you sustained resulted in your needing to take a job on a part-time basis or a job that pays a lower rate.
Pain, suffering and mental anguish. In some states, there is compensation provided for pain, suffering and stress you underwent. This would cover the severity and length of the pain caused by the injuries, as well as the instances that cause or will continue to cause emotional or mental distress to you.
Loss of consortium. This covers compensation for the loss of “enjoyment” or benefits of a relationship. Your injuries may affect your relationships with your spouse and your family. For instance, you can no longer engage in sexual relations with your spouse, this is subject for compensation.
Depending on your injuries, you may stand to receive a considerable amount as your compensation. Of course, the other party would try to minimize the compensation they would have to pay you. A lawsuit will be useful in settling this issue.
However, a lawsuit is the last thing you need while you’re recovering from your injuries. You may need added funds to help ensure that your case is strong. During this time, you may already be burdened by medical expenses, as well as the need to provide for your family’s daily needs. Lawsuit funding will help you deal with these financial burdens.
The cash you get from a lawsuit settlement funding will give you ready funds. This way, you don’t have to be tempted to accept a low settlement offer from the other party. You can continue with the lawsuit or with negotiating a proper settlement amount.
If you are in need of a lawsuit loan, you can go to FastLawsuitMoney.com for fast and reliable processing of your application. With FastLawsuitMoney.com, once your application is reviewed and approved, you can get the funding in as quickly as 24 hours.
Posted on February 1, 2012 by Fast Lawsuit Team
This is your dream vacation. You have looked at plenty of brochures and selected the cruise ship you liked best. You have saved up for it and exercised thoroughly for a bikini-worthy body. And when you first boarded the cruise ship, you were excited that the trip will be full of fun and enjoyment. Alas, your cruise ship dreams have morphed into a nightmare due to a cruise ship accident.
Cruise Ship Accidents
A cruise ship is virtually a city in itself. Aside from your cabin accommodations, most cruise ships will have a sumptuous dining area, more than one pool, Jacuzzis, entertainment rooms, shopping areas and so on. Cruise ships are equipped with a lot of safety devices and are staffed with people that are well-trained and well-versed in safety measures. However, equipment can fail, the staff can make mistakes or perform acts of negligence.
As a result, accidents and untoward incidents happen. These include:
- Being shipwrecked
- Running aground, collisions with other boats
- Falling overboard
- Physical assault resulting from the ship’s lack of security
- Slip and fall accidents
- Faulty or poorly maintained equipment
- Drowning accidents
- Burn injuries
- Food poisoning
- Sexual assault or harassment
The results of these incidents may be catastrophic. One can sustain serious physical injuries or worse, be a victim of wrongful death. Just recently, a luxury liner figured in a major accident when the captain steered the ship too closely to the coast of the island of Giglio in Italy. As the ship hit a reef and was starting to sink, panic ensued and some passengers jumped into the water. As a result of this human error, a number of passengers lost their lives while others were injured. The owner of the luxury owner will surely find itself faced with a profusion of personal injury lawsuits, even as there were complaints that the crew members and staff were slow in their responses to the crisis.
Protecting your rights when injured in a cruise ship
The rights of a cruise ship’s passengers and crew are stringently protected by maritime law. Cruise ships are required to follow the Coast Guard Rules and Regulations. However, since these maritime requirements as well as contractual laws and common laws may vary from state to state and from country to country, filing a lawsuit against an erring cruise ship line may be complicated. When you are thinking of filing a cruise ship accident lawsuit, you may need the services of an attorney that is experienced in handling such lawsuits.
Here are some of the things you should do in case you are a victim of a cruise ship accident:
- Inform the ship’s crew and doctor immediately.
- Document the scene of the accident. Take pictures, especially of elements that may have caused the injury. Take pictures of the injury as well. List down names and contact details of witnesses – both from the crew or the passengers.
- Request for the incident report. Make sure that you keep all the documentation you get from the liner.
- Once the ship’s doctor has seen you, ask for the copy of the medical records and any related documentation before the end of the trip.
- If you feel the effects of the injury after the trip has already ended, remember that there may be a short statute of limitations by which you can file a claim and by which you can inform the cruise ship company of your injuries and their extent. The statute of limitations, as well as other details of the contract are usually printed in the ticket so be sure to also hold onto the ticket.
- Once you return home, get a second medical opinion.
- Avoid talking to the claims representatives of the cruise line.
Funding for Cruise Ship Accident Lawsuits
One thing’s for sure, cruise ship lines are big companies with big-ticket lawyers. Coupled with the lawyers from their insurance company, you have quite a battle ahead of you. This may be especially frustrating and stressful if you are unable to work due to the injuries you have sustained.
The pressures from the lawsuit as well as financial pressures may build up so that getting a quick settlement (even one that is less that the claim’s full value) becomes an acceptable option.
But you don’t have to settle for less than the compensation you deserve. You can have the cash to hold on and keep up the fight by getting a little help through lawsuit funding. Lawsuit funding is a quick and easy way to get cash for you to pay off any debts, medical bills, court-related costs, as well as your family’s day-to-day expenses.
FastLawsuitMoney.com provides you with lawsuit funding. Also called a lawsuit settlement advance or a settlement loan, this is non-recourse funding, meaning, you don’t have to pay it back if the lawsuit fails to settle. FastLawsuitMoney.com provides lawsuit cash advances with competitive rates and a streamlined application process. You can receive the cash in as little as 24 hours after your application has been approved.
Posted on August 10, 2011 by Fast Lawsuit Team
The debt relief option which has mainly been designed for the people who are deep into debt is debt settlement. Now, the problem in most of the cases is that majority of people have little knowledge on settling their debts. They hardly know what the things are which they are supposed to follow in order to avoid any kind of legal hassles while negotiating with the creditors.
The settlement lawsuit situations
Actually, while negotiating with the creditors, people fail to understand that they need to retain a written document of the settlement agreement. Otherwise, this can result in legal hassles later. Now, you may ask as to why a written agreement is important? Written agreement works as the proof that the creditor have agreed to settle the debt and that you are supposed to pay only the amount after the settlement. It has been seen that either the creditor creates problems regarding the debt later or the creditor sells it off to a collection agency and the collection agency can create problems regarding the already settled and paid debt. In such a situation, if you don’t have proof of the payment, you won’t have the ability to prove that the creditor had agreed to settle the debt. So, the creditor or the collection agency can sue you for the remaining portion of the debt.
Again, if you aren’t able to negotiate properly with the creditors, if you are not able to prove that you are in real financial hardship, the creditor may not agree to the settlement. As a result, you will obviously be required to pay the outstanding amount that you owe to the creditors. However, you may not be able to make the debt payments as you might not have that much money to pay off the debts. In such a situation again, the creditor can sue you for the non-payment of the debt.
If you fail to make the payments as per the settlement agreement then to the creditor or a collection agency can sue you. After you opt for debt settlement, it is really important for you to stick to the payment agreement, otherwise you can get sued. You will have to keep in mind that though debt settlement helps in reducing the outstanding debt amount, it is important for you to try and lower usage of credit cards and lower other expenditures too, so that you can make the payments after settling the debts.
This can help you in avoiding a debt settlement lawsuit. In addition to that you will also have to remember that while requesting the creditor to lower the debt amount, you should get a written agreement on the same to avoid any kind of legal hassles at a later stage.