Copyright © 2024 Gelb & Gelb, P.C. All rights reserved.
A talented, experienced, DC slip and fall lawyer can make a world of difference in the value and experience of your legal process. Here, we outline the benefits of a DC slip and fall lawyer. As importantly as helping you avoid critical mistakes that reduce the value of your case, our attorneys will fortify and construct the most robust case possible to maximize your compensation. We understand the complexities you will face in the DC statutes. Some laws as written make it exceedingly difficult for a layperson to make a claim against the government. Furthermore, there are strict defenses such as the contributory negligence defense that bar your right to recoevry if you are found to be even 1% negligent in slipping and falling. Eluding these strict defenses is vital to winning your case.
Our attorneys will take control of your case from the start, so your focus can be getting healither and getting your life back on track. We handle all aspects of your case. From gathering evidence and negotiating with insurance companies to representing you in court if necessary. Of course, the vast majority of cases do settle. However, negotiating a fair settlement requires experience to be able to properly value a case. At Gelb & Gelb, we have been practicing personal injury law for over 70 years. In this time, we have successfully resolved hundreds of slip and fall cases. Our experience in handling these cases provides us with insight into how insurance companies behave, and how to best leverage our evidence against them.
Below, we explore the unique benefits of a DC slip and fall lawyer.
An accurate assessment of your slip and fall case’s value is performed only through experience. There is much that goes into calculating the value of your case. In fact, the exact same case can have different values depending on where the defendant lives and what county they reside in. Furthermore, if we draw one particular judge instead of another, your case may have a different result. This should all be considered when attempting to settle your case. While the insurance company adjusters understand these nuances, they often do not have the experience our lawyers have. Accordingly, we must explain to them how to value a case and why your case is worth as much as we say it is.
We take this one step further by ensuring you do not settle for less than your case is worth. While an insurance company may have one idea of what your case is worth, and can do a convincing job telling you that you will not get more at trial, it is in your best interest to have an advocate in your corner with your interests in mind. This is a considerable benefit of a DC slip and fall lawyer.
From top to bottom, our goal is to maximize your compensation. This is likely the primary reason why you hire a slip and fall lawyer in the first place, and it is a significant benefit of a DC slip and fall lawyer at Gelb & Gelb. This does start with an accurate assessment of your case value. But it also involves ensuring you do not commit mistakes that reduce the value of your case. It involves not allowing the insurance company to take a recorded statement. Or, when you are required to give a recorded statement to make a claim, that we coach you on the right way to answer a question. Insurance companies are often quick to offer low settlements, especially if they believe a victim is unfamiliar with their claim’s true value.
Our attorneys are trained and experienced negotiators who not only understand what your case is worth but know how to leverage our evidence and your injuries to maximize compensation. Additionally, we have the threat of litigation. While most cases do settle, the insurance company understands that it will cost them more to fail to offer a reasonable settlement amount. Then, when we do sue their insured, the insurance company will likely still have to pay you what your case is worth, plus their litigation costs. This threat is not as compelling when you do not have an attorney representing your interests.
Anything you say to an insurance adjuster may be recorded. Worse, if it is something you would not want the jury or judge to hear, there is a good chance it will be leveraged against you. Insurance adjusters are experts at asking you questions that can lead to contradiction. Unfortunately, this can reduce the value of your claim considerably. A benefit of a DC slip and fall lawyer is the insurance company will not be permitted to contact you directly. All communications go directly through our office. This protects you from inadvertently saying something that hurts your case. Moreover, it reduces your stress because it allows you to focus on your physical and mental wellbeing, instead of waiting on long phone calls to ersolve the insurance side of your case.
Proving liability in a DC slip and fall case is complex. Unlike a car accident case where you may already understand liability in most instances, slip and fall cases require that the defendant be on notice of the hazardous condition prior to your injury. Or, as an alternative, that they reasonably should have known of the danger. Knowing what is reasonable and determining whether the defendant was on notice of the hazard is something our attorneys have been doing for decades.
There are countless defenses available to an insurance company defending their client. They may argueg that the hazardous condition was open and obvious. If they are correct in this assertion, you cannot make a claim. In other words, was it obvious that the floor was wet? If it was raining outside, perhaps you should have assumed that the floor could have gotten wet. Maybe there is a wet floor sign around the corner, but you never saw it because of the way you entered the room. There are countless defenses available to insurance providers. At the same time, there are effective way of countering these defenses and winning your case.
By building a strong case and anticipating defense arguments, a lawyer helps protect your claim against challenges. This is a powerful benefit of a DC slip and fall lawyer.
Another benefit of a DC slip and fall lawyer is access to expert witnesses. An expert is essential if we litigate your case. An expert witness is skilled at telling a compelling story to the jury and addressing technical aspects of your case in a way that is easy to understand. Below is a list of possible expert witnesses for your fall case in Washington, D.C.
To learn more of the benefits of a DC slip and fall lawyer and how our firm can help you maximize your recovery, call our office today for a free consultation at (202) 331-7227.
Copyright © 2024 Gelb & Gelb, P.C. All rights reserved.