Copyright © 2025 Gelb & Gelb, P.C. All rights reserved.
A DC neck injury lawyer can get you the compensation you deserve when you fall due to someone else’s negligence. There are two components to a neck injury claim. First, we must prove liability by investigating the accident scene, collecting evidence, and building a robust case. Second, we examine the temporary or permanent impact on your health, mobility, and quality of life. Whether caused by a car accident, slip and fall, truck accident, or another form of negligence, these injuries often result in chronic pain, limited movement, and the need for long-term medical care. A neck injury lawyer in DC can help you get the compensation you deserve. Our legal team has been handling cases involving neck injuries for over 71 years. In our experience, almost every motor vehicle accident, slip and fall, and even bicycle cases lead to a neck injury.
Below, we discuss the common reasons for neck injuries, the various types and severity of neck injuries, and how a DC neck injury lawyer can help you recover maximum compensation for your injuries. We know that a neck injury can linger for years and even decades. The problem is that it can seem to go away, only to be aggravated months or years later. You want an attorney who will fight. We do not just fight for the damages you have experienced since your initial consultation with us. We do not just account for the damages leading up to when we resolve your case. Our firm fights for every dollar and cent. We consider damages down the line. If you are playing a pickup basketball game in five years and ` your neck, we want you compensated for that now.
Thus, we do everything we can under the law to get you every cent in your recovery.
Our DC neck injury lawyers handle several common causes of neck injuries. We examine those below. But it is also important to understand that a claim is not necessarily compensable unless the defendant has insurance or assets to cover your damages. A car or truck accident is a classic example of a neck injury worth pursuing because there is typically sufficient auto insurance to justify a claim. However, if you are mugged in a more dangerous part of Washington, DC, by an individual not working for a company, they probably do not have assets or insurance to cover your judgment, even if you are successful in court. Of course, we always recommend filing a police report and assisting the prosecution with criminal charges.
A car accident is a frequent cause of neck injuries in Washington, DC. Unfortunately, the whiplash that your body goes through in an accident is enough to cause severe and lasting neck pain. Rear-end collisions are a leading cause of whiplash. The silver lining is that there is often insurance to cover your damages. And in a rear-end collision, we can prove liability for a lower expense because we do not have to hire expert witnesses to testify at trial.
A pedestrian accident has less whipping motion than a car or truck accident. Nevertheless, a pedestrian accident, like most other physical injuries, still can cause your head or neck to be thrown. Moreover, the lack of an airbag or seatbelt often leads to direct trauma to the neck and spine upon impact with a vehicle or the ground. Moreover, if you are a pedestrian struck by a vehicle, the injuries can be catastrophic. When this happens, it is best to speak with a DC neck injury lawyer right away.
Uneven sidewalks, wet floors, and poorly maintained public spaces can cause falls resulting in severe neck strain, muscle tears, or fractures. When you fall, you often fall backwards, landing on your rear. This can cause your head to be thrown backwards, getting caught by your neck. This causes immense stretch and strain, leading to lasting pain and soreness. You can also get soreness in your neck from falling forward. When you fall forward, your head is also thrown once you eventually hit the ground. No matter the direction you fall, this is enough to throw your head and cause a whiplash sensation.
While violence certainly leads to neck injuries in Washington, DC, it is less likely to be a claim worth pursuing. Filing a lawsuit can be expensive. If someone attacks you on the street, we can file a lawsuit against them and prevail. However, collecting a judgment against a defendant is next to impossible. In fact, you will again have to pay out of pocket to hire a collections attorney. Even then, there is no guarantee of success. On the other hand, if you are attacked at a bar, nightclub, restaurant, arena, or elsewhere, there may be a claim against the entity. It is always worth calling for a free consultation to learn your options.
As the infographic above clearly shows, there are three main categories of compensation in a DC neck injury case. Each category can be broken down further. Then, each bit can also be calculated to include past, current, and future expenses. For example, if you need periodic checkups for your neck injury, we will calculate and include this in your claim. Likewise, if you cannot work the same job again and must take a job with less pay, we will calculate the difference in your salaries and multiply that by how many years you will work. We can also prove noneconomic damages. Neck injuries do not always completely go away. Plenty of times, it will go away only to come back worse than before. However, when negligence causes or aggravates your injury, our DC neck injury lawyers can help you recover compensation from the defendant.
A DC neck injury lawyer at Gelb & Gelb can help in several ways. Here, we highlight what you need to know.
We require evidence to win your case. However, not all evidence is admissible. You may be familiar with hearsay. Hearsay is an out-of-court statement offered for the truth of the matter asserted. This is even more complex than it sounds. While you do not need to know exactly what the rule means, just know that once you do know it, there are 23 exceptions under the federal rules. So, while you believe you can win your case, you may not be able to win it alone. The insurance companies are masters of escaping liability. They may request that you participate in a recorded statement to get compensation, and that this is routine. The reality is that this is sometimes, though not always, true. Under our representation, our team will guide you through this complex legal process. We will fight os you do not fall victim to the insurance company’s games.
A neck injury attorney in DC will investigate the incident, gather evidence, interview witnesses, and consult experts to prove negligence. We will weigh the cost of litigation and determine whether it is worthwhile for you to file a lawsuit or accept the insurance company’s settlement. If we believe the settlement offer does not fairly reflect your case’s value, we will advise you to reject it and proceed to trial. Or, we will counter and demand the insurer to increase their offer or subject themselves to an even higher verdict in front of a jury.
Insurance companies often dispute that your neck injury is related to the act of negligence. When you go to the doctor, you should tell them where the pain originates. If it is a preexisting injury aggravated in the negligent act, it is treated as a new injury under the law. We insist that you are truthful with your medical provider. Do not be afraid to tell them it is an older injury. So long as the accident made it worse, you have a claim. Insurance companies also often dispute the severity of neck injuries. There are a couple of ways a DC neck injury lawyer proves severity.
We do this by using your medical records. Medical records are typically admissible evidence. In some cases, we will call your doctor to testify to your injuries and their severity. Unfortunately, there is sometimes a cost in using your doctor as an expert witness. We weigh this cost against the value of your case prior to filing suit.
A DC neck injury lawyer evaluates your case from the moment you begin your consultation. This is critical because a proper evaluation will save you time and expense. For example, if we recommend you litigate your case, you may be out thousands of dollars with no hope of recovery. Meanwhile, a thorough investigation and evaluation will save you the months of uncertainty and the unnecessary financial strain. During this phase, we meticulously review your medical records, lost wage claim, non-economic damages that apply to your case, and anything else we deem relevant. Often, we have to wait for you to complete your medical treatment to fully understand the value of your case. This is because your medical expenses constitute much of your case’s value.
Moreover, knowing whether your doctor has excused you from work is vital. Lastly, the amount of time you treated for your injury is important in most neck injury cases. This is a temporal argument. Of course, your pain may persist beyond your treatment. Nonetheless, you will receive a discharge report at the end of your treatment, which will help a judge and jury understand your well-being.
Our DC neck injury attorneys are masters at negotiating. After a top-to-bottom evaluation of your case, we know what your case is worth. This allows us to negotiate with the insurance companies because we know what your case is worth should we go to trial. There are three main factors to contend with when negotiating.
While most personal injury cases settle before trial, sometimes litigation is necessary to secure maximum compensation. Our DC neck injury lawyers will litigate your case to the fullest extent of the law to recover as much money as possible from the defendant on your behalf. Whether we move forward with litigation is always your decision. We will make a recommendation for you, explain your options, and leave the decision to you.
While each of these factors sets us apart from the other DC firms, personalized attention really matters. At many firms, you hire the name but are represented by an attorney with less experience or deal primarily with a paralegal. You may see the attorney on TV, but that is not who you are hiring and not who is working on your case. That is not how Gelb & Gelb operates. When you call our office, you are immediately connected to Roger or Brian Gelb. We oversee your case from start to finish, not resting until we win.
Here, our DC neck injury attorneys answer the questions we receive most frequently. However, this is no replacement for legal advice pertaining to your specific case. Rather, this is informational only.
You never need a lawyer. However, a DC neck injury lawyer almost always will greatly enhance the amount you get for your neck injury, even after legal fees. Our legal team will fight to ensure you get compensation even for potential long-term consequences of your seemingly minor injury. Moreover, we will connect you with doctors and chiropractors who will treat your pain for as long as you require. Hiring a lawyer does not guarantee you will win your case. But as long as you research reputable DC injury lawyers and find the best fit for you, you will give yourself the best opportunity to prevail in your case.
The timeline varies depending on the injury’s severity, the case’s complexity, and whether a fair settlement is reached before trial. Some cases settle in a few months, while others can take over a year if litigation is necessary. The answer ultimately comes down to how long it takes for you to recover physically from your injuries. In most cases, we wait for you to complete your medical treatment before we proceed with settlement negotiations. Only then can we get completed medical records from your providers and fully understand the value of your case. Thus, the first part of the timeline is dependent on you.
Once we get past this stage, we await your medical providers to deliver us the final bills and records. This typically takes 10-14 days from your last appointment. Then, we immediately forward all bills, records, and our demand letter to the adverse insurer. It takes them typically about 4-6 weeks to evaluate the claim. Then, we begin settlement negotiations. Negotiations should not take more than a week in the typical neck injury case. But in a more complex matter, we may need to schedule a mediation, arbitration, or file a lawsuit against the defendant. In these instances, the case can take a lot longer.
You are considered contributorily negligent if you are partially at fault in a DC neck injury case. Generally, Washington, DC, laws hold that you cannot make a recovery if you are even 1% negligent under this rule. However, our DC neck injury lawyers may be able to prove that an exception exists, allowing you to recover despite your contributing to the injury. An attorney at Gelb & Gelb can help assess your case and determine if any exceptions apply.
97% of DC neck injury cases settle prior to a final judgment. Slightly less than 97% of cases settle before we file a lawsuit. Only when we file do some insurance companies make reasonable offers that reflect the value of your case. Moreover, some cases occasionally settle midtrial in larger cases with more consequence for both sides. So, while most neck injury cases do not go to trial, there are a couple of reasons why we may have to.
A worker’s compensation claim is your exclusive remedy for a negligence claim against your employer. While our office does not handle workers’ comp claims, we can refer you to a trusted office that does.
Our DC neck injury lawyers operate on a contingency fee basis. That means we only charge a legal fee if we win your case. If we win via settlement, our fee is one-third of the recovery. If we file a lawsuit against the defendant on your behalf, our fee increases to 40%. This is the standard personal injury fee structure. As you may have heard, if there is no recovery, there is no fee. This is advantageous because you do not have to pay an upfront fee as with many other attorneys in other fields of practice.
Please contact our office with any questions. A neck injury attorney at Gelb & Gelb will gladly discuss fees with you.
Our DC neck injury lawyers conduct most of our consultations over the phone. Of course, if you would like to come into our Washington, DC, office, we are located at 1634 I Street #350, Washington, DC 20006. You should have ready information about your accident. This may include photographs, insurance information, police reports, and anything else you think can be helpful. If you do not have something immediately ready, that is okay. We will guide you through what we need and
Hurt your neck? We got your back.
Call our office today for a free case consultation at (202) 331-7227.
The Best!
By: Leah
1634 I Street NW #350
Client Description: Thanks Roger Gelb! You’re the best, everything was very quick and simple.
Rating: ★★★★★ 5 / 5 stars
Copyright © 2025 Gelb & Gelb, P.C. All rights reserved.