Legal Question in Personal Injury in California

Re: Car Accident With a Fractured Spine

I would like to apologize for the delay in answering your question that was sent at the end of April. It was forwarded to the lawyers today, the 9th of June. I pride myself on answering the questions forwarded to me within 24 hours of receiving notification. I believe high question volume for this site is the reason for the delay. If you have any questions in the future, you are welcome to email me directly at [email protected]. As to your question, I am not sure how much help I can be. Even though I specialize in injury cases, I have yet to come up a formula that adjusters use to back there usually low offers. If you are preparing to go to trial, I assume that one or both of the two following reasons are the cause for your case going to trial. One, the defendant's insurance company does not accept liability for the accident, and they have offered a small sum just to get you to go away. Two, the defendant's insurance company does not atribute your spinal injury to the accident. I am interested which one of these the defendant's insurance company has used to drag this case to trial. If you are wondering what a jury might award you should you win in court,and the defendant is held 100% liable for the accident, it would depend on several of the following factors: circumstances of the accident including speed of both vehicles, points of impact, time of day, weather conditions, etc.; extent of previous injuries, if any; type of injuries sustained by all parties; police report's determination of liability, even though not admissable in court, it might prove helpful in determining the insurance company's defense; type of treatment sought, and when the first treatment was rendered, either by ambulance, er, personal physician etc.; and many other factors will determine what the jury might award in damages. If you would like to forward this information to me at my email, [email protected], or by phone at 877-546-9918, I would be happy to review it for you and give you my opinion. If you wish to discuss this information over the phone, please contact my office at the toll free number listed above, I would be happy to discuss this matter with you. If you reach my assistant or message machine please leave your number, and a good time to call. I will contact you at your convenience. I look forward to hearing from you. If the trial has already taken place, please email me with what happened.

Sincerely,

John Hayes, Esq.

Re: Car Accident With a Fractured Spine

There is absolutely no such thing as a "normal" settlement value based upon the limited information that is contained in your question. The injury you described can have a wide range of potential life long residuals or may simply resolve itself without complications. This is an area in which you must trust the advise of your attorney. There are various published reports of trial verdicts and settlements that go back over the last few years that can help give you a range of values. However each case is unique to the individual. If you would like to contact me directly as I have over 20 years experience in evaluating and handling personal injury matters please direct your response to my private e-mail at [email protected]