Legal Question in Personal Injury in Massachusetts

Re: auto accident

My practice is in Methuen. I would more than welcome the opportunity to handle a case of this nature to help the child

Re: auto accident

DO talk to a lawyer and DO not talk to any insurance companies.

Re: auto accident

First, make sure she is okay, that is most important. Second, make sure the police took a report and identified the driver. If your neice's parents have auto insurance, that will cover her medical bills in the short term. Contact me and I can walk you through the rest.

Re: auto accident

1. Take care of your niece and the rest of your family. Do whatever is needed to make the rest of their life easier. Cook, pray or meditate, clean house, help transport other kids.

2. Avoid ambulance chasers. Good attorneys abound, and do not necessarily advertise on TV (while some perfectly good ones -do- advertise).

3. Do not talk to insurance adjusters on your own, or allow others to do so. Leave that to your lawyer, when he or she is engaged. Do not sign papers presented by either insurance company for now -- there is no real, pressing need to apply for the auto's $8,000 in "PIP" medical coverage while the child is in the hospital.

4. Take care of your niece and the rest of your family. This is repeated because the legal case is not the first priority if the injury was severe enough to require life-flight. So long as you get a good lawyer in the long term, the legal case will take care of itself.

Re: auto accident

In addition to the advice you have already received, it is critcally important to preserve the evidence at the accident scene, such as photos of skid marks and collision debris. The police rarely do an adequate job of this. An accident reconstruction expert should be sent to the scene ASAP. I've been handling auto PI cases for 30 years. Please call me if I can help. Steve Fine

Re: auto accident

After taking care of the medical needs of your niece and the emotional needs of her family, recommend that they retain a competent motor vehicle (tort) lawyer, and talk to no one, especially insurance adjusters about the accident, except through the attorney they retain to represent your niece, whom I pray will recover fully. Good Luck.