Blackburn Law PC FAQs

At Blackburn Law, PC, we offer a free consultation with a personal injury attorney to determine the best course of action for your case.

Generally speaking, no. In fact, there's nothing you can say to the other party's insurance company that will help your case. While there are circumstances where you have a contractual duty to cooperate with your own insurance company, consult a personal injury attorney prior to talking with any insurance company representative.

That depends on a number of factors, but mostly it depends on you; it's your case. Since the personal injury lawyer works for you, s/he cannot tell you when to settle or whether to go to trial. Your lawyer will certainly advise you as to what s/he thinks is in your best interest, but ultimately, the decision to settle is yours. Other factors that can affect the timeline of your case may include the length of medical treatment, the complexity of the case, busy court dockets, etc. We've settled cases after as little as one day and as long as two years. Be patient and know that our team is working for you.

Get better as soon as possible under the direction of your medical providers. That's the most important thing you can do after you've been injured. Other than that, your only responsibilities are to provide your personal injury lawyer with information about your medical treatment, wage loss, and how the accident has affected your life. Remember, this is a process, so we will be asking you for information that only you can provide throughout the duration of your case. Other than this, if we file suit, you may be required to answer written questions called interrogatories and you may have your deposition taken. But don't worry, our team will prepare you and assist you in this process - you won't be alone.

We always tell our clients that the value of their case is only as much as a jury would award on any given day after deliberating all of the facts. With that said, there are a number of factors upon which case value depends:

1. The extent of your injuries
2. The type of damage done to the vehicles
3. The type of medical treatment you receive
4. The length of your medical treatment
5. Residual scarring or disfigurement
6. Any resulting disability
7. Wage loss
8. Expert witness testimony

These are just a few of the factors. There are others such as comparative negligence (did you play a role in causing the accident?) and the ability of the other party to pay.

No personal injury or car accident lawyer can or should make any guarantees as to the outcome of a case. However, since we work on a contingency fee, it wouldn't make sense for us to take on a bunch of bad cases that yield no results. If we take on your case, it's because we think that we can establish liability, you are entitled to a recovery, and that we can effectively represent you and likely be successful doing so. Call us today to discuss the particulars of your case!

We charge one-third (33.33%) of the gross recovery, plus costs. Sometimes, because of the nature of the case, a higher fee may be justified because a lawsuit and litigation must be commenced immediately or we may need to associate with another attorney. Regardless, your personal injury attorney will agree in writing as to what fee will apply to your particular case.

Depending on the facts of your case, there may be several ways to get your medical bills paid. You should consult with a personal injury lawyer to find out which of these methods will benefit you the most. Most people think the at-fault party's insurance company will pay the medical bills. It's simply not that easy. The at-fault party's insurance company generally will not pay for your medical bills while you are treated unless and until you agree to settle your case and "release" the negligent person and/or corporation who caused your injuries from all liability. Often, your medical providers will not wait for payment until the case settles and may seek payment directly from you, including suing you if necessary, to get their money. An injury attorney will look at all avenues to get your bills paid, and in some cases, may be able to negotiate with your providers to keep you out of collections. After all, the collision wasn't your fault, why should you suffer insult on top of injury?

Well, is the insurance company working for you? Who are they trying to protect? Remember, the insurance industry is a big money industry that got that way not by paying out claims in a fair and expeditious manner, but by collecting premiums! Their job is to pay the least amount possible in every case and thereby maximize their own profits. Insurers often use the three D's of the industry - Deny, Delay, Defend - rather than pay your fair compensation for your claims.

As your personal injury attorney, our job is to help you be treated fairly. The insurance company will rarely give someone a fair assessment of the value of their case. Now, we obviously have a bias against insurance companies. But after years of representing people who have been injured, we know that insurance companies have one goal in mind: to pay you the least amount possible.

Generally, the costs include such things as charges for records from your medical providers, filing suit, process server fees, expert witness fees, exhibit production fees, deposition/court reporter fees, and others. This is not intended to be a complete list but simply examples of the types of costs personal injury lawyers typically incur while pursuing a case. Usually, the costs really start to increase once a suit has been filed and trial preparation begins.