If you are the victim of a personal injury or medical malpractice, your future could appear uncertain. You may be wondering how you will pay the medical bills or whether you can ever work again. Fortunately, you have the right to take legal action and seek compensation.

It starts with hiring a law firm that understands how serious your accident or injury is and what it takes to fight back. The attorneys of Dell & Dean PLLC help Suffolk County victims win the damages they need to recover. Find out how we can serve you and your family.

What to Know About Personal Injury Cases

Personal injury involves one party negligently causing physical, mental, and emotional harm to another. The victim can file a civil lawsuit to demand monetary compensation from the at-fault party, but they have the responsibility of proving these elements:

  • Duty of care: This refers to the legal duty of avoiding behavior that can cause foreseeable harm to someone else. As an example, drivers owe everyone else on the road the duty of obeying traffic laws and driving safely to avoid an accident.
  • Breach: A breach happens when someone violates the duty of care due to a negligent or intentional act or omission. Using the driving example, drunk driving would breach the duty of care.
  • Causation: The breach in question must actually cause an accident or injury. If other intervening causes were responsible for the victim’s injuries, proving causation will be more challenging.
  • Damages: Lastly, the victim has the duty of proving the nature and monetary value of their damages. These will vary from one personal injury case to another and include some of the ones mentioned below.

Regardless of what type of personal injury case you have suffered, our Suffolk County legal team can guide you. We routinely represent victims in these cases:

  • Car Accidents: Car crashes often involve negligent driving behavior, but defective vehicle parts and government negligence (e.g. road work) could also be to blame.
  • Motorcycle Accidents: Motorcycle riders do not have the protective steel frames that come with automobiles, so their injuries are usually serious.
  • Truck Accidents: Victims generally suffer more severe injuries due to the size and weight of the truck.
  • Premises Liability: Slip-and-fall accidents, swimming pool accidents, dog bites, and injuries stemming from negligent security fall into this category.
  • Pedestrian Accidents: If a vehicle strikes you while crossing the street or walking down the sidewalk, you may have a legal claim.
  • Product Liability: The makers, sellers, and distributors of dangerous consumer products can be held responsible for causing injuries.
  • Wrongful Death: When personal injuries claim the lives of victims, we help grieving family members seek justice.

Understanding Suffolk County Construction Accidents

One specific type of personal injury involves construction. Workers have the right to file a workers’ comp claim, but may also be able to file a personal injury lawsuit against negligent third parties, including:

  • Property owners
  • General contractors
  • Subcontractors
  • Equipment manufacturers
  • Third-party drivers
  • Site managers

There are two main differences between workers’ comp and personal injury. First, workers’ comp does not require proof of negligence; personal injury does. Second, the available damages with a personal injury case are broader than workers’ comp:

  • Medical expenses: These include not only the medical bills you have already incurred, but future costs you are likely to have as well because of your injuries.
  • Full lost wages: Workers’ compensation provides partial wage replacement, but you can recover the full value of your lost wages with a personal injury lawsuit.
  • Lost income-earning capacity: You can also seek compensation for decreased income-earning ability stemming from your injuries, such as future promotions and benefits you will miss out on.
  • Non-economic damages: A personal injury claim allows the victim to seek non-economic damages like pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, and loss of consortium.

We have helped numerous Suffolk County victims of:

Holding Healthcare Providers Liable for Malpractice

Medical malpractice involves medical negligence, which is more than simply making a mistake. A Suffolk County patient who has been injured has to prove that the doctor or other provider made mistakes that were not reasonable.

Another way of putting it: did the doctor depart from the standard of care that is expected of them? For example, was the patient’s disease such that another similarly experienced doctor would have diagnosed it and treated it on time?

Medical malpractice often involves:

The objective of filing a lawsuit is to try to restore the injured patient, as nearly as possible, to the condition they were in before the malpractice occurred. This means asking for compensation for a number of monetary damages like medical bills and lost income.

Why Choose Dell & Dean PLLC?

An accident or injury can immediately turn your life upside down. Medical bills will start to come in, you may miss a great deal of work, and you could endure immense pain and suffering. Many victims in Suffolk County simply do not know where to turn.

Not every law firm has the experience it takes to advocate on behalf of victims. They might not know how to handle insurance company settlement offers and lawyer tactics. Without a knowledgeable law firm on your side, you might not recover the damages you deserve.

Dell & Dean PLLC understands the importance of your accident or injury and what the outcome of your case could mean to you and your family in the long term. That’s why when you hire us to represent you, we bring the following and more to the table:

  • Thoroughly investigating how your accident or injury happened and who may be responsible for it
  • Obtaining the evidence you need to prove negligence, including through the discovery process
  • Calculating a fair dollar value for all of your past and reasonably estimated future damages
  • Negotiating on your behalf with the at-fault parties’ insurance companies and lawyers
  • Retaining expert witnesses who can help prove important aspects of your case
  • Representing you in mediation to try to settle your case out of court
  • Taking your case to trial if we cannot successfully resolve it otherwise
  • Answering common questions and concerns throughout the litigation process
  • Handling your case with professionalism and compassion

Contact Our Suffolk County Personal Injury & Medical Malpractice Law Firm

The party that caused your accident or injury will have insurance companies and lawyers representing their best interests. Who’s looking out for yours? Find out why so many clients trust Dell & Dean PLLC by scheduling your free initial consultation now.

Frequently Asked Questions About Personal Injury and Medical Malpractice

What is my case worth?

The value of your case is based on such factors as the nature of your injuries, your long-term prognosis, the impact of the accident or injury on your ability to work, and how the accident or injury affects your overall quality of life.

Our law firm works hard to recover the full value of our clients’ monetary damages. If we cannot resolve your case in mediation we can take it to trial and demand the maximum compensation available under the law.

How do expert witnesses help?

Expert witnesses testify about a number of matters such as how an accident occurred (accident reconstructionist), what sort of future medical bills a victim may have (medical expert), and the types of jobs a victim may be able to work in light of their injuries (vocational expert).

For a New York medical malpractice case, the victim must produce a certificate verifying that an expert witness has reviewed their claim and believes it has legal merit. So in this type of case, an expert witness is not just helpful but is required.

Do I have to file a lawsuit in a certain amount of time?

Suffolk County plaintiffs in personal injury, construction accident, and medical malpractice cases must file their lawsuits by a certain deadline. This is thanks to what is known as the statute of limitations. In general, for example, personal injury victims have three years to file.

If you don’t file on time, the judge will dismiss your case. But you should not delay taking action because the strongest claims are filed long before the statute of limitations runs. Consult our office at your earliest convenience to protect your legal right to compensation.