Injury Law

Stein Sperling’s injury law attorneys have a long history of handling cases where a wrongful death has occurred due to reckless, careless or negligent actions by another person or business. While these cases present a tragic loss for family members of the decedent, our attorneys are dedicated to protecting the family members who are understandably devastated at the tragic loss of their loved one. Who will help pay the bills for the care required before that person died? Who will help the family pay their living expenses now that they have lost the financial, domestic and emotional support of that person? Our attorneys regularly help clients answer these very important questions, while explaining how their legal rights apply to their unique case.

After the death of a loved one, hospitals, ambulance providers and debt collectors frequently contact family members to recover money owed. Our injury law team helps clients understand these outstanding financial obligations, which may or may not be their responsibility to pay. Our attorneys can also explain how certain surviving family members may be eligible for monetary compensation to cover medical expenses incurred for their loved one prior to their death, as well funeral expenses.

Wrongful death cases may also entitle surviving family members to recover monetary damages because of the accident, and the loss of their loved one’s life. Such damages are paid to certain family members depending on their relationship to the decedent. Because legal and insurance processes involved in these cases can be overwhelming and challenging, especially since laws can vary between states, our attorneys help clients understand the processes and their individual rights.

In handling a client’s wrongful death claim, Stein Sperling’s injury law attorneys work closely with our Estates and Trusts department to ensure that a proper entity (an Estate) is set up for certain assets which may be recovered when a loved one dies. This is an important step, and Stein Sperling’s depth of experience in estate planning enables our clients to explore their options without the need for outside counsel.

Learn more about our Estates and Trusts practice.

Stein Sperling’s injury law attorneys have a depth of experience to handle serious and catastrophic injuries, including traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries and resulting paralysis and other life-altering injuries. Our attorneys have the necessary skill set and experience level with very serious injury cases. Many serious injuries, especially brain or spinal injuries requiring surgery, may take days, weeks or even longer to appear, and can have far-reaching physical, emotional, social and psychological implications. For example, an injury may appear to be “soft tissue” in nature – injury to muscles, tissues and ligaments following an accident. Yet, months later when spinal pain persists and subsequent testing reveals damage to the spinal discs, a client may realize that her or she is dealing with a more serious injury.

Our experience with these cases allows us to help clients watch for signs that serious injuries are developing so that we can offer resources or guidance on how to handle them. We also know the legal questions to ask of medical experts to connect certain injuries to a specific accident. Stein Sperling’s attorneys regularly assist clients in these situations as we want to protect them against settling a case without being fully compensated for the serious nature of the injuries they sustained.

We regularly handle cases involving Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), which is the destruction or damage to brain tissue as a result of either violent shaking of the head or a blow to the head. These injuries can also occur when the brain is deprived of oxygen due to a spinal cord injury, diving accident or accidental drowning. These types of injuries often are not diagnosed correctly by a general physician, which can lead to months and even years of frustration and suffering for a legitimate TBI victim. Because of our experience with these injuries, we often are successful in obtaining both proper treatment for our TBI clients and in resolving their monetary claims for such serious and potentially devastating injuries.

At Stein Sperling, we have seen first-hand the effects of serious and sometimes permanent injuries caused by automobile, truck and motorcycle accidents. They can cause a complete disruption to our clients’ lives and have devastating affects on their families. After an accident, our clients are often frustrated as they deal with vehicle repairs and other bills, while missing time from work and receiving constant calls from insurance companies. When clients come to Stein Sperling, our aim is to minimize their stress and help them focus on getting the medical attention they need. While our clients recover, we deal with the insurers and coordinate payment of their property damage and medical coverage.

Our injury law attorneys collectively handle over one thousand accident cases each year, including automobile accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, as well as bicycle and pedestrian accidents. We help our clients obtain appropriate compensation for their pain and suffering, emotional distress, permanent disfigurement, disability, scarring, interference with lifestyle and career activities, and other damages. In some cases, our attorneys are able to pursue additional damages for past, present and future medical expenses, loss of wages or earnings potential and other out-of-pocket costs.

By carefully monitoring each and every client’s case, from intake through their active medical care, we are in a better position to provide solid evidence to support that case, whether we present it to an insurance company as part of settlement negotiations, or in court. In some cases, this means visiting the scene of the accident with experts to take photos or measure skid marks. In other cases, we may decide to produce a video to capture the physical and emotional effects of the accident. Throughout our representation, we are zealous advocates for our clients and their families, and present their claims in a thorough, organized and innovative manner.

Stein Sperling attorneys are experienced in handling premises liability cases where a property owner’s negligent maintenance and/or failure to protect against a dangerous condition can result in a visitor slipping, falling or otherwise injuring themselves and suffering what is often a serious injury. Shopping centers, hotels, restaurants and other businesses, as well as private property owners, all have a legal duty to provide a safe environment free and clear from any known or unknown dangers. Many premises liability claims involve injuries caused by other dangerous conditions such as improper lighting, insufficient security or even household pets that are not properly leashed or fenced in yards. In any of these cases, our attorneys are well-versed in the legal requirements for each type of case and can help our clients determine whether they have a valid premises liability or slip and fall claim.

Stein Sperling’s injury law attorneys are experienced advocates on behalf of clients injured in public transportation or “common carrier” accidents. Accidents can occur on buses, trains and ferries, or in taxis and van shuttles. Operators of these vehicles are often held to a higher standard of care and vigilance than the average motorist, to ensure passenger safety. In many public transportation/common carrier accidents, dangerous conditions such as mechanical failures, overcrowding, equipment malfunction and even a failure to adequately warn and protect can result in serious injuries to innocent patrons and passengers. Common transportation carriers are often operated by state or local entities, which means there can be specific time limitations and requirements for filing and pursuing injury claims against these entities. Our attorneys are well-versed in such timelines, and carefully review these statutory notice and deadlines with clients to help them present their claims for compensation within the applicable mandated time periods.

Stein Sperling’s injury law team handles cases where general negligence has caused serious injuries. General negligence means there was an absence of exercising proper or reasonable care toward another person. In other words, an individual fails to observe necessary diligence required of him or her. If an injury was the direct result of the negligence of another person or business, our attorneys have knowledge, resources and years of experience focusing solely in the personal injury arena. We thoroughly investigate each case and properly advise clients of their legal rights and remedies. While each of the categories listed above are also forms of negligence, below we outline additional examples with which our attorneys have experience.

Burns are injuries to skin and bodily tissue caused by heat or radiation, chemicals or electricity. Thermal burns, which are most common, occur as a result of fires, vehicle accidents, as well as heating and electrical malfunctions. An increasingly prevalent form of thermal burn with which our attorneys have experience relates to laser skin treatments. As training and licensing requirements for the “med spas” that provide these treatments vary from state to state, clients injured during a laser treatment have sought our help to obtain compensation for permanent, and often devastating, irreparable injuries. Other types of burns with which we can assist clients include chemical burns, usually caused by tissue exposure to strong acids or alkali, and electrical burns, which result from electric currents running through the body from an external source.

Many of our clients have suffered serious and permanent injuries through the negligence of a dog owner who fails to properly leash, cage, supervise, train or manage their animal. Unfortunately, these injuries are most often suffered by children, but our clients have also included adults who, through no fault of their own, have come into contact with an uncontrollable animal. Our attorneys are familiar with the legal requirements necessary to investigate and present these cases.