Atlantic Car Accident Injury Attorneys

Accidents and injuries can instantly alter lives. During these tough times, car accident injury lawyers are indispensable allies. They advocate for those harmed by others' negligence, ensuring they receive just compensation. This article emphasizes the crucial role these lawyers play in guiding people through their claims and recovery.

Understanding the Importance of Your First Consultation

Your first meeting with an Iowa car accident injury attorney can be intimidating, even if the consultation is free. Knowing the right questions to ask can help ease the process. Here are some essential questions to ensure you get the information you need:

Key Questions to Ask During Your Consultation

1. What is your strategy for handling my claim?
   Ensure the attorney's strategy includes constant communication between your family and their firm. This open-door policy is crucial for staying informed throughout the process.

2. What do you estimate my case is worth?
   While no attorney should promise a specific settlement amount, a seasoned lawyer should provide an estimate based on your medical bills and the at-fault driver's policy limits. This insight helps manage expectations.

3. How much will I have to pay your firm, and when?
   Stick with attorneys offering services on a contingency fee basis. This means you only pay if a fair settlement is reached, and the fee is a percentage of the total compensation. Clarify payment details to avoid financial surprises.

4. Will you assist in paying my medical bills?
   Dealing with mounting medical bills post-accident is challenging. Find an attorney willing to help you pay them after the settlement to avoid unexpected financial burdens.

5. Will there be charges for post-consultation questions?
   If your case is handled on a contingent basis, there should be no charge for post-consultation questions. Confirm this to ensure open communication without additional fees.

Additional Inquiries for a Comprehensive Understanding

6. What is your communication policy with clients?
   Ensure the attorney has an open-door policy for regular updates on your case. Communication is key to staying informed and involved.

7. What if there's no settlement? What will I owe?
   Seek an attorney who works on a contingency fee basis, meaning you only pay if there's a settlement. No settlement or win at trial should mean no attorney fee.

8. What types of compensation will you pursue?
   The attorney you decide to hire must have a concrete plan to go after the following:
   - Medical bills
   - Lost wages
   - Pain and suffering
   - Future loss of income
   - Cost of any future medical treatment your doctor believes you may need

Ensuring Comfort and Clarity

It is also important to enlist the help of an attorney with whom you feel comfortable. You are entrusting him or her to handle a very traumatic, life-changing incident, so make sure that the attorney welcomes any and all questions that you have and works to give you answers in a way that you fully understand.

Understanding Long-Term Injuries and Treatment Options

While most people typically think about the immediate injuries sustained in a car accident in Iowa – such as lacerations, bruises, or broken bones – there are also long-term injuries that can result, many of which may require costly medical care. One such type of injury is a knee injury, which can require total knee replacement (TKR) surgery in some cases.

What is Total Knee Replacement Surgery?

Total knee replacement surgery may be right for those who have severe knee damage and pain. While the normal and healthy knee has plenty of joint cartilage, as well as healthy bone mass, a damaged knee often has deteriorated cartilage and bone.

During a TKR, the surgeon will replace any non-functioning parts of the knee with synthetic materials. While TKR can alleviate knee pain and discomfort, the knee may not return to normal. Following a TKR, patients may be unable to take part in activities they once enjoyed, such as running, high-impact sports, and sustained activity. Recovery time for a TKR surgery varies depending upon the person, but usually requires the patient stay in the hospital for several days. After that, the use of crutches or a walker may be necessary. Eventually, the patient may be able to walk with minimal assistance and discomfort.

Possible Knee Problems that May Require TKR

Total knee replacement surgery is required when loss of function of the knee occurs. While the most common cause of loss of function in the knee is arthritis, loss of function and knee pain that requires TKR surgery can occur as a result of a traumatic accident. Sometimes, the traumatic accident will result in the immediate need for surgery; other times, the traumatic accident will cause an injury that may lead to chronic arthritis that eventually requires TKR. Some types of knee injuries from car accidents that may cause knee deterioration and require total knee replacement surgery are listed below.
- Post cruciate ligament (PCL) injuries.
- Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries.
- Medial collateral ligament (MCL) injuries.
- Knee sprain injuries.
- Knee dislocation injuries.
- Knee fracture injuries.

Discuss your injury and the short- and long-term treatment options with your doctor to get a better idea of what your injury may require. Because knee replacement surgery may not be required immediately following an accident, but is necessary years later as a result of an injury that did occur during the accident, an attorney can help you clarify your legal options to recover damages related to your accident.

Addressing Spinal Injuries and the Medial Branch Block Procedure

Spinal injuries are among the most severe types of injury after a car accident. They may manifest as neck or back pain that the accident victim experiences in the aftermath of a wreck. Accident victims should seek medical evaluation even if they don’t feel injured.

A doctor will perform certain exams and tests to diagnose the problem, and may offer some treatment solutions as well. A medial branch block procedure may be both a diagnostic test and a short-term treatment.

Medial Branch Block Procedure as Treatment & Diagnostic Test

When you seek medical treatment for your back or neck pain after a car wreck, your doctor may recommend a medial branch nerve block as part of your care. Branch blocks treat the facet joints of the spine by reducing irritation and inflammation (a major cause of pain).

Branch blocks temporarily stop or minimize the pain signals sent from the medial branch nerves to the pain center of the brain. These nerves are the communicators between inflamed and irritated facet joints and the brain. Facet joints, when affected by inflammation and irritation, are the culprits of lower back, mid-back and neck pain.

Medial branch blocks are a temporary and minimally invasive solution, and if they succeed in minimizing pain, there is a good chance that a more long-term surgical method called radiofrequency ablation can be used. Thus, a facet block procedure, as it might be called, determines if the patient experiences pain relief. If so, a doctor may recommend the more permanent treatment.

Car Accident Victims Recover Costs of a Medial Branch Block Procedure

As noted, a medial branch nerve block is a temporary solution to pain management when facet joints have been compromised. Thus, if you’re filing a car accident claim, account for medical treatment beyond this procedure. If you’ve only received initial care and the medial nerve block, talk to your doctor and attorney about other treatment that might be necessary.

This allows you to fully account for your medical bills and other damages when filing a bodily injury claim. If a surgical procedure is still forthcoming as part of your overall care plan, you may miss more work, require more prescriptions and/or more physical therapy or chiropractic care. Your claim should account for all of these short- and long-term damages.

If you suffered back or neck pain because of an accident that someone else caused, you can file a liability claim with the at-fault party’s insurance company. You must establish fault as well as the extent of your damages. Save any medical records, bills, and other evidence of your damages, as well as any evidence of fault.

If you have appropriate coverage on your policy like medical payments coverage, you may be able to recover no-fault benefits from your own insurer. This can help you pay for medical care like a medial branch block procedure regardless of whether you or another party caused the accident. Your own health insurance may also help pay medical bills to treat your injuries.

Ultimately, you may recover the most damages via a liability claim against an at-fault party, and if you suffered serious injuries and significant damages, you may need an attorney’s help.

Seeking Legal Assistance

Seeking legal counsel from experienced Iowa car accident attorneys such as those at Walker, Billingsley & Bair can provide invaluable support in filing insurance claims or pursuing personal injury lawsuits. With a comprehensive understanding of Iowa law, their team can help gather evidence, establish liability, and secure the compensation deserved by accident victims.

Suffering from the aftermath of a car accident shouldn't impede your pursuit of justice and fair compensation. The Iowa injury lawyers at Walker, Billingsley & Bair work hard to level the field between injured Iowans and insurance companies.

That's why we provide this FREE book; The Legal Insider's Guide to Iowa Car Accidents: 7 Secrets to Not Wreck Your Case. To learn more about what our legal team will do to help you protect your Iowa injury claim, contact Walker, Billingsley & Bair to schedule a no-cost consultation. Call 641-792-3595 to order your free accident book today.