Portner & Shure’s Firm Operations Manager and Director of
Internet Marketing, Sarah Sadler, recently celebrated her 21st
anniversary with the firm. Sarah has been a fixture here for more than two
decades. She has been responsible for helping the firm remain as one of the
most highly-regarded car accident law firms in Maryland and Virginia. This firm
would not be what it is without the hard work and dedication that Sarah has
contributed over these last 21 years. Congratulations Sarah and here's to 21
more years with Portner & Shure!
Monday, March 21, 2016
Maryland Accident Lawyer: Litigation News March 2016
Recently, our
litigation department settled a slip and fall case that occurred in Seacrets in
Ocean City, Maryland. Anyone that has
visited Seacrets knows that the floor can get very wet and slippery as people
are coming in and out of the bay and drinks are spilling all over the
floor. Our client was at Seacrets one
evening when she slipped and fell on wet pieces of confetti that were scattered
all over the floor. She injured her
ankle and required numerous medical treatments, which totaled about
$30,000. Settlement negotiations with
the insurance adjuster started with an offer of only $2,500. Eventually, our litigation claims manager,
Lora Hatton, managed to get the adjuster up to $36,000 to settle the case. Our client was extremely pleased with the
offer and accepted it.
Maryland Accident Attorney: Case Result March 2016
Portner & Shure settled a pedestrian accident
case for our injured client for $65,000.
The incident occurred in the parking lot of our client’s place of
employment in Salisbury, Maryland. Our
client was walking in the parking lot at work when she was struck by a car. Although there were no broken bones, our
client suffered injuries to her neck, back, arms, and legs. Medical bills totaled more than $46,000 for
our client.
Our paralegal, Pam
Brown, negotiated a settlement with the insurance company for $65,000. Since the accident happened in the parking lot
of her job, she was entitled to workers’ compensation benefits as well. A lien for more than $51,000 was due to be
paid, however, Pam negotiated a deal with the workers’ compensation carrier to
write off the entire lien. So in
reality, the recovery was $97,000 in a case with no broken bones or significant
injuries.
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Maryland Car Accident Attorney – How to Maximize the Value in Your Pocket
1.
It’s not just about the total amount of medical
bills and expenses you incur.
a.
It’s about the strategies you can use to
maximize the take home value of your case, meaning the amount that you get in
your pocket after all bills, fees and expenses are paid out of settlement.
b.
That being said, your case is really about
getting better and getting the medical treatment that you need. You should always follow your doctor’s
recommendations.
c.
But don’t make the mistake of thinking that
overtreatment is going to improve the value of your case, because it
won’t. It just creates more expenses that
you have to pay out of your settlement.
2.
So, what can you do to get the most value out of
your case?
3.
Using your own insurance to pay medical bills will
increase the amount of money you will end up with in your pocket. There are two ways to do this – health
insurance, and personal injury protection, or PIP coverage.
a.
If you have health insurance, never make the
mistake of failing to give your insurance information to every medical provider
you see.
i.
Health insurance carriers pay the provider a
mere fraction of the actual amount that’s billed. If the provider is in network, they have to
accept that payment as payment in full.
ii.
When it comes time to settle your case, you can
claim the full amount of what the provider billed, but you only have to pay
back the insurance carrier what they paid.
You get to keep the difference.
b.
Most people have $2,500 worth of medical
payments coverage on their auto policy, commonly referred to as PIP or personal
injury protection. You can use this
coverage to pay medical bills as well.
i.
The best part about PIP is that you don’t have
to pay it back out of settlement. Every
dollar worth of PIP that you use is a dollar that goes directly in your pocket
at the time of settlement.
ii.
There is no downside to using your PIP
coverage. Under Maryland law, your auto
insurance carrier is not allowed to raise your rates for using PIP.
Monday, March 7, 2016
Maryland Accident Attorney: Common Reasons that Workers Compensation Claims Get Denied and How an Attorney Can Help
Being injured at work
can be one of the most painful, disruptive, and confusing events that can
happen in a person’s life. If you are unable to work, the loss of income can be
extremely burdensome on an injured worker and their family. If you don’t have
health insurance, you may not know how to pay for medical treatment. And if you’ve
sustained a permanent injury, you may wonder how you’ll ever make ends meet in
the future. Worrying about these issues
on top of dealing with pain can be overwhelming. Your attorney can help you get disability
benefits, medical treatment, and even a lump sum award if you’ve sustained a
permanent injury.
One of the greatest
values of retaining an attorney is that you will have someone who is on your
side to protect your interests, financial and medical, every step of the
way. Here are some of the most common
reasons that workers compensation claims are denied and how hiring an
experienced attorney can prevent these things from happening to you.
Injured workers’ claims
are frequently denied on the basis that a causal connection is lacking, i.e.,
the injuries were preexisting. Your
attorney can set you up with a doctor of your choice to examine you and provide
an unbiased opinion as to the cause of your injuries. Your attorney can
negotiate with the insurance company using your doctor’s opinions to attempt to
get your claim accepted.
Sometimes, an injured
worker’s claim is initially accepted and you receive some medical treatment and
some disability benefits. But then the
checks stop coming.
Your attorney can help
you by setting you up with an unbiased doctor.
Your attorney can then use your doctor’s report to file issues on your
behalf and obtain an order forcing the insurance carrier to pay your benefits.
If you or a family
member have been injured or killed in a Maryland work-related accident and
would like to consult an experienced Maryland personal injury attorney for free,
contact our office at (301) 854-9000 to schedule an appointment at one of our
office locations in Baltimore
or throughout Maryland or visit us online at http://www.portnerandshure.com/Personal-Injury/
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Maryland Auto Accident Lawyers: Fatal Accident in Bethesda Kills 3, Seriously Injures Another
Saturday night, a horrific
accident occurred in Bethesda on Pyle Road.
Two cars were involved in the accident, a Chevrolet Volt and a BMW
sedan. There were 4 passengers in the Volt
and they were the ones struck with tragedy.
Three of the passengers did not survive the crash, and the fourth
passenger suffered life-threatening injuries.
The young driver of the BMW only suffered minor injuries.
The
cause of this devastating crash has not been determined yet. Since it was a Saturday night, it is always
possible that alcohol played a role.
Based on accident scene pictures, the Chevrolet Volt suffered
significantly more damage than the BMW.
Whatever the cause may be, it is likely that one of the parties was at
fault. This area of Bethesda is a
residential area, therefore, with the amount of damage to the Volt vehicle,
speed is a likely factor in the crash.
Remember, actions you take immediately after a car
accident will affect your personal injury recovery!
Most crash victims do not understand that an auto
accident entails complicated issues, including:
·
What should never be discussed with the
Adjuster;
·
The two critical guidelines to follow
when seeking medical treatment;
·
The method to “get more” for your
property damage and an immediate rental car;
·
The one document always needed for your
lost wage recovery, and other critical accident related proof;
·
The three essentials for building and
evaluating the case for pain and suffering compensation.
If you
or a family member have been injured or killed in a Maryland pedestrian
accident and would like to consult an experienced personal injury attorney for
free, contact our office at (301) 854-9000 to schedule an appointment at one of
our office locations in Rockville
or throughout Maryland or visit us online at http://www.portnerandshure.com/Personal-Injury/
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