Swenson & Shelley Law

We had a client that was involved in a slip and fall case in a restaurant. He walked into one of the entrances, took a couple of steps, his foot hit wet floor, and down he went. As we were discussing the case with the insurance company, the insurance company said, “Your client doesn’t have a case because we had a caution sign that said there was a wet floor.” When we looked into it further, we discovered that the wet floor sign was over by a separate entrance, where it would’ve been very hard to see for anybody, including our client who was walking through the other entrance. We helped him understand that, in this case, even though there was a caution sign out, he does have a case against this restaurant.

I’m asked regularly, and often too late, “Should I give a recorded statement to an insurance company if I’ve been involved in a claim?” My recommendation is that you not give a recorded statement to the insurance company until you’ve had the opportunity to talk to an attorney. Insurance adjusters are trained to ask questions and get information that helps their case and hurts your case.

f you’ve been injured in a car accident in the state of Utah, know that medical bills are handled by a number of different types of insurance. First off, Utah requires that all automobile insurance policies have what’s called personal injury protection (PIP). PIP will cover at a minimum the first $3,000 of medical bills for each person that was injured in a car crash. Once PIP has been used up, the next layer of defense would be your health insurance.

Several times a week, I’m asked, “What is the value of my case?” That’s a question that’s very difficult to answer early on in a case. It depends on the severity of the injury, how much work somebody has missed, and the limitations that are put on the person. In a car crash case, it also depends on the amount of insurance that’s there. If somebody hits you and you’re seriously injured, but they have the state minimum insurance of $25,000, that doesn’t go very far. You should always make sure that you have enough underinsured and uninsured motorist coverage to protect you.

When someone has been injured in a bicycle accident in the state of Utah, there are several mistakes that can be made. Some of the most common ones that I see are, number one, not seeking medical care as quickly as you can. If you have been injured, it’s important that you get to a doctor and seek treatment for the injuries that you have as soon as you can. Number two, people will not follow the recommendations of their doctors. If your doctor has given you instructions and recommended that you do something, it is important that you follow that doctor’s recommendations.

I’m often asked what some of the common mistakes that people make after being involved in an auto accident case are in the state of Utah. Some of the most common mistakes that I see as a personal injury attorney are one, they don’t seek out the medical care that they need right away. If you have been injured, you need to seek out the medical care of a doctor as quickly as you can so that you can begin the healing process and make a full physical recovery. Two is people a lot of times don’t follow the recommendations of their doctor. If a doctor is suggesting that you come back for a follow-up appointment or suggesting that you do some sort of therapy, you need to follow the recommendations of that doctor. Three is people don’t hire an attorney to help them with their auto accident case. An attorney can step in early on, can organize a case, and help you not make some of the common mistakes that people make when they’re trying to run a case on their own.