FAQs

People who handle personal injury claims on their own recover 2-3 times less money than those represented by counsel, according to an Allstate Claims Manual. No wonder that the insurance companies love it when people represent themselves. A personal injury case can involve complex and critical legal issues, such as subrogation, coverage issues, uninsured and underinsured claims, policy limit issues, and releases. Most importantly, do-it-yourselfers just won’t have the experience to know the value of their case. Remember, the insurance company’s job is to pay out as little money as possible to injured parties—they will act in their best interest, not yours.

There is no fee for the initial consultation. There is no hourly fee. The fee is based upon a percentage of the amount recovered. If there is no recovery, there will be no fee. A written fee agreement will be prepared and reviewed with you prior to our being hired to represent you.

There are litigation expenses involved in these cases. For example, expenses will be incurred to collect medical records, for deposition transcripts, to hire experts, etc. In almost every case, we will advance those expenses, and they will be repaid out of the proceeds of the recovery. Again, a written fee agreement will set forth the details regarding expenses.

Obtained the largest personal injury jury verdict in Brown County, Wisconsin–$12.2 million awarded to an individual who sustained a spinal cord injury as the result of a defective product

$1.5 million settlement for the family of a man killed in an auto accident

$1.05 million settlement for the family of a 47-year-old millwright killed when a steam pipe burst at a worksite

A $700,000 settlement for a mother who was injured and who lost her 5-year-old son when their truck was hit by a driver that crossed the centerline

Recovery of $500,000 for a woman who suffered severe internal injuries when she was crushed between two sections of a mobile home

Jury verdict and $3.2 million settlement after successful appeal on civil rights claims by family of anonymous citizen informant murdered after Green Bay police department disclosed identifying information despite warnings that it could lead to his death

This is just a sample of the cases we have successfully handled for our clients.

If you have been injured by a driver who does not have insurance, or not enough insurance, you may be entitled to make a claim on the uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage of your own auto policy. You may be covered even if you weren’t in your own car at the time of the accident. There have been several recent appellate decisions in Wisconsin relating to underinsured motorist coverage, and consultation with an attorney on this issue may significantly affect how much you can recover.

The unexpected death of a loved one is always a tragic event. The loss of a husband, wife, or other family member often has disastrous consequences for the entire family. If the death was caused by the negligence of others, the law allows the family to recover monetary damages. While money damages cannot replace the life of a loved one, such compensation is many times the only way to provide for the financial future of the family. Such suits also help to make unsafe companies and individuals act in a safer and more responsible manner so as to prevent such tragedies in the future.

Each year in the United States, many people are burned badly enough to seek medical treatment or require admission to a hospital for their injuries. Automobile accidents account for some of the more serious burn injuries because flammable substances, such as gasoline, are normally involved. Severe burn patients frequently need specialized nursing care and often require long-term physical and psychological treatment. We have had experience in representing clients with burn injuries, including a woman burned when an aerosol can burst open and the contents ignited, causing severe leg burns.

There are two main types of head injuries: open head injuries and closed head injuries. Open head injuries are evaluated by the cause, size, and damage created by the injury. For example, the seriousness of a gun shot wound depends on the path of the bullet and the areas of the brain penetrated. A closed head injury can result from a blunt trauma to the head, or any type of situation where the head is caused to rapidly snap back and forth, referred to as acceleration – deceleration forces. These forces create rotation of the brain within the skull. Because the inside of the skull is not smooth, but rough, the injury may result in a number of problems, including loss of consciousness or lapses in memory and attention. Both open and closed head injuries can be very serious. We often advise our clients with brain injuries to consult with a neuropsychologist to determine the extent of the injury.

Disk injury is a very extensive and complicated classification of soft tissue injury. Simply put, there are three levels of increasing severity. Grade One is called bulging disk, Grade Two is called ruptured disk, and Grade Three is called herniated disk. The grade can be determined by the severity of the symptoms and by a CT or MRI scan. If found to be positive, a neuro-surgical consultation should be made immediately. These are serious injuries that could have a long range effect on your life. Immediate proper evaluation, treatment, and documentation of these serious injuries could be crucial to a successful settlement outcome, which will generally take all elements of your past, present and future medical, emotional, and financial needs into account.

Paralysis is the complete or partial loss of controlled movement. This may be caused by nerve or muscle damage resulting from an accident or injury. Paralysis can range from small facial muscles to the entire body. Injuries that result in paralysis may require extensive treatment and round-the-clock nursing care depending on their severity.

Whiplash injury is an injury of the soft tissues, ligaments, and the joints of the cervical spine caused by the neck being bent forcibly and violently forward and then backward or vice versa. A whiplash injury most commonly results from sudden acceleration or deceleration, as in an automobile collision. However, some degree of whiplash to the neck may occur in other accidents as well. Symptoms of whiplash may include muscle stiffness and swelling, pain, and lack of muscle control.