New Hampshire Personal Injury Lawyer

Seeking Compensation After a Car Accident

Motor vehicle collisions are often the result of a driver’s carelessness behind the wheel. If another person’s negligence caused a crash in which you were hurt, you may be entitled to pursue damages related to the accident, including reimbursement for medical bills, vehicle repairs, and missed wages. Subjective damages, such as pain and suffering, also may be available.

Proving that another driver was negligent usually requires showing that he or she failed to exercise reasonable care behind the wheel, and that this failure was a substantial factor in causing the accident and forcing you to incur damages. For example, an individual likely breaches the duty of reasonable care when he or she drives drunk, runs a red light, or violates another traffic law. In New Hampshire, showing that a defendant’s negligence was a substantial factor in a crash typically means proving that the accident would not have occurred if the defendant had acted with reasonable care. These claims must be filed within a certain time period, known as the statute of limitations, or victims likely will find their right to compensation barred.

Guiding Workers Injured on the Job Through a Claim for Benefits

The New Hampshire workers’ compensation law recognizes the rights of injured or ill workers by requiring that each employer in the state obtain workers’ compensation insurance, or be approved as a self-insurer. This is a no-fault system, meaning that a victim does not need to prove that his or her employer was responsible for causing an accident or occupational illness to receive benefits. Some of the benefits that may be available to employees hurt on the job include lifelong medical, hospital, and remedial care as well as temporary or total disability compensation while out of work, vocational rehabilitation, permanent impairment awards, and lump sum settlements.

Benefits also may be available for employees who have a pre-existing condition that was aggravated by an accident or illness on the job. They may be able to seek compensation for the additional amount of harm connected to their employment. Families of a worker who suffers a tragic death on the job often can seek accidental death benefits that reimburse them for the financial burden imposed by the loss of their loved one.

Holding Negligent Health Care Providers Accountable

Medical malpractice claims arise when people are harmed due to the negligent or intentional actions of a health care provider, such as a doctor or nurse. Sometimes a health care practitioner fails to provide proper treatment or performs a procedure without the consent of the patient. Determining whether a certain action or failure to act constituted negligence requires comparing the defendant’s conduct to what would have been done by a similarly trained health care provider in the same geographic area, and in good standing in the profession. Expert testimony is usually critical both to establishing the appropriate standard and what the defendant did that fell short of it. Victims of medical malpractice who succeed in holding a health care provider accountable may be able to receive similar forms of compensation to car accident victims, covering both economic costs and more subjective, non-economic forms of harm.

Assistance in Pursuing Social Security Benefits

Ms. Trott represents individuals throughout New Hampshire in Social Security claims. Social Security Disability (SSI or SSDI) benefits may be available to injured or ill workers who are “insured,” meaning that they worked long enough and paid Social Security taxes. To establish their eligibility for benefits, they must either meet the criteria of a condition in the Social Security Administration’s Listing of Impairments or qualify as disabled through a Residual Functional Capacity evaluation. The RFC process essentially asks whether an individual is unable to work in any job in the national economy because of his or her disability.

By contrast, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) disability benefits are available to low-income individuals based on financial need. Attorney Trott represents people throughout the SSDI and SSI process who are filing an initial claim, as well as those who have applied and have been denied.

Consult an Experienced New Hampshire Attorney to Pursue Compensation

People who have been injured or have lost a loved one can contact New Hampshire personal injury lawyer M. Jeanne Trott. Whether you were involved an incident of medical malpractice, a car accident, or need help pursuing workers’ compensation benefits, your situation is unique and deserves personalized attention. Ms. Trott has assisted individuals in communities across New Hampshire, including Bedford, Hooksett, Auburn, and Nashua. Her substantial combined legal and medical professional experience make her a zealous and well-informed advocate. To set up a free consultation, call the Office of Attorney Jeanne Trott today at (603) 624-7500, or contact us online.