I’m in the hospital after an accident…what do I do?
My office is in Chapel Hill, which just so happens to be the location of one of the premier teaching hospitals in North Carolina – UNC Hospital. I’m also not too far from another great hospital (at a horrible school) – Duke University Health Center.
Of course, in a situation where someone is catastrophically injured (from an auto accident, dog bite, slip and fall, or a pharmacy error), their first thoughts are going to be on their injuries and survival. As well they should be. Getting yourself back to health should always be your number one concern. But accident victims and their families ignore the need for counsel at their own peril. So how soon should you meet with an attorney? Really darn soon, in my opinion. I can even meet you in the hospital.
People are sometimes surprised how easy it is for me to meet clients in the hospital rooms. Many people don’t realize how flexible my schedule can be. I can come to clients very quickly when circumstances warrant that sort of immediate, in-person response.
For instance, let’s say you’re in an accident and you suffer catastrophic injuries that require a hospital stay. When you get to a point where you can think about it, you probably want to talk to an attorney. So you think you’ll do that when you get out.
The problem with that is you don’t know when you’ll get out. And when you get out, how mobile will you be? How painful will it be to get in a car, schlep to a downtown office, hobble into an elevator, etc?
And what about what’s happened in the meantime? The insurance company for the other driver is immediately on the defensive, preparing their case and setting things up to help avoid exposure. Is anyone doing anything for you?
Of course, not everyone can be as flexible as I am. There are thousands of associates at big firms whose days are eaten up with depositions and staff meetings and everything else while their bosses are deep-sea fishing, so it’s hard for them to be able to drop what they’re doing to take care of their clients. I have purposefully designed my practice around a flexible schedule to allow for just this sort of availability. On most occasions I can schedule an initial consultation in a hospital with as little as 4 hours notice, and sometimes less.
Don’t wait. Call me, call someone. Generally speaking, I can come to you with fairly short notice and talk to you about your particular situation. I can explain what you might expect with your case and what I can do to help.
When you’re injured, the last thing you want to think about is an insurance claim. But that’s exactly why you get an attorney early on in the process; when you have an attorney you don’t have to think about it because the claim is on the attorney’s shoulder then, not yours.
Call me if you need me. 919-929-2992.
Trackback from your site.