Iowa Personal Injury Legal Questions

Assessment of damages in a personal injury case requires detailed analysis of liability, the injuries, and the effect of those injuries upon the individual. This analysis includes application of legal principles, evidentiary factors, medical documentation, out of pocket expenses, calculation of future losses and experience in your jurisdiction as to likely range of prospective jury awards. A "cookie-cutter" approach, a standard answer or a formula would be a disservice to someone such as yourself, who needs the help of an experienced personal injury lawyer. You state that you have a "broken toe" but you don't say which one, or how broken it is, or what the extent of your treatment was, etc. To answer the question properly, one would need extensive examination of all the evidence, particularly the medical records. Many people use this site to ask what their case is worth. Our answers are always: Get in touch with a personal injury lawyer in your area. That is the best way to get the best result in your case.... Read Answer

Unless your mom got your brother to sign a note agreeing to pay the money back, she may be out of luck. If there are any witnesses to the loan, she might be able to prove it in court, IF she's willing to sue her own son and go through with it to the bitter end if necessary. She should consult an attorney and give him/her all of the facts and circumstances.... Read Answer

Insurers will often add up the amount of lost wages + medical treatment expenses and then multiply the total by a single digit factor. They then believe that a claim is worth that amount and may offer same. Other insurers have computer programs in which an adjuster enters various variables and the program gives a value or range of values for a case. In some states there are Jury Verdict reporting services that can be searched for cases with facts similar to yours and/or injuries similar to yours to determine the possible value/range of values. Lawyers who have handled similar cases re: your negligence facts and/or your damages will have some educated guesses on the value of your case and you should think about consulting a local Michigan lawyer for such an opinion. Part of your damage calculation will be what are the medical findings in regards to any loss of use, permanency of any injury, what effect will any residuals have on your life, whether future treatment is contemplated, etc. You do not really state enough facts to allow a range of values to be given. Nor is an internet forum the best place to get all the detail necessary to give an educated/experienced "guess" as to the range of value. Again, a legal consultation would seem, to my way of thinking, to be the prudent way to get your question answered.... Read Answer

You can press charges and see if the Prosecutor/Judge will require her to pay/reimburse you. If you've reported the matter as criminal activity, you can seek Crime Victim's Compensation from the State of Michigan. Also you can sue her in civil court and see if the court will order such payments. Alternatively, you can get a Judgment against her and garnish her wages/assets.... Read Answer

Medical Product Liability cases are complex and are best handled by attorneys who have experience in handling them. If such attorneys suggest they can not take your case, there is a reason for that. You could/should ask the reason. It could be that such implants have not been found to be defective. It could be that such a case will require expensive testing of your/similar implants to determine if there is a defect, and if there is, then require expensive expert/engineering testing/studies to prove the defect and that there were suitable alternatives. It could be that your damages are not economically significant enough to warrant the expense in investigating/pursuing such a case. It could be because the law in Michigan limits product liability law suits and the damages that can be requested. In short, there are a # of reasons that your case could be problematic. Further, you can get a 3rd or 4th opinion on the issue if you believe the input from the lawyers you've consulted is insufficient.... Read Answer

Your point is hard to follow, and I hesitate to give you incorrect information. So take this advice with a grain of salt, so to speak. If you can prove the welding rods caused your lung problems then I'd say you have a case. Your case is expert specific and requires a qualified opinion. You will need to have a lawyer put it together. Save some money because the experts will be expensive.... Read Answer

Well, if you bought food expecting it to be fit for consumption, and if there was a foreign substance in it, then you can sue. However, you need to have the substance so you can prove what it was. Example: You bite into a piece of cherry pie and break a tooth on a cherry pit. Probably no case, because cherries have pits. However, if you break your tooth on a rock, there would be a case because rocks are not found in cherries.... Read Answer