Source: http://kcatty.com/personal-injury-wrongful-death-representation.html
Timestamp: 2018-01-20 20:44:58
Document Index: 712726782

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Personal Injury & Wrongful Death Representation
The lawyers at our law office offer aggressive and compassionate personal injury & wrongful death legal representation in Kansas City, Johnson County, Wyandotte County, Jackson County, and elsewhere in Kansas and Missouri
Have you or a loved one suffered a serious or catastrophic injury in the Kansas City area, Johnson County, Wyandotte County, or elsewhere in Kansas or Missouri? Do you anticipate, or do you already face overwhelming medical expenses, pain, suffering, and hardship because of injuries to your neck, spine, head, brain, or other parts of your body? Has your life or the life of a loved one been overturned due to pain and suffering, loss of a job or income, mobility issues or cognitive challenges due to another's negligence or fault?
Or has a loved one been killed due to the fault or negligence of another person or company? Whether the injury or death was the result from an accident on the job, an auto wreck on one of the Kansas City/Johnson County highways, or due to the negligence of another, you owe it to yourself to call us today. At The Law Offices of Jeremiah L. Johnson, LLC we understand the life-altering changes that can result from catastrophic injuries, and from wrongful death of a loved one. This office has handled numerous cases involving serious injuries, and can pursue financial damages and other forms of compensation while helping you through a difficult time. We will meet with you on a completely no-cost basis to discuss your case and inform you of your rights.
Our law office handles Kansas City area personal injury and wrongful death cases on a contingency fee basis
You might be wondering how you can afford legal representation at a time like this. The attorney and staff in our law office understand this dilemma, which is why we work on Kansas City and Johnson County personal injury and wrongful death cases on a contingency fee basis. A contingency fee is a fee taken out of a recovery in a given case, whether the recovery is due to litigation or settlement. The fee is contingent upon us collecting for you - if we do not recover monies for you, then you will owe us nothing. This means that we do not bill an hourly fee, expenses, or court costs to our personal injury & wrongful death clients, rather we simply deduct our fee as a percentage of the recovery, after expenses are taken out. This percentage varies by case and according to an individual case's progression - recoveries earlier in the process will generally be subject to a lower percentage than recoveries later in the process. A contingency fee arrangement gives us a tremendous incentive to work hard on your case because if we are not successful, then we will not get compensated for our time, meaning that we are truly "in it together" with our clients.
Catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases may result from accidents in many ways, including:
• Spinal injuries, including paralyzation
• Broken and crushed bones
• Injuries to eyes and ears
Our personal injury attorneys recommend that you do not talk to an insurance company adjustor, attorney, or any other defense representative until you have retained a Kansas City/Johnson County/Wyandotte County personal injury attorney to look after your interests
Insurance companies have hundreds of attorney and staff working on their side to protect their interests, you deserve to have an aggressive Kansas City personal injury attorney on your side. These folks make a career out of limiting the money paid out by their employer and rarely care about how their tactics will affect those who are the victims in the case. They will often attempt to settle Kansas City wrongful death or injury cases quickly, before all of the damages can be ascertained and while people are still emotionally affected.
Insurance companies will also attempt to take statements before all of the facts and circumstances around a case are fully known in an attempt to commit you to their version of events. Do not allow them to deny you your rightful compensation, instead, contact the Kansas City and Johnson County personal injury firm of The Law Offices of Jeremiah L. Johnson, LLC, to get help on your side, at 1-913-764-5010. We deal with the insurance companies for our clients, saving them the hassle of talking/corresponding with them, and maximizing the recovery from these companies and those they insure.
How we represent our clients in the wrongful death and catastrophic injury litigation process in Kansas and Missouri:
We take all Kansas City, Johnson County, and Wyandotte County personal injury cases with the assumption that they will end up in trial. While this attitude may sound normal, it contrasts that of many personal injuries attorneys in the Kansas City/Johnson County area who never or almost never take their cases to trial, either because they are unwilling or unable to do so. This attitude may adversely affect the cases of their clients because they may not be able to get them all of the compensation they deserve. Insurance companies and defense attorneys are less likely to offer reasonable settlement figures if the attorney working the case is not willing or afraid to take the case to a jury. They know that they can simply wait the attorney out, figuring that the attorney will eventually tell his clients to settle the case even though they have not received a fair offer. The lesson is simple - you want an attorney who will properly prepare your Kansas City personal injury case for a jury trial from the beginning. Not only will this enhance your chances at trial, but it may also force higher settlement offers from the defendants in your case as they will realize that they face the expense and risk of losing at trial. This does not mean that we take every case to trial - in fact, the statistics show that the vast number of Kansas City and Johnson County personal injury cases will end in settlement. What it does mean though, is that our attitude in preparing the case should help you get the maximum recovery through settlement or trial as the defendants and their attorneys will realize that we intend to take the case to a jury. When we represent someone on a personal injury case in the Kansas City area, we regularly work with accident reconstructionists, clients' own medical providers, investigators, economists, and other experts to build the strongest possible case. Each of these professionals will help us meet the burdens that must be proven in Court and will help us demonstrate the amount of damages our personal injury clients have suffered. We have handled neck, back, leg, arm and head injury cases, and can fight insurance companies' attempts to deny, discourage and delay claims. We are firm in settlement negotiations and skilled in trial.
The first step in a Kansas City personal injury lawsuit involves investigation. This is where we talk to witnesses, look at the publicly available documents and records, and formulate our case theories.
The second step is our demand. This is where we make a formal demand to the defendant or defendants in your case, asking for a dollar amount, an admission of fault, and other remedies.
The next step is to file the lawsuit. This is where litigation begins and starts the countdown until you get your day in Court. As mentioned, this process begins when we file the lawsuit. From there, the Court will order that discovery take place. Common causes of serious injury and wrongful death include car, motorcycle and truck accidents, work-related accidents at construction sites, farms and industrial sites, DUI- and DWI-related accidents, defective products, unsafe premises and medical malpractice.
Important Terms relevant to Kansas City & Johnson County personal injury and wrongful death cases:
Litigation: This term refers to a personal injury claim once it has been filed in court and is being pursued by each side.
Contingency Fee: A contingency fee arrangement is a method that allows many individuals who have been injured or seeking damages, such as those resulting from an auto accident or a medical malpractice case, to obtain legal representation even if they do not have money to pay a lawyer at the outset of a case. In such a case you do not pay legal fees unless and until you win, and then the lawyer receives a percentage of your recovery as his or her fee. If you lose your case, there would be no legal fee at all for the lawyer.
Plaintiff: This is the party filing the lawsuit. In personal injury and wrongful death cases we only represent plaintiffs.
Defendant: This is a party being sued.
Plaintiff ad litem: A plaintiff ad litem is a person appointed by the court having jurisdiction over a wrongful death action upon application of a person entitled to share in any wrongful death proceeds. A plaintiff ad litem must be a suitable person who is competent to prosecute a wrongful death case and whose appointment is requested on behalf of any persons entitled to share in the proceeds of a wrongful death action.
Selected statutes regarding wrongful death cases in Missouri:
Actions for wrongful death involve any situation where a person has been killed due to actions or inactions of another. In Missouri, wrongful death actions are statutory. A wrongful death is not a survival or transmitted right and does not belong to the deceased. Rather, wrongful death actions are governed by Missouri Revised Statutes Sections 537.080 through 537.100.
Who can sue in a wrongful death action in Missouri?
Whenever the death of a person results from either the intentional wrongdoing or negligence of another, the person, party, or corporation causing the death is liable to the following class of individuals:
Class One: the spouse or children of the surviving lineal descendants of any deceased children, natural or adopted, legitimate or illegitimate, or by the father or mother of the deceased, natural or adoptive;
Class Two: if no one in class one is entitled to bring a wrongful death action, then the brother or sister of the deceased, or their descendants, can bring a wrongful death action if they can establish their right to those damages as set forth in Missouri Revised Statutes Section 537.090 as a result of a death;
Class Three: if there are no individuals in classes one or two entitled to bring a wrongful death action, then a plaintiff ad litem can bring such suit.
Can a lower class member sue if a higher class member survives and sues?
If I bring a wrongful death action, do I have to notify other potential class members entitled to sue?
A claimant or plaintiff in a wrongful death action must make a diligent attempt to notify any other persons having a cause of action under the statute.
In Missouri, class members typically have 3 years to file suit in circuit court. However, other factors can come into consideration which can lessen your time for filing suit. Therefore, it is critical that individuals wanting to sue not delay.
If I sue along with other class members, what portion am I entitled to receive?
If more that one class member sues, and if agreement cannot be made between the class members on the percentage of recovery they should get, an apportionment hearing will be held before the judge within the circuit that the case is pending. At the apportionment hearing, evidence will be introduced and the judge will issue a ruling determining the percentage of recovery each class member receives.
Selected wrongful death statutes in Kansas:
• 60-1901: Cause of action. If the death of a person is caused by the wrongful act or omission of another, an action may be maintained for the damages resulting therefrom if the former might have maintained the action had he or she lived, in accordance with the provisions of this article, against the wrongdoer, or his or her personal representative if he or she is deceased. History: L. 1963, ch. 303, 60-1901; Jan. 1, 1964.
• 60-1902: Plaintiff. The action may be commenced by any one of the heirs at law of the deceased who has sustained a loss by reason of the death. Any heir who does not join as a party plaintiff in the original action but who claims to have been damaged by reason of the death shall be permitted to intervene therein. The action shall be for the exclusive benefit of all of the heirs who has sustained a loss regardless or whether they all join or intervene therein, but the amounts of their respective recoveries shall be in accordance with the subsequent provisions of this article. History: L. 1963, ch. 303, 60-1902; Jan. 1, 1964.
• 60-1903: Amount of damages; jury instructions; itemized verdict. (a) In any wrongful death action, the court or jury may award such damages as are found to be fair and just under all the facts and circumstances, but the damages, other than pecuniary loss sustained by an heir at law, cannot exceed in the aggregate the sum of $250,000 and costs. (b) If a wrongful death action is to a jury, the court shall not instruct the jury on the monetary limitation imposed by subsection (a) upon recovery of damages for non-pecuniary loss. If the jury verdict results in an award of damages for non-pecuniary loss which, after deduction of any amounts pursuant to K.S.A. 60-258a and amendments thereto, exceeds the limitation of subsection (a), the court shall enter judgment for damages of $250,000 for non-pecuniary loss.
• (c) In any wrongful death action, the verdict shall be itemized by the trier of fact to reflect the amounts, if any, awarded for:
• (1) Non-pecuniary damages;
• (2) expenses for the care of the deceased caused by the injury; and
• (3) pecuniary damages other than those itemized under subsection (c)(2).
• (d) Where applicable, the amounts required to be itemized pursuant to subsections (c)(1) and (c)(3) shall be further itemized by the trier of fact to reflect those amounts awarded for injuries and losses sustained to date and those awarded for injuries and losses reasonably expected to be sustained in the future.
• (e) In any wrongful death action, the trial court shall instruct the jury only on those items of damage upon which there is some evidence to base an award.
• History: L. 1963, ch. 303, 60-1903; L. 1967, ch. 329, § 1; L. 1970, ch. 241, § 1; L. 1975, ch. 303, § 2; L. 1984, ch. 214, § 1; L. 1987, ch. 224, § 2; L. 1998, ch. 68, § 1; July 1.
• 60-1904: Elements of damage. (a) Damages may be recovered for, but are not limited to:
• (1) Mental anguish, suffering or bereavement;
• (2) loss of society, companionship, comfort or protection;
• (3) loss of marital care, attention, advice or counsel;
• (4) loss of filial care or attention;
• (5) loss of parental care, training, guidance or education; and
• (6) reasonable funeral expenses for the deceased.
• (b) If no probate administration for the estate of the deceased has been commenced, expenses for the care of the deceased which resulted from the wrongful act may also be recovered by any one of the heirs who paid or became liable for them. Those expenses and any amount recovered for funeral expenses shall not be included in the limitation of K.S.A. 60-1903 and amendments thereto.
• History: L. 1963, ch. 303, 60-1904; L. 1984, ch. 214, § 2; July 1.
• 60-1905: Apportionment of recovery. The net amount recovered in any such action, after the allowance by the judge of costs and reasonable attorneys fees to the attorneys for the plaintiffs, in accordance with the services performed by each if there be more than one, shall be apportioned by the judge upon a hearing, with reasonable notice to all of the known heirs having an interest therein, such notice to be given in such manner as the judge shall direct. The apportionment shall be in proportion to the loss sustained by each of the heirs, and all heirs known to have sustained a loss shall share in such apportionment regardless of whether they joined or intervened in the action; but in the absence of fraud, no person who failed to join or intervene in the action may claim any error in such apportionment after the order shall have been entered and the funds distributed pursuant thereto.
If you have questions regarding brain injuries and other catastrophic injuries and wrongful death, contact us. We work on a contingency basis, so that you pay nothing unless we recover damages. We are available for free initial consultations weekdays, evenings and weekends. To contact us and speak to a Kansas City/Johnson County personal injury attorney, call 1-913-764-5010. You may also email me personally at Jeremiah@kcatty.com