Right out of "The Sopranos"

Right Out of “The Sopranos”
A man is injured at job site in Rochester, New York. He is a construction worker, and was hurt very badly when he fell off of an icy scaffold because the contractor and building owner did not provide required safety equipment. He is rushed to the hospital, and is on a gurney in the ICU waiting to be prepped for surgery to repair a broken back and broken leg. Even though he has only been at the hospital a short while, a large, burly man with thick, muscular hands shows up and hands him a business card. The man does not introduce himself, but suggests to the injured worker that he call the attorney named on the business card “because he knows what he is doing” and it would be “good for him”. Not knowing any other lawyer (and feeling somewhat intimidated), the injured man calls the attorney and hires him to sue the contractor and building owner for his injuries.
Sound like something you would see on television? It sure does, and it is a new variation on an old and unethical practice- “ambulance chasing.” Well aware that it is unethical for attorneys to directly solicit business in New York from injured people or their families, the bad apples among the legal profession have turned to “steering”, hiring third parties to visit injured folks in the hospital or at home to try to get personal injury cases. Often there are kickbacks from the lawyers to the union bosses who send the goons to the hospital almost directly from the worksite, and downstate the kickbacks extend even to medical doctors and courthouse employees.
What should you take away from this? Never hire a lawyer who contacts you or a family member after an accident, be it an injury from a construction site, a car accident, or any other type of injury case. Conduct your own, independent research for a qualified attorney, and ask them about the results they have achieved over an extended period of time. And make sure you steer clear of the guy who looks like he could fit you for cement shoes.