Are we the Best injury attorneys in western New York? This client thinks so.

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One of the great advantages of having Joe Moran work with me in Geneseo is the opportunity to learn from him in action, as I had the pleasure of doing recently when we worked together at a trial in White Plains, Westchester County. Having the right lawyer makes all the difference when push comes to shove and your case goes to trial and the jury renders a verdict. Dave G. of Avon, Livingston County, found this out in November when the Westchester County jury awarded him just over $2.25 million dollars for injuries he received while working as an ironworker. Interestingly, Dave had previously been represented on this case by a "big box" law firm, but grew dissatisfied with their work as they failed to move the case forward aggressively.
Dave had been injured on a construction site when he fell approximately eighteen feet, fracturing his hip and badly tearing the rotator cuff on his right shoulder. Because both the property owner and the general contractor failed to provide Dave with the safety equipment required by the New York State Labor Law, the Court found this violation made them responsible to compensate Dave for his injuries. Because Dave’s right arm had been rendered useless by the injury (surgery twice failed to repair Dave’s badly torn rotator cuff), he was unable to go back to work as an ironworker and will never be able to work construction again.
Unfortunately for Dave, due to his age (52), limited education and lack of any experience outside of construction work, his chances of becoming employed in the future are quite slim. The jury took this into consideration when they awarded him as part of the verdict $1,780,000 in lost wages ( the balance of the $2.25 million dollar verdict compensated Dave for his medical expenses incurred and pain and suffering). Fortunately for Dave, he received the correct legal advice in rejecting a $750,000 offer of settlement about six weeks before the trial started,
What should you take away from this? Several things. First, juries almost always make sound decisions based on facts and evidence, and do not recklessly award big verdicts to injury victims. Second, the New York State Labor Law, although often attacked by those in the insurance industry, is a good law and places the financial burden of compensating an injured construction worker where it belongs- on the party responsible for the injury, rather than on the taxpayers who would otherwise have to support folks like Dave who can no longer support themselves. And lastly (and most importantly), hiring the right lawyer is critical when you or a friend or loved one has been hurt in an accident or fall. Stay away from the mega firms and those lawyers who promise to settle your case quickly or "without ever going to court".