Ask Barry Now

If you suspect that there’s nursing home abuse, call me. I will investigate that. The elderly, as a whole, is a group that is very much taken advantage of. They don’t have a voice. So if you have a loved one in a nursing home that you suspect is being neglected, call me. I’ll look into it. It is atrocious and it needs to come to a stop.

If you have a claim of any type, prescription drug or otherwise, the first thing you should do is contact me. Whether I can help you or not, I’m going to point you in the right direction. I’m going to give you a quick, responsive answer and if I can help you, I’d be more than happy to do that. It’s a two-way street– you call me, I’ll see if I can help you. If you don’t call me, I can never start.

Ultimately, the medical bills are going to be paid for by the at fault party or the insurance company for that individual. If there is not an insurance company on behalf of the person who caused your injuries, hopefully you will have what’s called uninsured motorist coverage that will pay for your medical care and treatment. So in the long run, who pays for your care and treatment is an insurance company. It’s generally not an individual, but an insurance company– either the at fault individual’s insurance company or your own insurance company. Sometimes, even, it can be a combination of the two, but ultimately it is an insurance company that will pay for your damages.

The first advice I’m going to give an individual who’s hurt in an accident is that they need to get the medical care and treatment to get better. I cannot help any individual recover compensation if that individual does not help themselves to physically recover. It’s up to the claimant to go to the doctor, to get the therapy, to get the medical attention that they need so they can get back to that condition of health that they were [in] before the wreck. Once they have achieved that goal and physically recovered, my next goal in the presentation of an injury claim is to make sure that we recover enough compensation that all of the medical bills are paid, it does not cost the client anything. And then the final goal, or the final objective, that I have for any injury claimant is that we put compensation and money in your pocket at the end of the day. Those are the objectives in every case, big and small. They’re in that order, they will always be in that order: get the medical care and treatment that you need first to recover, we’ll get the money that we need to pay the bills so that you’re made whole, and then finally, we’ll put money in your pocket.

Once you retain me, your role is merely two things. I want you to get the medical care and treatment that you need to get better and to keep me informed of what you’re doing. If your doctors change, I need to know that. If you move [or] if your phone numbers change, I need to know that. Besides those simple steps, everything else is my responsibility. I will gather the medical documentation to support your claim. I will send you a copy of every letter I write. When I send a letter from my office to the insurance company, to the police department, to the hospital, you’re going to get a copy of that letter at your home. It’s going to say “CC:” with your name at the bottom. That will keep you informed so you know what I’m doing to help you. If you have any questions about what you receive in the mail, call me. I will return those phone calls as promptly as I receive them. But as far as what is your job and what is mine, yours is to get treatment and get better, mine is to do everything else.

The insurance company is a corporation. They’re interested in making sure that their shareholders make a profit, so their interest is adverse to yours. They want to make sure that they resolve the claim as quickly as possible at the most minimal cost, therefore inflating the corporation’s worth. Don’t trust the insurance company, because they’re not going to give you a fair deal.

Most medical providers in today’s day and age require insurance in order to provide you care and treatment. There are some venues where you can go to get treatment on what’s called an assignment basis. Granted, most doctors would prefer to give you treatment now and get paid now. But unfortunately, not everybody can do that. If you need a physician or therapist who can provide that care and treatment, I can try to help you locate one. I can’t promise you that I will, but I’ll give it a good shot.

I’m paid on a contingent fee basis, which means I only get paid if and when I’m successful in recovering compensation or money on your behalf. My fee is one-third of the proceeds recovered, so if there’s a recovery, I get paid. I get paid one-third of the proceeds. If there’s no recovery, then I get paid nothing, so it’s at no risk to you. I only get paid if I’m successful.

It varies based upon the individual. Once your medical care and treatment is concluded, the case will resolve fairly quickly. The bigger question is, how long is it going to take you to get better? The sooner you physically recover, the sooner I’ll work your claim to a conclusion. The longer you’re under care and treatment, the longer your case will stay open. Ultimately, if your case is still open on the two year anniversary for a negligence claim in the state of Ohio, I will file a lawsuit on your behalf to protect your right to recover.

The sooner you come in to meet with me, the sooner I can determine what your case may be worth. I need to gather medical documentation and medical information, find out what you’re missing and what your losses are. I think a good first step would be to give me a phone call, come in to meet with me– send me an e-mail, let me respond to it. I am responsive and I’ll give you an answer as to what your case may be worth in a timely fashion.

I’m happy with the results that I get for my clients. If I weren’t, I wouldn’t sleep well at night. I believe I do a great job for my clients and they get the compensation to which they’re entitled.

The threat of going to court is an important tactic in personal injury claims. The insurance carriers need to know that if the case cannot be resolved, that the court proceedings are available to assist you in getting it resolved. I will make sure that your case is resolved if it can be. If it can’t be, I will file a lawsuit on your behalf to make sure that your interests are protected and that you get the compensation to which you’re entitled. However, the vast majority of injury cases will settle amicably between the insurance carrier and my office with representation.

The number of trucks on the road. Corporations are driven to make a profit, so they’re going to drive their employees to drive as long and as hard and as quickly as they can from point to point. Oftentimes, the harder one is pushed by an employer, the harder they will work for that employer, but unfortunately, the more mistakes they will make. [Frequently,] truck accidents are nothing more than mistakes made by corporate employees. The driver of that truck is employed by the corporation, he makes a mistake, that’s what an accident is. When he makes a mistake, unfortunately, it hurts somebody else.

The size of the vehicle isn’t what’s important. It’s the size of the amount of money that we can recover on your behalf. When you have a big commercial vehicle involved, there’s generally going to be a larger insurance policy involved. So you as a consumer, as an injury victim, have a greater likelihood of getting full compensation for your injuries the larger the vehicle, because the larger the vehicle, as a general rule, the larger the coverage.