NH Personal Injury Lawyer Practice Areas (BPA)
Automobile & Motorcycle Accidents
Collisions involving cars or other motor vehicles are one of the most common types of accidents resulting in injury. Most car accidents happen due to someone’s negligence, meaning that one or more of the drivers involved failed to use reasonable care. Examples of negligence might include failing to stop at a red light or stop sign, driving too closely behind another vehicle, failing to stop in time to avoid a collision, failing to yield the right of way, or failing to maintain control. In New Hampshire, when the roads are snowy or icy, a driver that loses control may be negligent if operating his or her vehicle at a speed or in a manner that was unsafe given the conditions.
In cases where a motorcycle is involved, the unique aspects of operating a motorcycle must be considered. For example, many motorcyclists will “lay down” their bikes rather than hitting a car head-on. As motorcycle riders are not protected as they would be in a car, collisions involving motorcycles typically result in injuries that are more serious than would have been seen had the same accident involved two cars.
Our personal injury attorneys have handled numerous cases involving automobile, motorcycle, bicycle, pedestrian, truck, and bus accidents resulting from negligence. We are experienced in identifying and locating all the insurance which may be available to help you recover the settlement you deserve for your medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and any other damages you may have suffered.
Dog Bites
When you or someone you love is bitten by a dog it can be a traumatic event with serious injuries. Often the victims of such attacks are children who may be left with permanent emotional and physical scars. Attacks by dogs can be severe enough to result in death.
The number of dog bites that occur each year are staggering. Studies conducted by the Center for Disease Control have concluded that in the United States there are approximately 4.7 million dog bites a year and almost 800,000 of these are severe enough to require medical attention. As many as 914 people are seen every day in a hospital emergency room due to a dog bite.
If you are bitten by a dog it is important to contact a medical provider to determine what treatment is needed. Even seemingly minor injuries might require medical care, especially if the dog is not current on his vaccinations. It is also important, if at all possible, to identify the dog and its owner so the police or your medical provider can obtain information regarding the dog’s vaccination and health history.
New Hampshire has strict laws to protect victims of dog bites and aid such victims in receiving compensation for their injuries. An experienced attorney, such as those at the BPA, will apply these laws to your case and help guide you through such matters as determining what future scar revision or counseling will cost so that you can seek recovery for all the damages you have suffered. Our personal injury attorneys have helped many people recover for the damages they suffered as a result of a bite from someone else’s dog.
Slip and Fall/Premises Liability
Premise liability cases arise from dangerous conditions on someone else’s premises. The condition might be created by the defendant (or the defendant’s employees) or may be a condition that was not properly addressed by the defendant. For example, if a grocery store employee improperly stacks merchandise causing it to fall on a shopper, this would be a condition negligently created by the store. In another situation, a customer might have spilled something in a store aisle and reported the spill, but the store failed to respond in a timely manner resulting in another customer slipping and falling. Both of these scenarios would be examples of negligence and actionable premises liability cases.
It is important that these cases are looked into quickly, as often there is more than one defendant. For example, there are cases where a store had a duty to keep their premises reasonably safe yet failed to respond to a dangerous condition, but at the same time there was another company (such as a vendor bringing product into the store) who created the dangerous condition itself. In these instances it is important to notify both parties of the claims and to name both parties if a lawsuit is filed.
Our personal injury attorneys have successfully helped clients with a variety of premises liability claims including not only slip/trip and falls but, also cases of inadequate security, electric shock, fire, burns, elevator injuries, cases against apartment complexes, parking lot injuries, injuries on amusement park rides, and injuries on playgrounds.
Products Liability
When you purchase a product from a retail store, wholesaler, supermarket, or other distributor, there is an implied guarantee that the item purchased is not defective and is fit for its intended purpose. If you have been injured as a result of a defective product, you may have a claim against the manufacturer and, in some cases, the seller. To pursue a products liability claim it is not necessary that you actually purchased the product – you may be able to bring your claim even if the product was given or loaned to you.
There are many different types of product liability claims. Some examples include defective automobiles (including problems with roll-overs and defects in tires, airbags, or in any of the vehicle’s component parts), children’s products (such as defective car seats, toys, and sporting goods), pharmaceuticals (including prescription medications, over-the-counter medications, diet pills, and supplements), and defective tools or machinery (such as lawn mowers, saws, and other power tools).
For the BPA to pursue a products liability claim on your behalf, it is essential that we be able to inspect the product in the condition it was in at the time of your injury. If you believe your airbag was defective, but the airbag has already been replaced and/or repaired, we will not be able to help you as the evidence to prove your claim will no longer be available. If someone else is in control of the product, we will want to contact whoever has the product to request that it be maintained in its current state and that we be allowed to inspect it. Because it is so important that evidence be preserved in these cases, you should see an attorney as soon as possible if you believe you or someone you love has been injured as a result of a defective product.
Sexual Assault
Sexual assaults are often devastating for the victim and can result in emotional damages that can last a lifetime. This is especially true when the victim is a child or when the assault is particularly violent. While the assailant may be punished criminally, this often does little to compensate the victim for his or her damages. In many cases, the assailant is in jail and has no assets from which to compensate the victim, but there may be other parties who are also responsible. Our personal injury attorneys carefully evaluate all the facts of each case to determine what individuals or businesses may be held accountable for the assault. For example, if a business had an employee that they knew or should have known was a danger to co-workers and/or customers, the business could be responsible for that employee’s actions.
The personal injury attorneys at BPAn have helped a variety of people that have been victims of sexual assault. Examples of the types of sexual assault cases our attorneys have handled include: children who were molested by people in a position of authority over them; assaults in nursing homes; individuals who were assaulted due to inadequate security; claims against apartment complexes for assaults by their employees or for misleading representations about the safety of the community; prisoners sexually assaulted while in prison or other state custody; and sexual assaults at work.
If you have been a victim of sexual assault, we will meet with you and carefully review all the facts to determine what options may be available to you to ensure that you not only get the care and treatment you need, but also that all avenues of compensation for the damages you have suffered are pursued.
Workers’ Compensation
Workers’ compensation claims arise out of an injury or illness that is job-related. These cases can be challenging and complex. If your claim has been denied or you are not receiving the compensation to which you are entitled, the attorneys at BPA can help guide you through this process.
In some cases a client injured on the job might also have a claim against another responsible defendant. For example, if you are injured in a car accident in the course and scope of your employment, you may have both a workers’ compensation claim and a claim against the person responsible for the car accident. Since workers’ compensation claims provide only limited benefits, a claim against another party responsible for your injuries will allow you to seek recovery for all your damages. We will carefully look at the details of every case to ensure you are receiving all the compensation to which you may be entitled.
