Twelve and 15-passenger vans are large; most people, unless they have been trained, don't know how to drive them safety. Because of their design, they are prone to rolling over. The more passengers they hold, the more unstable they become.
According to a 2008 report by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), ongoing safety issues for these vans involve:
As of July 1, 2007, there were 503,346 15-passenger vans registered in the United States. Most all of these vans (85%) are Ford Econo Club E-350 and Dodge B350/3500. Only three make/models of 15-passenger vans are currently produced and sold - the Chevrolet Express 3500, the Ford Econo Club E-350, and the GMC Savana 3500.
Most personal injury cases settle before trial, but if you want to maximize your settlement, your attorney has to be willing to go all the way to the courtroom. The Duncan Firm has done this many times on major cases, including passenger van cases. Major business and insurance companies know this, so it is an incentive for them to settle. And if they don't, we have a track record of beating them in court.
A fatality most likely will involve a wrongful death lawsuit. In this case the victim's spouse or children are entitled to damages for loss of wages, pain and suffering and loss of marital companionship.
Duncan Firm will not charge anything to represent you. We will take a percentage of the settlement offer as payment when we win.
No. Duncan Firm will not charge you fees for consultations, opening your file, copies, long distance, etc. Before you hire a lawyer, make sure you find out what they will be charging you, as these hidden fees can add up.
The value of your van accident injury claim depends on the severity and permanency of your injuries. A Duncan Firm accident injury attorney can assess your claim and tell you what it may be worth.
An experienced attorney often can get insurance companies to substantially increase the amount of a settlement offer. If you have already received an offer for your injuries, contact a Duncan Firm accident attorney for an assessment of the offer to see if it is fair for your circumstances. You will not be charged for this consultation.
It depends on the facts of your case. Passenger van crashes usually involve multiple victims. This makes the case high stakes for the insurance company. The more fatalities and severe injuries involved, the longer it usually takes to settle. We also don't recommend settling until the full extent of the patient's injuries and outcome is known. We want to make sure future medical costs are included in any settlement. Talk to an attorney who has dealt with these cases for an assessment of your situation.
No. At the Duncan Firm we often only have to meet with you for an initial interview and then we can do business over the phone. Of course, if we have to go to court, it will involve more time. But we will treat your time as valuable as we treat our own.
Most personal injury cases don't go to trial. However, we treat each case as if it is going to be tried in court. It's also an incentive for the insurance company to settle on your terms.
Filing a lawsuit, paying court costs and expert witness fees can be very expensive. Duncan Firm will pay these costs, including paying expert witnesses who can make the difference between getting thousands of dollars and getting nothing for your personal injury claim. Before you hire a lawyer, make sure they have adequate resources to pursue your case.
Most insurance includes uninsured motorist's coverage. In this case, your insurance company will be obligated for your damages. Duncan Firm will pursue your case against your own insurance company the same as with any other insurance company.
If you were a van passenger, the owner and driver of the vehicle will be held responsible and we will deal with their insurance companies to get you money to pay for your losses.
Most Arkansas motor vehicle insurance policies have Personal Injury Protection, or PIP.This is no-fault healthcare coverage that covers your accident related medical expenses for up to one year or $15,000. Unfortunately, insurance companies do not like to pay these bills and will often send you for an "independent" medical exam, where you are evaluated by a doctor who works for companies that mainly do exams for insurance companies. No matter what these doctors say, if your personal doctor (or the doctor who first treated you for your injuries) believes the treatment is related to the accident, Duncan Firm can almost always get the insurance company to pay the medical expenses. We do not charge clients for helping get their medical bills paid.
If your medical bills are more than $15,000 or your treatment goes on for more than a year, your personal injury protection insurance will no longer pay your bills. You are then personally responsible for any bills in excess of your personal injury protection coverage. If you have healthcare coverage, it will often pay for treatment in excess of your personal injury protection coverage. But the health insurance company usually will want to be paid back out of any settlement or judgment you get.
Duncan Firm attorneys routinely work with healthcare providers to keep them from sending clients to collections for unpaid bills. Often, we can keep them from sending bills to collections if we agree in writing that we will pay them first once we get paid on a settlement or judgment. When there is not enough insurance coverage to pay all of the bills, we can usually get healthcare providers to reduce their bills low enough so that there is still money left over for our clients.
Yes. Your personal injury protection insurance provides wage loss for up to 52 weeks after your accident. Duncan Firm attorneys and staff will work with your doctors and your insurance company to make sure you are promptly paid the maximum amount of your wage loss benefits. If your injuries are permanent and you are forced to find a new line of work, the other party should have to pay for any future lost wages and retraining costs. We often hire a vocational rehabilitation expert to determine how much your future lost wages and retraining expenses will be so we can make these costs part of any settlement or judgment.
Although the lawsuit will have the other driver's name on it, we are actually going after the insurance company. In most every case, the person we sue does not pay - their insurance company pays.
Although we are located in Little Rock, we handle cases throughout Arkansas and even in other states.
Please call 877-638-6226 or email our law office today if you would like a free consultation with one of our experienced auto accident attorneys.
