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FlickrMARYLAND'S PREMIERE CATASTROPHIC PERSONAL INJURY TEAM
CATASTROPHIC PERSONAL INJURY
Most individuals injured in accidents recover and return to a normal life. However, there is another category of cases that are so devastating as to result in death or injuries so serious and crippling that they require expensive lifelong care. Catastrophic Injury cases often result in serious financial hardship and even a lifetime of suffering. These cases require highly specialized handling and a level of skill and knowledge that can only come through many years of experience. LeViness, Tolzman & Hamilton is uniquely and singularly qualified to handle this category of case and has a record of obtaining multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements to prove it. In fact, last year, our firm obtained the HIGHEST JURY VERDICT IN MARYLAND in an auto accident case (over $4 million). Our record of collecting over $100 million in cash settlements for our clients assures you that LeViness, Tolzman & Hamilton are three names you can trust.
TRAGEDY CAN STRIKE ANY TIME, ANYWHERE, TO ANYONE
Your life can change in an instant. When tragedy strikes, you need the BEST help possible. Catastrophic Injury can occur in any motor vehicle accident, especially those involving trucks and motorcycles. In addition, medical mistakes and errors can have a similar devastating effect. In fact, any accident can cause these type injuries. We take cases involving:
- Wrongful Death
- Burns
- Loss of Limb
- Paralysis
- Paraplegia
- Quadriplegia
- Persistent Vegetative State
- Locked-In Syndrome
- Head Trauma/Brain Injury
- Birth Injuries
- Cancer Misdiagnosis
- Down's Syndrome
- Cerebral Palsy
- Erb's Palsy
- Brachial Plexus Palsy
- Prescription Errors
- Wrongful Amputation
- Nursing Home Negligence
- Shoulder Dystocia
- Surgical Errors
- Bone Fractures
- Anesthesia Mishaps
CLICK HERE FOR TRUCK ACCIDENTS!
CLICK HERE FOR MEDICAL MALPRACTICE!
WHY CHOOSE LEVINESS, TOLZMAN & HAMILTON TO HANDLE MY CATASTROPHIC PERSONAL INJURY CASE?
LeViness, Tolzman & Hamilton has been handing Catastrophic Injury cases since the 1980s. We represent victims of catastrophic injuries and their survivors in settlement negotiations and in Litigation at every level of the state and federal court system. LeViness, Tolzman & Hamilton uses a unique team approach to manage Catastrophic Injury cases. This is critically important because these cases are multi-faceted, extremely complex, and require a team of lawyers with different training, experience and skill sets to address every aspect of the case. Our greatest satisfaction is being able to use our knowledge and skills to help people when they need it most. We work hard to exceed your expectations. Our objective is the same in every case: to obtain the BEST result for our client. AND WE DO! LeViness, Tolzman & Hamilton has represented literally thousands of accident victims and obtained exceptional results in a wide variety of serious and catastrophic cases. Never settle for less!
IMMEDIATE ACCESS TO OUR TEAM
Tragedy does not always strike during office hours. When you are the victim of a Catastrophic Injury, you want prompt answers and prompt action. As soon as you call, our team is ready to mobilize; you can reach us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for HELP. From the moment you retain LeViness, Tolzman & Hamilton, you will have the peace of mind of knowing that you can focus on your personal needs while every aspect of your case is being managed by us.
WE WILL COME TO YOU
If you or a loved one have suffered a serious personal injury, it may not be possible for you to come to our office. Rest assured, we will make immediate arrangements to visit you in the hospital or nursing home. During this initial visit we will discuss your case, take photos of your injuries, obtain details of the accident, do a recorded statement, and consult with medical staff regarding the nature and extent of your injuries. We will answer questions you or your family members may have regarding your case. From that point on, we will shoulder the burden so that you are free to focus on your physical and emotional recovery. Never settle for less!
INVESTIGATION OF YOUR CASE BEGINS ON DAY ONE
We take a proactive approach to all our cases. Thorough investigation is critical and begins the moment we are retained. We will immediately dispatch our investigators to obtain crucial evidence before it is lost, altered, or destroyed. In Auto Accident cases, this may include photographing the vehicles involved and the accident scene and obtaining witness statements and police reports. In Medical Malpractice cases, we obtain all medical records and immediately consult our network of experts (all of whom are board certified physicians and leader in their fields) to start evaluating your case.
DEATH CASES INVOLVE SPECIAL LEGAL WORK
In addition to the work we do In all Catastrophic Injury cases, a death claim requires Probate Court action. We will take all necessary steps to open an Estate, obtain the Appointment of a Personal Representative, and remain in contact with the Probate Court until your case is over.
ACCIDENT RECONSTRUCTION
We believe you have an absolute right to know what caused your injury. Our lawyers and experts use state-of-the-art analytic techniques to reconstruct your accident. In auto accident cases, our Reconstruction experts and highway safety engineers perform a full collision analysis, including, where appropriate:
- Certified Crash Data Retrieval (blackbox downloads)
- Speed Calculation Analysis
- Weight Shift and Rollover Analysis
- Lamp Analysis
- Braking Performance
- Vehicle Dynamics and Characteristics
- Time and Distance Computations
- Tire Failure Analysis
- Occupant Kinematics
In Medical Malpractice cases, our network of outside experts review all medical records and associated data and generate a written report on liability.
Our experts have testified on behalf of our clients in Court and assisted us in obtaining MULTIMILLION DOLLAR RESULTS.
PREPARING FOR YOUR LONG TERM NEEDS
Catastrophic Injuries have life long consequences. Our experienced team utilizes numerous experts to evaluate and plan for your long term needs.
Life Care Planning
A Life Care Plan must be developed for a variety of Catastrophic Injury cases. A Life Care Plan is a dynamic document based on published standards of practice, data analysis and research and patient assessment. This Plan combines asset protection and case coordination into a package that answers all the questions about our client's short and long term needs, including the cost for chronic care. The goal of a Life Care Plan is to maximize independence and improve the quality of the client's life.
We work with a Certified Life Care Planner to make sure that the Plan in place addresses alternative care issues in the event of loss or change in the support system. Additionally, the Life Care Plan is also used for purposes of proactive medical treatment to limit complications and further disability. We update and revise the Plan as our client progresses through acute to long-term care. Counseling for immediate family members may also be recommended. Finally, non-medical issues such as home modification and vehicle adaptation are considered as part of the total Life Care Plan. All costs associated with every aspect of care, now and in the future, are forwarded to a forensic economist who will project these costs over the life expectancy of the client in present value dollars.
Economist
Proper presentation of past and future care expenses, as well as wage and other economic loss in Catastrophic Personal Injury cases necessarily requires the assistance of a forensic economist. In fact, the Economist is one of the most important witnesses on our team.
Medical care cost growth rates have skyrocketed. Appropriate presentation of these costs in your case is absolutely essential for the long term care planning process.
Our experienced team, working in conjunction with an Economist, will make sure that your financial recovery adequately addresses the cost of your future needs so that you can lead an independent life with dignity and self respect. Once a financial award has been obtained, Special Needs Trusts, Annuities, and other devices must be utilized in order to protect a Plaintiff.
Financial Planner
WHY Our team of attorneys routinely use a Certified Financial Planner to help you meet your life goals and achieve financial independence. Certified Financial Planners abide by a strict code of professional conductthat sets forth their ethical responsibilities to the public. The Financial Planning process includes:
- Establishing and defining the client-planner relationship
- Gathering client data including goals
- Analyzing and evaluating the client’s financial status and long term financial requirements
- Developing and presenting financial planning recommendations and/or alternatives
- Implementing the financial plan
- Monitoring the financial plan
Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist
When needed, our team will use a Vocational expert, who specializes in the areas of vocational rehabilitation, vocational and earning capacity, lost earnings, cost of replacement labor and lost ability/time in performing household services. This expert will identify what our client would have earned prior to the incident, compared to what they are likely to earn following the incident. Economic experts can calculate the value of those earnings over time so the difference between the two income possibilities is clearly understood.
The basic purpose of a vocational rehabilitation specialist is to perform complex work in program consultation and monitoring, guidance and counseling, client training, specialized job placement, evaluation of work capacity, providing assistive technology services, and determining overall potential of patients/clients.
Typical functions of a vocational rehabilitation specialist include:
- Provide services to clients in meeting problems of personal, social, and vocational adjustment.
- Interpret and analyze physical or mental condition, social and economic situation, attitudes and aptitudes, work experiences, functional limitations, educational background and personality traits to determine kind and extent of disability and rehabilitation possibilities.
- Consult with physicians, psychologists and other appropriate disability professionals regarding findings of examinations; administers and interprets psychological tests when indicated; determines eligibility for rehabilitation services on the basis of law and policy; and assist individuals in formulating a suitable rehabilitation plan.
- Plan and arrange for rehabilitation services
- Confers with public and private employers to establish job opportunities for rehabilitation clients; aids clients in securing employment consistent with their capabilities; monitors client progress.
- Provides program monitoring and consultation; keeps appropriate case records and controls case service expenditures.
- Assists employers and businesses with guidelines for accommodating people with disabilities according to the Americans with Disabilities Act and other laws, regulations, policies, and procedures pertaining to persons with disabilities.
- Administers and/or develops work samples and situational assessments.
- Reviews and assesses medical, psychological, neuropsychological, legal, educational and social information concerning clients who have been referred for vocational evaluation; determines need for additional diagnostic information.
- Prepares individual written vocational evaluation plans; acts as consultant to Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors in making vocational decisions.
- Orients clients to the evaluation process; administers and interprets test results to determine learning capacity, work-related aptitudes, abilities and limitations, behavioral factors affecting vocational performance and rehabilitation potential of clients; makes objective observations of all behaviors essential to the world of work; and recommends specific goals and services to clients.
- Teaches basic vocational skills and leads groups that are composed of individuals with vastly diverse cultural, educational, emotional, physical and mental abilities and backgrounds; develops and administers appropriate job samples to determine learning ability, reaction to supervision, work with peers, work tolerances, physical tolerances and endurance.
- Assists individuals with a disability in the selection, acquisition, or use of assistive technology devices(s).
- Prepares vocational evaluation reports detailing test results and their implications, job sample evaluation, summary of observations, work ethics and attitudes, physical capabilities, clients expressed and displayed vocational interest.
VALUING YOUR CLAIM
Putting a value on your claim is a complex calculation that depends on a number of factors, including but not limited to, the nature and extent of your injury and permanent disability, the cost of future medical care, the type of medical treatment you received and its cost, your economic loss, and how strong your case is from the standpoint of liability.
Once all factors are thoroughly analyzed, we will then be in a position to offer you an opinion regarding the value of your claim for settlement. Of course, the final decision to accept an offer of settlement or to take your case to trial is always yours.
FUNDING YOUR CASE
Once a case is settled or a verdict has been obtained, we will advise you of the option of taking a lump sum or a payout. Typical funding sources to meet future needs include Special Needs Trusts and/or Annuities. These are highly technical investment products and our experienced team will guide you through the process of selecting the one with the best return for you.