If you’re hurt in a car crash in West Valley City, a skilled Utah personal injury and car accident lawyer can help you get the compensation you need and deserve. Your choice of attorney can greatly affect the outcome of your case – and working with the professional team at Symkoviak Law Firm is a smart decision. We’ve been handling auto accident claims for over a decade, and we know how to navigate the legal process and deal with insurance companies to achieve the best possible results. At Symkoviak Law Firm, we think everyone in West Valley City who has a personal injury due to a car accident should have equal access to legal representation. That’s why our help comes with no upfront costs, and we only charge a fee if we win your case. We fight for our clients, and we’ll work hard to get the maximum compensation for your claim. Recovering Compensation for Car Accident Claims Symkoviak Law Firm has helped well over 1,000 clients in West Valley City and the surrounding northern Utah region, and our car accident lawyers are prepared to pursue compensation for numerous types of personal injury cases. The types of claims our legal team handles include: Distracted driving accidentsHead-on collisionsHit-and-run accidentsMulti-vehicle crashesMotorcycle accidentsDrunk driving accidentsTruck collisions Our attorneys work hard to ensure that our clients get every dollar they deserve. By filing a personal injury claim on your behalf, we may be able to help you recover compensation for: Medical billsLost incomePain and sufferingFuture medical expensesLost earning capacityMental anguishLong-term careLoss of consortium In addition, our car accident lawyers have extensive experience helping clients pursue wrongful death claims in Utah. If you’ve lost a loved one due to someone else’s negligence out on the road, we’re the law firm to call to get justice and financial security for your family. West Valley City Legal Professionals You Can Trust When you choose Symkoviak Law Firm, you’re getting legal representation from a dedicated team of professionals. We take good care of our clients, and we’re among the most trusted personal injury and car accident lawyers in the greater northern Utah area. We’ll take the time to explain the Utah laws involved in your claim, and...
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Has your Salt Lake City personal injury attorney told you to avoid social media until after your case is resolved? While you might not be happy to hear the advice, following it could be in your best interests. If your case settles without a lawsuit, you have nothing to worry about. If not, the insurance company investigators and defense lawyers can gain access to your private social media accounts – and that can be detrimental to your personal injury claim. Here’s what you need to know. Information on Social Media Is a Matter of Public Record When you post anything on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or any other social site, you may think you’re sharing information with specific people. But even if your profile settings are marked as private, your account isn’t actually private. According to the law, you have no expectation of privacy when posting photos and comments online. However, you can expect investigators and defense lawyers to comb through your accounts and, potentially, those of your friends and family. Social Media Can Harm Your Personal Injury Claim Your Salt Lake City personal injury attorney is on your side in a lawsuit, but the insurance company and their lawyers will look for evidence that your pain and suffering are not as severe as you claim. They’ll seek out posts, photos and videos that show you smiling and happily engaged in social activities as well as any that reference your case. And though they might not have complete access to all of your social network accounts, anything they find may be used against you at trial. Past Posts & Comments Can Affect Your Credibility In many cases, no objective proof as to when and how the injury occurred exists. The lawsuit is based on your word – which means that your credibility can become the central focus at trial. The defense lawyers and investigators will look through your past social media posts and comments, trying to find something that contradicts your claims and countermines your credibility. A statement or picture from years ago – such as one where you mentioned a pain issue or being depressed – could be used to suggest you have a pre-existing condition, not a valid...
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What is personal injury protection? Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance coverage is required by law in Utah. This coverage can also be called “No-fault” insurance. That is because it allows your insurance company to start issuing payments on your behalf before fault is determined in the accident. This is very beneficial if you have not been able to work and thus have lost wages while medical bills are stacking up. If you’ve been in a car accident there are some very important things to be aware of regarding PIP coverage. It is important to realize that your car insurance will not automatically start paying medical bills or sending you money. You need to make sure that your insurance is aware of the car accident. Immediately following the car accident, you must call your car insurance company and report the accident. The insurance company will then start processing your claim. They will assign an insurance adjuster (also known as the PIP adjuster) that will handle your case. It is very important that you write down the claim number and your insurance adjuster’s contact information. You (or your lawyer) will be working directly with this adjuster to get the coverage you are due. Filling out the application One of the first things your PIP adjuster will ask you to do is fill out a PIP application. This can be a bit overwhelming at first as there is a lot of information that they will ask you to provide. The following Q & A can help you navigate your PIP application. Q: What is a PIP application and why is it needed? A: This form allows your insurance company to decide if you are eligible for certain benefits under Utah law. It also enables the insurance company to start processing your PIP coverage and start paying medical bills and lost wages. Q: I already told my insurance adjuster a lot of this information and the application already appears to have some of my information on it. Do I really need to fill it out? A: Yes, the insurance adjuster needs this form returned before they can start processing your claim. Q: Can I fill out the form by hand or does it...
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While driving through residential streets the term “car accident lawyer” is hardly likely to be running through your head. However, in a split second things can change, accidents can happen, and making a call to an car accident lawyer may be one of the next things you will need to do. This is especially true on residential streets. There is a good reason that the speed limit is reduced in residential areas. With cars backing out of driveways, children playing, and reduced visibility it is often necessary to make sudden stops. If you are driving above the speed limit, which unfortunately, seems to happen quite often, it may be too difficult to stop in time. If you find yourself in that type of a situation, a car accident lawyer can help. I recently represented a client that found himself in a difficult situation, which necessitated a car accident lawyer. This client was unable to stop his vehicle in time to avoid hitting a car that was backing out of a driveway. As a car accident lawyer I was able to help this client see that, although he had hit the other vehicle, it was not his fault. This client was able to, through me, his car accident lawyer, have his medical bills and treatment covered by the liability insurance. As a car accident lawyer, I would hope that you would never find yourself in this type of situation as either the person who struck another vehicle or as the person backing out of the driveway. Be extra cautious as you drive through residential areas. Even if you are driving the posted speed limit it is necessary to keep all attention on the road. In residential areas the driving conditions can change in an instant; children run into streets, cars back out of driveways, cars stop unexpectedly. Driving the speed limit will ensure that you can have adequate reaction time when these unexpected circumstances arise. Use caution when you are pulling into or out of a driveway. Be aware of things that make visibility difficult. Shrubs, mailboxes, other homes, and even sunlight can make it difficult for other drivers to see you. As a car accident lawyer, I advise people...
Read MoreParking lots may seem like a relatively safe place to drive: People tend to drive slowly and the majority of cars are not actually moving because they are parked. But this assumption could not be further from the truth. Parking lots are a very hazard place to drive! Yes, people do tend to drive slower in parking lots, but this is not always the case. Also, drivers can be very distracted while maneuvering through the parking lot. This distraction leads to many car accidents. Whether the driver that caused the car accident was preoccupied with finding a spot to park or simply looking out for pedestrians, it doesn’t matter, the results are the same, a car accident can be the result of this improper lookout. I just represented a client that was driving on a private street that divided several parking lots when this client was involved in a car accident. While driving on this private street my client’s car was struck by another driver that was pulling out of the adjoining parking lot. This car accident could have been prevented. The other driver did not feel that it was necessary to stop when pulling out of the parking lot because there was no stop sign posted. Although there was no stop sign, a known rule of the road is that you must stop when merging from a smaller road or driveway to a larger road. This is why you won’t see a stop sign at the end of every driveway or small road. It is known that when merging with a major road, the major road has the right-of-way. The other driver should have known that in this instance and yielded the right-of-way. Often times there will NOT be posted stop signs in parking lots; however, it is best to yield when in doubt. Yielding or stopping could be the difference between safely making it to your destination or months of bills and pain and injury. This car accident has resulted in significant pain and suffering for my client. Because of this collision my client suffered a concussion, multiple bulging discs, numbness of limbs and shoulder pain. My client’s life was changed by a simple failure to yield...
Read MoreWest Jordan Car Accident. I recently represented a client who was involved in a West Jordan Car Accident. I had previously represented this client for another West Jordan car accident. She was hit from behind in both car accidents in West Jordan. This time the damage to her car was not substantial, but still the bumper was dented in. I was recently asked if it seems strange to represent clients who have been involved in multiple car accidents, just like this West Jordan car accident. What I have found over the years is that most of my clients who are in repeat car accidents are doing absolutely nothing wrong when they are in another car accident. For example, in this West Jordan car accident, my client was sitting there stopped at a red-light and she had been stopped for quite some time. She was doing absolutely nothing wrong! This is the same as her first car accident. What could she have done differently that any of us would have done differently to avoid this West Jordan car accident? Nothing. All of us come to a stop at a red light and wait for the light to change. So it seems to me, that those involved in multiple car accidents just seem to have bad luck. Now there can be exceptions to that rule, but I have generally found this to be the case after handling thousands of car accident cases over the years. To further illustrate this point, although it was not a West Jordan car accident, I once represented a client who was involved in three car accidents within a period of a few months. In every car accident, he was at a stop at a red-light or at a stop sign and was hit from behind, although fortunately he was only hurt in one of the car accidents. He did nothing wrong in all three car accidents. Even more strange, he had a bright yellow vehicle, which should have stood out and been far more visible than other cars. If that does not highlight the randomness and fact that some people just seem to have bad luck when it comes to car accidents, I don’t know what...
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