Renee Benzaim's Blog, page 8

Personal Injury Lawsuits – Part 3 – The Medical Phase of Your Case

Photo Credit: Keith Syvinski

Before your personal injury attorney can settle your case, you must have completed all of your medical treatment and all the reports and records must be received by your Paralegal and Medical Legal Assistant. You will need releases from every healthcare provider in order to show that it is ok for you to return to work, if appropriate. If you missed work, your Paralegal will send for a statement from your employer stating the number of hours you missed from work and your salary, along with a calculation of the amount of money you lost. This all takes time, so be patient. Some healthcare providers respond quickly, others are slow. Here is a partial list of the items you should provide to your Paralegal and Medical Legal Assistant as your treatment progresses:

A log, or list, with all of your to-and-from mileage for appointments, trips to the pharmacy, or any other trips related to your accident.Copies of any medical related documents you may receive, including the little card you get when a new appointment is scheduled for you.The receipts for any medical appliances or equipment you need.Copies of all prescription receipts showing exactly what you were prescribed, the prescribing doctor, and how much you paid.If any healthcare provider refers you to another healthcare provider, give this information to the Medical Legal Assistant right away so she can begin to accumulate your treatment and medical records and reports from the new healthcare provider. Sometime during this period, make a list of any personal or business related items that may have been destroyed in your vehicle and bring this to your Paralegal.

When all the records are in and your file is complete, your Paralegal and attorney will meet and prepare a Demand Letter. This letter will be sent either to the other driver, his/her attorney, or his/her insurance representative. In this letter, your attorney will recap following:

The facts of the accidentYour injuries and treatments to dateAny future treatment you may needYour loss of earningsIf your future earnings have been diminished by the accident, your attorney will calculate what you would have earned if the accident hadn’t occurred, and include this amount in the letterOther damages as your attorney sees fit, such as Pain and Suffering

The attorney will give the other side a fixed amount of time to respond to the Demand Letter. Oftentimes, the insurance representative or attorney of the other driver will call your attorney with a counter-offer. It is your attorney’s responsibility to present this counter-offer to you. Your attorney can advise you on the counter-offer, but the final decision is always yours to make. If no response is received or no acceptable offer to settle is presented, your attorney will discuss the next step with you – filing a lawsuit against the responsible party.

Personal Injury Lawsuits – Part 3 – The Medical Phase of Your Case is a post from: Renee Benzaim, Writer

Personal Injury Lawsuits – Part 2 – What to Bring to Your First Appointment

It’s your first visit with your Personal Injury Lawyer, and you might be a little nervous, but don’t be. As a rule, you will meet in private with your attorney and the two of you will discuss your case in depth. He/she might give you an overview of the law firm’s past record with cases similar to yours, and give you an idea of the possible outcome of your case and the path it might follow.

After your visit with your attorney, you will be introduced to the two key people with whom you will be working – your Paralegal and your Medical Legal Assistant.

Your Paralegal will oversee your case and will be the person wit whom you interact the most. Your Medical Legal Assistant will be in charge of your medical records. She will immediately begin to send for any medical records and reports already in existence. As these documents arrive at the office, she will review each one and put it in your file.

There are certain documents you should bring to your first appointment so your Paralegal can copy them for your file. Basically, you should bring anything and everything that has any bearing on your accident. Here is a partial list:

Accident Report – whatever agency responded to your accident should have filled out an Accident Report. This report can have a wealth of information for your attorney and Paralegal. Usually, the report is available 10 to 15 days after your accident. It’s a good idea to call the agency involved, get the Case Number, and the approximate date the report will be available. If you are physically unable to get a copy of the report, don’t despair. Your Paralegal can obtain a copy.Any medical related documents you have accumulated to date, such as appointments, prescription receipts, the ambulance bill, if appropriate, etc. Your Paralegal will also make copies of any medical insurance cards you have.If the other driver’s insurance adjuster has been calling you, provide your Paralegal with the name and phone number of the adjuster. Your Paralegal will immediately send a letter to the adjuster advising him/her that you are now represented by an attorney. The adjuster will stop calling you.Your driver’s license, automobile insurance card, and the Declarations Page of your automobile insurance policy. The Declarations Page is very important. Your Paralegal will review your coverage. If you don’t have automobile insurance, don’t let that stop you from seeking the help of an attorney. There are many ways he can help you.The location of your vehicle and any photos you might have of the vehicle and/or accident scene. If there are no photos, and your car is still damaged and available, your Paralegal can send someone to take pictures.

You will be asked to sign a medical release so your Medical Legal Assistant can begin contacting all of your medical providers and accumulating your medical records and bills. She will advise each health care provider that you are working with an attorney. Other releases may also be required, such as an employment release so your Paralegal can verify your loss of earnings after you return to work.

You may be given a log to keep track of your appointments and any mileage associated with these appointments. Any time you visit your attorney’s office, or are in the neighborhood, bring in this log and any new documents you have acquired so the Paralegal and Medical Legal Assistant can keep your file up to date.

Personal Injury Lawsuits – Part 2 – What to Bring to Your First Appointment is a post from: Renee Benzaim, Writer

Personal Injury Lawsuits – Part 1 – Should You File?

Photo Credit: Ivan Frearer

You’ve been in an automobile accident. Your car is totaled or in the Shop. You’re missing work and your vacation or personal time is almost exhausted. You have major medical bills and face a long period of physical therapy after you recover. And, it was the other driver’s fault!

The other driver’s insurance representative keeps calling you. He or she is oh, so nice and concerned about you. The company won’t admit liability, but they offer to give you a lump sum settlement NOW to cover your estimated medical costs. Maybe they offer to pay for a rental car while your car is being repaired, or to pay the deductible to your insurance company for the repairs. But, they want an answer NOW, before you can talk to an attorney. They may tell you that you don’t need an attorney, the two of you can work things out. You’re confused – what is the best thing to do?

Consultations with a Personal Injury Attorney are usually free. Below are some things to think about before you make a decision. This is just a partial list of what a Personal Injury Attorney can do for you:

What if you miss work, but you get disability and use your vacation/personal leave time? Your attorney can still claim loss of wages for all the time you were off of workWhat if you settled without an attorney and your medical expenses exceeded your settlement? You would be out of luck. Your attorney will not settle your case until all your treatment is finished and all the bills are in. If future treatment is indicated, he will include that in his settlement proposal. He can also negotiate with the healthcare providers to reduce your bills, so you keep more of the settlement moneyWhat if you need a Specialist not covered by your insurance?Were there other people in your car? Maybe a child who will have scars that can’t be fixed until they’re full-grown?What happens if you will be unable to return to the same line of work you were in before the accident?

Call the office of a Personal Injury Attorney to find out for yourself how they can help you and your family. When you call, you will most likely speak with a paralegal (legal assistant) that will take essential information from you about the accident. Some of the things he/she will ask you are:

Date, time, and location of the accidentYour recollections of the accidentYour name, address, insurance carrier, driver’s license numberThe make and model of your car, the license plate numberThe damage to your car. Was it towed? If so, by whom?Did the police come? Did they take an accident report? If so, do you have a copy?The other driver’s name, address, telephone number, insurance carrier.The other driver’s automobile information. Damage?Any witnesses? If so, do you have their names, addresses, and telephone numbers? (If not, this information should be on the Police Accident Report)Were there other people in your car? If so, who? Were they injured? Were there other people in the other vehicle?Was anyone transported by Ambulance? If so, which company?

The paralegal will discuss your case with the Personal Injury Attorney to determine if they can help you. Whether they determine they can help you or not, the paralegal will call you back promptly. If they can help you, they will ask you to come in for an appointment.

Personal Injury Lawsuits – Part 1 – Should You File? is a post from: Renee Benzaim, Writer

Personal Injury Lawsuits – 7 Part Series Starts June 28, 2013

Hello everyone,

Every Friday, beginning with this Friday, June 28th, I will be posting articles on personal injury lawsuits.  The titles of the articles are as follows:

Personal Injury Lawsuits, Part 1 – Should You File?Personal Injury Lawsuits, Part 2 – What to Bring to Your First AppointmentPersonal Injury Lawsuits, Part 3 – The Medical Phase of Your CasePersonal Injury Lawsuits, Part 4 – Filing the Summons and complaintPersonal Injury Lawsuits, Part 5 – The Discovery ProcessPersonal Injury Lawsuits, Part 6 – Your DepositionPersonal Injury Lawsuits, Part 7 – Mediation and Arbitration

As a rule, most personal injury lawsuits don’t go to trial, so I won’t be going into the trial phase of a personal injury lawsuit.

For several years in California’s Central Valley I worked as a paralegal for personal injury attorneys.  I know a lot of people joke and say these attorneys are “ambulance chasers” but the ones I worked with were honorable men and women who wanted to make sure that someone who was injured by another person was treated fairly.  This wasn’t only automobile accidents, but oilfield accidents, industrial accidents, wrongful deaths, construction accidents, and agricultural accidents, to name a few.

If you are undecided as to whether you should seek out the help of a personal injury attorney, read these articles – especially the first one – and then make an informed decision.

Take care,

Renee

Personal Injury Lawsuits – 7 Part Series Starts June 28, 2013 is a post from: Renee Benzaim, Writer

Kern County Sheriff’s Office – Live Dispatch Calls

I write about crime fiction.  Specifically, I write about a female detective, Annie Avants, who works in the Robbery/Homicide Unit at the Kern County Sheriff’s Office.  The biggest city in Kern County is Bakersfield.

One of my fascinations with law enforcement for as long as I can remember was listening to the ‘police calls’ on a scanner.  It wasn’t always easy to get the codes back in the 70s, or a list of the “10 Codes”, but it was possible.  I became so addicted that I even kept it going (softly) at night so I wouldn’t miss anything.

One night we had a prowler and I called the Sheriff’s Office.  I told the dispatcher what was going on and where the prowler had headed.  I then gave a physical description of the prowler.  I had to laugh when the dispatcher said to me, “That’s a good description.  You sound just like a dispatcher.”

Now I’m living in Morocco and I wouldn’t be able to pick up the police calls from Kern County.  Bummer. . .  But, to my amazement I found that the Sheriff’s Office website has a link you can click on and, lo and behold, you can listen to the police calls from Kern County no matter where you are.

If you go to this link: Live Dispatch it will take you to a page on the Kern County Sheriff’s Office website. You then click on the picture of a speaker and you will get an icon on your desktop that says “listen.” There are directions on the page about various applications you can use to listen, such as iTunes, RealPlayer, and WimAmp and how to download them if you need to.

That’s all you do! When you want to listen in, you just click the icon on your desktop. Sometimes the calls are unavailable for whatever reason, but most of the time they come in loud and clear.

But, what are they saying??  Sometimes it takes a while for your ear to tune into the different codes.  Here’s a cheat sheet I use to help me remember the different codes:

Kern County 10 Codes

Have fun listening. You never know what you will hear!

Kern County Sheriff’s Office – Live Dispatch Calls is a post from: Renee Benzaim, Writer

Thank You!

I would like to thank everyone who took advantage of my free offer to download a copy of CAUSE OF DEATH from SmashWords at no cost. The response was overwhelming!

I received so many encouraging comments about the book. I am  gratified that so many people enjoyed my first story about Detective Annie Avants of the Kern County Sheriff’s Office.

The second book in the Series, DAMAGE CONTROL, is in the works and scheduled for publication on Amazon and Smashwords by August 30th – “God willing and the creek don’t rise” – as Annie would say.  It will then be followed up by publication as a paperback, hopefully, by September 15th.

Here’s a little blurb about DAMAGE CONTROL:

DECEPTION • POWER PLAYS • MURDER

Detectives Annie Avants and Tom Weston tackle one of the most perplexing cases since they began working together.
A local, well-respected attorney has gone missing.
There is not much evidence to go on. His car was found an hours drive out of town. There was blood on the passenger seat.
No body.
His staff is in a quandary. He had a new trial scheduled to begin the next morning. Everything was ready. He was prepared.
And then, he just disappeared.
A mysterious package left in the restroom of the County Courthouse leads our detectives to believe that the attorney is dead.
But, what happened to him? And, where is his body?
Will our detectives find the answers before a media frenzy erupts in the Kern County/Bakersfield area? Will the FBI be called in to help
And now. . . another person has gone missing!

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Originally, I wrote a post about another book in the Annie Avants Series called SOUTHERN SECRETS. It was going to be the second in the series but, after a lot of thought, I decided to write DAMAGE CONTROL first. SOUTHERN SECRETS is still in the works, and I have actually done a lot of writing on the book. So, if you were looking forward to reading SOUTHERN SECRETS, don’t despair. It will be published soon.

Again, thank you to everyone who has read, or is reading, CAUSE OF DEATH. I look forward to sharing many more adventures of Detective Annie Avants with you.

Fondly,
Renee

Thank You! is a post from: Renee Benzaim, Writer

FREE Copy of CAUSE OF DEATH!

I’m delighted to annouce a special limited-time offer for you to download a FREE copy of CAUSE OF DEATH from SmashWords. Here’s the link and the Coupon Code you need to enter:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/311419

CPN Code BK65Z

All you have to do is enter the coupon code at checkout and there will be no charge.

The nice thing about SmashWords is that you have several choices on the format you download. Just scroll down the book page and you will see how convenient this is.

This offer is valid from today, 4 June 2013 through Sunday, 9 June 2013…so, DON’T DELAY.

FREE Copy of CAUSE OF DEATH! is a post from: Renee Benzaim, Writer

CAUSE OF DEATH Now Available in Paperback!

I am so happy to let you know that you can now buy CAUSE OF DEATH in paperback from the CreateSpace website. Here’s the direct link to the book:

https://www.createspace.com/4226395

Of course, you can still buy the Kindle Edition at:  http://www.amazon.com/Cause-of-Death-ebook/dp/B00CIXEU4O

And at SmashWords, you can buy the book in formats for many different eReaders at this link:   https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/311419

Thank you for all your support! I appreciate all the interest everyone has shown in this first Annie Avants book.

Book 2, SOUTHERN SECRETS, will be released before the end of the year.

Let me know what you think about CAUSE OF DEATH!  I’m always happy to hear from you. . .

Renee

CAUSE OF DEATH Now Available in Paperback! is a post from: Renee Benzaim, Writer

BOOK LAUNCH: the first novel about Det. Annie Avants – CAUSE OF DEATH – by Renee Benzaim

Cause of Death

A Serial Killer. Black Widow Spiders. A race to catch him before he strikes again.

Imagine if J.A. Konrath and Janet Evanovich sat down to write about the ultimate woman sleuth fighting against time to catch a serial killer stalking Bakersfield, California before he abducts his next victim, featuring Robbery/Homicide Detective Annie Avants and her partner, Detective Tom Weston.

That’s the thrilling journey CAUSE OF DEATH will take you on as these two detectives with the Kern County Sheriff’s Office struggle to solve brutal killings with virtually no clues left on the bodies or at the crime scenes.

In this dusty farm community, someone is abducting, torturing, and killing young Hispanic females. His weapon of choice: big, fat, juicy Black Widow Spiders.

Can these two dedicated detectives catch him with the help of their peers – Deputy District Attorney Jesse Greyeyes and Chief of Technical Investigatins Laine Del Monte?

CAUSE OF DEATH is a spine-chilling thriller that will keep you guessing right up to the last minute – and make you wonder about the “normal” people in your daily life.

***

Currently available on Amazon at all their sites for the Kindle.  It will be available for other eReaders within the week.  The paperback version will be available through Amazon by the end of March, 2013.

BOOK LAUNCH: the first novel about Det. Annie Avants – CAUSE OF DEATH – by Renee Benzaim is a post from: Renee Benzaim, Writer

Annie Avants, Female Detective

Dear Readers,

Welcome to my blog dedicated to the lovely Annie Avants. female detective. Annie works for the Kern County Sheriff’s Office in Bakersfield, California and is a member of the Robbery/Homicide Unit.

Originally from Arkansas, she escaped to California so she could pursue her life-long dream of a career in law enforcement.

Her parents want her to settle down in Arkansas and give them grand-babies.

Her “admirer” wants a traditional life even though he, also, is in law enforcement and knows the drill.

These are her personal demons.

However, there are bigger problems looming on the horizon that demand her attention. Someone has been abducting and killing young Hispanic women and she is the lead investigator tasked with finding the killer.

She works hard on this case along with her partner, veteran Detective Thomas Weston, Deputy District Attorney Jesse Greyeyes, and Chief Technical Investigator (CSI) Laine DelMonte.

Will they be able to stop the killer before another woman falls victim?

This is the story in the first book of the Annie Avants, Female Detective, series entitled “Cause of Death” and it will be published by the end of April.

CAUSE OF DEATHIn the meantime, I will post the background stories on Annie and her friends and co-workers so you can get to know them a little better.

Would you like to know when new posts are available? Yes? Then, please subscribe to my blog by filling out the form in the sidebar.

I look forward to sharing my people, and their stories, with you.

Renee

Annie Avants, Female Detective is a post from: Renee Benzaim, Writer