Articles by Scott Segal

How Will My Oil Rig Accident Case Begin?

Oil rig accidents cause some of the most severe injuries we see at The Segal Law Firm. If you or a family member has fallen victim to one of these accidents, we encourage you to call us and ask us how we handle cases like yours. The First Meeting A case like this usually begins with a meeting between you, your family, and one of us from The Segal Law Firm, typically me. Unfortunately, because of the nature of these accidents, many of these first meetings begin in burn centers. We welcome clients to come to our office to meet us and see where their case will be handled, but we are more than willing to meet you or a family member whenever it’s convenient. Contingency Contract If you decide that I am the right lawyer for your case, we’ll write up a contingency fee contract. It’s a document that we both sign that guarantees you will only pay us attorney’s fees if we win you money. It’s really important that you get all of your agreements in writing from the very beginning. Filing an Oil Rig Case After the federal or state authorities investigate the case, […]

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How I Begin My Mesothelioma Case?

West Virginia handles mesothelioma cases faster than almost any other state in the country. An experienced law firm like The Segal Law Firm can get your case to trial in one to two years, which is extremely fast four a case of its kind. It all starts with a phone call to our firm. What You Need to Know Basically, you just need to be sure that your doctor has diagnosed you with mesothelioma. It helps if you have the pathology report, which is a piece of paper that proves that you indeed have this debilitating disease. However, if you don’t have it, we know exactly what we need to do to get it. At The Segal Law Firm we collect work records, medical records, pathology reports and even a sample of the actual lung tissue, which is preserved in a wax block by the physicians. We are very experienced in handling all of that for a victim of mesothelioma. Getting to Know Each Other We’ll spend our first meeting just getting to know each other. You’ll want to be sure to ask all of your questions to find out what kind of experience we have with

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How Will My Coal Mining Accident Case Begin?

The first thing you should do if you’ve been hurt in a coalmine is to make a call to an experienced law firm, like The Segal Law Firm. We want to have a meeting with you and your family to talk about the accident, investigate the case, decide where to file your suit, and get you and your family the protection you deserve. Give Us a Call We know that this is an overwhelming time in your life. You might not be able to come to our office to meet us. We are willing to come to your home or wherever is convenient for you. We can discuss what happened and what information is available to us. That’s the best time for you and your family to ask all the questions you have about how we at The Segal Law Firm will handle your case. The Investigation The investigation can take a while because the state and federal investigators need to do a thorough job. An injured coal miner is entitled to all preliminary investigation reports and we at The Segal Law Firm know how to make sure you get them. We work closely with the family to

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How Does a Tractor-Trailer Case Begin?

At The Segal Law Firm, we know exactly how to handle your tractor-trailer case because we’ve been doing them for over thirty years. It all starts with a meeting here at the office so that we can explain what your case will look like and how we’ll be able to protect you and your family. How to Prepare Give us a call here at the office to set up a time that we can meet and get to know each other, whether here in the office or over the phone. At the first meeting, it’s helpful if you have the accident report from the police and the dec card from your insurance company. Many people don’t realize that if the tractor-trailer’s insurance doesn’t offer enough money, your insurance may offer additional coverage. If you don’t have those two things, don’t worry about it. We are used to investigating these cases here at the firm and will collect accident reports, medical reports and things of that nature, if needed. Our First Meeting At the first meeting, I’ll explain your legal rights and what type of lawsuit you have on your hands. It’s really important that you ask me

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How Much Does it Cost to Find Out if I Have a Case?

Question: How much does it cost to find out if I have a case? Answer: The gas money to drive your car to The Segal Law Firm. And that’s assuming you don’t want me to come to you and visit at your house. That’s exactly what it will cost you to find out if we think you have a case. And if you aren’t physically able to meet in person, you can call me toll free. The advice I give you on the phone call is free and all the answers to all of your questions won’t cost you a penny. We investigate lawsuits for people all the time and we do it at our own expense. If it turns out that you do have a case and you decide to hire us, we will draft a written contingency fee contract, which means we only get paid if we win your case. If there was cost during the investigation of your case, then we will get those costs back at the end. Why sit around worrying and pulling out your hair? Call me or come by for a visit. We make great coffee here at The Segal

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Injured Out of State Workers

There are plenty of folks who come to West Virginia from out-of-state to work. Unfortunately, sometimes accidents happen on site that cause severe injury and even death. So what legal recourse do these workers have in our state? In addition to worker’s compensation rights, here in West Virginia we have what are called deliberate intent cases. If you can prove the company you were working for violated a safety regulation that they knew was putting you in danger, you can sometimes bring a lawsuit against them. It’s important you explore that option as an out of state worker before assuming you have no options here. You can also occasionally sue a third party that hurt you. For instance, you may be on the job, but get injured by someone who isn’t an employee of your company. Let’s say you’re working on a gas rig as a welder, and an equipment truck runs over you, but another service company employs them. Well, in West Virginia, you have a right to sue the third party service company that ran you over. My advice to out of state workers who are injured on the job is to always call us

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Tractor Trailer Cases: What Qualities Does My Lawyer Need?

Some of the most tragic accidents on our roads occur between passenger vehicles and tractor trailers. These accidents often end in life-altering injury or death. If you’re going to go up against a big trucking company, you’ve got to find a lawyer who has the experience with these cases. Not only that, they’ll need the finances to back the case, knowledge of the investigative process, and compassion for you and your family. Experience One of the most important qualities your lawyer can have is experience. Tractor trailers are regulated by the federal government. And these are strict regulations. You need a lawyer who understands them completely. The rules affect the time that the driver’s allowed to drive the truck, how the truck has to be maintained, how it should be loaded, and everything in between. Investigative Process You need a lawyer who understands how to investigate tractor trailer cases. Sometimes it’s as simple as an intoxicated driver. Other times, it’s much more complex. The driver may not have had the proper training or the company may not have completed the background check required by law. You want someone who knows what to expect and where to look for

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I’ve Been Hurt in a Coal Mine- What Qualities Does My Lawyer Need?

You need a bulldog of a lawyer to go up against a big coal company. These companies have money and they aren’t afraid to run your attorney around until the they reach the breaking point. You must look for a lawyer who has plenty of experience, knowledge of the industry, a deep compassion for you and your family, and, frankly, the financial wherewithal to win your case. Experience First among those qualities is experience. Does the law firm have the trial, deposition, and actual lawsuit experience to handle an injury of your magnitude? Not all lawyers have the same amount of experience; in fact, many lawyers have never been to trial. One of the things I pride myself on is the number of cases that I have tried over the years. I like it when people ask me about that experience and I’m happy to share the types of cases I’ve handled that are similar to yours. Knowledge of the Industry I think the second thing you want to look for is an attorney that has knowledge of the coal mining industry; the federal and state regulations and investigative process. Those are going to be integral in

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The Impact of Coal Truck Negligence

Coal truck negligence leads to some of the most tragic and deadly accidents that we see here at The Segal Law Firm. There are several types of negligence that could lead to these horrific wrecks and your attorney must have experience with each and every one of them. That’s what it will take to fight these big coal companies and get you the results you deserve. Driver Error Most commonly, we see a lot of drivers who were going too fast or hogging the road. They are in such a rush to get the load to the destination that they disregard speed limits or the condition of the road, and they end up causing an accident. Here in West Virginia, our roads are extremely narrow and these trucks are big, wide and heavy. When they crash into a car, it’s not going to be the rig that takes the beating. Maintenance Issues There are more sophisticated types of accidents that occur due to improper maintenance. I’m handling a case right now where a coal truck’s brakes completely failed and my client was rear ended while she was legally stopped at a red light. She’s now paralyzed. There are

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How is Mesothelioma Diagnosed and What Happens Next?

The diagnosis of mesothelioma is a very difficult one to process. We at The Segal Law Firm have been dealing with these types of cases for over two decades and understand how trying this time can be for the victim and his or her family. We’re here to give you some peace of mind after you’ve learned that you’re suffering from this debilitating disease. How Is Mesothelioma Diagnosed? Usually a doctor notices a problem with your lungs, either dealing with pain or breathing, and will send you to a surgeon for a biopsy. The surgeon will take a piece of the lining of the lung or gut and send it to a laboratory where doctors use stains and observe it under a microscope. They then fill out a pathology report with the diagnosis of mesothelioma. What Happens After the Diagnosis? We will send those pathology samples to one of the leading scientists in the world on the disease mesothelioma. The scientist that we use will bill us for his or her reports. The Segal Law Firm, not the victim, pays those bills in advance. At the end of the case, once we’re successful, we will recover those costs. There are

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