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Our Services

Personal Injury Law

What is a personal injury?

A personal injury is a physical injury, mental injury, or both, that occurs as the result of an accident, a harmful act, or someone's negligence. There are many ways in which you may have suffered a personal injury. These include, but are not limited to:

  • Car Accidents
  • Construction Accidents
  • Dog Bites
  • Home Accidents
  • Products Liability
  • Malpractice
  • Slip and Fall
  • Wrongful Death

At the Law Offices of Colyn B. Desatnik, we understand how your injuries and pain can leave you feeling vulnerable and powerless. We will safeguard your rights and make your case our priority. We bring over 30 years of legal experience to the investigation of your case, filing of your claim and full legal recovery of your: medical expenses; lost income; loss of future income; loss of working capacity; and full compensation for your pain and suffering.


What is Premises Liability?

A person in charge of land, by virtue of ownership or legal control, has a duty to keep their premises safe for all occupants and guests, or to warn of any dangers/hazards on their premises. If you are injured as a result of an unsafe condition on a premises, you may be entitled to compensation.

Typically, in order to be held "liable" or responsible, for an accident or injury that occurred on their premises, the person in charge must have failed to:

  1. make their premises safe after discovering a potentially dangerous hazard
  2. notice a potentially dangerous hazard that they would be expected to have discovered in accordance with normal standards of care.
  3. provide sufficient warning to occupants and guests of the premises about a hazard
  4. take the necessary actions to repair, correct, or lessen the affects of an unreasonably dangerous hazard.

If you have been harmed due to the negligence of the owner of a premises, you deserve to be appropriately compensated.

This is the time when you need a lawyer most. With the law increasingly favoring the premises owner, only a qualified attorney can help untangle the web of laws surrounding premises liability cases to ensure that you receive appropriate compensation.

Often times the insurance company of the owner of the premises will try to convince that you have no claim or that you would have trouble pursuing compensation- thus pressuring you to accept an offer insufficient to meet your needs. The insurance companies have teams of attorneys at their disposal that specialize in premises liability cases. These companies profit from giving you as little compensation as possible.

According to the Insurance Research Council's own research, claimants hurt in an accident who just talked to a lawyer to find out their rights, received an average of almost 40% more money than claimants who did not talk to a lawyer. Claimants that hired a lawyer received an average of 3 1/2 times more money, before deduction of legal fees and expenses, than those who did not hire a lawyer.

What is wrongful death?

A wrongful death occurs when a life is brought to a premature end due to the negligent, reckless, or illegal actions of another. The family and loved ones left behind by the deceased must bear the emotional, financial, and sometimes physical burden associated with the loss.

Do I have a personal injury claim?

If you have suffered a personal injury (see What is a personal injury), and you can show that someone else is responsible (at fault) for causing you this injury, then you may have a personal injury claim.

To have a personal injury case, you must be able to show that you have been injured. This may be a physical injury or it may be an emotional injury. In addition, you must be able to show that someone else (the defendant) is at fault for your injury under a negligence, strict liability or intentional misconduct theory.

As a personal injury victim, you are entitled to compensation for damages you have incurred as a result of another party's negligence. You can recover money for medical expenses, lost wages, property damage, and out of pocket expenses. Additionally, you are entitled to compensation for psychological harm including pain and suffering, loss of comfort and society, emotional trauma, scarring and disfigurement, embarrassment, etc.

Do I need a personal injury attorney?

If you have been injured as a result of someone else's negligence, you may have been contacted by that party's insurance company to settle your dispute. While it is possible for you to negotiate your claim on your own, a personal injury attorney has the knowledge and expertise to deal with insurance companies and maximize your claim. In complex cases, a personal injury attorney knows how to lead you through the ins-and-outs of navigating the legal system. It has been consistently shown that a personal injury attorney greatly increases the amount of compensation you receive from your claim

How do I pay for a personal injury attorney?

The Law Offices of Colyn B. Desatnik takes all cases on a contingency basis. For cases taken on a contingency basis, the attorney receives a percentage of the amount recovered. This means that you don't pay a dime if you don't receive compensation for your claim.

When should I file my claim?

If you believe that you have a personal injury claim, you should not hesitate to contact an attorney immediately. Every state permits you a certain amount of time in which to file your claim. This timeframe, referred to as the Statute of Limitations, varies from state to state. The Statute of limitations can range from about 6 months to 2 years. If you fail to file your claim within the appropriate timeframe, you may be unable to file your claim in the future.

How long does it take to get compensation?

At the Law Office of Colyn B. Desatnik, we understand how your injuries and pain can leave you feeling vulnerable and powerless. That is why we strive to make every case a priority and give you personal attention. The time it takes to resolve your claim and get you compensation varies from case to case, but usually takes anywhere from 4 months to 2 years.