FAQ

Never! Raipher, P.C. never charges for client consultations. All client consultations to discuss a potential claim are absolutely free. If you feel you have a potential claim, please call our office at 413-746- 4400 to set up your free consultation and case evaluation.

Absolutely. In fact, most clients want to avoid going to court. We do our very best to come to a reasonable settlement before filing a lawsuit.

A phone call to our office will direct you to the person who can best answer your question. Remember, no questions as to your rights, duties or obligations should go unanswered because you did not know which lawyer to call. At Raipher, P.C. we handle real estate transactions, divorce or other family law matters, business litigation, criminal defense, among many other areas of law.   Fees for these different matters will be charged in accordance with our regular practice and fee schedule.

We always consult with you initially free of charge to find out if you have a case, if we’re able to help and if we’re a good fit for you. Whether we do this over the phone, in our offices or at another location, the initial consultation is always free of charge.

1) Get treatment if needed. If you are in pain, go to a medical doctor, chiropractor, urgent care or ER as soon as possible. Your health is extremely important. Be proactive about getting a proper diagnosis and obtaining medical treatment for your injuries. Do not delay!
2) Next, you should open a claim with your auto insurance carrier and the other driver’s insurance carrier. If the other driver’s insurance company calls, which they will, wanting a statement—do not give them one. You are not obligated to give them a statement. If you have been injured, first seek the representation of an attorney before providing a statement to the other person’s insurance company.
3) Finally, call Raipher, P.C. for a free, no-risk case consultation

It is important to remember that your interests and the interests of the insurance company are not the same. While it is illegal for a non-attorney, such as an insurance adjuster, to provide legal advice, they often do, and it usually is not very sound. You should always seek an opinion from a personal injury lawyer to get an unbiased legal opinion regarding your case and your rights.*
Always get legal advice from a lawyer – not from the insurance company.

*The Insurance Research Council (IRC), an organization supported by property and casualty insurance companies, performed a study that compared the settlements paid to injured persons who hired lawyers with the settlements received by people who handled cases themselves. The IRC study showed that, on average, people who hired a lawyer received three and a half times more money in settlements than those who didn’t hire a lawyer.

The timeframe that you have to file a lawsuit is referred to as the statute of limitations. If you fail to file a lawsuit before the statute of limitations expires, your case will be forever barred. For example, in most personal injury actions in Massachusetts, such as auto accidents, you have three (3) years from the date of your injury to file a lawsuit against the responsible parties.

Therefore, due to the time-sensitive nature of personal injury claims, you should immediately contact an attorney regarding your injury.

Always. First of all, there is no need to pay the accident lawyer before they win. Second, a personal injury lawyer is a specialist in gathering evidence and presenting it to the insurance and court to prove to them that you deserve a larger settlement. Third, a lawyer will also help you alleviate stress and complexity of dealing with a large insurance company. Finally, hiring an accident lawyer will ensure that your case is taken seriously by insurance companies, your case is settled earlier, and you get the most money for your injuries and losses.

We only work on a contingency fee, meaning that if we do not win, we do not get paid. Injury victims cannot afford to pay an attorney by the hour. Our contingency fee is in line with other top-quality lawyers who handle serious personal injury matters

This will depend largely on the type of case and the damages sustained. Our clients have suffered an injury and require medical treatment. Thus, past and future medical treatment is recoverable. As are all past and future lost wages. Also recoverable are ‘general damages’, which include pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, emotional distress, and inconvenience associated with the injury. In some cases, our clients are entitled to ‘punitive damages’, these are damages which are intended to punish the wrongdoer, when that wrongdoer’s actions were intentional or reckless. In auto collision cases, our clients are also entitled to recover the damage to their vehicle, as well as the ‘loss of use’ of that vehicle for the time the client was without the use of the vehicle because it was damaged.

The attorneys at Raipher, P.C. handle small, medium, large, and very large damage cases. Our injury cases range from soft tissue injury auto accident cases to catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases. We are equipped to handle and all personal injury cases resulting from negligence.

We are happy to review any case free of charge. At Raipher, P.C. we provide free, no risk case consultations to injured persons and their families.

You should bring all documents in your possession related to your injury. For example, with respect to auto accidents, you should bring a copy of the police or incident report, a copy of your automobile insurance declaration page, photographs of your automobile, photographs of your injuries, copies of medical records for treatment related to the accident, correspondence from the insurance companies, estimates and repair records and receipts for your automobile, receipts for towing and car rental, and any wage loss information. During your meeting, we will make photocopies of all of your documents so that you can retain a copy for your records. We will also provide you with checklists for any other information that we may need from you.

Negligence is the failure to use reasonable care to prevent harm to others. A person is negligent if he or she does something that a reasonably careful person would not do in the same situation or fails to do something that a reasonably careful person would do in the same situation. We have represented thousands of individuals who have been injured by the negligence of others in automobile accidents, slip/fall accidents, accidents that occur on someone’s property, defective products, and medical malpractice. If you have been injured by another’s negligence, contact our office for a free, no-risk consultation.

Yes; when defective products or dangerous animals cause harm, persons or companies may be held “strictly liable” even if they have not acted negligently or with wrongful intent. Under strict liability, a person injured by a defective or unexpectedly dangerous product, for instance, may recover compensation from the maker or seller of the product without showing that the manufacturer or seller was actually negligent. The theory behind imposing strict liability on those conducting such activities is that these activities pose an undue risk of harm to the public.

The people who create certain risks are held accountable for the harm they cause. The attorneys at Raipher, P.C. deal with strict liability claims on a regular basis and can help you recover compensation for any injuries caused by defective products, dangerous animals or any other situation where strict liability applies.