Dear Clients, Former Clients and Friends:

 

Welcome to the new monthly E Newsletter of the Law Offices of John P. Burns.  Some of you know me from my current practice in San Juan Capistrano and some of you know me from my former thirty year practice in Laguna Niguel.  I have kept the E mail addresses of as many of you as I could and I am happy to be able to finally keep in touch with you all on a monthly basis. I hope that you find this new monthly newsletter informative, useful and fun.  If you have any questions, comments or suggestions I hope you will feel free to
E-mail me or contact me through one of my social media buttons below.
 
Best Regards,  
John P. Burns  
[email protected] 
www.theorangecountyaccidentlawyer.com   
949-496-7000
The Importance of Seeking Immediate Post-Accident Medical Attention


A car accident can be devastating to the human body.  Unfortunately, many people do not seek medical attention unless they are bleeding, have broken bones, or cannot move.  An experienced Orange County car accident attorney will inform you that there are two reasons accident victims should seek medical attention right away regardless of whether there are obvious or extreme injuries.  First, neglecting to have a medical professional conduct a post-accident examination can put a driver's health at risk. Second, failure to have a prompt examination can reduce the value of an insurance claim.

Why risk it?


Lack of pain following a car accident does not guarantee that a person is injury free.  Accident victims often believe that no pain or just a little pain means that they do not need to be seen by a medical professional.  However, accident victims are not experts and cannot be certain whether they have an injury as a result of the crash.  Only a trained medical professional knows the types of injuries that can be sustained as a result of a car accident, including injuries that do not result in immediate pain.  Failure to seek immediate medical attention puts the injured person's health at risk because a delay in treatment could make the condition worse.

Maximizing the value of an insurance claim.

Most insurance companies use software programs rather than adjusters to determine how much should be paid to an accident victim.  An insurance company employee inputs data into the software program, then the program determines the value of the claim.  As a former Allstate claims manager recently revealed in the January 20, 2013 edition of the Chicago Tribune, many times this software is used by an insurance company to minimize how much money is paid out.  

Given an insurance company's attempt to use the software to minimize a claim, accident victims should do everything they can to feed data into the software program that will increase the value of the claim.  One of the first pieces of data entered into the computer is whether an accident victim was seen by a medical professional within 72 hours of the accident.  While there are more significant factors, seeking prompt medical attention is data that can positively affect the value of a claim.

There are a few different ways that accident victims can ensure they are evaluated by a medical professional within 72 hours.  Being seen by a family doctor is a sensible option, but sometimes they are too busy to see a patient right away.  In such cases, people can visit a walk-in clinic or emergency room to be seen in a more timely fashion.  A licensed chiropractor can also conduct a health history and examination that meets the insurance company's 72-hour requirement.  In all cases, the patient history and examination must be recorded in writing.

Following a car accident, hiring an experienced Orange County car accident attorney allows you to focus on recovering emotionally and physically. At the Law Offices of John P. Burns, we make sure you receive all the benefits you deserve without having to deal with all the details. It's free to ask questions, so contact us directly at
949-496-7000 or email us at [email protected]. We'll be sure to get back to you within 24 hours.
The finest compliment we can ever receive
is a referral from our friends and clients
 

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What People Are Saying About The Law Offices of John P. Burns
"I was in a serious side-impact collision in Hemet, CA.  I suffered painful injuries and I didn't know how to navigate the complex insurance process. Attorney John P. Burns and his excellent staff did a fantastic job on my case.   Their hard work and professionalism enabled me to get an outstanding settlement for my injuries.  I couldn't be more pleased with the work that Mr. Burns did on my case.  I highly recommend attorney John P. Burns if you have been in a personal injury accident. "

 

Sharra Van Cleve,   

Hemet CA

Large Jury Verdict: Minor External Bumper Damage Can Still Cause Injury

When a car's rear bumper shows little damage from a rear-end accident, the driver of the car that was hit must fight an uphill battle to prove that he or she was injured from the impact.  It takes a skilled Orange County car accident attorney to win a major verdict under these circumstances.

 

Orange County attorney John Burns successfully proved to the jury that his client had been significantly injured in her "minor" rear-end accident.  The insurance company argued that Mr. Burns' client could not have been injured because her car required only $1,800.00 in repairs.  Mr. Burns proved, however, that the internal structure of the car showed signs of major damage, and an expert witness explained how this damage could have caused his client's neck pain.  The jury agreed that the lack of exterior damage to the bumper cover was not an accurate indicator of the magnitude of impact.

 

To show the severity of his client's neck injury, Burns introduced photos of his client's post-accident MRI and pain management treatments.  This effective use of images convinced the jury that a large compensation verdict was appropriate.  They rejected the insurance company's claim that Mr. Burn's client was not significantly injured, and awarded her $170,000.00.

About Orange County Accident Attorney John P. Burns

Personal Injury Attorney Helping Injured Victims for More than 30 Years

John P. Burns

John Burns has been an Orange County car accident and personal injury attorney since 1981. He has successfully represented hundreds of people injured in car accidents, train wrecks, airplane crashes, dog bites, by defective products and in other personal injury cases.

 

John has served as a temporary judge for the Orange County Superior Court. He is also a graduate of the Pepperdine Law School Civil Litigation mediator training program. In the year 2000, he was elected President of the Orange County Trial Lawyers Association.  


 

Military trained and detail-oriented attorney

During his college summers, John attended Marine Corps officer training in Quantico, Virginia.  On graduation from college, John was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Marines.  He was selected for flight training and was sent to the Marine Corps flight training in Pensacola, Florida. John successfully completed his flight training and received his aviator wings.  He served in the Marines for approximately four years and was honorably discharged at the end of his enlistment.

 

After leaving the Marine Corps, John was hired by Trans World Airlines as a pilot.  While in training he qualified on multiple types of airliners including the Boeing 707, Boeing 727 and Lockheed L1011 aircraft. John flew out of TWA's New York and Los Angeles bases.  While based in Los Angeles, John attended law school at Western States University School of Law in Fullerton, California.  In 1981 John was admitted to the California Bar. Shortly thereafter he took early retirement from TWA and began practicing law full time.

 

A family man who works diligently to protect you and your family

In his spare time John spends time with his wife Donna.  John and Donna have been married since 1974. For vacations John and Donna enjoy going to Hawaii where John enjoys body surfing and lying under his favorite palm tree.

 

John and Donna also enjoy time with their daughter Heather Hazlett and her husband Todd Hazlett. Heather is one of John's paralegals and lives in San Juan Capistrano with her husband. Todd has served a tour of duty in Iraq and was honorably discharged after spending 10 years in the U.S. Army. Todd is attending college in Mission Viejo, California and hopes to become a special education teacher.

 

 

When possible, John and Donna also enjoy time with their son Sean Burns and his wife, their daughter in law, Natalie.  Sean met and married his wife Natalie while they were both working for the New Zealand government in Wellington, New Zealand.  Sean and Natalie have now moved to Natalie's home town of Winnipeg, Canada.  Sean and Natalie have a daughter named Hannah-Lei Burns, who holds American, New Zealand and Canadian passports.

The information you obtain in this newsletter is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation. We invite you to contact us and welcome your calls, letters and electronic mail. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please do not send any confidential information to us until such time as an attorney-client relationship has been established.