Should You Sue After An Injury

I can think of a few times over the past couple of decades where I have been injured due to someone else’s negligence but, ultimately, decided I should just “deal with it” and move on. After a few of these injuries on top of a few bone and joint issues, I already had, I ended up being permanently disabled after all. I’m not sure what a lawsuit would have done in all of my cases or even one of my cases. But, I do wish I would have thought things through a little better. At least in a couple of cases.

I used to think it would be rude or maybe I just didn’t necessarily have to “go after” anyone for injuries that I otherwise would not have had had it not been for an unlicensed driver or a job that didn’t care about countless employees with similar injuries or the surgeon who failed miserably and ended up making matters far worse than what they were, to begin with. I figured I would be OK and would just eventually get better. It turns out, I was wrong and I could have possibly won a personal injury lawsuit and maybe at the least, had medical bills paid or my missed income paid for. So, what constitutes a legitimate personal injury lawsuit? If you would have asked me years ago, I would have said, “Oh, I imagine a case such as being run over by a truck and having your legs amputated.” Or “Having surgery and the surgeons do the wrong surgery that was actually meant for the patient in the room next to you.” If you would ask me now, I would say that you should seek legal help immediately after any injury, period. Why? Because, like in my case (cases), you may not have any idea how bad that injury could possibly be. Now, I would seek legal help right away, just in case I will need it.

You’re Injured, Now What?

Seek medical attention, of course! That’s a given! But, while the injury and the steps that led to that injury are still fresh in your mind, you should take the time to write everything down for your own records. Include any evidence you may have whether photos or witness names. The more information, the better. Continue to keep that notebook with you at all times so you can write down and record any phone calls, conversations, medical records, keep track of lost wages, anything that may help you when you confront the person, the insurance company, whoever is responsible for your injury.

Depending on the type of injury or accident, you may be unsure of exactly who is responsible for your injury. Naturally, auto insurance will be responsible for auto accidents, property insurance for an injury that happened on someone’s property, and so on. As soon as you determine who will be responsible, it’s probably best to go ahead and contact that person to let them know you have been injured. Depending on your state, or the state this happened in, you may only have a year from the date of the injury to file a claim so you should do this fairly quickly. Remember to log all of the conversations, letters, calls, jot down anyone and everyone you spoke with and dates and times. This will be extremely important whether you have an attorney at this point in time or not.

Contact a personal injury lawyer to help no matter how small you think your injury may be. They will be able to help you make decisions whether it will be in your best interest to seek legal action or possibly settle out of court. KFB law has an online chat set up as well as a number for you to call anytime so you can put your mind at ease!

Why Should I Consider A Personal Injury Lawsuit?

You may assume that your injury just isn’t so bad or that you should recover in no time and be able to manage on your own. As I mentioned earlier, I felt the same way in every incident I was involved with. Now, I am still fighting for disability, (I am currently on my 5th appeal.) and I have monthly doctor visits and medication even when I don’t end up with a new injury or issue. I wish I had thought ahead rather than assuming I’d be OK.

Consider the future and what type of injury you have. Did you end up with nerve damage? Did you break bones? Will this injury end up causing more pain and more medical problems in the future? Will you end up with arthritis or require surgery? There are so many things to consider! Has your quality of life been affected? Will it be affected by all of the medications, ongoing procedures, surgeries, and doctor’s office visits? How much will your co-pays be? How much income did you already miss? Will you be able to perform at your current job or will you need to be trained in another field or even worse, will you be able to work at all?

One of the most important things that a life-changing injury can affect quite severely, is your family. There really isn’t a way to put a price on something like this. But if you require things such as scooters, wheelchairs, braces, a medication that will help you get through your day, whatever you may need to be able to live your life to the fullest, you may want to consider discussing this with an attorney.

While I can still drive and take my kids to their after-school activities, games, lessons, whatever they are involved with at the time, I am out for several days afterward. The lack of mobility, pain, and swelling are enough to knock me out, almost literally! But, you have to do your best to live a “normal” life and give your children, grandchildren, spouse, your family, a “normal” life. Over the years, I have found so many ways to entertain and spend quality time with my children that don’t necessarily require me to leave the house and run around the block or walk to the park. I miss those things but, I do what I can. I lucked out in a sense considering I can still somewhat get around on a “good” day. But, often times, not everyone is as lucky. These are the things you need to focus on when trying to decide if a personal injury lawsuit is really worth it.

Don't Ignore Personal Injury

Years ago I started having ankle and foot issues. They started as just basic sprains and breaks but over the years, this led to a whole new list of problems. After a couple more injuries due to my field of work, (bartending) and complete negligence in a couple of cases over the years, I ended up needing reconstructive foot and ankle surgeries. While I’m not sure whether there was much else I could have done that would have stopped everything from progressing or not, it is imperative that you not only seek medical advice, immediately after a personal injury of any kind but also seek help from a professional. Otherwise, you may end up where I am. Which is not necessarily a very fun place to be! 



From red, hot, burning welts to severe swelling to several pain layers to torn tendons, I deal with a great deal of symptoms and only seem to get progressively worse. On top of that, my surgeries were scheduled and only one was ever completed because that first one was a failure.

I was diagnosed with RSD (CRPS) shortly after my surgery. RSD is a progressive disease of the Autonomic Nervous System and more specifically, the Sympathetic Nervous System. Besides being extremely painful, this also ends up causing things such irreversible tissue, muscle, bone, and joint damage. This is just one of many problems you could end up with and this can stem from a very small injury as well.

Of course, I am more prone to breaks and sprains and they do happen often! Tendonitis is another disorder I struggle with that only started to be a problem after spending years wearing walking casts and working as many shifts as I could. (Even with an injury.)

I was always worried about losing my job if I would have attempted to apply for workers compensation or contact Tampa injury attorneys. I wish I had known then what this could turn into and I wish I would have known what options I had. Especially for my family. It is very hard to try to move each day and depending on the swelling, the weather, and what the activity is. I find myself rescheduling more often than anything and it definitely puts a strain on my husband and children. There are so many things I can’t do anymore and so many that it takes so much longer to do and most of the time, we just have to wait until the day of or at least the day before to even see if whatever it is will be possible or not.

If you are unsure about whether or not your personal injury is going to turn into a settlement of any kind, you could always call someone like personal injury lawyers Tampa. It’s best to check with a professional before ignoring something this important and before you end up hurting yourself even more in the long run.

Be sure to keep a record of any symptoms, injuries, medications, medical records, letters from a doctor, witness information, cause of personal injury, your attorney’s contact information, any friends, relatives or co-workers who can speak on your behalf, and anything else you might think is important to your case. Maintaining proper records and having good communication with everybody involved is an excellent way to make sure you have everything covered.

You can also find some more information about personal injury claims, here. There could be time limits in your state so, it is very important to check on things like this before you end up waiting to long! You don’t want to end up being completely immobile or having more diseases, injuries, or disorders piled on because you didn’t take care of things properly the first time around. If there is a chance for you to get the proper care right away and have these things resolved before ruining your credit, take it! You owe it to yourself and your family. Your health should always be top priority!

What Can Your Small Business Deduct

When my husband and I started our trucking business years ago, we were quite a bit younger and didn't really have all of the information I wish we would have when it came to what we could deduct for business expenses. For instance, we didn't realize that we were able to deduct things such as mileage on our personal vehicle when used for business. We started going to HR Block the following year and learned about more business expenses we could deduct and after lots of research, receipts, talking with others who were in business much longer than we were, I compiled a list of what is allowed. (I also learned to keep every receipt just in case you ever run into a situation where you may need to prove your expenses!)

Popular Business Expenses

No matter what type of small business you own, there are a lot of similar business expenses. (Blogging and freelance work fit here too!) If you run to Staples or Office Max for office supplies, keep those receipts! Anything you are buying for your business is, of course, deductible. This includes items such as; paper clips, staples, notebooks, pens, pen holders, envelopes, and printer ink. Be sure to keep track of your mileage on your vehicle too! Be sure to pick up a ledger, some legal pads so you can keep track of dates, beginning and ending miles and destination. This will not only help you during tax season, it also makes this deduction legal and acceptable if the IRS would ever happen to ask for your records. 

If you have employees or if you pay independent contractors you can also deduct their payments. 

If you rent a business property, this is also deductible. However, if you are working from your home, there are some strict guidelines to follow if you would like to deduct a home office deduction.  Most importantly, it is a good idea to document and have evidence, just in case you need it later on. Taking a picture of your home office would suffice if the IRS asked for proof. 

When it comes to a home office, you can not just deduct your kitchen because you sit there and do some work. It must be a space that you use exclusively and regularly for your business. For instance, I have been using my kitchen table as a home office for everything since we are remodeling and my new office isn't done yet. I cannot take this deduction because we also use this space for many other things. You can read more about what forms you need to file appropriately and if you qualify for the home office deduction here. 

If you are paying insurance for your business, this is also deductible. Health insurance is not allowed. At least not on a Schedule C. We pay for 3 different types of insurance for 3 separate trucks so, we do take this deduction each year. 

Licenses, regulatory fees, registrations, tags, anything that is required for you to run your business is also tax deductible. 

If you pay advertising fees or commissions, these would also be fully deductible. 

We pay a lot out each year for repairs for the trucks. We paid for one motor overhaul for one of our trucks this year which is a ridiculous amount of money! I can choose to either take the full amount from our 2017 taxes or I might depreciate this over a few years. All repairs, maintenance, services, are all fully deductible. 

You may also include legal fees, accounting fees, even half of your business lunch tabs are dedcutible. (Within reason, I'm sure!)

Since we have a small trucking company, we also deduct fuel, tolls, trailer rental, (any equipment rentals needed for your business are tax deductible!) various taxes and fees required such as Heavy Highway Use Tax and IFTA. Rather than deducting entertainment since we really don't have entertainment expenses with clients, truck drivers are allowd to deduct a certain amount and then take a percentage of this amount for each night they are out on the road. (Per diem.) Certain deductions do depend on the type of business you have.

Other forgotten deductions include; interest on loans obtained for your business, business credit card fees, bank fees and ATM fees, accounting fees, money paid to file your taxes, post office fees such as stamps, shipping expenses, and packing material, (only if used for your business of course!), business related travel, cleaning supplies, work boots, uniforms, address labels, cell phones and chargers, laptops, cdesktops, printers, basically anything you buy for your business. Just be sure to keep records, receipts, and document everything. This helps to make tax time a breeze for you!

Not So Legal Deductions 

There are some business expenses that aren't necessarily legal to take. Most are obvious. But, there are a couple that might be a little hard to miss. 

Cell phone bills are tax deductible. But, only the business part. You would actually need to keep a record of business and personal calls. You can deduct things that you use for personal and business but you always have to record accurately. This applies to the personal and business use of a personal vehicle as well. Keep a monthly spreadsheet and notate everything if you want to take these deductions. 

Home phones and WiFi are also necessary for most businesses. But, when you are working from home you are probably going to end up having to split these as well. If any of your Internet services are used for personal use, you need to determine how much. Maybe half and half or maybe 75/25. Home phones/landline phones are not deductible unless you have a second line. Then the second line would be 100% deductible. 

Mileage on a personal vehicle is fine as long as you keep records. You might drive to the airport, a trade show, deliver to customers, or drive to pick up supplies, or when one of your trucks breaks down. Some people think this means they can also deduct the mileage it takes for them to drive to and from their place of business and well, this is actually illegal. 

You may not deduct your previous year's tax bill that you paid into the Federal Government. (Or any other year.) You also may not deduct fines, (including speeding tickets or any other traffic violations.)  penalties, bribes, or money you may have paid a hitman or any other illegal activity. 

As much as you may wish you could deduct outrageously expensive gifts for business gifts. It was very gracious of you to give your employees and business associates those $7000 watches for Christmas but, you're not really allowed to deduct anything more than $25 per gift. 

If you end up receiving a letter from the IRS, you may want to contact an attorney. Not that it has to be scary. You never know! They could end up owing you money. (Wouldn't that be nice for once!) Really, having an attorney on hand that you can call for advice such as tax advice, investments, and contracts is a very wise idea. You want to be sure you're protected and have someone you can trust, like personal injury attorney Tampa, when it comes to owning a business and protecting your family. Even from things that you may not plan for like accidents and injuries.