David vs. Goliath

Were you injured in a collision? Do you want to file a personal injury case to get the highest compensation possible? It all starts with what you do right after the accident. If you're not severely injured, you should exchange information with the other party involved in the accident, call the police to take a report and go straight to seek medical care. 

For medical care, you have two options: the emergency room or an urgent care clinic. Which should you choose? It depends on the severity of your injuries. You should seek urgent care when there's no threat to life or loss of body parts. You'll get the same treatment as an ER but faster. Sometimes even better for a lot less than the massive bill you'll accumulate at an ER before your case starts.

Learn more in this episode of the David vs. Goliath podcast with elite personal injury lawyer Matt Dolman and his guest, Dr. Fred Williams. They discuss what to do after an accident, how choosing the wrong place for medical attention can devalue your case, why you should follow the physician's orders, and the behavior or any conduct that will destroy a case.

• [00:49] Matt Dolman welcomes his guest, Dr. Fred Williams, and the topic of the day: protecting the value of your injury case
• [01:36] Where to seek treatment after an accident 
• [03:46] Why is going to the hospital's emergency room (ER) a bad idea when you don't have to?
• [04:07] How going to an ER may reduce the value of your case
• [07:14] Why going to an urgent care clinic after an accident is in your best interest 
• [09:02] Common mistakes that could ruin your injury case
• [12:03] How insurance carriers try to discredit your injury claim 
• [14:04] What you can and can't do when receiving ongoing treatment 
• [17:20] Put yourself in the best light 

Name Matthew A. Dolman, Esq.

Title: Partner at Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA

Specialty: Matt is a nationally recognized insurance and personal injury attorney and focuses much of his practice on the litigation of catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases throughout Florida. 

Connect: LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram 

Name Dr. Fred Williams

Title: Clinic Director at Kingdom Chiropractic

Specialty: Dr. Williams is a passionate and compassionate health care provider who empowers communities with the gift of improved health through chiropractic. He provides affordable state-of-the-art chiropractic care for people of all walks of life.

Connect:  LinkedIn 

• Urgent Care or ER?
• Independent Medical Examination

The insights and views presented in “David vs. Goliath” are for general information purposes only and should not be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. The information presented is not a substitute for consulting with an attorney. Nor does tuning in to this podcast constitute an attorney-client relationship of any kind. Any case result information provided on any portion of this podcast should not be understood as a promise of any particular result in a future case. Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers: Big firm results, small firm personal attention.

You can sustain different injuries in a car accident. One of the most common is whiplash. It's jarring and stretching the muscles and ligaments. Though a soft tissue injury, whiplash could be as painful and more symptomatic than a disc injury. Healing from whiplash is another kettle of fish. Insurance lawyers often try to downplay the long-term effect and suffering to minimize the value of the case. 

However, a lot can go wrong if you had a pre-existing injury before sustaining a whiplash from an accident. Chiropractors help to examine and determine the extent of this neck injury. From their diagnoses, they can provide the percentage of whole person Impairment, which is an impairment rating that explains how severely injured the individual is.

Learn more in this episode of the David vs. Goliath podcast with elite personal injury lawyer Matt Dolman and his guest, Dr. Fred Williams. They discuss the common accident injuries focusing on neck pain, whiplash, lower back injuries, upper body injuries, TMJs, headaches and causes, and more.

• [00:49] Matt Dolman welcomes his guest, Dr. Fred Williams, and the topic of the day: common car accident injuries
• [01:07] The first most common car accident injury is whiplash—what is it? 
• [01:42] How long does a whiplash take to heal, and why do insurance carriers downplay it?
• [02:57] If you have pre-existing injuries and get a whiplash injury from an accident, here’s what can go wrong and how a chiropractor can help
• [04:07] How chiropractors determine the Whole Person impairment rating and why it matters to your injury claim
• [05:15] The second most common car accident injuries are low back type injuries: how bad can they get? 
• [06:00] Bulging disc versus a herniation, the differences, when you should be worried, and how chiropractors determine what is pre-existing or acute from the accident 
• [10:08] Strength loss in the lower extremities, sleeping feet, pin pain that extends from the back down to the feet after an accident - what type of injuries cause these symptoms? 
• [11:41] At what point does a chiropractor declare that a car accident injury requires surgery?
• [13:17] Upper body injuries are also common, especially shoulder injuries. 
• [14:42} Is it possible to injure your elbow in a car accident? Yes, here’s how 
• [16:28] Causes of the headaches most people feel after an accident
• [17:21] What are TMJs, how common are they, and how is it treated?

Name Matthew A. Dolman, Esq.

Title: Partner at Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA

Specialty: Matt is a nationally recognized insurance and personal injury attorney and focuses much of his practice on the litigation of catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases throughout Florida. 

Connect: LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram 

Name Dr. Fred Williams

Title: Clinic Director at Kingdom Chiropractic

Specialty: Dr. Williams is a passionate and compassionate health care provider who empowers communities with the gift of improved health through chiropractic. He provides affordable state-of-the-art chiropractic care for people of all walks of life.

Connect:  LinkedIn 

• Whiplash 
• Anterolisthesis and Retrolisthesis
• Whole Person Impairment
• Anterior Longitudinal Ligament
• Posterior Longitudinal Ligaments
• Lumbar Spine
• Bulging Disc versus a Herniation
• Black Disc
• The Dermatomes
• Supraspinatus Muscle
• Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ)

The insights and views presented in “David vs. Goliath” are for general information purposes only and should not be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. The information presented is not a substitute for consulting with an attorney. Nor does tuning in to this podcast constitute an attorney-client relationship of any kind. Any case result information provided on any portion of this podcast should not be understood as a promise of any particular result in a future case. Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers: Big firm results, small firm personal attention.

Drivers on ridesharing apps like Uber and Lyft have different levels of insurance coverage depending on the zone they are in per time. On Uber, for example, Zone one is when a driver is online but not yet paired with a rider, and zone two is when the driver accepts a trip and goes to pick up and drop off a rider. When in zone one, the driver has insurance for up to a certain amount of property damage. 

Suppose a driver gets in an accident while in zone two. There's insurance coverage for property damage and bodily injury. But access to the collision damage policy in zone one is contingent on the driver having at least a personal auto policy coverage. The reason is that ridesharing apps classify drivers as independent contractors and not employees. 

Learn more in this episode of the David vs. Goliath podcast with elite personal injury lawyer Matt Dolman and his guest, Brent Sibley, Esq. They discuss ridesharing agreements, your rights as a driver using the apps, how to protect yourself against your insurance carrier, and more.  

• [00:48] Matt Dolman welcomes his guest, Brent Sibley, Esq.
• [01:25] Matt introduces the topic of the day: ridesharing agreements and insurance coverage for drivers 
• [01:46] What is ridesharing? 
• [03:46] Insurance issues when driving for Uber or Lyft and you're involved in an accident
• [05:32] The different levels of insurance coverage for accidents involving drivers working with rideshare companies 
• [06:55] Why Uber has minimal insurance coverage for zone one
• [08:36] I drive for Uber. Uber has insurance coverage for me. Do I still need a private auto insurance policy? 
• [11:20] How much private cover is required, and does rideshare services' insurance cover bodily injury? 
• [14:24] Choosing the wrong private cover can put your insurance coverage at risk if you drive for ridesharing services 
• [17:16} The right way to protect yourself from losing the benefits of your insurance coverage when using ridesharing services as a driver

Name Matthew A. Dolman, Esq.

Title: Partner at Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA

Specialty: Matt is a nationally recognized insurance and personal injury attorney and focuses much of his practice on the litigation of catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases throughout Florida. 

Connect: LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram 

Name Brent Sibley, Esq.

Title: Personal Injury Lawyer with Modern Injury Lawyers

Specialty: Brent is committed to providing aggressive and effective legal representation and counsel to individuals who have sustained personal injury in serious accidents. He formerly ran Sibley Dolman Accident Injury Lawyers, LLP covering Aventura, North Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Doral, and Boca Raton. 

Connect:  LinkedIn 

• The Transportation Network Company Statute

The insights and views presented in “David vs. Goliath” are for general information purposes only and should not be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. The information presented is not a substitute for consulting with an attorney. Nor does tuning in to this podcast constitute an attorney-client relationship of any kind. Any case result information provided on any portion of this podcast should not be understood as a promise of any particular result in a future case. Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers: Big firm results, small firm personal attention.

Have you ever heard of personal injury solicitation or ambulance chasing? Personal injury solicitation happens when a random person shows up at an accident scene to offer legal services. These people arrive unannounced and uninvited to solicit. They are called runners or investigators, or victim advocates. 

Runners could be working alone or under the guise of a law firm. Often, they sell the case to the law firms they work with for anywhere from 500 to $1,000. Here's the first problem: it is illegal for a law firm or anyone else to come up to somebody after a crash and sell them personal injury attorney services. It's a criminal activity and becomes a criminal conspiracy if multiple people are involved. 

Learn more in this episode of the David vs. Goliath podcast with elite personal injury lawyer Matt Dolman and his guest, Brent Sibley, Esq. They discuss the menace of personal injury solicitation, how it works, what to do if approached to avoid falling victim, and why you should never agree to work with runners. 

• [00:49]  Matt Dolman welcomes his guest, Brent Sibley, Esq.
• [02:14] Matt introduces the topic of the day: personal injury solicitation 
• [04:25] Personal injury solicitation is a criminal activity: Brent explains how it plays out
• [06:11] Why you’re likely to get poor legal representation from solicitors 
• [06:54] Double victim: the sad price you pay for agreeing to personal injury solicitation
• [07:27] The hand of the law is coming, some law firms are already in trouble 
• [09:13] Beware of desperate lawyers, how to identify personal injury solicitation runners and what to do about it

Name Matthew A. Dolman, Esq.

Title: Partner at Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA

Specialty: Matt is a nationally recognized insurance and personal injury attorney and focuses much of his practice on the litigation of catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases throughout Florida. 

Connect: LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram 

Name Brent Sibley, Esq.

Title: Personal Injury Lawyer with Modern Injury Lawyers

Specialty: Brent is committed to providing aggressive and effective legal representation and counsel to individuals who have sustained personal injury in serious accidents. He formerly ran Sibley Dolman Accident Injury Lawyers, LLP covering Aventura, North Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Doral, and Boca Raton.

Connect:  LinkedIn 

• How to Choose a Personal Injury Lawyer
• Arrested Lawyers for Unlawful Solicitation 
• Report Personal Injury Solicitation to the Florida Bar

The insights and views presented in “David vs. Goliath” are for general information purposes only and should not be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. The information presented is not a substitute for consulting with an attorney. Nor does tuning in to this podcast constitute an attorney-client relationship of any kind. Any case result information provided on any portion of this podcast should not be understood as a promise of any particular result in a future case. Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers: Big firm results, small firm personal attention.

You've probably seen many personal injury advertisements on TV, radio, and billboards promising massive settlements. You wonder if any of it is accurate and if those firms are better than your regular mom-and-pop or smaller boutique personal injury firm. The truth is many of those firms are personal injury settlement mills.

Personal injury settlement mills are law practices equipped to handle thousands of minor injury cases for small settlements like $1,500 to $5,000. These law firms have few attorneys and many staff, and they do a lot of aggressive advertising campaigns. Their goal is to settle as many cases as possible, giving little personal attention to the case, so they do the client a great disservice.

Learn more in this episode of the David vs. Goliath podcast with elite personal injury lawyer Matt Dolman and his guest, Brent Sibley, Esq. They discuss personal injury settlement mills and why they are no good for your injury case, why personal injury trial lawyers are better, and how to choose them.

• [00:49] Matt Dolman welcomes his guest, Brent Sibley, Esq, and the topic of the day: unpaid overtime 
• [02:13] Matt introduces the topic of the day: personal injury law firm advertising 
• [02:57] The unique characteristics of a personal injury settlement mill - and why they are a wrong fit for your case 
• [06:16] What is the primary duty of a personal injury attorney, and why do settlement mills struggle to fulfill it? 
• [07:32] Lawyers are not made equally: why trial attorneys are best for your injury case
• [10:28] Myth-busting: do settlement mills move cases along faster? No, here's why
• [12:19] How the settlement mill business model is a great disservice to injury victims
• [14:17] What's the best way of finding an excellent personal injury attorney, and what can you expect from them?

Name Matthew A. Dolman, Esq.

Title: Partner at Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA

Specialty: Matt is a nationally recognized insurance and personal injury attorney and focuses much of his practice on the litigation of catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases throughout Florida. 

Connect: LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram 

Name Brent Sibley, Esq.

Title: Personal Injury Lawyer with Modern Injury Lawyers

Specialty: Brent is committed to providing aggressive and effective legal representation and counsel to individuals who have sustained personal injury in serious accidents. He formerly ran Sibley Dolman Accident Injury Lawyers, LLP covering Aventura, North Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Doral, and Boca Raton.

Connect:  LinkedIn 

• Personal Injury Settlement Mills
• Compensation for Pain and Suffering 
• How to Choose a Personal Injury Lawyer

The insights and views presented in “David vs. Goliath” are for general information purposes only and should not be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. The information presented is not a substitute for consulting with an attorney. Nor does tuning in to this podcast constitute an attorney-client relationship of any kind. Any case result information provided on any portion of this podcast should not be understood as a promise of any particular result in a future case. Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers: Big firm results, small firm personal attention.

What is unpaid overtime? First off, overtime is what you earn per hour when you exceed a certain amount per week. Ideally, any hour after 40 hours a week is billable for overtime which is your hourly rate and half. So if you're making $15 an hour, you're entitled to $22.50 per hour for every hour you work over your weekly threshold.  

However, overtime is not a one-size-fits-all policy, so not everyone is eligible. It depends on how much you make in a given week or year, your type of job, and your hierarchy and duties. So who is eligible for overtime?

What do you do if you believe you're a victim of unpaid overtime? How does an unpaid overtime lawsuit play out? What can you gain from it? Learn more in this episode of the David vs. Goliath podcast with elite personal injury lawyer Matt Dolman and his guest, Trescot Gear, Esq. 

• [00:49] Matt Dolman welcomes his guest, Trescot Gear, Esq, and the topic of the day: unpaid overtime 
• [01:22] What is unpaid overtime? 
• [02:32] Who is exempt and non-exempt from overtime? 
• [05:12] If your duties at work are constantly changing, how do you determine if you're non-exempt or exempt from overtime? 
• [05:44] What are your rights, and what can you do if you're a victim of unpaid overtime?
• [07:33] How an unpaid overtime suit plays out 
• [10:33] What you can gain from an unpaid overtime lawsuit 

Name Matthew A. Dolman, Esq.

Title: Partner at Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA 

Specialty: Matt is a nationally recognized insurance and personal injury attorney and focuses much of his practice on the litigation of catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases throughout Florida. 

Connect: LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram 

Name Trescot Gear, Esq.

Title: Managing Owner at Gear Law, LLC

Specialty: Trescot exclusively practices Labor and Employment Law, representing both employees and employers in litigation related to contracts, wage disputes, discrimination, retaliation, and other labor-intensive areas.

Connect:  LinkedIn 

• Fair Labor Standards Act
• Liquidated damages
• Punitive damages
• Florida state overtime laws

The insights and views presented in “David vs. Goliath” are for general information purposes only and should not be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. The information presented is not a substitute for consulting with an attorney. Nor does tuning in to this podcast constitute an attorney-client relationship of any kind. Any case result information provided on any portion of this podcast should not be understood as a promise of any particular result in a future case. Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers: Big firm results, small firm personal attention.

Where do you go for treatment after a car accident? People typically go to the Emergency Room (ER) or an urgent care clinic. Depending on the injury you sustain, you may also need to see a chiropractor. 

Why see a chiropractor? Because you're likely to come down with spine-related injuries after a car accident. For instance, herniated or bulging disk injuries are common. They can cause severe pain but can also be asymptomatic, so people move around with herniations and bulging disks without knowing.

Learn more in this episode of the David vs. Goliath podcast with elite personal injury lawyer Matt Dolman and his guest, Dr. Fred Williams. They discuss how and where to get treatment after a car accident, why you need to see a chiropractor before agreeing to do surgery, legal options to pay for treatment after a car accident, and more. 

• [00:49] Matt Dolman welcomes his guest, Dr. Fred Williams
• [01:00] Dr. Fred Williams introduces himself and what he does   
• [02:08] The process of getting treatment after a car accident–and why you need to see a chiropractor
• [03:02] Herniated vs bulging disk: what is the difference? 
• [03:48] The present and future value of a chiropractor's diagnostic interpretations
• [05:11] How long should a chiropractic treatment be for? 
• [05:59] What you need to know about Personal Injury Protection, a letter of protection, and paying for treatment after an accident? 
• [07:15] The biggest mistakes auto accident patients make that harm their case 
• [08:11] Why you need to see a chiropractor before trying for surgery

Name Matthew A. Dolman, Esq.

Title: Partner at Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA

Specialty: Matt is a nationally recognized insurance and personal injury attorney and focuses much of his practice on the litigation of catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases throughout Florida. 

Connect: LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram 

Name Dr. Fred Williams

Title: Clinic Director at Kingdom Chiropractic

Specialty: Dr. Williams is a passionate and compassionate health care provider who empowers communities with the gift of improved health through chiropractic. He provides affordable state-of-the-art chiropractic care for people of all walks of life.

Connect:  LinkedIn 

• Herniated vs bulging disk
• Letter of protection
• PIP

The insights and views presented in “David vs. Goliath” are for general information purposes only and should not be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. The information presented is not a substitute for consulting with an attorney. Nor does tuning in to this podcast constitute an attorney-client relationship of any kind. Any case result information provided on any portion of this podcast should not be understood as a promise of any particular result in a future case. Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers: Big firm results, small firm personal attention.

If your employees work more than 40 hours a week, they should be entitled to overtime pay. Overtime is an hour and a half rate every hour per week after 40 hours. For instance, if an employee earns $15 an hour, they should be making $22.50 per hour for an hour after 40 hours per week.

But not every employee is eligible for overtime. If you're not sure which employees are and aren't eligible, make sure everyone earns at least $455 per week. Alternatively, you could classify some of your employees as 1099 or independent contractors, but you have to avoid misclassification.

Learn more in this episode of the David vs. Goliath podcast with elite personal injury lawyer Matt Dolman and his guest, Trescot Gear, Esq. They discuss overtime, avoiding unpaid wages lawsuits, dealing with discriminatory behavior, misclassification of employees, using severance agreements, and more.

• [00:48] Matt Dolman introduces his guest, Trescot Gear, Esq., and the topic of the day 
• [01:07] What are the overtime laws?   
• [05:29] The difference between a 1099 and a W2 employee and the employment law issues you should know 
• [09:47] What is discriminatory behavior, and how should an employer nip it in the bud?  
• [15:22] Dealing with internal disputes as a small business owner
• [18:44] Wrongful termination: what it is, what to watch out for, and how to avoid making unemployment payments
• [21:26] Everything you need to know about severance agreements
• [26:23] Adding nondisclosure and non-competes to severance agreements

Name Matthew A. Dolman, Esq.

Title: Partner at Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA  

Specialty: Matt is a nationally recognized insurance and personal injury attorney and focuses much of his practice on the litigation of catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases throughout Florida. 

Connect: LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram 

Name Trescot Gear, Esq.

Title: Managing Owner at Gear Law, LLC

Specialty: Trescot exclusively practices Labor and Employment Law, representing both employees and employers in litigation related to contracts, wage disputes, discrimination, retaliation, and other labor-intensive areas.

Connect:  LinkedIn 

• The duties test
• Administrative exemption
• Independent contractors
• Misclassification
• Discriminatory behavior 
• Wrongful termination in Florida
• Cobra
• Non-compete
• Retaliatory conduct

The insights and views presented in “David vs. Goliath” are for general information purposes only and should not be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. The information presented is not a substitute for consulting with an attorney. Nor does tuning in to this podcast constitute an attorney-client relationship of any kind. Any case result information provided on any portion of this podcast should not be understood as a promise of any particular result in a future case. Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers: Big firm results, small firm personal attention.