James T. Scime, noted Buffalo, NY, personal injury attorney, was interviewed by Michael Petro for “Personal Injury Attorneys Offer Personal Touch,” published in Buffalo Law Journal. Click here for the full article.
Firm works with experts in many fields to seek justice
The article notes that Lipsitz Green Scime Cambria’s personal injury practice handles many construction accident and products liability cases, as well as a range of other types of personal injury cases. “As technology changes,” Mr. Petro, the author, noted, “the cases teach [Mr. Scime] something new and different, from engineering principles and how they are applied through modern technology to things related to economics, medicine, and science. Scime said through his work, he has made contact with some of the greatest minds around the country.”
Mr. Scime notes that the firm does not accept every case that comes along. “We don’t shy away from difficult cases,” he said, “but we want to know that the cases are right, and we can honestly get some justice in a situation.”
“Many people fail to understand what a significant injury can do to a person’s life and the impact it has on their family,” Mr. Scime said. “If it’s the result of someone’s carelessness or a defective product, that’s what we do. We try to take a bad situation and make it better for a person.”
Awards are based on exacting calculations
Mr. Scime explained that once liability is established, the focus turns to determining what harm has been done and how to adequately compensate someone for having their life turned upside down.
“Financial awards involve projections, such as the person’s life expectancy,” Mr. Scime said, “especially if it is a permanent disability. Experts are called in to offer opinions on life-care plans and the economic impact.” He added that this can translate into “whopping amounts.”
“Try to price hydrocodone four times a day every day for the next 20 years, and then project the cost of medical inflation,” Mr. Scime said. “And that’s before you even talk about any therapies that a person may need and projecting what that cost may be 10 to 20 years from now.”
Cases often settle right before trial
The most serious cases typically settle near the end of negotiations, right before trial. Mr. Scime observed that there comes a time when everyone involved examines the range of possible results and analyzes the risk of going forward. That’s what happened when he represented a client in a lawsuit resulting from the Flight 3407 crash in 2009 in Clarence. The case he handled was on the verge of trial before a settlement was reached.
Mr. Scime, a senior partner in Lipsitz Green Scime Cambria’s Accidents and Personal Injury Practice Area, is widely recognized as one of Western New York’s most skilled and respected attorneys. In fact, many local attorneys refer matters to him when their clients have sustained serious injuries. Over the course of his career, Mr. Scime has helped thousands of people recover financial awards for injuries they have sustained.
