what happens if you lose a trial and the subsequent appeal?

[TLouise]

I am from New York and I was involved in an MVA in October of 1997. I was rear ended while stopped and as a result have since then suffered from a condition known as reflex sympathetic dystrophy in my left arm and shoulder. I had two surgeries and went to hundreds of docors and physical therapy visits in trying to help my condition to no avail. I now live with chronic pain every second of every day of my life despite taking numerous prescription drugs to help with it.
We were offered a small settlement which we refused and chose to go to trial. A Doctor that is known to be a "Top Gun" for the insurance company, stated that he believed my condition to be pre-existing because I had had a previous neck strain before. Due to this, we lost. We then appealed and lost that too.
What I want to know is if there is anything we can do now or if we are just out of luck . We now have a $5000 legal bill to pay for the trial, and the defendants have also now sued us to pay their legal cost, which is about $1500. We cannot afford any of this and I am beside myself as to what to do now. Can anyone help me?
It was decided at trial that the accident did in fact cause my injury, however the jury seemed to think it was not a lasting one and awarded no settlement. My lawyer wants no further part of any of this and says we can do no more. Is this true? Can I sue the Dr. the insurance company used against me? He is nothing better than a paid prostiute in my eyes and he changed his opinion whenever the insurance company prodded him to. Also, can we sue the insurance company? This is such a micarraige of justice that I cannot believe I have to live with this result.

[Edited by TLouise on 05-06-2001 at 04:17 PM]

 

[I AM ALWAYS LIABLE]

My response:

Please help us to help you. It appears that your post is quite lengthy. Since we want to help you, it would be appreciated, and in your interest, if you could re-write your post to shorten its length.

Some suggestions would be to remove any extra words that do not go to the heart of your question and issues. Also, if you have any emotional or editorial type words or phrases, please remove those also. In other words, be your own worst critic, and stick to the facts.

Additionally, if you haven't already done so, please use paragraphs rather than running each sentence into the next. This, alone would make your post easier to read and understand.

Thank you for your kind cooperation, and I'm sure, after you've re-posted, someone will be with you shortly to assist you.

Thanks,
IAAL

P.S. If you haven't mentioned your State name, or the State where your problem has occurred, please tell us in your first sentence.