The Simantov Law Firm, PC

I was in a freak accident at age 19 (hit by a semi truck that jumped the curb while I was walking down the sidewalk) that disfigured/ permanently disabled me (broken front teeth, broken nose, facial scarring &a chronic TBI) resulted in me losing my full ride scholarship &becoming homeless. These horrible unprofessional slimy "lawyers" completely mishandled my case then forced me to accept an outrageously low settlement under duress &refused to take it to court when asked telling me I would get nothing. When I said I would seek alternative counsel they said the offer was time sensitive &if I didn't immediately accept it I would get nothing. They claimed that a "facial scar" (only one of my injuries) wasn't worth much so I should be thankful for what was offered bc it was the best I could get. They said the shipping company would argue that my injuries couldn't be that bad since I "waited a year to address it" which is outrageous bc I arranged for them to be my lawyers less than a month after the accident &called to check in afew times a month but after almost a year the lawyer on my case quit her job &the new lawyer told me she hadn't done any work on my case at all, so blaming that on me is ridiculous. My medical bills weren't even covered. They treated me like I was an annoyance, yelled at me when I tried to understand why the offer was so low, implied that I being greedy, minimized the severity of the accident / my injuries &bullied me into signing a contract against my interests &expressed opposition while I was experiencing acute TBI symptoms &wasn't able to properly advocate for myself or understand what was going on. They did zero work on my case whatsoever beyond negotiating that settlement privately with the shipping company. Had they tried to actually represent me it would have been an easy case bc I had witnesses, my academic records clearly showed a huge drop in grades after the accident, I had photos of my injuries none of which they included &I should have been sent for neurological testing bc of my head injury / acute symptoms but all they asked for was my medical records from the initial ambulance / ER treatment &the police accident report. Nothing they did makes sense &people I have told about the case (case managers / legal aid etc) have even said they think they possibly made an illegal deal with the company to make my case go away for kickbacks. I have no proof of this but if not then they are the most incompetent lawyers on the planet. I have since been told by legal aid that my case was easily worth millions &that similar accidents have paid out that much to victims, some who sustained only temporary injuries, like one guy who was hit while jaywalking &broke a rib who was awarded 3million. I am permanently intellectually disabled with severe memory &executive functioning issues. I am now on disability &in supportive housing but I lived on the streets for many years bc I had nowhere to live after losing my academic scholarship. My front teeth are still broken &I have a noticeable scar on my face. I never finished college &legally cannot work. I only got $18k. Everyone I have spoken to about this is shocked by how little I got for such a serious &impactful accident that I was completely faultless in, I was literally just walking down the sidewalk. Unfortunately by the time I understood what had happened to me &that they had lied about me having no choice but to accept the settlement, it was too late to do anything about it. Do yourself a favor &find someone else. Hiring them was probably the worst decision I've ever made &I am still really angry at myself for letting them screw me over but I was not in a position to be able to advocate for myself or even understand what was going on at the time, they took advantage of that &treated me like I didn't deserve justice for an accident that took everything from me including my future, my intelligence &my ability to function independently. I pray that you have a better outcome &find competent / compassionate legal counsel elsewhere. Good luck!

Mr Simantov was able to handle our accident for our business and we would recommend him.

Joseph was very easy to work with. He was able to fight for us and get us what we deserved. I recommend him.

They were able to negotiate an amazing settlement for me and we very happy. Very responsive.