Edelstein Martin & Nelson
Personal injury attorney
About Edelstein Martin & Nelson
First State Injury Lawyers is the Delaware personal injury practice of Edelstein Martin & Nelson, LLP. The firm represents injured clients in Wilmington and across New Castle, Kent, and Sussex counties. First State Injury Lawyers handles car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, slip and fall injuries, workplace and construction injuries, medical malpractice, nursing home abuse, defective products, and wrongful death claims. Managing Attorney Peter K. Janczyk, a Delaware personal injury lawyer, leads the Wilmington office and has practiced in Delaware since 2007. The firm has served injured Delawareans since 2012, answers calls 24 hours a day, reviews cases free in English and Spanish, and charges no fee unless the case is won.
Credentials and proof points
- Fighting for the Injured Since 2012
- Reviewed by 17+ clients on Google
- Managing Attorney Peter K. Janczyk, Esq. — Licensed in Delaware since 2007 (DE Bar ID 005023)
- Attorneys Leonard Edelstein, Keith Martin, and Lawren Nelson — licensed in Pennsylvania (not Delaware)
- No Fee Unless We Win (contingency basis)
- Available 24/7
- Hablamos Español (Spanish-speaking staff; site available in Spanish)
Services
- Auto accident litigationRepresentation for Delaware drivers, passengers, and families after collisions on I-95, Route 1, Route 13, and local roads. We investigate the crash, document the injuries, and pursue the at-fault driver’s insurer for medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
- Bicycle accident litigationRepresentation for cyclists struck by drivers in Wilmington, Newark, and along Delaware’s coastal routes. We reconstruct the collision, rebut the claim that the rider came out of nowhere, and pursue the driver’s insurer for medical care and lost income.
- Catastrophic injury litigationRepresentation for life-altering injuries: traumatic brain injury, spinal cord damage, amputation, and severe burns. We work with medical and life-care experts to prove what decades of treatment, equipment, and lost earning power will actually cost.
- Dog bite injury litigationDelaware imposes strict liability on dog owners in most bite cases. We pursue the owner’s homeowner or renter policy for emergency care, reconstructive surgery, scarring, and the lasting psychological injury a serious bite leaves behind.
- Medical malpractice litigationMisdiagnosis, delayed diagnosis, surgical and anesthesia error, and medication mistakes. Delaware requires a qualified expert affidavit of merit before filing, so we secure the expert review first and build the case correctly from the start.
- Motorcycle accident litigationRiders get blamed by default and paid last. We counter that bias with collision reconstruction and thorough documentation of orthopedic and road-rash injuries, then pursue the full value of the Delaware motorcycle claim.
- Motorist insurance claims litigationUninsured and underinsured motorist claims, first-party PIP disputes, and bad-faith denials. When your own insurer becomes the opposition after a Delaware crash, we handle the claim and hold the carrier to the coverage you paid for.
- Pain & suffering litigationNon-economic damages are the part of a Delaware injury claim insurers fight hardest. We document how the injury changed daily life, work, and relationships, and build the record needed to prove that loss to an adjuster or a jury.
- Pedestrian accident litigationPedestrians struck in crosswalks, parking lots, and along Delaware roadways face devastating injuries. We identify every liable party and every layer of available coverage, including underinsured motorist benefits.
- Product liability litigationDefective vehicles and auto parts, machinery, tools, appliances, and consumer goods. Delaware product claims can proceed on design defect, manufacturing defect, or failure-to-warn theories against the entire chain of distribution.
- Slip & fall injury litigationFalls in stores, restaurants, apartment buildings, parking lots, and on icy walkways. Delaware slip-and-fall claims turn on notice, so we move fast to secure incident reports and surveillance video before either is overwritten.
- Truck accident litigationTractor-trailer and commercial vehicle crashes involve federal safety rules, black-box data, and corporate insurers. We act quickly to preserve driver logs and maintenance records before the carrier disposes of them.
- Workers' compensation litigationDelaware workers’ compensation claims before the Industrial Accident Board: medical treatment, total and partial disability, permanency, and disfigurement. We also identify third-party claims that can recover well beyond what comp allows.
- Wrongful death litigationWhen negligence takes a family member, Delaware law allows recovery for financial loss, loss of companionship, mental anguish, and funeral expenses. We handle the claim and the estate process so the family can focus on grieving.
- Nursing Home Abuse LitigationBedsores, falls, malnutrition, dehydration, medication errors, unexplained injury, and neglect in Delaware long-term care facilities. We pursue the facility and its ownership for the harm done to your family member.
- Birth Injury LitigationCerebral palsy, HIE, and brachial plexus or Erb’s palsy injuries caused by mismanaged labor and delivery. We obtain the complete fetal monitoring record and work with obstetric and neonatology experts to prove causation.
- Construction Accident LitigationFalls, struck-by incidents, crane and equipment failures, electrocutions, and trench collapses on Delaware job sites. Beyond workers’ comp, we pursue negligent general contractors, subcontractors, and equipment manufacturers.
- Traumatic Brain Injury LitigationTBI is routinely minimized by insurers because it does not appear on an ordinary scan. We work with neurologists, neuropsychologists, and life-care planners to document cognitive loss and prove what long-term care will cost.
- Spinal Cord Injury LitigationParalysis and serious spinal injury mean a lifetime of medical care, home modification, equipment, and attendant support. We build the damages case around what the coming decades require, not the initial hospital bills.
- Burn Injury LitigationSerious burns from fires, explosions, chemical exposure, scalding, and electrical contact require months of treatment, grafts, and reconstruction. We pursue the full cost of care plus the scarring and disfigurement award.
- Rideshare Accident LitigationUber and Lyft crashes trigger layered commercial coverage that shifts depending on whether the app was on and a rider was aboard. We determine which policy applies and pursue the right carrier for passengers, drivers, and third parties.
- Bus Accident LitigationInjuries on DART buses, school buses, charter coaches, and shuttles involve government notice deadlines far shorter than the standard limitations period. Call early so the claim is not lost to a missed deadline.
- Hit and Run Accident LitigationWhen the at-fault driver flees, your own uninsured motorist coverage usually becomes the source of recovery. We handle the UM claim, push back when your insurer resists, and pursue the investigation to identify the driver.
- Premises Liability LitigationInjuries caused by unsafe property conditions: broken stairs and railings, poor lighting, falling objects, unguarded pools, and structural defects. We establish the owner’s duty, the breach of it, and the harm that followed.
- Negligent Security LitigationAssaults, shootings, and robberies at apartment complexes, hotels, bars, and parking garages where the owner ignored a known risk. We prove foreseeability and the security measures that should have been in place.
Areas served
New Castle County
WilmingtonCleland HeightsElsmereBrandywine HillsAshley HeightsBlue BallHazeldellHenry ClayOakmontDunleithLancaster CourtMiddleboro CrestSimonds GardensMayview ManorForest Hills ParkNew Castle Industrial ParkShellburneKeystoneClermontLynfordLindamereMadelyn GardensRoselle TerraceGreenvilleAngleseySharpleyMasonicvilleRiveredge ParkWest FarmSedgley FarmsTavistockAlbertsonConcord ManorMayfieldHeatherbrookeBrookmeadeWoodside HillsWilmontWilmington ManorLongwoodWestwood ManorHillendaleDuncan WoodsWashington HeightsWindy BushRedmontChalfonteGlenvilleShipley WoodsDuncan GlenParkwoodClaymontArdentownMarshalltonLimestone GapNaamans ManorLancashireHighland WestManette HeightsWeber TractArundelHanbys CornerDarley WoodsOakwood HillsMontclareWorthlandHeritageHockessin