What to do When You’ve been Involved in a Slip and Fall Accident
Falling is a normal part of living in a world with gravity and accounts for millions of injuries every year. When a person is injured in a slip or trip and fall accident on someone else’s property, he or she may be entitled to seek damages. Common damages that injured slip and fall victims may seek to recover include: (more…)
When to Hire a Car Accident Attorney
Car accidents are a daily occurrence in the U.S. and affect millions of Americans every year. While minor fender benders or accidents resulting in damages less than $500 probably do not warrant the help of a car accident attorney to recover losses, you will want to think about utilizing the expertise of an accident lawyer if you are offered little or no compensation for your damages, if your damages are significant, or if you have been part of a personal injury accident. (more…)
When You’re involved in a Car Accident with an Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist
While most states require a minimum amount of liability insurance to be carried by motorists, the Insurance Research Council’s most recent report of uninsured motorists (2001) estimates that 14 percent of the motorists in the U.S. do not carry auto accident insurance. That means that if you are involved in a car accident, there is a 1 in 7 chance that the at-fault driver is uninsured. And this does not take into account the extreme disparity between states which may make your chances of being involved in an accident with an uninsured motorist much more likely in one state than another. (more…)
Understanding Statutes of Limitations
We live in a world of deadlines. We need to pay our bills, submit offers and complete work by certain dates or we forfeit our right to receive the benefit of accomplishing these tasks on time. Sometimes a late response can cost us additional money and sometimes a late response can cost us an opportunity. While deadlines tend to cause stress in our day-to-day lives, without deadlines we would see very little closure in our lives. Regardless of whether a deadline is met or missed, deadlines provide us with an opportunity to move on in life. The same is true when you are involved in an accident. (more…)
Understanding Products Liability
Products liability is a claim that can be filed against any party involved in making a defective product available to the public (i.e. manufacturer, wholesaler, retailer). When a product causes injury, the manufacturers and/or suppliers of that product can be held responsible for those injuries. Product liability claims are usually based on defects in design, manufacturing and marketing. (more…)
Understanding Comparative (Fault) Negligence Liability
When you are involved in an accident, whether it be a car accident, boating accident, motorcycle accident or personal injury accident (to name a few), there is not always a clear party who is solely responsible for causing the accident. While one person may have been the primary contributor to the cause of an accident, the accident may have been prevented if the other person had not been otherwise distracted or negligent as well. (more…)
What to do When You are in a Motorcycle Accident
There’s nothing quite like the freedom you experience when riding a motorcycle. Feeling the wind in your face and experiencing the open road with little between you and the elements is thrilling, indeed. However, that freedom can be taken away in a matter of moments if you are involved in a motorcycle accident. In fact, motorcycle accidents have a much higher risk of being fatal than any other type of auto accident. It is important to know that your risk of being involved in a motorcycle accident is greatly reduced if you wear safety gear and take defensive driving lessons. However, with motorcycle accidents on the rise, no matter what precautions you take to operate your motorcycle safely, you are always at risk of being injured or killed by other motorists on the road. (more…)
How to Choose a Car Accident Lawyer
When you have been involved in a car accident it is important to know how to choose an attorney. Very different results can occur in your case based on your choice of attorney. Therefore, when choosing an accident attorney you will want to spend some time researching who will be the best representative for your car accident claim. (more…)
What to Expect When You are in a Car Accident
Of the almost six million car accidents that have occurred every year for the past five years in the U.S., approximately three million of those traffic accidents result in personal injuries every year (USDOT). With such a high number of accidents occurring each year, it is not unlikely that every American will experience at least one auto accident in their lifetime. Therefore, it is important to know what to do when you are involved in an accident. (more…)
Emergency Kit for Every Car
Since it is impossible to know when or if disaster will strike while you’re on the road, it is important to be prepared for emergency situations before they happen. Below are several items you should consider including in an emergency car kit so that you can be prepared for the unexpected. (more…)
When You’re the Victim of a Drunk Driving Accident
According to the CDC, alcohol-related crashes in the U.S. cost approximately 51 billion dollars every year and the Office for Victims of Crimes estimates that 30 percent of Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related accident at some point in their lifetime. Drunk driving has affected countless numbers of lives and are tried differently than traffic accidents where alcohol is not involved. Therefore, it is not only important to know what to do when you are involved in a car accident (see What to Expect When You’re in a Car Accident and How to Preserve Evidence after a Car Accident), but it is essential to seek legal advice to learn about your rights when your life is affected by a drunk driver. (more…)
Crashworthiness
We depend on automobiles every day—to get us to work, to get our children to school and to take us on the many adventures we dream about in life. While we may take care to select a reliable vehicle to help us get around everyday, our vehicles may not be as trustworthy as we think. If you are involved in an accident where you sustain injuries due to the failure of your vehicle’s safety features to function properly, you may be able to sue the manufacturer for crashworthiness. (more…)
When You are Involved in a Cell Phone Related Car Accident
According to the Human Factors quarterly journal, “Cell phone distraction causes 2,600 deaths and 330,000 injuries in the United States every year” (2005). The same study reported that motorists who are engaged in cell phone conversations while driving are less capable than drunk drivers with blood alcohol levels exceeding .08. These statistics are frightening considering how pervasive cell phones are in our society. With a greater awareness of the potential cell phones have to distract drivers, many states, and even cities, are adopting laws that limit or restrict the use of cell phones while driving. It is important to be aware of these laws while travelling in other states and visiting other cities so you do not inadvertently break the law. Even in states and cities where there are no restrictions on cell phone use by motorists, limiting cell phone use while driving will make you a more attentive driver, ready to react when the unexpected occurs. (more…)
When to File a Boating Accident Report (BAR)
Boating accidents affect thousands of people every year in the U.S. with the majority of boating accidents caused by carelessness, operator inattention, excessive speed and operator inexperience (USCG). In 2005, accidents like these amounted to almost 39 million dollars worth of property damage and approximately 3,500 injuries (USCG). While these numbers are significant, it is important to note that these statistics only represent boating accidents that were reported. While federal law requires boating operators to file accident reports with the nearest state boating authority 33 CFR 173.55 (2001), the U.S. Coast Guard found that only five to ten percent of non-fatal boating accidents are actually reported. With this in mind, it is important to know when you need to file a Boating Accident Report (BAR) as failing to do so is a misdemeanor in some states. (more…)
Understanding Attorney Fees
When you are involved in an accident, often times you are immediately thrust into the legal scene. You are bombarded with all kinds of new information and need to know how to make decisions that are in your best interest. Understanding the different types of attorney fees will help you know what to expect when you hire an accident lawyer and enable you to navigate the legal waters more smoothly. (more…)
How to Preserve Evidence after a Car Accident
After experiencing a traumatic event like a car accident, the last thing on your mind is taking pictures of the scene and recording detailed notes about the accident. While you may be in a state of shock and want nothing more than to get home after a car accident, it is imperative that you take measures to preserve evidence at the scene of the accident. After going through such an emotional and damaging event, you may think that you will never forget the details of the accident; however, if you need the assistance of a car accident lawyer to take your case to court, you will want to rely on hard evidence obtained from the accident scene if you want to receive appropriate compensation for your damages. (more…)
Plane Crashes
While planes are one of the safest ways to travel these days, when accidents do occur they are usually devastating. Accidents can happen for any number of reasons, including weather, technical malfunctions, pilot error, air traffic controller error and defective design; however, the two primary reasons that planes crash are pilot error and defective design. (more…)
Automobile Black Boxes
Automobile Event Data Recorders (EDRs)—also known as automobile black boxes—have been around for quite some time. While initially used to provide sensory data for air bag deployment, EDRs are now capable of capturing a wide variety of information about how a car is driven, including information about speed, braking, acceleration, steering and seatbelt use. Today, this information is used to make vehicles safer than ever by providing data for the operation of things like stability sensors, antilock brakes and traction controls; but it has some people concerned. (more…)
Rollover Accidents
According to the NHTSA, rollover accidents occur less frequently than any other traffic accidents, yet are responsible for about thirty percent of all traffic fatalities—that’s the highest fatality rate of any type of motor vehicle crash! (more…)
Important things to know about Insurance Adjusters
Being involved in an accident of any kind is a scary thing. Not only do you have medical bills to deal with, but you must struggle to meet the costs demanded of daily living, like paying the rent, buying food and taking care of your children. When you are facing tremendous bills and don’t know how you’re going to pull through, you may be tempted to accept the first settlement offer presented to you by an insurance company. Below is important information you need to be aware of when dealing with insurance adjusters. (more…)