Tag: Initial consultation. personal injury
Seat Belt Use Admissibility in Injury Claims
Seat belt use reduces injuries and saves lives in motor vehicle accidents. Statistics prove it. But should the use or failure to buckle up be admissible in a personal injury claim where one is injured by the negligence of another driver? This poses an entirely different question. Seat Belt Use […]
Supplemental Needs Trust & Personal Injury
Supplemental needs trusts, if established properly, can protect certain benefits when there is a personal injury settlement. Before the settlement is finalized, an attorney drafts this trust to hold and disburse settlement proceeds and potentially other property for the benefit of the person receiving the settlement. Certain benefits are needs-based, […]
Minor Settlements: Why is Court Approval Required?
Minor settlements, personal injury settlements for those under the age of minority, often need court approval before funds are released. Here’s the problem: minors lack legal capacity to make binding decisions. Minors in most cases can’t sign enforceable contracts. So, an insurance release cannot bind a minor. This contradicts the basic […]
Cell Phones and Accidents: Is Legal Cell Phone Use Negligence?
Motor vehicle accidents happen more often than not due to driver inattention. Jabbering on the cell phone, texting, eating, drinking, turning to communicate with passengers, daydreaming and many other distractions reduce driver attention. Unfortunate but true, tragedies like this are not uncommon. More people are using phones every day as […]
Independent Medical Examination in Personal Injury: the “IME”
Independent Medical Examination is anything but independent. The exams, also called an “IME” are also not medical examinations in the sense of a physician performing an unbiased examination seeking clinical findings for the purpose of healing. IMEs are set up by insurance companies solely for insurance company purposes. So, the correct […]
WORKERS COMPENSATION: Injuries
Workers compensation covers injuries at work. The injuries can be caused by accidents, falling down, or by a machine. Sometimes, repetitive motion causes harm. Examples are constant typing at a computer or handling of machine controls and parts. Other workplace hazards include exposure to toxic chemicals or loud noise. Experiencing […]
PERSONAL INJURY: CAUSATION AND NEGLIGENCE
An unbroken chain must connect cause-and-effect between an accident and an injury in any case. It may seem obvious. But, causation is a fundamental element underlying every claim of negligence. As the question below shows, the critical legal element of causation must never be overlooked: Attorney Myers: My wife had […]
PERSONAL INJURY: Reasonable Person Standard
Negligence happens when a person does one of two things: Fails to do something that a reasonable person would do, guided upon those considerations which ordinarily regulate the conduct of human affairs; or Does something that reasonable person would not do. Common law evolves slowly. The reasonable man concept is […]
Initial Consultation: Personal Injury
Initial Consultation with most personal injury attorneys is free. So, optimize this opportunity to make the most of your time. Here’s how: Call ahead. Make an Appointment Some attorneys accept “walk in” clients. But, the more experienced attorney you want to see may or may not be there and you may […]
One Person’s Trash – Another Person’s Evidence
Q: How do I keep my trash private? I’m involved in a court suit and my trash disappeared before the trucks came and I don’t think that’s right. A: Get a paper shredder. Once trash is placed outside, there’s no reasonable expectation of privacy. It’s not a pretty picture, but […]
