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 Posted on August 05, 2017 in Library

After being injured in a car accident and deciding to pursue a personal injury claim for your damages, you will probably want to know what your claim is worth. After all, this is one of the most common questions personal injury lawyers get asked. Although it may seem like there should be an easy answer to this question, it is anything but simple. This is because there are a lot of factors that go into determining the value of a car accident case.

When insurance adjusters look at car accident claims to determine value, they will calculate vehicle damage and the type of injury sustained. However, insurance companies will always attempt to settle cases quickly and for as little money as possible. This is why it is important to note that the value the insurance company places on your case isn't necessarily what your case is worth. Your car accident injury claim may be worth much more than the figure an insurance adjuster presents to you at the beginning of a claim.

How Car Accident Claims Are Valued

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 Posted on August 05, 2017 in Brain Injuries

Once you know that you or a loved one has been the victim of medical negligence, you may know you have a legal claim but you may still have many questions. For example, you may not know what to expect from working with an attorney, filing a legal claim, or knowing if your case will settle or go to trial. Here, we hope to answer some of your questions and to provide you with more information about what you can expect from the legal process following a brain injury caused by medical malpractice.

What to Expect When Pursing a Legal Claim

• Working with an attorney. If a brain injury occurred as a result of medical negligence, it is critical to get an attorney involved as soon as possible. A lawyer will know what to do, how to request your medical records, what laws apply, and how to help you in the best way possible. However, not any attorney will do. It is essential to your case that you find a lawyer who is experienced in medical malpractice law and has helped represent brain injury victims.

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 Posted on August 02, 2017 in Library

Did you know that approximately 15,780 children between birth and the age of 19 are diagnosed with cancer every year in this nation? For some of these children, sadly, their cancer was not diagnosed in the early stages of the disease. According to the American Childhood Cancer Organization, childhood cancer is often misdiagnosed or overlooked by doctors.

Because childhood cancer is rare, many doctors ignore signs of pediatric cancer and diagnose cancer symptoms as common childhood injuries or illnesses. For instance, if a child vomits, has abdominal pain, decreased appetite, frequent fevers, and shows signs of fatigue, a doctor may diagnose a child as having the stomach flu. And although more often than not a child will end up having a stomach bug rather than cancer, doctors need to be diligent and thorough in their testing and diagnosis. Consequently, a child's cancer could be made worse as a result of doctor negligence.

What the Numbers Reveal

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 Posted on July 31, 2017 in Birth Injuries

When a baby is born, it is supposed to be one of the most joyous days in a person's life; however, far too many times, infant births are marked by birth injuries that affect a baby's life as well as the entire family's future. This is the case when paralysis at birth occurs.

Typically, infant paralysis occurs from medical malpractice. Some incidents of medical negligence that causes paralysis at birth includes:

• Damage to the spinal cord. When a direct injury to the spinal cord occurs during childbirth, a baby can suffer paralysis. This can occur when an obstetrician uses too much force to get the baby out of the birth canal or applies incorrect rotational stresses on the infant's trunk. It can also occur if the doctor misuses birth-assisting tools such as forceps and vacuum extractors. Sadly, any injury to the spinal cord can lead to some form of paralysis for the newborn.
• Damage to the brain. If a baby suffers a lack of oxygen or direct trauma to the brain during labor and delivery, it is possible that a baby can end up partially or completely paralyzed. This can occur from various acts of medical negligence, such as improper use of forceps and vacuum extractors. When a doctor applies too much force on an infant during delivery, a brain bleed can occur, resulting in brain damage and paralysis. Paralysis is also frequently the outcome of oxygen deprivation that occurs when the umbilical cord is wrapped around a baby's neck or if a C-section isn't performed in a timely manner.

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 Posted on July 30, 2017 in Birth Injuries

Sometimes injuries can occur at the time of delivery that can cause an infant to suffer a seizure. If this is the case, it is possible that a newborn suffered an injury to the brain that caused the seizure. Seizures in infants are called neonatal seizures that can include any of the following:

• Repetitive facial movements
• Unusual bicycle-type movements
• Gazing and staring
• Jerking movements of a specific part of the body
• Rapid twitching
• Rolling of eyes upward
• Periods of stopped breathing

For parents, seizures following birth are actually one of the first apparent signs that indicate something isn't right with their baby. Generally, seizures occur when a baby suffers a lack of oxygen, which can occur during labor or within the first day of life.

Some of the common ways that a birth brain injury occurs that can lead to seizures includes:

• Poor maternal care. When a mother's infection isn't treated during pregnancy, a baby may be at risk of suffering infections such as Group B Strep, herpes, meningitis, and other infections that can cause seizures. Additionally, if a doctor fails to monitor a woman for preeclampsia (high blood pressures), a fetus can suffer a poor amount of oxygen-rich blood that can lead to brain damage.

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 Posted on July 28, 2017 in Library

In the course of seeking relief from one's back pain, neck pain, sciatic nerve pain, or reoccurring headaches, you may choose to see a chiropractor for help. Whether an injury occurred in a car accident, work accident, or as a result of pregnancy or another health situation, many people have found that seeing a chiropractor is beneficial and alleviates their pain-sometimes for days, weeks, or months.

How Do Chiropractors Treat Patients?

Chiropractors perform manual manipulations of the body as they make adjustments to certain body parts-most often patients' backs, necks. and shoulders-in an effort to bring relief and get the body back in proper alignment. They draw on their training and use special techniques and sometimes medical devices and machines for treating patients. Unfortunately, sometimes chiropractors can make a patient's pain and injuries worse. This is often the case when a chiropractor is careless and uses too much force.

Effects of Chiropractor Malpractice

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 Posted on July 24, 2017 in Medical Malpractice

Medical malpractice continues to be a concern throughout our region and the rest of this nation. Many people die as a result of medical negligence when their deaths could have been prevented. This is why every July the National Medical Malpractice Advocacy Association (NMMAA) promotes National Medical Malpractice Awareness Month.

Our law firm also wants to help raise awareness for medical malpractice, not only for the month of July but throughout the year. To help educate our clients and potential clients about medical negligence and patient safety, we want to provide a quick list of facts associated with medical malpractice, including:

• Medical mistakes are the third leading cause of death in this nation, according to a John Hopkins study.
• Over 250,000 lives are lost in this nation every year due to medical errors, according to the same study.

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 Posted on July 24, 2017 in Library

Trucking accidents produce some of the most debilitating and life-changing injuries, which is why victims hit by large commercial vehicles often need to collect the maximum compensation possible. And while many people who have been injured in truck crashes do get fair settlements, there are those who need to collect more money than what the insurance policy limits allow. In this article, we'll discuss insurance requirements for truck drivers, how policy limits work, and some options to pursue if you or a loved one needs more compensation than what the policy allows.

Liability Insurance Requirements for Truck Drivers and Trucking Companies

Because commercial vehicles are heavy and can cause serious damages and losses in the event of a crash, truck drivers are required by law to carry substantial insurance. However, many drivers only carry minimal coverage that may not be adequate to cover serious injuries. This is why the federal government requires trucking companies-whether a business has one truck or a fleet of trucks-to have adequate insurance coverage on their trucks and truck drivers. Every truck that is registered with the Department of Transportation is thus required to carry a minimum liability insurance policy to pay for such harm.

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 Posted on July 23, 2017 in Brain Injuries

When a loved one suffers brain damage caused by medical malpractice, you will have many questions and will feel uneasy about what to expect in the immediate days as well as in the years to come. Lean more about what you an expect here.

What to Expect Initially

Learning that a loved one has suffered brain damage is a devastating experience. It is very likely that the life you once knew has been changed in this instant. Your role in this person's life may change from a partner to a caregiver, your finances will be negatively impacted, and your relationship and ability to communicate with your injured loved one may change significantly. Just know that the emotions you are experiencing are common and that it is perfectly normal to grieve over what has happened and to fear the changes that are associated with this type of injury.

The best thing you can do in the immediate days following a brain injury is to listen to the doctors and follow the directions the treatment team has outlined. The best way you can help your injured loved one is to learn as much as you can about his or her specific brain injury, what his or her limitations are, and what you can do to help once your loved one returns home.

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 Posted on July 22, 2017 in Brain Injuries

When a medical malpractice incident causes a person to suffer a brain injury, a victim may have many questions regarding what life will be like following such an injury. This is why we provide this information on what brain injury survivors can expect following a brain injury.

What Happens After a Brain Injury?

After damage has occurred to specific areas of the brain or throughout the brain, a person may suffer various side effects such as headaches, dizziness, loss of vision, coordination and balance problems, speech and communication troubles, insomnia, memory loss, loss of bladder and bowel functions, spasticity, extremity weakness, and paralysis. It is important to note that while some may suffer many or all of these adverse effects, others may only suffer some of them since it will depend on the severity of the injury and the part of the brain injured.

What Can Recovery Look Like?

Because no two brain injuries are identical and the symptoms listed above may not affect all brain injury survivors, recovering from a brain injury will vary from person to person. This is why most recoveries will fall into the following categories:

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