Posts Tagged ‘dog bites’

What Should I Do After I Sustain A Personal Injury?

Monday, February 8th, 2010

Many people, who were involved in an accident, are a little weary about what to do next. They often don’t want to rush into retaining a lawyer for fear of getting roped into extensive legal fees. Or maybe they are not sure if they even have the right to file a lawsuit, and will it be worth it? Most people will immediately call their insurance company first, but you may want to stop and reconsider this.

In general, if you were involved with a person or business that left you at a loss; either personal or financial, you have a right to be compensated. Typical examples of loss are car accidents, assaults, dog bites, slip and fall accidents, just to name a few. The most common accidents are car accidents. However, many people don’t know that most businesses are required to clear and maintain their sidewalks for safe passage. If they fail to do so, and you get hurt, you are entitled to some kind of monetary compensation.

Anyone who owns an animal is also expected to keep it under control. If that pet damages you or your property, you are then entitled to a recovery of the cost of damages. Recovery typically covers the costs of lost wages, property damage, health care expenses, and in some cases pain and suffering.

The first thing a good lawyer will do, is determine if the other party truly has a liability for your losses, and how much are these losses worth. He will also assess if you played a part in the negligence, and if so, to what degree? If you are found to be responsible for some of the damage, you will also need to contribute to restoring the situation to the way it was before the accident.

Recovery is also based on everyone’s ability to pay. If the parties involved carry little or no insurance, and have few assets, maybe everyone should just write the matter off as a lesson learned. An experienced lawyer will know right away how to determine if the pain and suffering of a law suit is worth the pain and suffering a recovery may bring.

In the case of a car accident, every car is required to carry insurance; however, most drivers are underinsured. Just because someone has a car accident, and has car insurance, doesn’t mean that they will be able to grant you a large settlement. The same is true for you. If you were involved in an accident and the other party doesn’t have any insurance, you may carry uninsured motorist coverage on your policy, but it will take an experienced lawyer to find a way to convince the insurance company to give any of it to you.

Personal injury law and insurance policies can be very complex subjects to work with. It takes someone with knowledge in both these matters to make sure that you are treated fairly, and swiftly, and to make sure you don’t get lost in the paperwork.

Contacting a lawyer right away will ensure that vital evidence is collected and at least stored for further use, even if you decide not to pursue legal action now. This evidence can be time sensitive; so statements should be taken, and evidence gathered before it is forgotten or unavailable to you months from now.

You also need to be very careful about what you say to others involved. You are not required to give a statement on any matter, at any time. Simple statements can be twisted and used against you by the other side, so it is wise to have an attorney at least available if not present before you decide to the communicate with the insurance companies. Insurance companies have a great interest in keeping their money, and they know how to avoid paying claims if at all possible.

After all the evidence is gathered, you will need to present it in such a way as to represent you in a clear light. Contacting a lawyer is the best way to accomplish all this, and protect you from further damage.

Most personal injury lawyers will work on a contingency basis, so your legal fees are in general taken out of your settlement. If there is no recovery, there is no fee. You will be expected to pay for filing fees, copies, transcripts, etc., but a decent lawyer will make you aware of these costs up front, as well as what he expects to recover before you get into any extensive legal work.

An experienced lawyer will also often be able to avoid many of these expenses by avoiding court all together. Many personal injury cases are settled out of court, therefore minimizing the costs of resolution. Negotiating, mediation and arbitration are 3 ways to resolve conflicts professionally, and minimize the costs of recovery.

If you do have to go to trial, this could take a long time. What if you need medical care before that? This is another reason to consult with a good attorney and allow him to direct you to various services that are sympathetic to the needs of accident victims. A typical example would be going to a chiropractor after a car accident. Many insurance companies still resist chiropractics claiming that they are not nationally recognized, but a good personal injury lawyer will make sure that you get the medical care you need, while you are waiting for trial; and some lawyers can help you find a doctor who understands these things and is willing to work with you under these circumstances.

So if you were involved in an accident of any size, it might be worth your while to call a lawyer first, before you rush off to the insurance company. Ledger Law offices are a great place to start. Call 800-300-0001 today to learn more today.

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I was the victim of a dog bite, Do I have a personal injury claim?

Monday, February 1st, 2010

Generally, dogs are truly man’s best friend.  Many of us own a dog as a companion for our children or for our older relatives.  Maybe we own a dog as a protector for our home. Sometimes we just want a friend that loves us unconditionally. Occasionally though, a dog can become aggressive and bite someone.  Why a dog becomes aggressive remains somewhat of a mystery.  They may feel threatened or scared causing them to feel they need to attack before someone attacks them.  Some dogs have been bred and trained to fight and simply know no other way to behave. Sadly, these dogs have likely been mistreated themselves. Even worse, statistics show that one out of every five dog bites requires medical attention and more than 30,000 people a year require reconstructive surgery after a dog bite. Regardless of the reason, if you are one of the 4.5 million people a year that have been the victim of a dog bite you may want to know what you can do to recover damages for the injuries you have suffered.

The most important thing you can do is to consult with a California dog bite lawyer.  Only a lawyer can evaluate the circumstances of your specific case and advise you whether you have a legitimate personal injury claim.  Your lawyer will be able to investigate the history of the dog that bit you.  He can check into the local animal shelter records and other local records to determine if the dog has a history of aggressiveness.  Even if the dog does not have a history of being aggressive, the dog’s owner may still be liable for injuries you suffered as a result of the bite.

What can you do to help your lawyer evaluate and litigate your dog bit case?

1. Immediately after the incident happens, try to determine who the owner of the dog is.  If you are familiar with the dog, this is simple.  If you are not, then try and remember what the dog looked like and give that information to law enforcement so that they can search for the dog and ultimately the dog’s owner.

2. Go directly to an emergency room to be checked out. Even if you think the bite wasn’t that serious, if it broke the skin you will need to be tested for rabies and other diseases carried by dogs.  Rabies is a serious condition in humans, but is treatable if you catch it early.  Additionally, even a small wound can become infected if not cleaned and treated properly immediately after the accident.

3. Keep good records of your damages.  “Damages” is a legal term for the injuries you have suffered.  While you dog bite attorney can explain the different types of damages to you in detail, for now just think of damages as bills you have incurred of money you have lost as a result of the dog bite.  For instance, keep track of all your hospital and medical bills as well as time you have missed from work.

Your California dog bite attorney can give you more information and advice with regard to your specific situation.  A dog bite can be a traumatic event and may have lifelong consequences.  You don’t have to go through this alone.

If you have been the victim of a dog bite accident and would like an experienced attorney to evaluate your case, contact the law offices of Ledger & Associates at 1-800-300-0001 or visit us at www.ledgerlaw.com.

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Personal Injury Lawsuits Are Not A Dime A Dozen

Saturday, January 30th, 2010

In the multifarious age of technology, discovery and science that we live in, one would expect that there would be a veritable plethora of ways and means to recover from having suffered a wrong at the hands of another. You might be surprised to learn that, at least in the area of personal injury lawsuits, the same tried and tested categories still apply. There are about a dozen or so basic areas applicable to personal injury, with certain off shoots and branches from the norm. And if you get the right representation (read: expert attorney on your case), you have the real opportunity to recover more than pocket change for your troubles (but don’t quote us on that, we only speak for ourselves).

So, you believe you have suffered a personal injury. Are you sure? Let’s take a look at what types of personal injury categories might apply to your loss.

You might have been injured recently and suffered a head, brain or spinal chord injury. These injuries are very serious, and some can have permanent results. These include traumatic brain injury, concussions, paraplegia, quadriplegia, memory loss, sensory loss or even personality loss or other brain function problems.

If you work at a hazardous job, you might be subject to risks for being injured at work. If you are injured at work, you have several different types of claims against multiple players and parties. Work related injuries can happen in poor working conditions, where you have not been adequately trained to use equipment, faulty equipment or where an accident just happens one day for no reason at all.

There are also injuries that build up over time. In these cases, you have possibly been exposed to hazardous chemicals, or have breathed in vapors or toxins. The effect to your lungs, brain or body may not be known or realized right away. You may find out years after leaving a job that you were adversely affected by a substance on the job. Do you remember when restaurants allowed customers to smoke at dinner? Imagine being a waitress or server in those restaurants. Those people who waited on smokers may have claims for second-hand unfiltered smoke, and their symptoms may not have been discovered for years after they left those jobs. But, the employer may still be liable for their losses.

What about transportation accidents occurring on the roads, highways, rural streets, off streets, wilderness tracks, and other areas of the country? You can be injured in the woods in your ATV just as easily as you can be injured on the street near your home or office. These losses include train, plane, maritime and other accidents. Whatever means of travel you are taking to get from point A to point B, I hate to say it, but you can suffer an injury or loss.

Another issue will be if you are injured as the result of someone else’s negligence. These might include dog bites, wrongful death, general tort liability, and even standard slip and fall cases. You can be abused or assaulted by another person, either verbally or physically, there could be a defective product, drug or pharmaceutical product that brings harm to you or your family. And when you go to be treated by your doctor, nurse, hospital, nursing home, hospice care, in-home nurse, companion aide, health care facility or urgent care facility, you could be mistreated, neglected, abused, had an error of medicine prescribed, had the wrong leg operated on, had been given a wrong diagnosis, or generally have a medical malpractice case on your hands.

Are you still with me? I stopped counting, but I am sure we hit the dozen mark awhile ago here. Suffice it to say, whatever type of personal injury claim you may have, you will want to get it right the first time. You won’t get a second chance to present the best case, so don’t mess this one up. And don’t leave it to a flip of the coin, I guarantee you will not be happy with the result.

When you are ready for an expert to handle your case, using best practices and the wisdom of having done it successfully in the past, give us a call at Ledger & Associates at 1-800-300-0001 or email us at www.ledgerlaw.com. We are ready to hear your story, so give us a call today.

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Personal Injury Lawsuits | Do I Have A Case?

Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

In the multifarious age of technology, discovery and science that we live in, one would expect that there would be a veritable plethora of ways and means to recover from having suffered a wrong at the hands of another. You might be surprised to learn that, at least in the area of personal injury lawsuits, the same tried and tested categories still apply.

There are about a dozen or so basic areas applicable to personal injury, with certain off shoots and branches from the norm. And if you get the right representation (read: expert attorney on your case), you have the real opportunity to recover more than pocket change for your troubles (but don’t quote us on that, we only speak for ourselves). So, you believe you have suffered a personal injury. Are you sure? Let’s take a look at what types of personal injury categories might apply to your loss. You might have been injured recently and suffered a head, brain or spinal chord injury. These injuries are very serious, and some can have permanent results.

These include traumatic brain injury, concussions, paraplegia, quadriplegia, memory loss, sensory loss or even personality loss or other brain function problems. If you work at a hazardous job, you might be subject to risks for being injured at work. If you are injured at work, you have several different types of claims against multiple players and parties. Work related injuries can happen in poor working conditions, where you have not been adequately trained to use equipment, faulty equipment or where an accident just happens one day for no reason at all. There are also injuries that build up over time. In these cases, you have possibly been exposed to hazardous chemicals, or have breathed in vapors or toxins. The effect to your lungs, brain or body may not be known or realized right away. You may find out years after leaving a job that you were adversely affected by a substance on the job.

Do you remember when restaurants allowed customers to smoke at dinner? Imagine being a waitress or server in those restaurants. Those people who waited on smokers may have claims for second-hand unfiltered smoke, and their symptoms may not have been discovered for years after they left those jobs. But, the employer may still be liable for their losses. What about transportation accidents occurring on the roads, highways, rural streets, off streets, wilderness tracks, and other areas of the country? You can be injured in the woods in your ATV just as easily as you can be injured on the street near your home or office. These losses include train, plane, maritime and other accidents. Whatever means of travel you are taking to get from point A to point B, I hate to say it, but you can suffer an injury or loss.

Another issue will be if you are injured as the result of someone else’s negligence. These might include dog bites, wrongful death, general tort liability, and even standard slip and fall cases. You can be abused or assaulted by another person, either verbally or physically, there could be a defective product, drug or pharmaceutical product that brings harm to you or your family. And when you go to be treated by your doctor, nurse, hospital, nursing home, hospice care, in-home nurse, companion aide, health care facility or urgent care facility, you could be mistreated, neglected, abused, had an error of medicine prescribed, had the wrong leg operated on, had been given a wrong diagnosis, or generally have a medical malpractice case on your hands. Are you still with me? I stopped counting, but I am sure we hit the dozen mark awhile ago here. Suffice it to say, whatever type of personal injury claim you may have, you will want to get it right the first time. You won’t get a second chance to present the best case, so don’t mess this one up. And don’t leave it to a flip of the coin, I guarantee you will not be happy with the result. When you are ready for an expert to handle your case, using best practices and the wisdom of having done it successfully in the past, give us a call at Ledger & Associates at 1-800-300-0001 or email us at www.ledgerlaw.com. We are ready to evaluate your claim, so give us a call today.

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WHEN MANS BEST FRIEND ATTACKS!

Saturday, January 23rd, 2010

Dog Bites:

It’s estimated that there are 55 million dogs in the United States.  The Centers for Disease Control reports that there are more than 4.7 million people bitten by dogs each year. The most likely place to be bitten is on the dog’s turf, more than one half of these dog bites occur on the dog owner’s property. Many of the dog bites result in injury and 800,000 of these bites require medical attention.

What to do:

Here are some things you should do to take care of a wound caused by a cat or dog bite:

· If necessary, call your doctor.

· Wash the wound gently with soap and water.

· Apply pressure with a clean towel to the injured area to stop any bleeding.

· Apply a sterile bandage to the wound.

· Keep the injury elevated above the level of the heart to slow swelling and prevent infection.

· Report the incident to the proper authority in your community (for example, the animal control office or the police).

· Apply antibiotic ointment to the area 2 times every day until it heals.

· See a medical professional immediately!  Any/all animal bites leave the victim susceptible to rabies or any of a litany of viruses or infections.

After the initial drama of the dog bite event has passed, there are some basic steps you need to take.  The victim should obtain the dog owner’s insurance information and insist that the dog owner contact their insurance company immediately. Gather as much background information as you can concerning the incident. Facts are always more clear in the immediate hours and days after an accident especially if you intend to take legal action.

Know your rights:

While attacks from all types of animals – birds, cats, snakes etc. – happen every day, dog attacks dominate the reported and unfortunately unreported cases.  Also a sad fact of the dog bite story is the number of small children who are harmed by dogs in a wide variety of fact patterns.  Whether it a Pit Bull, a Rottweiler or a timid Poodle, dogs can and do cause significant harm, disfigurement and in some cases, death.  Whether you are a dog lover, dog owner or adverse to the four legged creatures, it is critical; that you understand your rights when it comes to dog bites.  A published Personal Injury Verdict Review reported a number of dog bite cases in which settlement amounts vary: $1,500 for dog bite with puncture wounds to the upper thigh, $30,000 for dog bite causing laceration of the lip causing scaring, and $100,000 for an attack by two pit bulls who bit a 10 year-old male causing facial scarring.  However, the law has the difficult problem of deciding when to hold the owners of dogs liable for what is usually totally unintended by the owner but is nevertheless an expensive and painful injury to an individual who has done nothing wrong.  The only way to know your legal rights is to contact the experienced dog bite attorneys at the law offices of Ledger & Associates.  Please call toll-free 1-800-300-0001 or visit us at www.ledgerlaw.com.

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Dog Bite Personal Injury Cases

Sunday, January 17th, 2010

Every year, dog bites occur and sometimes the injury is short lived while other times a dog bite can be so severe a person dies from it.

When it comes to a dog bite case, there are a few questions that are asked such as: Was the person trespassing when the dog bit them? Or was the dog roaming free when it bit their victim?

Each scenario will provide different results in what will happen in a case.  First of all, if a person was trespassing, then the injured party should not expect a settlement. However, if the injured party was merely walking by and a dog chases them down and bites them then that will ensure a settlement.

Ten years ago a survey showed that 4.7 million people yearly are bitten by dogs and a 1,000 people daily are treated in emergency rooms. In 2007 alone, there were 33 deaths associated to dog bites and seven of those were residents of Texas.

In the United States, there are 74.8 million dogs who are accounted for in homes and more than that who roam the streets or are in a pound. Every year, mailmen are bitten and 2,851 are reported on an annual scale.

The statistics are harsh and many people are unaware of different safety steps to take when it comes a stray dog who is growling and snarling at them. However, two key things to remember is one, never run and two, if you are attacked use your fist and punch the dog scare in the nose. This will give you time to get away. Dogs usually try to attack the face and neck, therefore if you are ever attacked cover your neck and face from the dog as much as possible.

Most commonly, the two dogs that usually bite are Rottweiler’s and Pit Bulls and they attack children the most. This has been seen mainly because children like to taunt dogs while they are in their fences; therefore once the dog is no longer confined it attacks the child. This is not always the case however.

There are leash laws in many communities; this means that a dog must be on a leash at all times when out confined to a house. There is another law which many states follow that is called the “one free bite” rule. This means that if a person had been bitten and it is the dog’s first offense then the owner is not liable unless the dog had committed another offense to prove their viciousness.

If you have found yourself the victim of a dog bite and you have been injured then you should contact a lawyer to find you what can be done. Most of the time, dog bites are just a caution that dogs show us to prove we are getting to close to them, other times it is a sign that the dog has “snapped” and once they have bitten someone they are most likely to do it again.

Authorities should always be notified when it comes to dog bite, it doesn’t matter how small or big the bite is, even if the owner is willing to pay for medical bills and such. This will help to save a person who might be bitten later in the future by the same dog.

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Are you the victim of a dog bite?

Friday, January 8th, 2010

Americans love their pets. The Humane Society of America reports that there were over ninety millions cats and seventy three million dogs living in American homes this past year. Most of us would like to think each of these pets is taken care of like an additional member of the family, but we all know that simply is not the case. Can you remember the last time you were taking your dog for a walk and saw your neighbor’s dog tied up in the backyard or even worse roaming loose on the streets of your neighborhood?

Ninety nine percent of the time an encounter with one of these improperly supervised animals goes well, but there is always the rare case that it does not and you become the victim of a dog bite. Annually over four and a half million people are a victim of a dog bites, with approximately 800,000 or one in six bite victims, requiring medical attention. Sadly, the vast majority of these victims are children.

Dog bites are serious incidents and need to be handled with care, one bite from an angry or startled dog can lead to a number of injuries including: abrasions, lacerations, puncture wounds, infections such as rabies, tissue loss, fractured bones and scarring. In addition to these physical injuries the mental and emotional effects of a dog attack can be devastating especially for children who become victims of improperly supervised animals.

If you become the victim of a dog bite the most important thing you need to do is seek medical attention and then identify the animal that has attacked you and verify it has been properly vaccinated against rabies, if you are unable to get confirmation the animal is free of rabies you might need to begin treatment for rabies.

A professional personal injury attorney can help guide you through the entire process and make sure you receive all the compensation you are entitled to, make sure all of your medical needs are taken care of, and make sure you find the person who is financially responsible if you have been the victim of a dog bite. This compensation could include: payment of your medical bills, reimbursement for lost wages, payment for required cosmetic surgery to repair damage caused by the dog bite, and compensation for the pain and suffering caused by your injuries. DogBiteVictim

If you or someone you know have been the victim of a dog bite you need to find a lawyer who can make sure you receive all the rights afforded you under California law. At Ledger Law you will find a dog bite attorney who is experienced in dealing with dog or animal attack. On each and every dog bite case we start by reviewing records at local animal shelters and health clinics to see if the animal in question has a history of violence. You should not be the one to pay if you are the victim of a dog bite or attack. Call Attorney Emery Brett Ledger @ (more…)

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