Finch McCranie, LLP

Georgia Serious Injury Cases: Frequently Asked Question Number 6

This blog will continue in our series of providing our readers with answers to frequently asked questions in the context of a serious injury case. This blog will address FAQ number 6:
6. Can my spouse recover damages if I am seriously injured and he/she misses time from work caring for me?
Answer: A spouse does not have a legal claim for their own lost wages while they miss work caring for their injured spouse. However, under Georgia law, a spouse does have a claim
(more…)

Georgia Serious Injury Cases: Frequently Asked Question Number 5

This blog will continue in our series of providing our readers with answers to frequently asked questions in the context of a serious injury case. This blog will address FAQ number 5:
5. Who will pay my lost wages while I am recovering from my injuries?
Answer: In Georgia, there is no “Pay as You Go” rule so unfortunately the answer to this question is that you may receive no lost wages at all unless your employer continues to pay you and/or you have disability
(more…)

Another Atlanta Area Police Chase Case and More Avoidable Deaths

We have written previously about the dangers of police chase cases. This week we read in the paper about a chase that occurred on January 24 involving a man fleeing the police in a stolen vehicle. As he was fleeing, allegedly with a police officer in pursuit, the suspect in the stolen vehicle engaged in increasingly dangerous behavior. Ultimately, he collided head-on with another innocent motorist, killing that motorist and decapitating a female passenger in his car. According to the news accounts, the deceased
(more…)

Atlanta Man Electrocuted: Serious Injury and Wrongful Death

We read in the newspaper this week about the death of a maintenance man at a local school system when he was electrocuted while trying to change a fixture at the elementary school. While the newspaper article did not provide many details, it was curious to us that a maintenance man would be killed while simply trying to change out a light fixture. This raises the obvious issue of whether there is third party negligence because the electrical system obviously had some problems within it,
(more…)

Georgia Serious Injury Cases: Frequently Asked Question Number 3

This blog will continue in our series of providing our readers with answers to frequently asked questions in the context of a serious injury case. This blog will address FAQ number 3:
3. If a client settles his or her personal injury claim against an at fault defendant, will they have to repay their own insurance carrier under current subrogation provisions of the law?
Answer: This question often comes up in the context of serious injury cases where the injured individual has incurred substantial medical
(more…)

Ortho Evra Contraceptive Patch is Dangerous to Use

The Ortho Evra contraceptive patch has been used by many young women who unfortunately have developed clot related injuries. Some users have had strokes, heart attacks, pulmonary embolisms or deep vein thrombosis as a result of using this product. This past week, the Food and Drug Administration announced a significant update to the manufacturer’s warning on the contraceptive patch. The label now warns users of the patch that they are at a significantly higher risk of developing clot related injuries than other women who use
(more…)

Georgia Serious Injury Cases: Frequently Asked Question Number 2

This continues in our series of providing our readers with answers to frequently asked questions in the context of a serious injury case. This blog will address FAQ number 2:
2. Who will bear responsibility for my future medical expenses if I settle my serious injury case today?
Answer: Anytime a serious injury case is settled, there has to be an evaluation of future medical expenses. Has the injured individual recovered completely from their injuries? Are future medical expenses likely? If future medical expenses are
(more…)

Medication Errors In Atlanta Hospitals

We have previously written about the dangers of medication errors in hospitals. Recently another incident made the news because a celebrity was involved. Actor Dennis Quaid’s newborn twins and another child were put in serious danger when they were administered overdoses of a blood thinner. The California Department of Public Health said the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center gave the newborns 1,000 times the intended dosage of heparin. Fortunately, all three children recovered, but two needed a drug that reverses the effects of heparin.
The authorities said
(more…)

Emergency Care Lacking in Hospitals

Our attorneys are increasingly reviewing cases where major surgical procedures are being performed at small physician-owned hospitals and surgical centers.
On January 10, 2008, the Washington Post revealed that the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, had issued a report concerning physician-owned specialty hospitals. The report concluded that most physician-owned speciality hospitals are poorly equipped to handle medical emergencies.
The report revealed that only 55% of the 109 physician-owned hospitals studied had emergency departments, and of those, the majority had only
(more…)

Atlanta/Georgia Medical Malpractice Limits on Recoveries

Our medical malpractice attorneys are frequently forced to decline cases which have merit from a liability standpoint, but due to caps on the amount of recovery cannot be justified in economic terms.
Last week, the Los Angeles Times ran a story concerning a 72 year old woman who entered Stanford University Medical Center for double knee replacement surgery in April. Four days later, she was dead. Her son, an anesthesiologist, felt that the case was a classic case of medical malpractice. After the operation, his
(more…)

Consumers May Be Without Remedies Against Auto Manufacturers

The Atlanta consumer and product liability lawyers of Finch McCranie LLP have successfully litigated cases against auto manufacturers for serious injury and death caused by defects in their products. Now, as a result of the bankruptcy of GM and Chrysler, many deserving victims of these defective products may be left without recourse.
The bankruptcy proceedings currently underway will leave consumers currently bringing personal-injury and product-liability lawsuits against Chrysler LLC and General Motors unable to continue their actions and receive compensation for their injuries. In
(more…)

Georgia Wrongful Death Actions:Who Has The Right To Sue? (Part II)

In Part I of this series, we set forth the provisions of Georgia law for wrongful death actions where surviving spouses were involved. In this article, we shall address actions by surviving children under Georgia’s wrongful death statute where a spouse does not survive to bring such a case.
If a parent is killed due to the negligence of a third party and is not survived by a spouse but is survived by children, the cause of action for the wrongful death vests with
(more…)

Georgia Health Insurer Accused Of Unfair Practices

A lawsuit has been filed by Georgia surgery centers against Blue Cross Blue Shield Healthcare Plan of Georgia Inc. and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia, seeking class action. The lawsuit, like many others around the country attacks the insurer’s practice of discouraging visits to out-of-network providers by reimbursing procedures at a tiny fraction of “usual and customary” charges.
The suit is similar to one filed earlier this year by a dialysis provider against Blue Cross. That suit was dismissed. The new suit alleges
(more…)

Georgia Wrongful Death Actions:Who Has The Right To Sue? (Part I)

One of area of confusion to the public is determining who has the right to bring a wrongful death action in Georgia. Because our firm handles many such cases in Atlanta and throughout the State, we have decided to blog on this area of the law so that the public will better understand the provisions of Georgia law which control wrongful death actions.
In this article we shall focus on the rights of a spouse who is married to an individual killed by the
(more…)

FDA To Reconsider BPA Decision

We receive many inquiries from Atlanta consumers regarding the safety of products apporved by the federal regulatory agencies. During the Bush administration many consumers here in Georgia and elsewhere have expressed concern and bewilderment that certain drugs and products banned in other countries were “approved” by federal agencies for distribution in the United States.
Now, the Food and Drug Administration, FDA, has announced it is reviewing a controversial decision it made last year — the conclusion that BPA, a chemical used in baby bottles
(more…)

Forklift Accidents: Usually Serious And Oftentimes Deadly

When I was in high school, I was hired as a forklift driver at a textile plant. I was given no training whatsoever, had never operated a forklift and within hours was lifting huge pallets of heavy materials high into the air for placement on warehouse shelving. Fortunately, I did not injury anyone or kill myself, but I easily could have. Indeed, that same summer a high school friend of mine lost his life when he accidently drove a forklift backwards off of a loading
(more…)

Bus Accident Recommendations By NTSB

Bus accidents have been a problem in Atlanta and Georgia for many years. Recently, the lawyers of Finch McCranie LLP were able to secure a very favorable settlement for the most seriously injured survivor in the Bluffton Bus crash which occurred here some years ago.
Now, in an encouraging move, the National Transportation Safety Board is recommending charter bus companies come up with better plans to deal with crashes in remote areas. Last Friday, the NTSB sent recommendations to the American Bus Association and
(more…)

Trampolines Recalled

Potentially dangerous trampolines which have been sold in the Georgia and Atlanta areas are the subject of a recall. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in cooperaation with Skywalker Holdings announced a voluntary recall of about 60,000 trampolines manufactured in China and distributed by Skywalker Holdings LLC, of Brigham City, Utah.

(more…)

Georgia ATV Safety Tips

As a Georgia injury lawyer, I read almost everyday about a death or serious personal injuries sustained as a result of an All Terrain Vehicle ATV accident. With the increasing popularity of ATVs it is inevitable that there will be more accidents and injuries; however, most are preventable. Without exception, most ATV accidents can be traced back to a rider who broke at least one of the ATV Safety Institute’s Golden Rules. Whether you’re riding in a public park or on private land, keep these

(more…)

Treadmill Accidents Can Cause Serious Injury or Death

The Atlanta lawyers of Finch McCranie LLP often see cases in which children are injured on exercise equipment such as treadmills and weight machines. The tragic death of boxer Mike Tyson’s 4-year-old daughter may seem like a freak occurrence, but the Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that treadmills injure more children than any other type of exercise equipment.
According to CPSC figures, almost 5,500 children under age 5 were treated in emergency rooms in 2006 and 2007 for treadmill-related injuries.
While most had cuts, bruises
(more…)

Secret Link