ATLANTA,GA
DULUTH, GA
Lately there has been a lot of publicity about the death of a 17-year old track star due to her use of the common muscle relaxant sports cream Bengay.
As I was reading these articles, it reminded me of case I handled several years ago involving a similar product called Icy Hot.
In that case, a diabetic client that I represented had used the product and apparently due to her diabetic condition, developed topical salicylate poisoning due to the main ingredient found in the Icy
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Lawyers in Georgia who handle serious injury and wrongful death cases are often confronted with situations where their clients are hospitalized and later acquire a Staph infection which greatly complicates their recovery. We also see cases where clients call complaining about the development of an infection while hospitalized for one condition where the infection becomes much more serious than the condition for which they were originally treated. Regrettably, many people die from these infections.
(more…)In the summer of 2006 MSNBC.com reported that each year as many as 1.5 million Americans suffer a serious injury or death because of errors made in the dispensing, prescribing or taking of prescription drugs. In an earlier report published by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, it was estimated that each year more than 7,000 people in the United States die from pharmacy related medication errors. Last year, in the nationally syndicated program 20/20, ABC News reported extensively on this problem. Regrettably,
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Just this past week, clients retained our firm’s services with respect to a serious motorcycle injury. As is often the case, because motorcycle riders are unprotected except for the helmet they wear, whenever an accident occurs involving a motorcycle, typically, serious injuries are involved.
The worst case we handled was about 3 years ago when one of our partners represented a motorcycle rider who was hit by a drunk driver and almost killed. This drunk driver not only ran over the motorcycle driver, the motorcycle
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A few days ago, we wrote an article about the importance of uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage in those situations where the at fault party has minimum limits of liability insurance coverage. Today we write about another reason why all Georgia motorists should consider carrying uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage in amounts at least as much as their liability insurance coverage and perhaps much more.
The distinction between liability coverage and uninsured motorist coverage is the fact that liability coverage protects the person you hit whereas uninsured motorist coverage
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Mesothelioma results from inhalation and exposure to asbestos. Mesothelioma is a specific form of lung cancer affecting the thin membrane linings of the abdomen and internal organs (cancer of the mesothelium). Because of exposure to asbestos, the cells of the mesothelium become abnormal and cancerous.
In Georgia and elsewhere, asbestos has been used in building materials, paper products and plastics. It is also found in textiles, packings and asbestos reinforced plastics. Nationwide, more than a quarter of a million people have been known to have
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Uninsured Employers is a growing problem for injured workers in Georgia. In our practice we have seen a growing number of employees who have been seriously injured only to discover that their employers have no workers’ compensation insurance coverage. Many of those employers have no real assets and they are therefore “judgment proof.”
I recently read that on November 9, 2006, the Governor of Pennsylvania signed into law a significant change in the Pennsylvania Workers Compensation Act. Like Georgia, the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act covers
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As I ride around the City, I am amazed at the number of billboard advertisements by attorneys. Occasionally, even though I am working all day long, I also get a chance while I am in a waiting room (usually awaiting a doctor’s deposition) to watch daytime TV. When I watch the TV, I am similarly amazed at the number of lawyer advertisements on daytime television. Obviously, this leads me to consider how the average person goes about finding a qualified personal injury attorney in a
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Many of the clients we represent are married individuals. When they are seriously injured, obviously, their spouses are adversely affected. The emotional toll of caring for an injured spouse, worrying about their health and financial issues and being overwhelmed by dealing with the totality of a serious injury case can be debilitating. The spouse of the actual client may be emotionally taxed and physically burdened by increased demands and therefore entitled to compensation for their damages. The question is whether a loss of consortium claim
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A typical case we see far too often is that where the motorist who caused the damage to our client had the minimum limits of Georgia law which provides only $25,000.00 in liability insurance coverage. Typically such a driver has little or no personal assets to satisfy an excess judgment against them. In those cases where our client’s damages (medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering) clearly exceed the $25,000.00 in available limits, the best chance for an excess recovery is to procure uninsured/underinsured motorist
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Not a day goes by that the Georgia injury lawyers at Finch McCranie, LLP don’t read about tragic deaths from automobile accidents, tractor trailer accidents and motorcycle accidents. On Wednesday of this week a popular Georgia High School coach, 46 year old Anthony Glen Barge, was riding motorcycles with his brother-in-law near the Lake Wedowee, Alabama. They were reportedly on the way to visit relatives in the area. According to The Anniston Star, Barge was riding his 2001 Kawasaki motorcycle when he
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Another dangerous product recall by Federal Regulators last Thursday may signal the end of drop-side cribs that most of us have known and used for decades. According to an article by the Chicago Tribune, the Feds recalled another two million drop-side cribs. The moveable sides that raise and lower, making it easier to access babies have repeatedly malfunctioned leading to numerous tragedies around the country. The problem with these cribs is that when the sides separate from the crib, babies’ bodies can slip into the resulting gap. Their heads can get trapped and they have been known to hang to death or suffocate. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, at least 32 children died when their drop-side cribs malfunctioned and another 14 babies’ deaths may be linked to these cribs.
According to the article, more than 250 consumers have reported that the side rails failed on these cribs which were manufactured between 2000 and 2009.
“When a vehicle is supplied by an employer for the mutual benefit of himself and his employee to facilitate the progress of the employee’s work, employment begins when the workman enters the vehicle and ends when he leaves it on the termination of his labor.” This statement is an exception to the general rule that coming to or going from work is usually not considered to be work within the scope of employment. However, if an employer furnishes a company owned vehicle to an employee for his use to come to work and be on call for the master’s business 24/7 either via a radio, dispatch system, cell phone or other type of communication device, then in that event, a jury question is present as to whether an employee coming to or going from work is acting within the scope of his employment.
(more…)Lithium battery cells are very small and sometimes look like a silver quarter. Unfortunately, these batteries are omnipresent and found in virtually every American household, whether it be in remote controls, watches, garage door openers or children’s books. Unfortunately, the tiny batteries that operate all of these devices can be extremely deadly to young children who may swallow them. While there are federal laws that require toys that use these batteries to have battery compartments that are locked with screws, unfortunately, the batteries can be
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Georgia injury lawyers have seen the devastation created by motorists who drink and drive. Many of the most serious automobile accidents and trucking accidents are caused by drunk motorists. A large number of the offenders are repeat or habitual offenders. Several years ago, our firm represented the mother of a young man in a Federal Tort Claims Act wrongful death case. The young man, who was walking home from work on the shoulder of the road, was struck and killed by an FBI agent driving a bureau car who left the scene of the accident. Our investigation would later show that the agent had just left a bar after a night of drinking. The police officer who showed up at his home later that evening recognized the agent because she had previously charged him with DUI on the same road earlier that year. A Twelve Step Recovery book was found on the seat in his car.
A new Georgia law is ratcheting up the penalties for such repeat offenders by making the crime a felony. In order for the charge to be a felony, a certain number of offenses within a certain time period will qualify a driver for the enhanced charge. In the case of DUI, four arrests and three convictions in one year will earn you a felony.
A Springfield Georgia automobile accident resulted in the wrongful death of a 17 year old Springfield teenager, Whitney Newman, in the early morning hours last Sunday morning. According to the Savannah Morning News, the teen was a backseat passenger in a Chevrolet Tracker which lost control and flipped over several times, ejecting some of its five passengers. Although authorities did not initially know why the driver lost control of the vehicle, the Georgia State Patrol Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team was investigating. At least two other occupants of the vehicle sustained life-threatening injuries as a result of the accident and they were transported to Memorial University Hospital in Savannah.
One of the realities of the Federal Tort Claims Act is that the fees for counsel are limited. If the case is settled pre-suit, the fees are limited to twenty percent (20%). If the case goes to trial before the District Court by way of a bench trial, the fees are increased to twenty-five percent (25%) of the award. As is true of most personal injury claims, attorney’s fees are payable from the amount of the recovery, not in addition to it. The United States
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Georgia medical malpractice cases have become increasingly difficult to bring as the legislature enacts more and more restrictive laws. A fact which many do not know is that patients injured by highly negligent actions in Georgia emergency departments have no right of recovery. This is due legislation which established a gross negligence standard which governing the actions of emergency room personnel.
This standard has been interpreted by the Georgia courts as requiring almost intentional conduct.
The extreme unfairness of this law is illustrated by a
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Anyone who spends time in the mountains of Georgia or North Carolina knows that the summer motorcycle season is here. It is time for many of us to hit the open road once again. Before you do, we suggest you review some important safety tips, that may help keep you safe this season. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), approximately 5,100 people died in motorcycle crashes in 2007. This alarming statistic is the highest level since the Department of Transportation began collecting data in 1975.
Many bikers take precautions to avoid accidents, but even when all safety precautions have been made, other driver’s make mistakes that cause serious injuries. A Georgia man lost his foot as a result of an inattentive driver who ran a traffic light; a North Carolina man lost his life when a tractor-trailer turned left into his right of way; and a Florida man suffered a traumatic brain injury when the defendant driver ran a red light. The fact is that there is no way to completely eliminate the risk, even for the most skilled bikers but staying alert and ride defensively can help.
When a claim is asserted against the United States government, the claim is based on the alleged liability of the United States in accordance with the law of the place where the negligent act or omission occurred. As an example, if a postal truck runs over someone in the State of Georgia, the laws of the State of Georgia will control whether the acts of the postal carrier driver were negligent. The liability of the United States as stated in other entries is the same
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