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San Diego Accident Blog

Schwarzenegger Revives Cal Tort War With Accident Attorneys

Posted in Personal Injury, Sunday, March 21st, 2010

As California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger sees his time in office coming to a close, he’s trying to reignite a debate that has been fought decades and impacts class action lawsuit, from medical malpractice to personal injury.

The Sacramento Bee reported that Schwarzenegger includes this issue as a component of his economic stimulus package by supporting reforms in tort law that hurt personal injury cases.  The governor wanted to reduce the amount of ”frivolous lawsuits that kill jobs.”

Our firm’s San Diego personal injury lawyers are worried that this “tort war” will do more harm than good because those injured in car accidents or by negligent doctors will have their lawsuits capped for the amount of damages they can collect to help pay for their medical bills.

Governor Schwarzenegger wants to place restrictions on these suits, coming to bat for business groups who have lobbied for tightening the belt around personal injury lawsuits for years.  Former governor Jerry Brown capped pain and suffering damages in 1975 when he signed the medical malpractice law.

The governor is calling for restrictions to be placed on the amount of punitive damages that can be awarded in class-action lawsuits and protect manufacturers of defective commodities from product liability lawsuits.

In the past, Republican governors in California have repeatedly killed tort bills proposed by the lobby group for trail lawyers, Consumer Attorneys of California.  Many times the group lobbies for proposals to the state Democratic Legislature only to see it not make it past the governor’s office.

The personal injury lawyers in San Diego who work at our firm are worried that this tort war might have profits over people in mind, meaning that money is taken into consideration over people who might be hurt.  Our hope is that the governor and his office will make keep the health of the people of their state in mind when waging this tort war.

If you were injured in a car accident that wasn’t your fault and believe that you deserve compensation, then call our bilingual law offices right away at 1-800-655-6585 or click here for a FREE consultation with an experienced auto accident attorney in San Diego and find out how we can help you.  We look forward to providing good advice for your case.  There is no cost for your initial consultation, and there are no fees until we recover a fair auto accident settlement.

Sacramento’s Largest Personal Injury Settlement Awarded

Posted in Personal Injury, Monday, March 15th, 2010

An Oregon girl that was accidentally run over by a truck driven by her father was awarded a $24.3 million personal injury settlement following a trial involving a semi-truck accident that happened in 2004.

Diana Yuleidy Loza-Jimenez was given the settlement by a Superior Court jury on March 5, 2010 from Freeway Transport, Inc., the Portland, Oregon trucking company a judge found responsible.  According to the Sacramento bar association, this personal injury settlement is the largest in Sacramento County history. Read the full article →

Could SD Have Same Bike Accident Total As Long Beach?

Posted in Personal Injury, Friday, February 12th, 2010

“Long Beach, California is the most bicycle friendly city in America.”

That’s what it says outside of the Long Beach City Hall under the metal sculpture of a two-wheeler.  While currently trying to become a mecca for bike riders as reported by the LA Times, Long Beach might inadvertently be increasing the amount of bicycle accidents on their streets as they become more bike-friendly.  After all, most people see Long Beach as an extension of Los Angeles, which is known for having a large number of cars on city streets.

Why does this concern our car accident lawyers in San Diego?  Because San Diego might very well take a page out of Long Beach’s book in an effort to cut down the amount of traffic, car accidents caused by bicycle accidents and pollution in America’s Finest City.  But who is making sure that personal injuries do not tag along? Read the full article →

Medical Malpractice Lawyers Battle Tort Reform

Posted in Personal Injury, Tuesday, February 9th, 2010

You’re supposed to have complete faith in the people assigned with the responsibility of keeping you healthy, but our San Deigo personal injury attorneys know that mistakes happen.  Sometimes, these errors can lead to medical malpractice causing personal injuries or even wrongful death.

With that in mind, a handful of trial lawyers known as the American Association for Justice (AAJ) has begun a campaign to show the issues of medical mistakes and how important malpractice cases are, according to Renal and Urology News.  The group created a website (www.98000reasons.org) that hopes to get its visitors to get in touch with Congress to urge them to “put patients first.” Read the full article →

Check Out Our New Brain Injury Lawyer Web Site

Posted in Personal Injury, Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

For the past few months, our personal injury law firm has developed an interactive Web site dedicated specifically to brain injuries.  We wanted to create a brain injury lawyer Web site that could be a comprehensive resource for those suffering the effects of a brain injury, and we think we’ve done just that.  In fact, we’re very excited about the impact it could have on the future.

So with that in mind, let us introduce you to our new Web site:

Read the full article →

Check Out Our New Paralysis Lawyer Web Site

Posted in Personal Injury, Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

Paralysis is a life-altering condition.  Our personal injury law firm has seen enough cases that involve paralysis to know that we need to do all we can to prevent major spinal cord injuries.  With that in mind, our firm’s paralysis lawyers would like to introduce and welcome you to our new Web site that focuses exclusively on paralysis and spinal cord injuries.

Read the full article →

Stopping Medical Mistakes Before Medical Malpractice

Posted in Personal Injury, Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

Misunderstandings.  Misinterpretations.  Mistakes.

If you’re at a hospital, those are three words you would rather not associate with where you’re being treated.  Unfortunately, medical mistakes cause one wrongful death every day and cause personal injuries to 1.3 million people every year, according to statistics from the Food and Drug Administration.

Our San Diego personal injury attorneys have been wondering: what is being done to prevent these medical mistakes from causing personal injury or wrongful death? Read the full article →

Dog Bite Injuries In Ohio Will Hurt Owners’ Wallets

Posted in Personal Injury, Tuesday, January 19th, 2010

Dogs are great animals — man’s best friend, some might say — but they are animals first and foremost, not people.  Therefore, different rules apply to them when they hurt or injury somebody.  How does the law handle situations where animals end up causing bodily harm to humans?

It is usually the owner who must pay the price.

The state of Ohio has decided to raise the amount of money that can be sought in dog bite cases after a 12-year-old girl was mauled by an out of control dog and sustained a major head injury.  The girl survived, but her mother could only collect a limited amount of money to help pay for her medical bills under the previous state law. Read the full article →

Bicycle Accident Injures Bicyclist And Policeman

Posted in Personal Injury, Wednesday, January 13th, 2010

A motorcycle police officer and another bicyclist were involved in a bicycle accident in the Hillcrest section of San Diego on Tuesday at about 2:40 p.m., a San Diego Police Department spokesman said.

The bicycle accident happened in the 1000 block of University Avenue.  Both riders suffered from minor injuries. Read the full article →

Road Raging Doctor Sentenced For Injuring Cyclists With Car

Posted in Personal Injury, Wednesday, January 13th, 2010

Ever heard of the term “schadenfreude”?  It is a German word that describes the type of enjoyment one person gets when they see another in pain and agony.

When Bugs Bunny drops a piano on Elmer Fudd’s head, that’s schadenfreude, but when a Los Angeles doctor pulls his car in front of two cyclists, sending them flying off of their bikes and through his windsheild, well, that’s not schadenfraude at all — it’s assult with a deadly weapon.  Doctor Christopher Tompson hit two bikers with his car and his purposeful bicycle accident resulted in a five-year prison sentence.  But the main cause behind his crime was not schadenfraude for laughs, but road rage with the intent to educate. Read the full article →

Prevent Children’s Injuries With New Booster Seat Ratings

Posted in Personal Injury, Thursday, December 31st, 2009

Child safety seats, or booster seats, are one of the best ways to prevent personal injury or wrongful death in young children that are involved in car accidents.  Knowing which ones to use can be the difference in saving your child’s life in a car crash.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety wants to make it easier for you if you need to choose a booster seat.  That’s why the IIHS ranked the safest booster seats because if you don’t know which seats are the best, you may accidentally pick one that can lead to catastrophic injury for your child. Read the full article →

Donations Lead To Merry Christmas For Paraplegic

Posted in Personal Injury, Tuesday, December 29th, 2009

Christmas is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year.  For one family, the generosity of local San Diegans led to a very Merry Christmas for a teenager hurt in a bicycle accident last year.

Back in May of 2008, 15-year-old Saul Mendoza was paralyzed after being hit by two cars in a bicycle accident near his home in Escondido, California.  The first car that hit him stopped, but the second car didn’t.  Saul’s right leg had to be amputated at the knee, his kidney shut down and he was in a coma.  Doctors didn’t think he would make it, but he came out of it paralyzed. Read the full article →

Online Pharmacies = Off-Line Personal Injuries?

Posted in Personal Injury, Thursday, December 10th, 2009

The internet has become the latest way for people to get their news, do their shopping and connect with old friends.  Unfortunately the internet has given way to more questionable services.

The Food and Drug Administration is trying to shut down one aspect of internet life:  online pharmacies.  The FDA has begun to pressure over 100 websites that are selling either counterfeit drugs or unapproved prescription drugs, which can lead to personal injury or wrongful death if those drugs are used incorrectly. Read the full article →

Higher Damages Can Be Sought In Workers Comp

Posted in Personal Injury, Monday, December 7th, 2009

Have you been hurt in an on-the-job accident and feel like you deserve more in your settlement?  If so, you might be in luck.

In November, a Tennessee Circuit Court judge ruled that a General Motors employee was entitled to a higher amount of damages than normally allowed under state law due to restructuring of General Motors (now known as NGMCO) after the auto giant filed for bankruptcy in June, 2009. Read the full article →

$6.5M Settlement After Ford Seat Belt Paralyzed A Kid

Posted in Personal Injury, Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009

You know that wearing a seat belt can save your life, but what if your safety harness ends up causing your personal injury in an automobile accident?

That’s what happened to Billy Meals and because of that, Ford Motor Company was ordered to pay out $6.5 million by a Memphis court.  Meals was paralyzed from the waist down in a fatal car accident in 2002 that killed three people. Read the full article →

Lawnmower Causes Child’s Catastrophic Injury

Posted in Personal Injury, Tuesday, October 6th, 2009

Over 14 million children’s injuries are reported every year in the United States.

Our firm’s San Diego personal injury lawyers know that no matter what causes your child’s injury, your biggest concern should be getting medical treatment as soon as possible.  With smaller bodies and a lower pain tolerance, children are prime targets for serious personal injury and even wrongful death.  Read the full article →

Young Boy Injured After Bicycle Accident

Posted in Personal Injury, Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

You may not believe it, but our firm’s San Diego car accident lawyers know that a fatal bicycle accident happens once every six hours and more often than that someone is injured in a bicycle related accident.

There are currently about 73 to 85 million bicycle riders in the U.S., including at least 44 million people over the age of six who rode a bike more than six times in 2008.  About 540,000 bicyclists visit emergency rooms with injuries every year.  Over 90 percent of bicyclist wrongful deaths happen in crashes with automobiles.

In recent local news a young boy was knocked off his bike when he got in a bicycle accident with another car near an Encanto roadway. Read the full article →

Supplement Users Beware Of What You’re Taking Before Personal Injuries

Posted in Personal Injury, Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

A wise man once said: “Treat your body like a temple, not like a woodshed.”

Some people, especially athletes, use dietary supplements to improve muscle growth or speed up the healing and recovery process.  Unfortunately, some supplements contain unknown ingredients that are added that can cause further injuries or wrongful death.

The unknown ingredients are what doctors and physicians warn users about all the time because it is very true that what you don’t know might kill you. Read the full article →

Former CBS Early Show Personality Loses Medical Malpractice Lawsuit

Posted in Personal Injury, Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

Medical malpractice is an all too common occurrence in the United States healthcare system.

In a highly publicized medical malpractice lawsuit former CBS “Early Show” personality and reporter Mark McEwen lost his lawsuit against a doctor who misdiagnosed his stroke as the flu. Read the full article →

Cedars-Sinai To Pay Med Malpractice Settlement

Posted in Personal Injury, Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

A jury in Los Angeles has ruled that Cedars-Sinai Medical Center must pay a medical malpractice settlement of $7.3 million.

According to the details of the case, the medical center was negligent when a baby wasn’t diagnosed and treated with meningitis, the inflammation of the membranes of the brain and spinal cord, quickly enough leading to brain damage. Read the full article →

Paralysis Injury Sparks Lawsuit Against Dallas Cowboys

Posted in Personal Injury, Thursday, September 3rd, 2009

Serious and catastrophic injuries present challenges to each and every aspect of daily living.  Our personal injury attorneys know that there is constant pain that someone seriously injured must live with and sometimes tasks that were once easy to perform present problems.

Unfortunately that is now the case for two staff members of the Dallas Cowboys who both suffered catastrophic injuries when the team’s training facility collapsed.

Rich Behm was paralyzed from the waist down, and offensive coach Joe DeCamillis suffered neck injuries at the practice facility on May 2, 2009 in Irving , Texas.  The two are filing a personal injury lawsuit for their spinal cord injuries seeking an undisclosed amount for their pain and suffering and past and future medical bills. Read the full article →

Slip And Fall Accident After Dolphins Splash At Zoo

Posted in Personal Injury, Thursday, August 27th, 2009

A lawsuit has been filed by a woman who claims a Chicago-area zoo didn’t properly prevent possible slip-and-fall accidents after animal stunts left water on a walking surface.

Allecyn Edwards says she was injured while walking near an exhibit at the Brookfield Zoo, where a group of Atlantic bottle nose dolphins are trained to perform.  Edwards is demanding more than $50,000 for lost wages, medical expenses and emotional trauma stemming from the accident. Read the full article →

Heat Stroke Leading Cause Of Non-Crash Children’s Injuries

Posted in Personal Injury, Wednesday, August 26th, 2009

Car accidents are the number one cause of children’s injuries and wrongful death in the United States.  The number two cause of children’s injuries is heat stroke, also known as hyperthermia, while in a car.

During the summer months, temperatures might seem ideal outside a car.  Inside a car that is stopped with the windows rolled up, temperatures can rise to unsafe levels.  As such, heat stroke is the leading cause of non-car crash wrongful deaths for children.  Read the full article →

Car Accidents Cause A Variety Of Personal Injuries

Posted in Personal Injury, Thursday, August 20th, 2009

All it takes is one – one driver mistake — to cause a car accident that can lead to a wide range of injuries to any number of parts of the body.  Severe enough automobile accidents can lead to wrongful death.

Drivers and passengers need to know what could possibly happen to them if they are involved in a car accident. Read the full article →

Foods Recalled Due To Salmonella Are On The Rise

Posted in Personal Injury, Friday, August 14th, 2009

Whether you are a vegetarian, meat lover, prefer healthy dining options or a good ‘ol burger — the food-borne illness salmonella can find it’s way into your stomach.

Ground beef, romaine lettuce, cilantro, Anaheim peppers, granola nut clusters, alfalfa sprouts and a seeming host of products featuring nonfat dry milk, including yogurt, chai tea, shake mixes, frosting packets, drink powders and cocoa, gravy and sauce mixes — all have been recalled in the last two months because of possible salmonella contamination. Read the full article →


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