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I Can Do This. Right?

Personal injury law encompasses a broad array of circumstances. These may include, but are not limited to, injury in an auto accident or some mode of public transportation, slip and fall on property owned by someone else, injury from dog bite or other animal that does not belong to you. These, and more, all fall under the umbrella of personal injury and the severity of your injury may have a big impact on exactly how your claim is processed. There may be occasions when you could handle a claim on your own, either through an insurance company or small claims court. In other situations, you would be well advised to seek the counsel of a qualified legal professional. This will depend on the seriousness of your injury, and your comfort level in dealing with bureaucratic red tape.

When Is It Smart To Do It Yourself?

Auto accidents are by far one of the most common causes of personal injury, even for good, careful drivers. If you’re rear-ended by another driver and injuries to you and your passengers are slight, and the damage to your car is minor, you may feel comfortable simply filing a claim with your insurance, or the other driver’s insurance. If you feel that compensation is sufficient to cover repairs to your vehicle and any medical treatment received, and you are satisfied with the timeliness and professionalism of the service, then this would constitute a good outcome for you.

If, on the other hand, you’re not comfortable or not willing to negotiate with insurance adjusters to reach what you consider to be fair compensation for your loss, then you should turn this task over to someone who is skilled and professional and who can represent your best interests. Waiting until you’ve tried and failed to arrive at a fair settlement, and then seeking the advice of a personal injury lawyer can complicate your claim process. If you’re unsure about how to handle your personal injury claim, contact an attorney immediately and explain the details of your case. Most will offer a free consultation, and most will inform you if their services are not really required for your particular situation.

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Holiday Air Travel Doesn’t Have to be Maddening

Are you one of those people who starts to get anxious, even angry, at the very thought of flying to be with family during the holiday season? Holiday flight doesn’t always have to be a nightmare. In our last post, we offered a few tips to make driving to your holiday destination a little less stressful, and maybe even a little safer. In this post, we’re going to look at holiday air travel with the same eye to lowering stress, and getting you to Grandma’s house in a mood to celebrate.

Winter Still Counts

Just as it does when traveling by auto, winter weather can have a huge influence on how well your trip by air will go. When you add cold, unpleasant, even extreme weather conditions to the fact that hundreds of thousands of extra travelers are competing for available airline seats, some bad things are bound to happen. But if you begin your journey with the expectation of delays, cancellations, and missed connections, you could well be one of the few people in the airport who is relatively calm and stress free. It just takes a little pre-planning, and the right frame of mind.

Here’s Your Air Travel Checklist

The Mandell Law family hopes your holiday air travel will be as pleasant as possible, and that you to get there and back without suffering undue stress. With that goal, we offer the following tips to help you make the best of it.

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Plan For Fun. Prepare for Adversity.

The holiday season is upon us, and for many Southern California families holiday tradition sometimes means travel, whether driving to a nearby city to visit parents and grandparents, or flying across the country to participate in a large family gathering. In either case, there are potential stresses and hazards that can be mitigated, or even avoided altogether, with a little careful planning beforehand.

The Winter Roadtrip

If you’re planning to drive to your holiday destination keep in mind that winter driving conditions, even in parts of California, are the most dangerous. Auto accidents related to driving in snow and ice result in 6000 deaths each year in this country. Another half million Americans are injured, according to The National Center for Atmospheric Research.

A Holiday Travel Checklist

The Mandell Law family wants your holiday trip to be as safe, happy, and stress-free as possible, so here are a few tips that can help you enjoy a warm and joyous holiday trip.

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What Constitutes Medical Malpractice?

When a physician deviates from the applicable standards of care that other physicians would exercise under the same circumstances, this is potentially a case of medical malpractice. To succeed with such a claim in court, a plaintiff must prove breach of the standard of care (a mistake that a prudent and reasonable doctor wouldn’t have made under the same circumstances), causation (proof that the injury wouldn’t have occurred or have been as serious if it wasn’t for the doctor’s mistake), and damages (in the form of lost wages, medical bills, agony, mental suffering or death).

Demonstrating proof of malpractice almost always requires the testimony of an expert witness in the same field of practice as the alleged negligent health care worker. In addition to bringing action against a negligent doctor in such a case, through the doctrine of vicarious liability, claims can also be brought against hospitals, nurses, and any other health care professionals who may have had a part in the negligence.

Pharmaceutical Injury

Annually, thousands of patients are injured, and even die, due to complications and negligence that result from errors in treatment.These may include medication errors, surgical malpractice, bacterial infections, birth injury, dental malpractice, errors in diagnosis, wrong site surgery, gastric bypass errors, breast implant complications, emergency room mistakes, elder abuse, nursing home neglect, and a variety of consequences resulting from pharmaceutical mishap.

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