Boating Accidents

You’ve Been Injured. What Next?

Personal injury cases are based on the premise that someone was injured by the act of another person or entity. If you find yourself in this unfortunate situation, you should seek out a top personal injury attorney who can fight for you and your rights. Since these cases are not necessarily clear cut, it is rarely advisable for you to go this alone.

When pursuing your personal injury case, the first thing on your list should be finding a good attorney. Even after you have narrowed down your choices, you still need to do a little research in order to make sure that he or she will be the right fit for you. This means looking for reviews from other clients, complaints, and even pending lawsuits that may have been filed. The Better Business Bureau is a great place to find this kind of information.

The Face to Face Meeting

You will next want to set a meeting with your attorney. Here, you will discuss the details of your case to determine if you do, in fact, have a viable claim. This is when your attorney will instruct you on what can be expected through each step of the process. This is also the time that your attorney will instruct you as to what will be expected of you. This will include any information you may have, the facts of your case, contacts who can help to verify your case, and any other information pertinent to your claim. The defendant’s attorney will also be contacting your attorney to swap information material to the case.

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I Resolve to …

New Year’s resolutions. Many of us make them, but not many of us manage to keep them. They generally have to do with things we feel, if accomplished, would make us a better, or healthier, or more prosperous person. We resolve to lose weight, or stop smoking, or to start working out or running, or to simply try to be a nicer human being.

These are all laudable and worthwhile objectives, and we encourage everyone to do your best to achieve whatever goals you’ve resolved to reach in 2012. But, we have a couple of items we’d like to suggest that you add to your list. They’re not traditional New Year’s resolutions, but we think they would be worth your time and effort, and might save you, or a loved one, or even a total stranger from harm and/or liability in the coming months and years.

Make a List … or Several

• Have all your vehicles checked thoroughly for potential safety issues. This means your cars, motorcycles, motor homes, watercraft, camping trailers, bicycles, even your skateboard. Check them all to be sure that wheels, brakes, lights – anything that could cause an accident, should it malfunction – are in good working order.

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Ensure Your Best Possible Recovery ~

It can certainly be a life-altering event, and the first thing you should know about spinal cord injury is that it does not always present symptoms immediately after sustaining damage. If you suffer a head, neck, or back injury, even if you feel that it’s minor, get the opinion of a qualified health care professional immediately. If you or a loved one has suffered a spinal cord injury, you should know what steps to take to ensure that you’ll receive the best medical care and rehabilitation efforts.

All brain injuries and injuries to the spinal cord are potentially dangerous. They can cause excruciating pain, take away your freedom of movement, speech, or hearing, and can even result in death. If you suffer an injury to the spinal cord due to an accident, on the job or elsewhere, you’ll not only need excellent medical attention but also the counsel of a skilled personal injury attorney. More often than not, there will be an intimidating maze of legalities that must be dealt with before you can get on with treatment and recovery.

Things to Keep in Mind

After you or a loved one has been diagnosed with a spinal cord injury, take the following steps to ensure that you won’t be left without help and without the means to ensure your best possible recovery.

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Know What to Do Next ~

In the United States, someone suffers a traumatic brain injury (TBI) every 15 seconds. A TBI is the most frequent cause of disability or death among children and adolescents, according to the Brain Injury Association. Approximately five million head injuries occur every year, and most result from what appears to be only a bump or bruise to the head, but is actually quite a bit more serious.

What Are the Symptoms?

Any head trauma has the possibility of also causing injury to the brain. A head injury can be suspicious for brain damage if the following symptoms are present: unconsciousness, headache, convulsions, dazed expression, drowsiness, vomiting, memory loss or amnesia concerning the injury, as well as unequal pupil size. In addition, more obvious symptoms can include a bloody nose or bleeding from the ear without any noticeable fractures or cuts. Following a head injury, it is important to keep close tabs on any changes and be prepared for questions such as, “When did this change begin?” Try to recall specifics surrounding your fall or accident and when your first noticed impairment. For example, if you’re feeling anxious or disoriented, what do you think may have brought this on?

Brain Injury Checklist

Take a look below at these common changes, including personality, neurological, intellectual and psychological impairments following a head injury.

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During the summer months, many families head to nearby lakes to have fun and cool off. Over the weekend at Castaic’s Pyramid Lake, a tragic boating accident occurred, according to a report in The Daily News. A 36-year-old man from Newark, California, was riding a WaveRunner when it suddenly changed course and turned into the path of a 20-foot ski boat. The ski boat was unable to avoid the man on the personal watercraft and the two collided. When the driver of the boat saw that the rider of the WaveRunner was face down in the water, he tried to help him. Paramedics arrived and tried for 25 minutes to resuscitate the man but were unsuccessful. He was declared dead at the scene.

According to statistics compiled by the California Department of Boating and Waterways, in 2008 (the most recent year for which data are available) there were 203 accidents involving personal watercraft. The data also show that 63 percent of personal watercraft accidents are collisions with other vessels. In 2008 there were 48 fatalities on California waterways. Of those, 7 (approximately 15 percent) involved personal watercraft. In fact, accidents involving personal watercraft were the second most common cause of a fatality.

Many boating accidents in California occur because the operator is careless, reckless, or inexperienced. If you or a loved one has been injured in a boating or personal watercraft accident due to the negligence of another person, you may have a case against them. The boating accident lawyers in Valencia at the Mandell Law Firm will thoroughly analyze your situation to compile a strong case. Our attorneys will fight aggressively to get you all you may be entitled to. Call today at 818-886-6600 to set up an appointment to discuss your case.

Catastrophic accidents can come in many forms and take place far too often throughout the U.S. According to a recent report, a ferry recently crashed in New York due to a mechanical problem. The ferry’s throttle failed to start as it came in for a landing, causing the boat’s engines to fail in slowing the ferry. The ferry was moving almost 6 miles per hour when it hit the dock. The ferry’s engine alarms, which are supposed to ring if there is a problem with the engines, failed to sound. The engines had no previous problems and everything appeared to be functioning correctly.

No serious injuries were reported, and 33 people were treated at a hospital and then were released. Two police officers at the scene were also injured. The ferry and the pier were damaged. The crew alerted the passengers to brace for a hard impact over a loudspeaker about a minute before the crash occurred.

The ferry that crashed was the same ferry that killed 11 and injured dozens in an accident in 2003. In that instance, the pilot was on painkillers and passed out at the wheel, allowing the boat to hit the terminal at full speed. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison for negligent manslaughter.

Similar to New York, public transportation accidents and boating accidents in California can be serious. If you or someone you know has been injured in such an accident, you need to contact an experienced legal team for help. The dedicated Southern California boating accident attorneys at the Mandell Law Firm are ready to assist you. Please contact us today at 818-886-6600 for a free consultation.