Auto Accident

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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Some Surprises Can Make Your Day

Some days just don’t turn out exactly as we expected. But, sometimes, the surprises can turn out to be just what we needed. As most of us begin looking forward to the season of holidays, whether we celebrate for religious, or secular, or personal reasons, we make more of an effort to find the good in others as well as in ourselves, and we reflect on what we’ve been most thankful for over the past year. I decided to share a recent day from my life, and my daughter’s, that I found humorous, heartwarming, and that included one of those surprises that made my day. I hope you enjoy it.

At our house, mornings aren’t always a time of peace and tranquility. More often than not, it’s chaos and disorder. Trying to juggle professional and personal lives can be challenging. On this particular morning, I was running late, and realized I would not be able to get my 3-year-old daughter, Vanessa, to preschool and still make it to court in time for my scheduled appearance. After some internal debate, I decided the only solution was to take Vanessa to court with me. “I guess it’s never too early to start training her to be a lawyer,” I thought.

An Unexpected Day in Court

As we rushed into the courtroom, I reminded Vanessa that this is where Mommy works, and tried to impress on her how important it was to stay quiet while court was in session.

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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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Protect Your Health and Your Legal Rights ~

If you’re involved in any kind of vehicular accident, there are certain rules you should follow. Some of these rules are required by law, others are there to protect your rights. It doesn’t matter whether you’re in an auto accident, a bicycle accident, a motorcycle accident, or are hit by any one of them while walking down the sidewalk as a pedestrian. These rules apply in all situations. While you should always consult with a personal injury attorney for legal advice immediately following any accident, you also need to know, in advance, what to do in case of an emergency.

Remain as calm as possible. Being involved in an accident is almost always an emotional experience. You may be afraid of potential consequences. You may also be in pain. However, staying as calm as you can is in your best interest. You will be less likely to say or do something that could be detrimental should legal proceedings result.

First, if anyone was injured in the accident, call 911. “Anyone” means yourself and passengers in your vehicle as well as other drivers, and passengers in other vehicles. Emergency personnel should be contacted even if the injuries seem minor. Second, call the police so the facts of the accident can be documented. In most instances, a single call to 911 will likely dispatch both the police and paramedics.  (Note: In certain instances, the police may refuse to come or prepare a report.)

Even if you believe the accident was entirely your fault, do not make any statements to that effect. Doing so can have serious legal consequences, and might even affect your insurance coverage. You are not obligated to provide this information before obtaining legal advice.

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According to lacrossetrdibune.com, Sheriff investigators are trying to determine the cause of a recent deadly accident that involved a school bus traveling with 9 students on board. Fortunately no one on the bus was injured, as said by Thomas Simonson, Kickapoo School District Administrator. The children’s ages ranged from 4 to 15 and they were on their way to their first day of class. After being checked out by the emergency personnel on the scene, it was determined that they were unharmed and could continue on their way to school. The bus had made a stop to pick up more students when it was hit from behind by an SUV. Vernon County sheriffs reported the accident happened at approximately 7:10 am and the driver of the SUV was age 51.

The United States employs approximately 450,000 school buses to transport children to school each day. There have been many cases of injuries and deaths related to school bus accidents, including children being struck or run over by the bus, rollovers, and collisions. In most cases, Los Angeles bus accidents involve school buses in particular, but a significant percentage of accidents also occur on city buses and affect not only children, but adults of all ages. According to the Federal Transit Authority, the total number of bus accidents in the United States has risen dramatically in recent years with a corresponding rise in injuries.

The San Fernando Valley auto accident attorneys at the Mandell Law Firm are very concerned about recent trends in bus accidents and other auto accidents around the country and especially worried about bus accidents involving children occurring on our congested Southern California streets and highways. If you or a loved one has been injured in an auto accident, the experienced lawyers at the Mandell Law Firm may be able to help you receive compensation to offset medical and other expenses. Please call us today at 1-818-886-6600 for a free consultation.

Source:http://www.lacrossetribune.com/news/local/article_f700e54a-9710-11de-aa53-001cc4c03286.html