Over 1.5 million seniors live in nursing homes. Although they are entitled to receive proper care, many suffer from serious abuse and neglect, including poor medical care, bad sanitation, and even physical and verbal abuse. There can be various causes of abuse and neglect, such as too few staff at a nursing home to care for all residents, poor or improper training of staff, and even intentional acts of wrongdoing. Elder abuse is a growing problem, with a 20% increase in reported cases of abuse … [Read more...]

Millions of consumer products are produced every year. With mass production and use of these products has come numerous injuries. Sometimes the injuries are the user’s fault. Many times, however, they are caused by defective products. People who are injured by a defective product can make a claim to recover compensation for their injuries and losses. Common sources of product liability claims include clothes, sports equipment, children's toys, tools, furniture, medical devices, drugs, household … [Read more...]

If you become disabled before reaching retirement age, you may be able to receive Social Security disability benefits or Supplemental Security Income benefits from the Social Security Administration. These are the largest of several federal programs that provide financial help to people with disabilities. Each year, over five million people receive benefits under these programs. Here is information to help you determine if you are eligible to receive these benefits -- as well as what to do if … [Read more...]

Many accident victims think their claim is weak when really it is strong. This is often due to mistaken beliefs they have about personal injury claims, such as when they are allowed and how much compensation they can recover. Here are some key facts to know about personal injury claims. Though circumstances differ in each case, after an accident you can often: • Recover compensation even if there were no witnesses or no police came to the accident scene. Investigators and experts can often … [Read more...]

One of the most common mistakes accident victims make is settling their claim for less compensation than they are legally entitled to receive. This usually happens when a person settles a claim alone, based on what an insurance adjuster says he or she is entitled to recover. But insurance adjusters work for the insurance company, so you should never believe how much they say you can recover after an accident. It is up to you to find out the real value of your accident claim so you can properly … [Read more...]

At many accident scenes the injuries seem minor. Sometimes no injuries are even apparent. After a car accident, drivers and passengers may walk away. A slip and fall may leave what looks like just a little bruise. Small aches may be just what they feel like, minor irritants that will go away. But they may be signs of a more serious problem to come. A simple neck strain can turn into problems in the upper back. Slight headaches may mask serious head injuries. Internal injuries may not be noticed … [Read more...]

If you've been in a car, slip and fall or other accident and want to make a claim, probably the first question you will have is “Do I have a good case?” There are several factors to consider when answering this question. They include: Is the other person at fault? For your claim to succeed, generally a person or business must be at fault — this means they must have done something wrong or failed to do something. But don’t rule out making a claim just because you were partly at fault for an … [Read more...]

Personal injury lawyers sometimes get a bad rap in the news and from politicians. This is because they are often on the side of weaker parties, workers, disabled people, minorities, the poor, and other victims who otherwise likely would not have anyone to stand up for them. Personal injury lawyers fight against businesses like product manufacturers, property owners, and large insurance companies. Insurers and businesses do not like to be responsible for injuries they cause and pay money to … [Read more...]

There have been reports in the media of insurance companies contacting accident victims immediately after an accident. The companies tell victims they want to help and ask them to quickly settle their claim. If you’re in an accident and this happens to you, ask yourself, who is the insurance company really trying to help? In one case, an insurance adjuster contacted a 70-year-old woman’s family just hours after she was killed in a car accident. He tried to get a settlement before the family … [Read more...]

If you get in an accident, the steps you take after it can be vital in determining the amount of compensation you recover. Taking the right steps will greatly increase your chances of getting the best settlement. Here are some of the most important things to do – and not do – to help get the maximum recovery after an accident. The DO’s DO get information from witnesses at the accident scene, including their name, address and work and home phone numbers. After a car accident, get the other … [Read more...]