| Here are the top 5 mistakes accident victims make that hurt their cases:
1. Thinking the other insurance company is on your side. You are a good honest person and you think everyone else is just like you are. The truth is, insurance companies will hire the friendliest people they can to make early contact with you, hoping to deter you from getting a lawyer. Why? Because they know if you get a lawyer you are more likely to get full compensation for your injuries and that you will end up with more money in your pocket than if you did not hire a lawyer. Remember this. Insurance companies make more money when they pay you less money.
2. Giving a recorded statement or signing a release without consulting with a lawyer first. Some insurance companies will call you and tell you that you must give them a recorded statement or they will not be able to settle your case. This is false. The insurance company for the driver that hit you has no right to a recorded statement. I have seen recorded statements where professional interrogators hired by insurance companies put words in the mouths of accident victims and skillfully manipulate them to say things that hurt their cases.
3. Not getting treatment for your injuries. There are many reasons why people who are really injured in an accident don’t get medical treatment. Maybe you can’t afford it, maybe you don’t have time to get to the doctor’s office. Not getting treatment prevents you from healing. Not getting treatment also hurts your case. Insurance companies often take the position that if you did not get treatment you must not have been hurt. So be sure to go to your doctor if you need treatment.
4. Not telling your doctor about all of your complaints. We often see people who have multiple injuries in an accident who go into their doctor and only talk about their primary complaint. It might be that your neck is what is really bothering you right now and you’re not that worried about the headaches or the nausea you are having or the shoulder pain you have only when you raise your arm over your head. Well, when your neck pain resolves, and you still have those headaches, or your shoulder still hurts, the insurance company is going to tell you they do not believe your head or shoulder ever hurt. Why? Because it is not in the medical records. So tell your doctor everything that troubles you. It helps your doctor helps you with treatment and it helps your case as well by documenting real injuries.
5. Putting off hiring a lawyer for too long. We have had people contact us right before the statute of limitations ran (3 years from the date of the accident), hoping to hire us. Sometimes we are able to take these cases. But sometimes, there just is not enough time for us to investigate the claim before we file it. Another problem arises when someone waits so long to contact a lawyer that valuable evidence has been lost or destroyed, or witnesses have moved out of state and cannot be found. As a lawyer trying to get the best possible result for my client, I want to be involved early so I can preserve evidence that will help tell the client’s story about what happened.
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| Contact us for more tips on how to handle your accident claim and protect your rights. |
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| The Alaska Ranger, a Seattle based fishing trauler sank about 160 miles from Dutch Harbor, Alaska. The boat was taking on water when they called for help. Most survived. Sadly, the four died. The news identified the dead as Capt. Eric Peter Jacobsen, of Lynnwood; Mate David Silveira, of San Diego; Chief Engineer Daniel Cook, whose hometown was unknown; and crewman Byron Carrillo, believed to be from Seattle. Jacobsen was 65; |
| It is unclear at this time what caused the fishing vessel to sink. Our condolences to the families who lost loved ones in this tragic accident. And for the forty or so other workers on this boat, who went through an incredibly frightening experience. |
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| Thousands of deaths from kidney or renal failure following heart surgery have been linked to Trasylol (aprontinin). On February 17, 2008, 60 minutes reported that according to a renowned researcher 22,000 patients died because the Food and Drug Administration did not remove the heart surgery drug Trasylol two years ago, when his study revealed widespread death associated with it. At a meeting called by the FDA to discuss the safety profile of Trasylol, the drug’s manufacturer, Bayer, failed to tell the FDA about negative results of their own Trasylol study, which also showed that Trasylol was linked to kidney failure, death, heart attack, and stroke. A Canadian study designed to test for kidney failure and death with Trasylol had to be stopped because of severe injury and death to patients. |
| We are reviewing cases for individuals who have received an injection prior to heart surgery, and within two weeks of the injection suffered:
kidney failure
stroke
heart attack
death
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| Trasylol linked to heart attack, stroke, kidney failure and death. Bayer did a study showing this and forgot to tell the FDA. Thousands died. |
| Our law firm is investigating these cases. |
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| Claims allege that the Yamaha Rhino ATV is fundamentally stable. Internal documents reflect a similar concern. There is concern that the lack of stability makes the Yamaha Rhino unsafe and that it may cause serious injuries including quadriplegia, brain injury, death, and loss of limb. |
| We are currently investigating and evaluating these cases. If you or someone you love has been injured on a Yamaha Rhino ATV, please contact us for more information and to learn your legal rights. |
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| We are representing a woman whose hair became entangled in the unguarded rear wheel axle of a go kart. The force ripped her scalp from her head. |
| We have learned this is the third such incident in Washington in the last seven years. If you have any information regarding these cases, please contact us. We are trying to figure out how this could happen again and again and again. |
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| The more we learn about what some of the Gadolinium knew about it and its link to NSF (also called NFD), the more shocked we are. Here is the latest:
The European equivalent of the FDA forced Gadolinium MRI contrast dye manufacturers to write "dear doctor" letters warning of the risks to people with kidney disfunction. They chose not to send these letters to doctors in the United States. Before that, some manufacturers actually changed the molecular structure more dangerous to people with kidney problems, making the product even more dangerous. Why did they do this? It appears that the more dangerous structure was cheaper to manufacture. Unbelievable. Well, after Vioxx, anything is believable. |
| If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with NSF, you should contact us immediately to discuss your legal rights. Time is of the essense. |
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| An ingrediant found in artificial butter flavored oils and spreads, called diacetyl has been linked to a serious lung disease called bronchiolitis Obliterans. People who work with these oils in restaurants or work around pop corn are at risk. |
| Our lawyers are interested in speaking to workers who have been harmed by exposure to this chemical. |
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| The FDA is evaluating important safety information about gadolinium-containing contrast agents and a disease known as Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis or Nephrogenic Fibrosing Dermopathy (NSF/NFD) that occurs in patients with kidney failure. New reports have identified a possible link between NSF/NFD and exposure to gadolinium containing contrast agents used at high doses for a procedure called Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA). An MRA test uses magnetic resonance imaging to take pictures of blood vessels. During an MRA test, a drug known as a gadolinium-contrast agent is injected into a patient’s vein so blood vessels can be distinguished from other nearby tissues.
Five gadolinium-containing contrast agents are FDA-approved for use during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a test that can look at internal body organs and tissues. The trade names of the U.S. approved gadolinium-containing contrast agents are: Omniscan, OptiMARK, Magnevist, ProHance, and MultiHance. None of these drugs are FDA approved for MRA. The dose of gadolinium-containing contrast agent given to patients undergoing an MRA test is often higher (up to three times) than the approved dose for MRI.
NSF/NFD appears to occur in patients with kidney failure along with high levels of acid in body fluids a condition known as acidosis that is common in patients with kidney failure. Patients with NSF/NFD have tight and rigid skin making it difficult to bend joints. NSF/NFD may also result in fibrosis, or scarring, of body organs resulting in the inability of body organs to work properly and can lead to death. Diagnosis of NSF/NFD is done by looking at a sample of skin under a microscope.
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| Our lawyers are evaluating these cases. We are very interested to know why the product was sold for procedures it was never approved for, which would require a significantly greater exposure to the radioactiver material. We are also wondering why doctors and patients were not adequately warned of the risks, especially to people with kidney problems. |
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| A Nevada jury awarded $34 Million dollars in compensatory damages and $99 Million in punitive damages against Wyeth in a hormone replacement therapy case. The jury deliberated for only two hours. |
| The hormone replacement therapy Prempro has been linked to breast cancer. |
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