Personal Injury Law

Pedestrian Safety News Roundup Continues ... Look before you exit the car

Posted on June 30, 2009
Today we continue with several more pedestrian-car-truck-bus-train collision news items. There are too many pedestrian collisions just since the first of the year. After reading too many pedestrian-accident reports I suggest that both drivers and pedestrians pay more attention to what's ahead or what's coming...

Sergio Kindle-Texas Longhorn Linebacker; Texting While Driving?

Posted on June 30, 2009
Sergio Kindle-Texas Longhorn Linebacker Texting while driving? On June 24, 2009, Sergio Kindle, a Texas Longhorn Linebacker, drove into an Austin, Texas apartment building at 2:50 a.m. His attorney, Brian Roark, stated that Sergio 'was probably texting' at the time...

Spousal Consortium: Jon and Kate Plus 8 are an example of what two people can do together.

Posted on June 30, 2009
Watching Jon and Kate + 8 on the Discovery Channel clearly demonstrates what the legal system means when we discuss spousal consortium. Jon and Kate are a prime example of why consortium is valued and an allowable element of damages in cases where one spouse has suffered an injury or is killed...

Veteran Health Care Possible Contamination from Florida and Georgia VA Hospital Facilities

Posted on June 29, 2009
If you've had a colonoscopy done at the Miami Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, South Florida, then you need to be aware there are concerns the equipment may have been contaminated and you will need to be tested for hepatitis and HIV. About 6,000 to 10,000 veterans may have been exposed to HIV and hepatitis...

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Judge Chin Will Sentence Madoff on Monday - The next generation listens.

Posted on June 28, 2009
The question Judge Chin answers on Monday is one of whether crime pays. The sentence he imposes will indicate the message we send to this next generation and how serious they take investing the largest retirement nest egg ever amassed. Will the baby boomers be protected from the financial criminal element that stalks the halls of Wall Street? It's being reported that Ruth Madoff settled with the U...

Are Iowa's Autistic Kids Being Denied Autism Testing?

Posted on June 27, 2009
A Michigan class action lawsuit has settled for $1 million dollars to reimburse 100 families for the expense to test for autism. BCBS has a way of using the experimental contract exclusion for denying claims. After settling Michigan's BCBS said it will offer extended autism coverage to children 1 to 5 years of age...

Fatal Choice; Texting While Driving

Posted on June 27, 2009
Fatal choice; Texting While Driving A Eureka, Illinois teen was killed in a motor vehicle accident on Thursday, June 25, 2009. Alyssa Burns, 17 years old, was cresting a hill on County Road 800 North while traveling east. She must have realized she was in the left lane because she steered sharply to the right, over corrected and her SUV traveled into a ditch overturning several times...

Kate plus 8 means no date.

Posted on June 26, 2009
Life in modern America is full compelling contradictions. As a trial lawyer I've seen more than my share, but today's case has piqued my interest more than others. It's the quintessential knotty legal problem that greater minds will struggle to resolve...

Pedestrian Safety News Roundup Continues ... Walking along the Interstate

Posted on June 26, 2009
Fort Lauderdale, Florida – January 2009 – From Chalik & Chalik along with the Sun Sentinel we bring you this January 22, 2009 report of pedestrian mayhem in the sunny state of Minnie and Mickey. In this blog report, be discerning about what you read because some appears not to be accurate; the report mentions a different way a pedestrian was injured...

Tart Reform working, Iowa's latest "Love Court" bustling with managing baby-adult crimes-of-the-heart

Posted on June 26, 2009
We are back again with the Courts playing love manager for adults. This time we have Ryan Janssen, age 32 a teacher at Norwalk High School making a mistake of having romantic relationship with a 16 year old. That was over two-years ago. Now she's 18 and an adult but still in the newly judicially legislated 'baby adult' category where the prudes in society get to hang the scarlet letter around the teacher's neck and play Harper Valley PTA with this now adult relationship...

An EF5 Tornado strikes Manchester, Iowa on May 25, 2008 - YouTube Video

Posted on June 25, 2009
Manchester, Iowa Tornado – The EF5 tornado destroyed 200 homes and caused more than $100 million in damage on May 25, 2008. Six people from the town died in Iowa's deadliest tornado since 1968. YouTube – Parkersburg, Iowa Tornado destroys Parkersburg, Iowa home http://www...

Key2SafeDriving: New Device Jams Cell Phone Use While Driving

Posted on June 25, 2009
Key2SafeDriving New Device Jams Cell Phone Use While Driving Researchers at the University of Utah have developed an ignition key that prevents teenagers (or anyone else) from talking or texting on cell phones while driving. Key2Safe Driving has been patented by the university and licensed to a private company who hopes to see it on the market soon...

Parkersburg, Iowa and the Murder of Coach Ed Thomas - Just the Facts

Posted on June 25, 2009
Coach Ed Thomas, 34 seasons at A-P High, 16 playoff appearances, six state title games appearances and 2 championships, in the playoffs 19 times, 4 players in the NFL, (Paul Rhoads, Brad ) He also was the school's athletic director and boys' track coach and helped dozens of student-athletes continue their careers in college...

Another Judge in Texas Indicted

Posted on June 25, 2009
Ever wonder how Judges get in the news? Watch this video tape that the news reports is a Texas State Court Judge. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0Xxasf2alE He was allegedly indicted last Thursday by a Harris County grand jury on a state felony charge of criminal mischief...

Driving While Intexticated

Posted on June 24, 2009
Des Moines/West Des Moines Parents…..Teenagers Driving while Intexticated Where are they learning this? Example maybe? Are you thinking, 'Not my Kid!'……according to Live Science, nearly 60% admit to texting while driving. Now, if you're a parent, you know the statistic is much higher than this...

Part VI: I want to make ten tort reform minded people filthy rich. Are you one of them?

Posted on June 24, 2009
Today I want to accomplish one of two things: 1. Either make all the tort reformers filthy rich; rich beyond their wildest dreams; or 2. Demonstrate a false impression the tort reformers are creating. Tort reformers want you to believe that doctors are ordering unnecessary medical tests for sick or injured patients just to avoid being sued...

Pennsylvania Doctor Laments there just aren't enough Medical Malpractice Cases

Posted on June 24, 2009
In Morning Call, a Pennsylvania's newspaper reports medical malpractice lawsuit trials are on the decrease as more cases are settled. In a followup article John A. Kibelstis, M.D. openly worries about who with adequate trial experience will in the future defend them...

Driving on Iowa's gravel roads requires a certain skill set.

Posted on June 23, 2009
Question: In your experience what are some of the causes of driver's losing control of cars and trucks on gravel roads in Iowa? Answer: I've been asked this question before and after almost 30 years of practicing in this area of the law I've got a good idea of what needs to be on the list...

Wrong-Way Accidents: Call for articles, posts, studies and related information on wrong-way drivers - ghost drivers!

Posted on June 23, 2009
Wrong way drivers have become increasingly a problem on the Interstate highway system. I've blogged about it before and have been collecting wrong-way highway collision news for almost six-months. In the next week I'll be adding a compendium of news items, probably a few each day for at least two-weeks while I'm away on vacation...

Pedestrian Safety News Roundup, Continues with a backing over accident

Posted on June 23, 2009
Today we continue with the pedestrian-car-truck-bus-train collision news items that have been sitting around in my box for months. There are so many of them just since the first of the year. You can tell its spring. Today we'll look at three additional news items that each provides a theme or reason (cause) as to why pedestrians get struck so much...

Part V: Tort Reform or Pork Reform? Does the ATRA and the Chamber have something to hide?

Posted on June 22, 2009
I'm puzzled though about the ATRA would you mind answering a few questions for me? How much did the ATRA and the Chamber spend on ad campaigns last year? How much is in the budget this year for ads? What is the annual budget for the ATRA? And how about the Chamber? Where do they get their funding? Any come from outside this country? If so from where and how much? Do you believe in hedge funds making full disclosures? Does the ATRA and the Chamber have something to hide? If you won't answer these questions why won't the ATRA and the Chamber disclose where they get their donations? Is there a commonality of interests between the ATRA, the American Chamber of Commerce and the Chinese Communist Party? Don't you all advocate for a lack of corporate accountability? Is that where the ATRA and Chamber get some funding? Isn't profit the reason why these organizations choose to try and cripple the American judicial system? What was it I saw written last week, Poorly Made In China, by Paul Midler...

Iowa's Head CEO of BCBS Comes Down with the Swine Flu, Treatment is Costing Iowa $2.5m

Posted on June 22, 2009
They keep telling us in the news that health care is in trouble and we all need to tighten our belts. Employers are paying more for less coverage and individuals go without health insurance due in part to higher costs of being outside a group plan. The tort reformers relentlessly attack the civil justice system in an attempt to shift costs of medical mistakes to the patients...

Bike's hand brake impales 10-year-old boy

Posted on June 22, 2009
A ten-year-old boy riding a bike was impaled by the hand brake lever when he jumped a curb and fell. If you want to see something scary watch this young boy riding a motorized bike he doesn't know how to control. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtrZZ-8RTAw Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Steve Lombardi

Man's Best Friend brings WWII grenade to its German owner.

Posted on June 21, 2009
Just recently in Germany a dog found and retrieved to its owner a U.S. grenade left from World War II. The owner lived near Erkrath, Germany. Police were summoned to disarm it after it was properly identified. Live ammunition continues to this day to be found in Europe...

Part IV: Tort Reform or Pork Reform? What about Madoff's lawyers?

Posted on June 20, 2009
I'm back again today to answer to Mr. McKinney and the A.T.R.A. Today let's talk about corporate wrongdoing and the legal thugs the Wall Street CEO's send in to create the smoke screen that allows the Bernard Madoff's and whoever helped him swindle investors for $50 Billion in cold hard cash...

Deer season in Iowa isn't always about hunting, motorcyclists need to watch out

Posted on June 20, 2009
They say no to mandatory helmets and we get to pay for the results. A motorcycle being driven by a David Murphy was eastbound on River Road in Hancock County. At the location with Taft Avenue a deer was in the road, which he struck. The motorcyclist was killed...

FedEx truck rear ended

Posted on June 19, 2009
FedEx truck driver, Darwin Happel, was rear-ended and goes to Mercy Hospital in Oelwein, Iowa for treatment. The one who came from the rear, Gregory Asche of Parkersburg wasn't hurt.Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Steve Lombardi

Part III: Tort Reform or Pork Reform? The under belly of the "ATRA" and Big Tobacco tort reformers.

Posted on June 19, 2009
Dear Darren McKinney: Many people aren't familiar with the American Tort Reform Association or why it was started. They don't know the pivotal events of what gave the ATRA the reasons to exist and to begin their campaign of trying to persuade America that corporate responsibility is a bad idea...

Child Safety: How many seconds can you leave your infant in a hot car?

Posted on June 19, 2009
ANSWER: ZERO SECONDS Summer Safety: Children and babies left in cars leads to death 'I'm just running in for a couple of minutes……I just need to pick something up…..I don't want to wake the baby……It will be quicker if I go in alone……' These are the last words spoken by some parents who leave their children in hot cars...

Part II: Tort Reform or Pork Reform? My reply to the A.T.R.A.

Posted on June 18, 2009
I'm back today with Part II to Mr. McKinney and his comments concerning Tort Reform. If anyone thought I should reconsider speaking directly with the American Tort Reform Association you can forget it. As far as I'm concerned I'm just warming up. The Face of Tort Reform - The one the Chamber won't show you...

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