Nashville Personal Injury Attorney » Accident Attorney Nashville

Crash on Hwy 49 Leaves 2 Dead

piattorney — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:14:05 +0000

A man’s vehicle crossed the center line while traveling down Highway 49 recently. The error caused a head on collision between James Willis, the driver who crossed over, and Bennie and Elsie Vandgrift, an elderly couple driving the other vehicle. The couple died from the accident. James was transported by Life Flight to a nearby hospital. The Tennesseean reports more:

The wreck occurred after Willis’ vehicle crossed the center line, striking the Vandgrift’s car head-on at about 1 p.m. in Cheatham County near the border of Dickson County. Elsie Vandgrift was pronounced dead at the scene. Bennie Vandgrift was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Willis’ condition was not known as of press time Thursday.

Dickson Sheriff’s deputies along with Cheatham emergency personnel and the THP were at the scene, near Ben Collier Road, clearing the debris.

Both lanes of the highway were blocked as the authorities cleared the scene of the accident.

Criminal charges are pending in this accident, according to the THP report.

Accidents are a part of everyday life, unfortunately, but some accidents can have disastrous effects. We express our condolences to the families who are now in mourning over this accident.

If you would like to speak to an attorney about an Nashville personal injury case, call us today for a free consultation.

Small Plan Crashes, Injures Four

piattorney — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:46:08 +0000

Four people were injured when a small plane crashed in Memphis. The Tennesseean reports the following:

A Memphis International Airport official says four people were injured when a single-engine plane crashed on approach to the airport.

Airport vice president of operations John Greaud said the general aviation plane fell short of the runway just after 4 p.m. Sunday and caught fire. Greaud said the fire was put out.
All four people were taken to area hospitals, he said.

Greaud did not have identifications on the injured, nor did he know where the flight originated. Greaud said the crash did not cause delays with other flights at the airport.

The National Transportation Safety Board has been called in to investigate.

Tiger Woods Stealing Headlines for All the Wrong Reasons

piattorney — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:17:55 +0000

Usually when you hear about Tiger Woods it’s about his incredible golf skills or some charitable activity he is involved in. He has managed his public image to a level very few public figures can match. But over the Thanksgiving weekend he gave families all across the world to talk about with a minor car accident right outside his Florida home. It was minor because his air bags did not deploy, which means he was traveling less than 33 mph. The first story about what happened included a daring rescue by his wife Elin who smashed out the back window with a golf club in order to extricate her husband from the vehicle.

But conflicting reports soon emerged along with headlines about infidelity (on Tiger’s part), spousal battery (on Elin’s part, presumably because of the infidelity), and attempted coverups. Is it possible Elin was smashing the back window of the SUV for a different reason? You can read more about the story here.

Have you been injured in an accident? Your story may not involve golf clubs or mistresses, but if you’ve been injured, come and see us anyway! When it comes to Nashville personal injury, we’re the lawyers you can count on. Call us today/

More Than 2 Million Unsafe Baby Cribs Recalled

piattorney — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 03:22:38 +0000

It’s devastating to think a child may be unsafe in his own bed. But for 2 million children using a very popular crib made since 1993, that’s exactly what has happened. The problem is that the metal support brackets that support the crib mattress is faulty and has been known to crack and break. When this happens a gap is created between the crib and the side of the crib and if the child rolls into this gap he can easily suffocate. The Consumer Protection Safety Commission is aware of 10 such incidents.

The company, Stork Craft baby cribs has issued a voluntary recall in cooperation with the CPSC. Any consumer using the crib is urged to discontinue use immediately and contact the company to request a free repair kit for the crib. The product recall states:

Incidents/Injuries: CPSC is aware of 10 incidents in which one or more mattress support brackets broke. In several incidents, the support bracket broke causing the mattress to collapse and create a gap between the mattress and crib rails. CPSC received a report of a toddler who sustained bruises to his forehead. In another incident a child reportedly became entrapped in the gap between the mattress and the drop side rail with no injury.

Description: This recall involves Stork Craft Baby cribs and Stork Craft cribs with the Fisher-Price logo. All Stork Craft Baby cribs with manufacturing and distribution dates between May 2000 and November 2008 are included in this recall. All Stork Craft cribs with the Fisher-Price logo have distribution dates between May 2000 and December 2004. The cribs were sold in various styles and finishes. The manufacture date, model number, crib name, country of origin, and the firm’s name, address, and contact information are located on the assembly instruction sheet attached to the mattress support board. The firm’s insignia “Storkcraft baby” or “storkling” is inscribed on the drop side teething rail of some cribs. In the product that contains the “Fisher-Price” logo, this logo can be found on the crib’s teething rail, in the manufacturer’s instructions, on the assembly instruction sheet attached to the mattress support board, and on the end panels of the Twinkle-Twinkle and Crystal crib models.

Sold at: Major retailers including J.C. Penney, Kmart and Walmart stores nationwide and online at Amazon.com, Babiesrus.com, Costco.com and Walmart.com from May 2000 through January 2009 for between $100 and $400.

Manufactured in: Canada, China and Indonesia

Remedy: CPSC urges parents and caregivers to immediately stop using the recalled cribs and find an alternative, safe sleeping environment for their baby. Consumers should contact Stork Craft to receive a free replacement kit, with new mattress support brackets.

Consumer Contact: Contact Stork Craft toll-free at (866) 361-3321 anytime to order the free replacement kit
Read the entire recall here.

If you’ve been injured in any way then get help with your case. Call the personal injury attorneys Nashville trusts to get a free consultation. Let us help you get the compensation you deserve.

Police Officers Often At Risk for Injury

piattorney — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 03:00:22 +0000

The Examiner published an interesting article exploring the risks to police officers and the all-too-common injuries they sustain. The article started with a story about an officer who was T-boned by a beer delivery truck. The driver had been drinking while on the job. The officer was injured severely and required multiple surgeries. Even after long and painful physical therapy the officer had not recovered nor fully returned to his pre-accident work.

Source: The Examiner

In such cases, where benefits were provided by workers’ compensation, the officer’s recovery against the beer company no longer belonged entirely to him. Through the legal doctrine known as subrogation, the workers’ compensation insurer became a settlement partner. Now there are certain nuances that may apply to limit or eliminate subrogation, such as the “made whole rule” that some states follow, but the reality is that an insurer will most often get a piece of the pie if it asserts subrogation rather than insurance arbitration.

The whole interplay between insurance and personal injury recovery sounds complex and it is. The point to understand though is that officers are not limited to workers’ compensation benefits if injured on the job by a negligent third party. Sharing the settlement with insurer may in some cases make the recovery bitter sweet, but workers’ compensation, as limited and frustrating as it can be to deal with, must pay whereas the targets of civil litigation may pay. Workers’ compensation benefits kick in relatively quickly. As for the officer above, his civil settlement was negotiated a little over two years from the date of the injury.

The officer received workers’ compensation for his injuries. What he may not have known is that receiving those benefits lessened the burden of the other party’s insurance companies should he seek restitution. This is just an example of the complexity of personal injury law and underscores the importance of working with someone who is experienced and can navigate the complexities of the law on your behalf.

If you’ve been injured or know someone who has, contact us today to talk about your case.

Car Accident Injuries in Nashville – Who Is Liable?

piattorney — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:51:36 +0000

Car accidents happen every day here in Nashville and the surrounding areas. Many of these accidents are small “fender benders” where thankfully no one gets hurt. But occasionally the crash results in an injury serious enough to cause medical attention, lost work time, or perhaps even something worse. The question often arises of who is at fault in these accidents? It might be more complex than a decision between the drivers involved.

It could be that a mechanical failure caused the accident, in which case the auto maker could be liable. Or perhaps it happened on a dangerous or defective roadway, in which case the city could be held liable. The only real way to know is to speak with a qualified Nashville personal injury attorney about the facts of your case. That’s the only way to really know whether you have a case or not.

Call us today and get an answer to your questions.

Special Investment Fund for Personal Injury Claimants

piattorney — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:23:33 +0000

Typically when a person is awarded a financial settlement due to a personal injury claim, they will use the money to pay expenses they have incurred from the injury. The compensatory damages received will likely be invested in some way to ensure it offers a return to the claimant. But often these investors are treated just like any other and are lumped with very risky portfolios. If you’re unable to work and rely on the settlement to provide for your basic living, this is a totally inappropriate investment model.

But recently a group called CF 7IM has introduced a fund designed specifically for personal injury claimants. It was detailed today at Financial Times. Says the article:

“Nicolas Martin, partner for Lancashire-based personal injury specialists Nestor, said many personal injury clients are often treated like “ordinary investors” and have been put into relatively risky portfolios that fail to provide financial security.

He said investment portfolios bear little resemblance to the costs that many personal injury victims face and that the claimants cannot afford to lose money.

Mr Martin said: “We have been very concerned about the investment strategies adopted by many personal injury victims and their advisers.

“They are either faced with simply leaving their damages payments in cash deposits, which rarely keeps up with inflation or invest the money into more risky investments which creates issues and concerns – particularly the rollercoaster we have experienced in the last few years. This did not seem right to us.”

Read the full article here: http://www.ftadviser.com/FinancialAdviser/Advisers/Industry/IFAFirms/News/article/20091119/e6de2fa8-cfa8-11de-91e0-00144f2af8e8/Nestor-and-7IM-offer-personal-injury-fund.jsp

Been injured in an accident? Need help deciding what to do? Call the Nashville accident attorney you can trust to get you the compensation you deserve. Call today to set up a free appointment.

Toyota Lawyer Destroys Evidence, Must Arbitrate

piattorney — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:12:25 +0000

A judge in U.S. District Court ordered that former national managing counsel for Toyota, Dimitrios Biller, must arbitrate claims related to rollover litigation in which Mr. Biller hid and destroyed evidence that may have helped plaintiffs in cases brought against the auto giant. It was a despicable act, but Biller has turned whistleblower in this case. Hopefully the true evidence will now be brought to light and through arbitration this wrong can be made right. The article states:

“Biller’s suit, which Toyota failed to get sealed, had threatened to reopen personal injury cases against Toyota on behalf of victims of rollover accidents. In recent months, plaintiffs in previous personal injury cases have filed court documents in Texas and California against Toyota and its in-house counsel, citing Biller’s allegations.”

If you were affected by a Toyota rollover accident or any other type of accident that caused injuries to you, call us today for a no-cost consultation. We’re the accident attorneys Nashville relies on for fair compensation.

Google Scholar is Making Waves in Legal Research

piattorney — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:45:07 +0000

Most attorneys use LexisNexis or West when it comes to researching other cases. But recently Google introduced a service called Scholar, which is direct competition to the aforementioned companies. You can read Google’s memo about it here. Not a good sign for them, since Scholar is free and apparently very good. Here’s what a personal injury attorney in San Francisco had to say about it:

“I have been using Google Scholar to do some research this afternoon and here is what I can tell you. Google Scholar rocks! I mean seriously. I was able to locate the exact case on a particular legal issue that I was searching for with one search. It was quick, easy to use, and free. I am very impressed so far.”

Do you need help with a personal injury case? Call us today for a free consultation with the Nashville personal injury attorneys who care.

Boy, 12, Injured by Teen Driver Headed to Hair Appointment

piattorney — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 02:18:00 +0000

It’s hard to imagine running over someone without noticing, but that’s exactly what a 17-year-old is claiming happened as she sped through a busy intersection trying to make an afternoon hair appointment. In doing so she struck a 12-year-old pedestrian and threw him 20 feet. He landed on his face, seriously crushing facial bones. He’ll require extensive surgery to restore his health. The driver says she knew she hit something and saw a backpack fly but had no idea she hit a person. Hard to believe. She made her hair appointment while the victim was being transported to the hospital in critical condition. It’s a sad story of total disregard for others’ safety and for something so trivial.

Police charged Medeiros yesterday with leaving the scene of a personal injury accident, a misdemeanor. Crowley said that police are unhappy with the charge and that additional charges are likely.

“It’s very frustrating, especially something like this where a child was seriously injured and it’s still considered a misdemeanor,’’ Crowley said. “The penalty needs to be increased when you cause serious bodily injury.’’

Kelvin’s stepfather, Danny Savanhmixay, said the sixth- grader is recovering at Children’s Hospital Boston, where he will remain for at least several weeks while doctors consider facial reconstruction surgery.

“They operated on his left leg and took something out; it might have been from the bumper of the car,’’ Danny Savanhmixay said. “. . . He has 20 to 30 stitches in his face. His left eye socket, his jaw, is broken. Everything in that side of his face is smashed from the way he landed. We’re pulling through. We’re just happy he’s still alive.’’

Source: Boston dot com

If you’ve been injured or need help with your case, call a Nashville personal injury attorney for a free consultation today.