Partner at law firm with decades of expertise in representing individuals and families who have been the victims of either negligent or reckless behavior that causes injury or death. Board Certified Trial Attorney with over twenty years of experience in representing clients from handling claims to trial. Member of Million Dollar Advocates Forum.
National news outlets have been watching one of the state’s largest murder cases involving Dr. William Husel, 46, who worked as a nighttime physician at the Intensive Care Unit of Mount Carmel West Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.
From February 2015 to November 2018, Husel was known to prescribe extremely high doses of fentanyl painkillers to his patients. Over the course of two and a half years, numerous deaths of patients occurred, which were documented by the Columbus Dispatch. The ages of the patients who died ranged from 37 to 82.
After questions were raised about patient care, Husel was fired on December 5, 2018. At that time, the hospital notified the State Medical Board of Ohio and met with the Franklin County prosecutor. After an internal system, the hospital system said it fired 23 nurses, pharmacists, and managers.
In the nine-week murder trial which concluded earlier this month, jurors considered whether Dr. Husel was providing compassionate “comfort care” to patients near death or was intentionally overdosing them to hasten their deaths. In their opening argument, Franklin County prosecutors stated that the case was not about “comfort care” but about a doctor’s abuse of sick people.
Ultimately, after six delays of deliberations, Husel was acquitted on 14 counts of murder. Although he had been charged in 2019 with 25 counts of murder, a county judge had dismissed 11 of the charges, for reasons that are still not clear.
Husel was defended by Jose A. Baez. If the name sounds familiar, Baez famously represented high-profile defendants Casey Anthony, Aaron Hernandez, and Harvey Weinstein. Baez argued that there was “no such thing as a medical murder case.”
For the family members of all of Dr. Husel’s victims, the verdict is disappointing. However, he still faces civil liability related to his patients’ deaths. The civil justice system often plays a significant role in bringing victims closure, albeit a different type of closure. The burden of proof in a civil case is different than that in a criminal case. In the criminal cases, the prosecutors had to convince jurors beyond a reasonable doubt, that Dr. Husel intended to kill his victims. In a civil case, the plaintiffs, who are the estates of the deceased victims, will have to prove that more likely than not, Dr. Husel’s decisions and actions were negligent and that his negligence was the proximate cause of the victim’s deaths.
A common example of exoneration in a criminal trial but a different result in civil court is the OJ Simpson case, where Simpson was acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman but ended up with a $35 million verdict against him in the civil case. Although Dr. Husel did not testify in his murder trial, he will most likely be deposed in his civil case.
In Dr. Husel’s case, the hospital’s involvement is significant, particularly their administrative action of firing 23 other employees. If the hospital’s negligence, or the negligence of their employees, contributed to the death of patients, they may also be liable for their actions. In the end, the families who lost loved ones who were in the care of Dr. Husel and/or Mt. Carmel will have a second opportunity to seek justice in Ohio’s civil justice system.
We will be closely watching the development of the civil case and the implications for Ohioans, especially the most vulnerable of all needing critical care.
If you’ve been injured in a car accident, you may be wondering how your settlement will be handled by a claims adjuster and calculated by an insurance company.
What is the settlement value of a personal injury case?
What factors go into the decision?
How do they calculate the compensation and/or damages you are eligible for?
In this blog post, we’ll take a closer look at how car accident settlements are calculated and the factors that may reduce the settlement value of your case.
How Do Insurance Companies Calculate a Car Accident Settlement in Ohio?
Historically, a claims adjuster would manually take down your information and provide the calculations for your car accident claim. The modern approach to calculating a car accident claim and settlement value doesn’t quite have the same human element it used to.
Today, when a claims adjuster takes your information, they enter it into a specialized piece of software. The software runs an algorithm that automates most of the accident claim assessment and valuation process for them.
The program is able to provide a settlement value based on high-level data the insurance adjuster provides it — vehicle information, policies, driver information, accident reports, etc. Note: This can include any call recordings they have of you discussing the details of your accident with them as well as medical records from your doctors.
These programs can take this information and reference it against hundreds of thousands of other “similar claims.” Insurance companies use software to streamline and automate processes, which saves them a lot of time and money. Using a software program also eliminates human sympathy or rationale that a claims adjuster may have.
Unfortunately, profit is their top priority. Far more so than taking care of the health, well-being, lost wages, pain, suffering, and accident-related expenses of car accident victims. Insurance companies will always put their profits before people.
The problem with an automated settlement calculation is that there is no room for nuance.It likely won’t factor in critical information that may be totally unique to your claim vs. others in their database, such as…
The variety and severity of your injuries
Current and future medical care expenses for your injuries
What you’ve personally lost in wages while being injured and out of work
Critical details of how your accident impacts your personal and professional life
All of these elements play a major role in putting together the full scope of economic and non-economic losses you have suffered from your car accident that are totally unique to you and your claim.
If insurance adjusters’ best interests are in preserving capital, and they (and their software) don’t factor in all of these data points and unique aspects of your accident, how can they possibly offer you a fair settlement?
How Do You Respond to a Low Settlement Offer?
We highly recommend you do not speak to a claims adjuster on your own, negotiate your claim, or accept an offer before youcontact a personal injury attorney.
The best way to respond to a low settlement offer (or any settlement offer) is with experienced legal representation from our attorneys.
In our experience, it’s rare to see insurance adjusters make fair initial settlement offers to any car accident victim.
In fact — because of the company’s financial interests — it’s commonplace for them to downplay accident victims’ injuries and expenses. This leads them to propose inadequate settlement offers that are far less than what is necessary to cover the damages, lost wages, and expenses incurred by victims.
This is especially true if they are aware that you do not have legal representation.
If you choose to negotiate your claim on your own, you could be missing out on tens of thousands of dollars that you may not only be entitled to by law, but that you may need to cover critical expenses and losses associated with your accident.
Insurance companies are also aware that not all personal injury attorneys or firms are the same. Some firms have reputations for accepting first offers or refusing to file a lawsuit for their client. Insurance companies track these firms and know just how little it will take to resolve claims with them. At GB Law, we have a reputation of being true trial attorneys who will file a lawsuit and go to trial, which equates to better settlement offers because insurance companies know we are not bluffing.
Don’t go into debt over your car accident injury.
Our Ohio personal injury attorneys have decades of experience in representing our clients’ best interests — fighting for fair settlements in negotiation, renegotiation, and litigation against the insurance companies.
A personal injury attorney should negotiate your claim or case for you.
Our injury attorneys work closely with all our clients to put together a full scope of the unique economic and non-economic losses they have and may have experienced as a result of their accident, without leaning on generalized outputs from claims software. Each claim, case, and settlement we work on and build is totally unique to each of our clients.
To further support our clients, our attorneys can discreetly reference detailed records of similar claims and cases we’ve worked on in the past. We can use this along with professional insights from doctors, engineers, vocational experts, economists, and/or other specialized experts we have worked with in the past to help us gain a better understanding of the nature and severity of your accident, and the current and future damages you may incur as a result.
These resources can give us indispensable leverage in building the value and validity of your claim.
To help our clients even further, our firm works on a contingency fee basis, meaning you will not have to pay for anything of our legal services unless we are able to successfully settle your claim or case.
Get the Car Accident Settlement You Deserve with GB Law
Later this month, the Ohio Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case of Amanda Brandt v. Roy Pompa. Ms. Brandt, who as a child was repeatedly raped and assaulted by Pompa, bravely sued him for the lifetime of pain and struggling she suffers as a victim of trauma. During the trial, the jurors heard extensive evidence about what Ms. Brandt had gone through and how her life was forever changed by this abuse. The jury found Roy Pompa legally liable to Ms. Brandt for the extensive pain and emotional suffering he caused her.
After the trial, Pompa successfully invoked Ohio Revised Code Section 2315.18 to reduce his legal liability to Ms. Brandt. This law places an arbitrary cap on the non-economic damages that a jury may have evaluated as higher or worth more than what the cap provides. Although the creators of this law candidly admit that the law was never intended to protect rapists, there is nothing written in the law to make a distinction for courts to follow.
As a result, Amanda Brandt has appealed the Ohio Supreme Court to review the constitutionality of this Ohio law. The Supreme Court has the authority to review laws and ensure that they “bear a real and substantial relation to the public health, safety, morals, or general welfare of the public and not unreasonable or arbitrary.” As evidenced by this case, a law that allows a rapist to shield themselves from legal culpability is not in the best interest of Ohioans’ public health, safety, morals, or general welfare.
A considerable number of groups representing corporations and insurance companies, including the United States Chamber of Commerce and Ohio Association of Civil Trial Attorneys as well as Ohio Attorney General David Yost, have also filed amicus briefs in support of Roy Pompa.
Why Would the U.S. Chamber of Commerce or Ohio Attorney General Yost File Briefs in Favor of a Rapist?
It is likely that large corporations and insurance companies want to avoid legal responsibility for claims for which they may be liable. As evidenced by higher profile cases in other states, it is not uncommon to find out that employers such as medical practices, university, schools, and religious organizations fail to act when confronted with evidence of sexual abuse. These failures lead to more abuse and more devastating consequences of their inaction. However, if this Ohio law is upheld, they can protect themselves should cases against them arise in the future.
Is Anyone Challenging This Law?
Adding additional interest to this case is the fact that four of the justices that will be deciding this case will also be on the ballot this November in Ohio. Justice Jennifer Brunner, a Democrat, is running to become Ohio’s next Chief Justice, replacing Republican Maureen O’Connor, who is ineligible to run for re-election. In a bipartisan approach, both Justice Brunner and Chief Justice O’Connor voted to re-examine the constitutionality of this law. Republican Justices Sharon Kennedy, Patrick Fischer, and Patrick DeWine voted against reviewing the statute, thus upholding the decision of the lower court to allow Roy Pompa to avoid the verdict rendered against him.
Judge Marilyn Zayas, a Democrat from the First District Court of Appeals in Cincinnati, is challenging Republican incumbent Justice Pat DeWine, who is also the son of Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. Judge Terri Jamison, a Democrat from the Tenth District Court of Appeals in Columbus, is challenging Republican Pat Fischer. It is likely that the Ohio Supreme Court will issue a ruling in Amanda Brandt’s case before the November election.
Injuries from a car accident cause a world of pain and stress.
Between your physical pain, emotional trauma, doctor’s visits, bills, work, time off, insurance, and mounds of paperwork — it’s hard to know where to begin.
Figuring out what to do after a car accident can be overwhelming. Fortunately, a personal injury attorney can help guide you through the stress and red tape involved with your car accident injury and personal injury case.
At GB Law, our attorneys have more than 30 years of experience helping people like you get their lives back on track after suffering from car accident injuries. We will work with you every step of the way to ensure your legal needs are met during this challenging time.
To provide some helpful guidance, here are 4 things you should do immediately after you’ve been injured in a car accident.
1. Call the Police
If you believe you’ve been injured in a car accident, call 911 immediately. Tell the 911 dispatcher that you are injured if you feel any physical discomfort or if you are experiencing confusion. The 911 dispatcher may tell you to exchange information with the at-fault driver if you do not report an injury. In that case, the police will not go to the scene and make a police report, and the at-fault driver and their insurance company may deny fault.
This should be your first call regardless of how mild or severe you believe your injury may be. Even if you don’t feel like you’ve sustained an injury, you should call the police.
The police will be able to create a safe area around the vicinity of your accident, while also recording detailed reports and testimonies from you and other parties involved in and/or witnessing the accident.
It isn’t uncommon that other drivers in the accident won’t want to get the police involved, especially if they are uninsured or believe they are at fault. Consider: The at-fault driver may ask you to not call the police because they want to avoid a ticket or because they do not have auto insurance.
Don’t let the at-fault driver stop you from calling the authorities, especially if you feel like you’ve been injured. Even the most straightforward incident can get complicated when there isn’t a report taken.
Health, safety, medical documentation, and evidence like photographs from the scene of the accident are all imperative to your car accident personal injury case.
Contact the police immediately so they can document the accident. If the authorities or 911 operator tries to argue the necessity of their presence, state your case and be persistent until they agree to arrive. Take photographs of the cars at the scene or ask someone else to do that if you are not able to do so. Write down the name and phone numbers of all witnesses who saw the accident.
This will further help you and your personal injury attorneys gather the first critical pieces of evidence in building your claim.
Handling the aftermath and repercussions of a car accident is overwhelming, especially if you’re injured, stressed, and in pain.
A personal injury attorney can help reassure and guide you through the processes of:
Gathering the police reports and documentation surrounding the car accident.
Reporting and filing with your insurance company.
Compiling current and projected future medical bills and expenses caused by the accident.
Helping you calculate lost wages if your injury prevents you from working.
Negotiating your settlement for all current and future health and economic damages caused by your injury, to make sure you are offered a fair settlement.
It’s commonplace for the insurance provider to take advantage of car accident victims who don’t seek representation from a personal injury attorney. Unfortunately, insurance providers see your accident as a business transaction.
Their goal is simple: offer you as small a settlement as possible. More often than not, this leaves unrepresented injured drivers, like yourself, with a fraction of the damages and compensation they are entitled to by law.
Our team of Ohio personal injury attorneys at GB Law fight for our clients to get the damages and recompensation they deserve for all current and future damages and expenses created by the accident.
3. Take Photos of the Accident and Scene
Collecting relevant evidence is paramount to pursuing your car accident personal injury case. Photos, videos, and police reports are all crucial pieces of evidence your attorney can use to strengthen your case.
They provide a clear visual of the damage, results, and potential causes of a car accident and the injuries you sustained. They can also help determine the fault or the causes of an accident
From a legal perspective, they can help our attorneys demonstrate the nature and severity of the wreck to insurance agencies, the defense, jury, etc.
Photographic evidence is also valuable for our attorneys when reaching out to expert witnesses. Other professionals like engineers can be called in to assess photographic evidence of the damage and nature of an accident, which can further assert the credibility and justification for your case.
Be sure to get pictures of the following, for all vehicles that sustained damage in the accident:
Dents.
Dings.
Scrapes.
Scratches
Deployed airbags.
Broken glass.
Be sure to get photos from multiple angles, as safely as you can.
You should expect opposing insurance agencies to look for any opportunity they can get to push back on or minimize your case. Photos depicting all the vehicles involved in the crash will provide your personal injury attorneys with fundamental evidence to help fortify your case.
4. Go to Your Doctor Immediately
After the accident, we advise seeing a doctor immediately. Seeking physician assessment and treatment for your injury as soon as possible is not only important for your health and safety, but for your personal injury legal representation as well.
Remember, insurance companies and their attorneys will challenge your case and minimize your settlement by any and all means.
A key tactic they can take is exposing gaps in your story. One of the easiest ways they can marginalize your case is by highlighting any delay between the date of the accident and when you first sought medical treatment after the accident.
Even a few days’ delay is sufficient for them to put your claim and injuries in question.
Don’t give them that opening.
The bigger the time gap between your accident and a doctor’s appointment for your injury, the easier it is for the defense to create doubt that the car accident caused your injuries at all.
Don’t put off your health or diminish the value of your case. Get medical treatment after your accident as soon as possible.
Other Notes: Doctors Appointments and Documentation
As you may have guessed, doctor’s appointments and medical documentation are also valuable for building your personal injury case.
For that reason, any health or medical care directly related to your accident, including:
General practice and specialist appointments.
Testing, X-rays, scans, MRIs, etc.
Surgeries and rehabilitation.
Medications.
Other forms of treatment like physical therapy, occupational therapy, and chiropractic care.
These can be factored into the total damages you’re eligible to receive for your case.
Physicians’ notes, documentation, receipts, and medical bills are all critical components that help your personal injury attorney develop your claim.
Keep the Conversation to the Injury at Hand
When seeing a doctor for your car accident injury, keep the conversation exclusively to the injury and pain caused by the accident.
Why is that?
Physicians can document anything and everything you discuss during your visit.
For that reason, discussing any health problems or medical issues you’re dealing with unrelated to the car accident could jeopardize your personal injury case.
Once again, insurance companies and their attorneys are looking for ways to weaken your claim. Even the off-hand mention of family history medical issues, prior injuries, osteoarthritis, neck, or back pain can cast doubt on the car accident being the sole cause of your injury.
This isn’t the time to discuss your complete personal and family medical history.
At GB Law, our team of experienced personal injury attorneys goes above and beyond in helping our clients.
Unlike other personal injury firms, our attorneys work ona contingency fee basis, meaning you won’t have to pay our attorneys for any legal services rendered unless we can successfully settle your case
If you or someone you know has been involved in a car accident, has been injured, and hasn’t contacted a personal injury attorney — it’s not too late.
Attorney and GB Law Partner Scott Bowman went “back to school” to teach a law school class at Capital University’s law school for a day. Friend and colleague attorney John Gonzales teaches a trial advocacy class at Capital University’s law school and asked Scott to teach his class for a day. Professor Gonzales asked Scott to walk the class through an actual case and share with his students what it is like to be an attorney who represents victims of negligence. Scott was more than happy to help out and walked Professor Gonzales’ class through an actual case that he has litigated.
Both Scott and Capital University’s law school class seemed to enjoy the experience and both learned a lot from each other. Scott was particularly impressed with the questions that the students had. “They were very insightful and through a lot of questions my way which showed me they were engaged, wish was great,” Scott said.
At GB Law, we not only fight passionately for our clients but also work in the community to help others and to spread the word about how important our civil justice system is to everyday Ohioans.
Even with many people staying home much of last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were 113 more traffic fatalities in Ohio in 2020 than in 2019, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s OSHP Crash Dashboard. Even more troubling — 2021 is on track to significantly surpass 2020 fatality statistics. As of August 22, 2021, there have been 812 traffic fatalities reported in Ohio, an increase of 83 fatalities from the same time period in 2020.
The Dayton Daily News reported earlier this year that there has also been an increase in speeding citations issued, including “a large increase in the amount of violations for motorists exceeding 100 mph.”
Traffic Fatalities Increased Nationwide During Pandemic
Ohio isn’t alone in seeing a spike in traffic fatalities. The statistics match a nationwide trend. According to a June report, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s early estimates show that an estimated 38,680 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes—the largest projected number of fatalities since 2007. Last year during the pandemic lockdowns, drivers more frequently engaged in risky behavior behind the wheel, such as speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and speeding.
Negligent Driving Causes Preventable Accidents
As personal injury lawyers, it is extremely frustrating to see an increase in fatalities caused by the most reckless and careless types of driving. These preventable and devastating losses will affect families for decades and lifetimes to come. For individuals that are injured, the physical, emotional, and financial effects are far-reaching.
If you or someone you love has been harmed due to the reckless driving of someone else, you have legal rights to seek compensation. Whether you were injured in a car accident, motorcycle accident, pedestrian accident, or trucking accident, an experienced lawyer can help you navigate your personal injury claim and obtain the money and justice you deserve.
Our Compassionate Personal Injury Lawyers Are Ready to Help After an Accident
At GB Law, our attorneys have dedicated their careers to helping victims of serious injury and wrongful death obtain justice. The money we’ve recovered for our clients has allowed them to get the best medical care available, and not suffer financially after enduring the physical and emotional pain of an accident.
We represent our clients in a compassionate manner while aggressively fighting for the full and fair compensation they deserve. Our lawyers are not afraid of taking on complex or challenging cases — or cases that other attorneys may have turned away. If you have questions about a potential case and would like to speak with an attorney, call us at 614-698-1782. If we represent you, we are only paid if we recover money for you.
Do I Have to Call the Police After Being Involved in a Car Accident?
Ohio law does not require you to contact the police for minor car accidents with no injuries and damages below $1,000.
However, it’s in your best interest to get a police report.
A police report provides a description of the accident and an initial determination of who is at fault. Additionally, having police at the scene ensures that you and the other party involved in the accident exchange insurance information if you need to file a claim. You will need the other driver’s insurance information in order to make a claim on their policy.
Why Do You Need a Police Report to File an Insurance Claim with Your Insurance Company?
You can still file an insurance claim without a police report, but having a police report can expedite the claims process and help you receive compensation from your insurance company sooner.
When you file a claim with the at-fault driver’s insurance company and your insurance company, the insurance provider will ask for a police report and may make their initial determination of who was at fault based primarily on the responding law enforcement officer’s report and to document basic information about the motorist and the vehicle involved.
But there are times when the police may not respond to an auto accident.
So what happens if you don’t have an accident report?
Why Didn’t the Police Show Up to the Scene of the Accident?
It is possible to be in an accident and for police to not respond to your accident. There could be any number of reasons that law enforcement could not respond.
It could have been during a time of adverse weather when there were only enough resources for major injury accidents. Similarly, there could have been a major accident or incident where there were no available officers to respond.
Or more recently, due to COVID-19, police did not respond to an accident unless major injuries were reported. This scenario was the case for many people in 2020 and 2021.
How Do You File a Car Insurance Claim Without a Police Report?
Call 911
Whether or not police come to an accident scene, you should gather your own evidence and report the accident.
Call 911 as this is an important record in itself. Even if it’s a minor accident, a 911 call can still serve as an official record of the accident. The phone calls to 911 are recorded and those recordings serve as a record of the accident.
Record Evidence
Decades ago, many consumer organizations recommended keeping a disposable camera and notepad in your trunk or glove compartment for the purpose of taking notes and pictures after an accident.
If you carry a cell phone — as almost everyone does — your cell phone can be an easy way to take videos, photos, and even voice memos describing what, where, how, why, and when—everything that happened. Take photos of the vehicles involved in the accident, the location and the driver’s license and insurance card for each motorist involved in the accident.
If you are injured and unable to take videos or photos, ask someone to help you.
Your vehicle and the surrounding area can offer important evidence which will soon be gone when the vehicle is moved away from the crash scene. A 360-degree slow-moving video of the crash scene may provide important information during a later investigation.
Contact a Car Accident Attorney
You don’t have to navigate the post-accident administrative tasks alone. As personal injury attorneys, we understand that for our clients, the aftermath of a car accident is overwhelming.
It’s so easy to unintentionally do or say something that does not benefit your claim. You may answer an insurance representative’s question honestly without understanding how it will be used.
It’s not uncommon for adjusters to take seemingly insignificant comments out of context, such as a statement that you are feeling okay today.
If you promptly contact a skilled and experienced Ohio personal injury lawyer at GB Law after an accident, we can help you document your injuries and get law enforcement all the information they need to compile a crash report.
Your auto insurance—and the other party’s insurance—is going to want a police record of the accident.
Although communications with police departments and insurance adjusters may seem like navigating uncharted waters, we’re well-versed in everything that needs to be done, and in what order.
You can focus on recovering and healing while we fight for your rights. In the meantime, we’ll negotiate with insurance companies on your behalf and protect your rights after a car accident.
Along with getting the police report made, we can also help preserve evidence and footage from police body cams to truck dash cams and even nearby Ring doorbells.
What Do You Do If You Didn’t Receive a Copy of the Police Accident Report?
Even if the police showed up and made a report after a car accident, it’s possible you didn’t receive a copy of the report.
If this happens, you can contact the police and request a copy of the police report. Alternatively, you can ask your attorneys to request it for you.
Were You in a Car Accident with No Police Report? Call the Car Accident Lawyers at GB Law for a Free Consultation
At GB Law, we offer a free case evaluation to answer your questions and discuss your legal rights and options. There is no obligation, and if we represent you, we’re only paid if we recover money for you.
Sixteen years ago, in 2005, Ohio became subject to tort reform, which limited monetary damages on certain types of civil lawsuits. When a jury decides a civil suit, such as a personal injury case or a sexual abuse case, they may award damages to the victim. In 2005, Ohio Legislators imposed limits on what Ohio Courts could award for non-economic damages (compensation for what is commonly referred to as “pain and suffering”) — even if a jury believes more should be paid.
In the 1970s, many states enacted tort reform after medical malpractice insurers suddenly stopped renewing policies for physicians. The damage caps that many other states enacted became law when Senate Bill 80 was signed into law by Governor Bob Taft on January 6, 2005.
At the time, advocates for the tort reform claimed SB80 balanced the interests of plaintiffs and defendants. While SB80 did offer some protection for victims of catastrophic injuries, it left other victims vulnerable and without protection. For example, when a jury awarded $20 million to Amanda Brandt, who suffered horrific sexual abuse as an 11-year-old, the Cleveland-based 8th Ohio District Court of Appeals ruled the damages should be reduced to $250,000.
Under Ohio Revised Code §2315.18, victims can recover the greater amount of (a) $250,000 or (b) three times economic (calculable) damages, which is subject to a maximum of $350,000 per person and/or $500,000 per accident. When the victim suffers a catastrophic loss or a permanent physical injury that prevents them from caring for themselves, these caps on damages will not apply. Unfortunately, what constitutes a permanent injury can vary from one courtroom to another.
With next year’s election, the political control of the Ohio Supreme Court is on the line. Three of its seven judge seats will be on the ballot, including the chief justiceship and the seats held by Justices Patrick DeWine and Patrick Fischer. Justice Kennedy will be running for Chief Justice. All three candidates, Kennedy, DeWine, and Fischer, voted against hearing Amanda Brandt’s damages appeal. Changes in the court seats could open the door to changes in tort reform.
As personal injury lawyers, we have seen firsthand that emotional injuries affect people’s lives just as much as physical injuries. The only entities that benefit from tort reform limits are the mega corporations and large institutions that look the other way and fail to protect the most vulnerable. As we look to the future, we will continue to encourage our fellow Ohioans to not vote for those that deny access to justice for children and families and individuals who have been harmed. We hope you will join us in fighting for justice for victims like Amanda Brandt.
If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a car accident, it is important that you hire the best personal injury attorney to protect your rights.
Choosing the wrong personal injury lawyer can result in you or your loved one being under-compensated, which will result in medical bills being unpaid, lost wages not being recovered, and an uncertain future.
Hiring the right personal injury lawyer will result in full compensation, which gives you and your loved ones as secure and certain of a future as one can get under extremely difficult circumstances.
But how do you choose the right personal injury lawyer for your injury case?
There are several options to choose from:
Consider calling local judges for a referral to a respected personal injury lawyer.
Seek a referral from friends or family who have worked with a personal injury lawyer in the past.
Research whether a personal injury lawyer has received Google Reviews from clients. Read as many of the reviews as possible to determine whether the reviews seem genuine and demonstrate that the lawyer is experienced, successful and well-liked by their clients.
Visit attorney referral websites, such as SuperLawyers.com, FindLaw.com, and AVVO.com, to see whether a personal injury lawyer is well-respected in the legal community and successful.
Visit the lawyer or law firm’s website and review the attorney’s biography to see if the attorney is experienced and well-qualified. You may even want to go as far as to cross-reference the claims made by the attorney in his or her biography.
Most importantly, call a lawyer to talk through your situation.
Quality lawyers know that people will have many questions after being in an accident and are happy to guide you to making the best decision for you. If you are unable to speak to a lawyer when you call for information, you should find out how accessible the lawyer will be to you if you are their client.
At GB Law, potential clients are connected to a lawyer, not a case manager, right away. If one is not available, your information is taken down and sent to the next available attorney to get back to you as quickly as possible.
The most important decision you will make after you or a loved one is harmed due to the recklessness of another is selecting the right personal injury lawyer to protect your rights.
During the last few weeks, many of us have admired the dedication of the doctors, nurses, and healthcare providers who have been on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic. While I have tried to do my part by wearing a mask, social distancing, and supporting small businesses, I couldn’t help but see the sacrifices of others and wish there was something more I could do.
Well, thanks to a newspaper article, I found a small way to pitch in and help. Apparently, as a result of the coronavirus, thousands of blood drives had been cancelled. With that in mind, I visited the American Red Cross’s website. The website was simple and convenient to use, and within minutes, I was scheduled to donate at a blood drive not far from my home.
When my scheduled day arrived, I was able to complete the health history questionnaire at home using a tablet. The appointment only took about an hour. For those of you who have already recovered from COVID-19, the Red Cross does have a COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Program, which I would suggest you look in to.
If you’re like me and are wishing there’s something more you can do to help, consider giving blood. To learn more about the American Red Cross and donating blood, visit www.redcrossblood.org.
