Archive for February, 2013
Outgoing Social Security Commissioner Answers Questions on SSD Program
Posted by Lawyer in Car Accident Lawyers on February 26, 2013
On February 14, My Fox Phoenix published excerpts from an interview with Michael J. Astrue, the outgoing Social Security Commissioner. Astrue had harsh words for politicians in Washington. However, he also answered some important questions about disability benefits available from the Social Security Administration.
Our Flagstaff AZ disability attorney were not surprised to hear many of the comments that Astrue made about how and why it is difficult to successfully apply for disability benefits. However, we believe it is important that everyone considering a benefits claim review the answers provided by Astrue to shed some light into what they can expect as they make a claim to obtain disability compensation.
Applying For Disability a Tough Process, Commissioner Reports
The main focus of Astrue’s comments was to caution that the future of the entire Social Security program is in jeopardy due to upcoming budget shortfalls. Astrue indicated that politicians generally treat the program as a political issue and that no one actually has made any substantive changes that could ensure the future longevity of this important program.
However, Astrue also answered some specific questions about disability benefits. For example:
Accidents In Winter Snowmobile Accidents Cause Injury, Death, Lawsuits
Posted by Lawyer in Pain Pumps on February 17, 2013
Snowmobile Accidents End up in Injury, Death, Lawsuits
Maybe it’s because snowmobiles are also known as recreational vehicles. Whatever the reason, far too many snowmobile operators do not take their responsibilities seriously as they mount their sleds to take a ride, leading all too often to serious injuries, fatalities and accident lawsuits in Maine courts over their reckless behavior.
Experienced accident lawyers say they see many parallels between snowmobile accidents along the state’s 13,000 miles of signed trails and highway crashes involving automobiles, trucks, motorcycles and other vehicles.
Among the more common factors in various motor vehicle accident lawsuits is a driver’s unreasonable rate of speed. Just like with a lot of motorcyclists, many Maine snowmobile drivers feel they need to feed their “need for speed” See : accident lawyer – the sensation of that wind whipping over their bodies. However, the circumstances of riding a snowmobile – speeding along a slippery surface of snow or ice with limited braking ability – call for extreme caution. The failure to use common sense and exercise defensive driving skills can turn even a routine ride on the trails into a high-speed trip to a court date with a Maine snowmobile accident attorney.
Similarly, Maine snowmobile accident lawsuits often follow crashes involving a drunk driver whose thoughtless behavior is responsible for life-changing injuries or fatalities. The blood-alcohol limit for a snowmobile driver, like other motorists, is .08. Within the carefree playing field of snowmobiling, some people are in clubs that organize group trips with rest stops at local bars. A cocktail or two at each and every stop impairs judgment and slows the response time of even experienced snowmobile operators. Riding in a team with riders who drink also poses dangers, including raising the risk of crashing with another impaired driver and raising the possibility of injuries whilst getting caught up in mimicking their high-speed, careless behavior.
An added danger cited by Maine accident lawyers is the fact that consuming alcohol accelerates a drop in the body’s temperature. Along with the frigid outdoor environment, the operator runs the risk of hypothermia, which also impairs a driver’s judgment.
Poor judgment extends beyond driving behavior, Maine snowmobile accident attorneys note. Every winter, lives are lost and snowmobile accident lawsuits are filed when operators foolishly disregard the perils of traveling across ice. The thickness and strength of ice can vary widely on rivers, streams, lakes and ponds. Snow often serves as a blanket that hinders the formation of thick, strong ice. Even a well-worn trail across water can give the false impression of safety if previous travelers have weakened the ice.
A Maine snowmobile accident lawyer knows that responsible operators can have the ability to protect themselves, their passengers and innocent bystanders by following a few simple rules. Safety equipment, including a helmet with a visor or a set of protective goggles, along with layers of water-repellent clothing, is a necessity. Carry a first-aid kid including a flashlight, knife, compass, map and waterproof matches.
And don’t, Maine attorneys say, travel alone. Little is more dangerous to the life and well being of a snowmobiler than being injured without fellow riders around to provide or seek help.
When someone injured or lost a loved one resulting from a snowmobile driver who ignores good sense when operating a 500-pound machine, they will need to look for a Maine snowmobile accident lawyer that has experience in protecting their rights and pursuing fair financial compensation.
Mike Slocumb LAw Firm Videos Injury Lawyers Assisting Chicago, Dc, Birmingham, al as well as Ga
Posted by Lawyer in Hit-and-Run Accidents on February 10, 2013
We aggressively move personal injury cases forward. Call for a free consultation: 1-800-WIN-WIN-1 To pursue compensation, contact the Mike Slocumb Law Firm: http://www.slocumblaw.com
Chicago : http://www.slocumblaw.com/chicago-lawyer/personal-injury-lawyer-in-chicago
DC: http://www.slocumblaw.com/washington-dc-lawyer/personal-injury-lawyer-in-washington-dc
Video Transcript:
From the minute you call the Mike Slocumb Law Firm, our staff gets to work quickly on your case. Your case will be assigned to an attorney and a case manager whose sole responsibility is moving your case forward. Moving your case towards settlement. And building your case from a damages perspective so that when we present your case to the insurance company, we ensure maximum compensation for your case. You want to put the insurance company in a position to make a decision. And until your case is ready for trial there’s no decision for the insurance company to make.
Our client calls less then a week after she’s been discharged from the hospital. She has a traumatic brain injury, with in a day or two we come to the understanding that it was a commercial vehical that had caused the accident. We immediately sent notification to the insurance company and to the defendant to not destroy their vehicle. Because we wanted to download the airbag control module.
When you’re dealing with a case which has severe injuries often times the air bag control module can give you a reconstruction of how the accident actually happened. Let me explain. Air bag control module will tell you up to five seconds before the accident happened how fast the driver was going, whether the vehicle had the break circuit switch applied, what were the RPM’s of the vehicle, did the driver have the accelerator pressed, and all of those items (the speed, the RPM, and the break switch) are important in understanding what the drivers actions were leading up to the collision.
None of this would have been possible if a lawsuit had not been filed. The insurance company would have likely destroyed the vehicle, it would have been sent to an impound yard and then it would have been shipped for scrap metal. We also immediately began requesting deposition dates. The reason we request deposition dates is because it moves the case closer to being ready to go to trial.
The sooner we can get the case ready for trial, the better the client is going to be because it puts the insurance company in a position to make a decision. With in three to four months we have downloaded the airbag control module. We have initiated taking depositions, we deposed the defendants, we’ve deposed the driver, we’ve deposed the physicians that treated our client and we’re ready for trial.
The insurance company made a decision to settle the case for the policy limits of two million dollars.
Mike Slocumb Attorneys
http://www.youtube.com/user/MikeSlocumbLawFirm
Energy Employees Consider Retirement Maritime Staff members’ Projects, International Safety Worries Come up
Posted by Lawyer in Car Accident Lawyers on February 8, 2013
Drastic changes are taking place in the oil industry workforce, with a major shift in the average age and expertise of oil industry employees. This mass changing of the guard is due to many longtime employees retiring and leaving the brunt of responsibilities in the hands of younger, less experienced workers. Though the idea of new jobs opening up for oil rig workers is a positive one overall, it also means a reduction in collective expertise, particularly in maritime safety practices, and could increase the likelihood of more offshore injuries occurring, including deaths at sea.
Tulsa, Oklahoma (All of Oklahoma) Hansen Dirani & Associates disability lawyer Each SSDI or
SSI case is unique. Social Security issues may come up in one case that may not exist in any other case. We know how to handle the tough cases. We put our resources and knowledge to work for
clients. Whatever type of medical condition or disability you are facing, you can rely on the tough-minded Social Security disability lawyers at Hansen Dirani & Associates Law Offices.
Vice president of accreditation and certification at the International Association of Drilling Contractors, Mark Denkowski, told NPR that in-depth safety training programs are now mandatory and a distinct contrast from his own experience in the oil industry. “No longer would you have a person that’s just hired and literally put on a boat or on a helicopter and flown out to a rig with little or no orientation or training,” he said. “Companies are going to be required to prove that that individual has been through that orientation.”
