http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811016.PDF

• Automobile Driver Collides with a Pedestrian
• Medical Doctor Botches a Surgery
• Poorly Designed SUV Rolls Over on the Interstate
• Customer Is Assaulted in a Poorly Lit Parking Lot

The answer is that any one of these can result in a fatal injury for the victim and all can be caused by someone else’s negligence. When someone dies as a result of another party’s negligence, legally it is known as a "wrongful death."

Obviously, losing a family member can be emotionally devastating. When the death is related to carelessness on the part of another person, then the loss becomes much harder to accept. The death of a person has an IMMEDIATE impact on the family members left behind. In an instant, lives are changed forever. That’s why the law provides a legal remedy for surviving family members in the form of a wrongful death claim. If successful, the family members may be rewarded compensation for:

While nothing can replace a lost loved one, a successful wrongful death lawsuit can provide some level of comfort and assurance in the face of uncertainty and grief. No one would trade the life of a family member for a check, no matter how large. However, there are some kinds of losses the law cannot fix, such as death. The damages that can be recovered in a wrongful death suit are intended to make the loss more bearable by compensating the family.

A wrongful death lawsuit is complex, so it is important to seek experienced, capable legal help as soon as possible. It is also important not to delay unnecessarily—there are laws called "statutes of limitation" that require lawsuits to be filed within a certain period of time. If a family waits too long to file a wrongful death suit it may lose the right to file suit at all.

Although Christopher Reeve gave national attention to the injury, most of us rarely consider the extraordinary ramifications that would occur if we were the victim of a spinal cord injury. Imagine if you suffered a "complete" (meaning both sides of the body are affected equally and both sides are rendered useless) spinal cord injury. You would have NO function, NO feeling, NO sensation, and NO movement below the injury. You could also suffer bladder or bowel problems, as well as sexual dysfunction and breathing problems. Needless to say, it would dramatically change your life and the lives of your loved ones that would have to care for you.

Why is a spinal cord injury so serious? Because the spinal cord and the brain comprise the central nervous system in the human body. The spinal cord is a "superhighway" of sorts on which nerve impulses travel from the brain down the body. It is surrounded by a protective column of bones called "vertebrae." You can suffer injuries to your vertebrae (such as a broken back) that are less serious than a spinal cord injury.

The degree of seriousness of a spinal cord injury usually is related to the place on the spinal cord where the injury occurs—the higher up your back and spinal cord, the more damage you will suffer because everything below the injury will be affected. "Paraplegia" results from an injury to the middle of your spinal column and it renders the lower part of your body paralyzed. "Quadriplegia" results in total paralysis of your body and is caused by damage to the cervical portion of the spinal cord located near your neck..

More than 450,000 Americans live with a spinal cord injury. Statistically, young males are more likely to suffer such an injury. (In fact, over 80% of spinal cord injuries happen to males between the ages of 16 and 30.) Approximately 10,000 new spinal cord injuries happen every year. Many of these injuries are caused by the negligent conduct of others, such as negligence in automobile accidents, truck accidents and motorcycle accidents. If you suffer a spinal cord injury, there is an 85% chance that you will continue to survive ten years after the injury.

A spinal cord injury can be linked to different causes. Some spinal cord injuries can be the result of a disease or a birth defect, such as polio or spina bifida. Medical mistakes and medical malpractice can also cause spinal cord injuries. However, most spinal cord injuries are caused by a physical trauma, such as a fall or a car accident. In fact, 36% of these injuries are the result of a motor vehicle accident.

In some cases, the trauma that causes the injury is the result of someone’s negligence. For example, if a big-rig truck driver falls asleep and runs into your car and you suffer a spinal cord injury, that truck driver and his trucking company could be liable to pay you damages for your injuries. Or, if your gynecologist makes a mistake when delivering your baby and your baby is partially paralyzed, that doctor and his hospital may have to compensate you for your child’s injuries.

Obviously, the financial impact of a spinal cord injury can be catastrophic. In addition medical costs that will be incurred over the lifetime of the victim, there will be lost wages, loss of enjoyment of life, emotional damage, and pain and suffering. All of these can add up to a considerable amount of money. If you or a loved one has suffered a spinal cord injury because of someone else’s carelessness, you need to seek the help of a qualified attorney immediately.

To that end, here is a link for the most Frequently Asked Questions that are posted on the Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission website.

Knowing the process is a good way to keep from getting an unfair settlement after your injury.

If you have any further questions, or feel that you haven't been treated fairly, contact the Chandler Law Group for a free legal consultation today.

http://www.vwc.state.va.us/questions.htm

When Hollywood portrays a rollover accident, it always seems that the people in the car manage to crawl out of the wreckage unscathed. We know that premise to be completely false.

Taking even a brief glance at some of these photos will let you know exactly how dangerous and deadly rollover accidents can be.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a Virginia rollover accident, contact the Chandler Law Group for a free legal consultation today.

http://www.car-accidents.com/roll-over-crash-6.html

Viewing the report is very enlightening, and could give you second thoughts about how your insurance company will act in the event of an accident.

Read more

"Greedy lawyers!"

"Cant go out to get the newspaper without getting sued!"

"That crazy $50 million dollar pants judge!"

That's what they throw at the general public, anyway. The actual legislation that they try to pass is nothing more than a concerted effort to strip the average citizen of his legal rights.

By following this link, you can get solid definitions of what the tort reform organizations are trying to really accomplish. It's quite frightening. Read more

The end results are, predictably, that teenagers are dying.

Follow the link above to see the study, and make sure that you teach your teen driver the importance of wearing a safety belt at all times, not just when they drive with you.

Fortunately, they have set up a service where any recall information about tires or child safety seats will be sent to you automatically through text messages or e-mail.

We think that this is a valuable service, and that anyone with small children would benefit from this.

Visit the NHTSA website to sign up.

Say hello to the Rigsby sisters. These two realized that something was drastically wrong with the way State Farm was conducting itself in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. They might be punished for making internal State Farm documents public knowledge.

If the judge presiding over the case rules in favor of State Farm, it is very possible that we could be living in a society where coming forward out of conscience could be a dangerous act.

Let's hope that the presiding judge comes to the conclusion that punishing citizens for protecting themselves is the wrong way to go.

In Virginia, a finding of 10% responsibility for an accident in a personal injury case, completely bars recovery by the plainitff. This practice known as contributory negligence has long been a feature of Virginia Jurisprudence.

Thankfully, in Virginia Workers' Compensation cases, there is no bar to recovery for a worker's negligence. In fact, most work accidents occur as a result of soemone's negligence. The Worker's Compesantion Act provides benefits for exactly those circumstances.