Georgia Injury Lawyers Blog

What You Need To Know About Rear-End Collisions

July 14, 2018 | by Slappey & Sadd, LLC

Rear-end collisions are some of the most common car accidents on our roadways. They can happen when you are stopped at an intersection or in stop-and-go traffic. And even though they are quite common, that doesn’t mean that they are nothing to worry about. Despite the safety features found in modern vehicles, the injuries caused by rear-end collisions can be very serious. In this post, we want to sensitize our readers to some of the important issues that arise with these accidents.

Your Injuries May Not Present Themselves Right Away

People who have been in car accidents often report that they felt fine immediately afterward. However, the next day, or even several days later, they often start to experience various symptoms such as the following:

The Insurance Company is Not on Your Side

July 12, 2018 | by Slappey & Sadd, LLC

You’ve heard the jingle where a certain insurance company claims to be “on your side.” Even if they don’t say it, every insurance company wants you to believe that they are on your side: they’ll handle your claims quickly, provide top-notch customer service, and will be there whenever you need them, day or night. That may all be true if you’re paying the premiums, but sadly this is not the case if you are injured in an accident and have to make a claim against someone else’s insurance. A recent case out of Columbus, Georgia demonstrates exactly how difficult insurance companies can be when settling claims.

Jury Finds Geico Acted in Bad Faith

The case discussed in the article involves a man who was injured while riding his bicycle in 2012 when he was struck by a vehicle. The driver was clearly at fault, and the victim did not have health insurance. The victim’s attorney offered to settle the matter for $30,000, which was the limit of the policy. Regardless of the driver’s obvious fault, Geico, who insured the driver, refused to settle the case for more than $12,000, just slightly more than the victim’s hospital bills. When the victim sued, he wound up with a default judgment because neither Geico nor the driver responded to the suit. Geico then tried to get the default judgment set aside, and later objected to the driver’s subsequent bankruptcy proceedings. When the case made it to Federal court, the jury awarded the victim $2.7 million dollars in damages, finding that Geico had acted in bad faith in refusing to settle the claim.

Nursing Home Abuse Is No Laughing Matter

July 10, 2018 | by Slappey & Sadd, LLC

A case that was reported earlier this week serves as a grim reminder of the dangers our seniors may face while under the care of others. Three assisted living center employees were arrested after posting a Snapchat video documenting a shocking lack of care for a 76-year-old woman who was dying in hospice care. The video showed the three employees in the woman’s room, vaping and shouting obscenities at the camera while the woman lay dying in the background. The woman had suffered a stroke, and the employees had been instructed to monitor the woman while waiting for a hospice nurse. The employees titled the Snapchat video, “The End.”

Also recently reported, a 54-year-old certified nursing assistant who worked at Chaplinwood Nursing Home in Milledgeville was indicted on abuse charges. She allegedly struck an elderly resident in the face while trying to put dirty pants on her.

Nursing Home Abuse Happens More Often Than You Think

Amusement Park Accidents

July 9, 2018 | by Slappey & Sadd, LLC

It’s summertime, and so millions of families across the country will be heading out in search of rollercoasters, waterslides, and other thrill rides. Some will head to the carnival at the local fair, while others may travel hundreds of miles to expansive theme parks. Amusement parks can be a ton of fun, but many people don’t realize that, unfortunately, accidents do happen. These accidents can result in serious injury.

Park Ride Injuries

In June, local news outlets reported that a 16-year-old was injured on a park ride at Lake Winnie. It was the fourth incident within a week – one woman broke her foot on a water ride, and two injuries happened on a roller coaster called the Wild Lightning. One of the people who was injured on the Wild Lightning required surgery for her injuries. The ride was temporarily closed during safety concerns.

Why Truck Accidents Are Unique

July 5, 2018 | by Slappey & Sadd, LLC

Who doesn’t love a summer road trip? One of life’s true pleasures is getting out on the road to visit friends and family, head to the beach, or just get out of town for a while. We all know how important it is to drive safely, and we understand the risks involved in driving on the interstates and highways. However, we don’t often consider the increased danger of sharing the roads with large trucks and tractor-trailers.

This resource from the Department of Transportation contains a lot of valuable information. If you look at the maps, it’s interesting to note the heavy volume of truck usage in the Eastern states when compared to the rest of the country. The statistics regarding crashes through 2015 are even more sobering:

11.9% of fatal crashes across the nation involved at least one large truck or bus;

Common Birth Injuries That May Due to Medical Malpractice

July 2, 2018 | by Slappey & Sadd, LLC

For parents, grandparents, friends and extended family, there are few things in life as joyful as the birth of a child. Maybe that is why birth injuries or defects can be so upsetting – what should be a joyful time becomes fraught with fear and anxiety. It can all be terribly overwhelming, but at a certain point, you need to ask the difficult question – who is responsible for my child’s suffering?

To be clear, not every birth injury is the result of medical malpractice. We are blessed with an excellent health care system in this country, staffed by some of the most highly-trained medical professionals in the world. However, accidents can and do happen, and these accidents can severely affect the health of your child. In this post, we’ll be covering some common birth injuries that may be the result of medical malpractice. If your child is suffering from one of these injuries, you may want to contact an experienced medical malpractice attorney.

Birth Asphyxia

Drunk Driving Accidents – Who is at Fault?

June 28, 2018 | by Slappey & Sadd, LLC

Despite the fact that drunk driving rates have been steadily declining over the years, drunk driving remains one of the leading causes of motor vehicle deaths in the U.S. Car accidents are always traumatic events, but this is especially so with drunk driving accidents – it’s hard to believe that someone would be so reckless as to get behind the wheel while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. It’s one thing to endanger your own health and safety, but unfortunately, drunk driving usually results in the death or injury of an innocent person. If you or a loved one has been involved in an accident with a drunk driver, you should consider talking with a lawyer in order to understand your rights and protect your future.

Who Do You Sue?

The most obvious answer to this question is that you sue the intoxicated driver who caused the accident. Almost all car accidents involve negligence, but in a drunk driving case, you’re alleging that the driver was negligent by driving while intoxicated. Therefore, you are asking the court to hold that person liable for your injuries and other losses.

Injured While Shopping? What You Need to Know About Retail Premises Liability

June 26, 2018 | by Slappey & Sadd, LLC

It’s no secret that Americans love shopping. “Retail therapy” is one of our favorite pastimes. In addition to recreational shopping, how much time do you spend at the hardware store or shopping for groceries? When you add it all up, we spend a lot of our time at retail shopping locations.

But what happens if you’re injured when you’re out shopping? Slip, trip, and fall accidents happen every day. If you have been injured in a fall at a retail store, there are some important things you need to know.

The Retailer’s Duty to You

Healthcare Workers and Injuries in the Workplace

June 25, 2018 | by Slappey & Sadd, LLC

When you mention injuries in the workplace, people often think of factories or other jobs that involve heavy manual labor. Unfortunately, workplace injuries can and do happen in almost any line of work – from a slip and fall in the office break room to long-term illness resulting from an environmental hazard such as toxic mold. Perhaps somewhat ironically, employees in the healthcare industry face a surprising amount of risk and potential injuries, and in some ways that you might not expect.

Lifting and Moving Patients

A surprising number of injuries originate from lifting and moving patients. Even with proper training, lifting a patient presents the substantial risk of injury to the back, knees, and shoulders. In addition, helping lift or move a patient can lead to a fall and subsequent injury. Injuries sustained from lifting can be very serious, especially if there is an injury to your back. These injuries can not only severely limit your ability to work but also limit your day-to-day living.

Elder Financial Abuse

June 24, 2018 | by Slappey & Sadd, LLC

Elder abuse isn’t limited solely to physical abuse and neglect. Sadly, financial abuse is one of the most common forms of elder abuse. Financial abuse can take on many forms and can be very difficult to spot in some cases. In some cases, the abuse can be outright theft. In other cases, they may be voluntarily giving someone money as a result of coercion or fraud. It can be committed by a family member or caretaker, or by someone the senior doesn’t even know, such as in the case of phone and email scams.

In this post, we hope to raise awareness of this issue and give you the tools to identify and address it.

Risk Factors