QUESTION: If I rode a dirt bike on a country road and got hit head-on by a truck, am I at fault? The road had no dividing lines and the truck was travelling very far to the left, preventing safe passage. The rider of the bike was seriously injured. The accident report stated that the rider slid into the truck, but that is completely false, because the truck hit the dirt bike and the rider in an upright position. ANSWER: You may be proven not at fault provided you were.
QUESTION: I was rear-ended in an accident that wasn’t my fault, and it resulted to a minimal damage to my car. The other person’s insurance paid $460 in damages. I have a preexisting condition which affected my healing time. I was treated by a chiropractor for 6 months and have a $4,500 medical bill. The other person’s insurance said they will only pay for $1,200 of that bill. PI lawyers don’t seem to want my case since the damage to my car is minimal and my medical bill is higher..
QUESTION: I gave a $1,500 retainer that I thought applied to the contingency fee which is the injury portion of the case. However, my attorney is charging 33% to my car repair recovery. Is this the norm? “LEGAL FEES, COSTS AND BILLING PRACTICES: You hereby grant us a contingent fee on your claims equal to thirty-three percent (33%) of any net recovery you may obtain. “Net recovery” means (a) the amount of any settlement, judgment, arbitration award, or other recovery received; (b) minus any costs advanced on your behalf pursuant.
QUESTION: I had a gallbladder surgery in February. Four days later I began to complain about sore throat and cough. My PCP said there was nothing wrong. I went to the ENT who saw the torn uvula. He stated this happens during improper intubation during surgery. Then I went to the Pulmonist calling for a bronchotomy to assess airway and voice box damage. Can I sue an anesthesiologist for causing a torn uvula and bronchial damage? Does the paperwork that is signed when you go to the hospital void your.
QUESTION: My client is in a friend’s car. The friend causes an accident with a truck. The truck is also partially at fault. Friend’s policy limit of $15,000 was offered and truck offers $45,000. The client has UIM of $100,000. Can I make UIM claim here ($40,000) even though policy limits of truck are not exhausted? Ins. Code 11580.2 (p) 3&4 seem to apply but they seem to contradict each other. ANSWER: The insured’s right to under-insurance benefits does not accrue until after he or she exhausts the tortfeasor’s policy.
QUESTION: If you are making an under-insured motorist claim and there are two parties at fault, do you have to get policy limits from both parties before you can make your UIM claim? ANSWER: It would be important to get the policy limits of each party at fault because the Under-insured Motorist Coverage is triggered only if the tortfeasor’s (other driver’s) policy limits are less than claimant’s policy limits [Ins.C. §11580.2(p)(2)]. Thus, claimants are not entitled to under-insured motorist policy benefits where the tortfeasor has the same or higher policy.
QUESTION: My father moved in to live with me after he left his wife. He said she was abusing him physically, mentally, emotionally and financially. She held a gun to his head and said that she wished he would die. He was going through divorce and settlement when he had a heart attack. When he was released with a diagnosis of GI Tract tear and bleed and infection he was to immediately pick up his prescription for antibiotics to keep him alive. When he was to pick them up along.
QUESTION: I am in East Bay in San Francisco. I was turned down on my claim. My shipmate died and I was picked up by a jet blast and thrown down the deck. I was going overboard until my boot caught a small railing and I was slammed down on the catwalk. I don’t think they know what it is being on a flight deck. It is that being in the service, your higher ranks will tell you to just suck it up if you complain, and the word gets.
QUESTION: Is the landlord liable if I get shocked by an exposed electrical wire after the landlord told me to jiggle wires to get the air conditioner working? He lives out of state. I am currently awaiting a heart transplant and have an implantable cardiac defibrillator (ICD) in me. The electrical shock disrupted my ICD unit and needed to be replaced 2 weeks later, which cost about $90,000. ANSWER: Your landlord may be held liable for damages if you can prove that he was negligent when he advised you to.
QUESTION: My son committed suicide after not getting help or medication in a mandatory psychiatric holding facility. Can I sue them for malpractice or wrongful death? ANSWER: Psychiatrists, hospitals, or mental health facilities owe a duty of care to take responsible steps to prevent foreseeable suicide. This special relationship is born out of the patient’s dependency on the health care provider who “has some control over the (patient’s) welfare” [Kockelman v. Segal (1998)].