Personal Injury | O'Keeffe O'Brien Lyson Attorneys - Part 7

Personal Injury

August 17, 2016

Four Ways to Recognize a Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injury, or TBI, occurs when a sudden trauma causes damage to the brain and disrupts brain function. The trauma can occur in one of two ways: when the head suddenly and violently hits an object, or when an object pierces the skull and damages brain tissue. According to […]
August 15, 2016

Why Pedestrians, Bicyclists, and Large Trucks Can be a Dangerous Mix

Fatalities among pedestrians and bicyclists in collisions with large trucks increased at a faster rate than the overall truck-related crash fatalities recorded from 2009 to 2013, according to a federal study. From the report, pedestrian fatalities in crashes with large trucks increased 30 percent from 2009 to 2013, while total […]
August 11, 2016

What is Medical Pay Coverage, and Do I Really Need It?

With car insurance premiums rising, some people have cut corners by dropping medical payments coverage, commonly known as med pay, from their policy, especially if they have health insurance. But is dropping med pay really a good idea? The Benefits of Medical Payments Coverage Med-pay is an optional addition to […]
July 12, 2016

Uninsured and Underinsured – What’s the Difference?

When two motor vehicles collide, one of the first things the drivers do (after they check for injuries and report the accident) should be to exchange insurance information. Insurance coverage is an integral part of a personal injury case, since coverage ultimately determines how the damages are paid. Uninsured/underinsured motorist […]
June 30, 2016

Bad Faith: When Insurance Companies Don’t Keep Their Promises

Policyholders pay insurance premiums to keep their policies updated on property they want to protect. In exchange for these payments, policyholders have a reasonable expectation that their insurance company will fulfill the terms of the insurance contract when they make a claim on their policy. In most cases, the insurance […]
June 16, 2016

Sleep Deprived Motorists Continue to Cause Accidents

Current data suggests that despite media attention and public awareness, drivers are continuing to drive while drowsy in great numbers. In 2014, there were 846 fatalities recorded in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) database that were related to drowsy driving, a statistic that has […]
June 14, 2016

What is Medical Pay Coverage, and Do I Really Need It?

With car insurance premiums rising, some people have cut corners by dropping medical payments coverage, commonly known as med pay, from their policy, especially if they have health insurance. But is dropping med pay really a good idea? The Benefits of Medical Payments Coverage Med-pay is an optional addition to […]
June 8, 2016

Injured in an Accident? Don’t Forget Mental Trauma

Accident victims are usually (and understandably) focused on their physical injuries. But what many injured people do not understand is that emotional trauma, very common following a car accident, is also a compensable damage. Emotional Distress  Many accident victims are too busy dealing with their physical injuries, medical bills, and […]
June 6, 2016

Fatigued Driving: An Emerging (and Deadly) Problem

Although drunk driving is no doubt a very serious problem, another deadly habit is proving to be even more widespread: drowsy driving. According to NHTSA’s National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Study (NMVCCS), drowsy drivers involved in a crash are twice as likely to make performance errors as compared to drivers […]
June 2, 2016

Ways to Determine Who was at Fault in an Auto Accident

The process of sorting out who was at fault in an auto accident is not usually easy, but is extremely important to everyone involved for one basic reason: establishing liability. Generally, the at-fault driver must pay for all the damages, but it is ultimately the drivers’ insurance companies who assert […]
May 25, 2016

Damages Available in a Wrongful Death Case

When someone dies due to the fault of another person or entity, compensation for the family of the deceased can come through a wrongful death lawsuit. Wrongful death claims can involve a variety of matters, including fatal car accidents, medical malpractice, or dangerous or defective products, and the damages available […]
April 25, 2016

Major Players in a Personal Injury Lawsuit

Most people who are injured and subsequently file a personal injury lawsuit have little or no experience with the U.S. legal system, and a thorough understanding of who is involved in a typical personal injury case can alleviate some of the associated stress and help make the case run more […]
March 30, 2016

Collision With a Large Commercial Truck: No Small Matter

Because of the weight and size of commercial trucks as compared to passenger cars, collisions involving the two often result in very serious injuries, particularly for those traveling in smaller vehicles. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were 3,964 people killed and 95,000 people injured in crashes […]
March 28, 2016

Can a Person Drive Safely – and Legally – After Smoking Marijuana?

Although few would argue with the statement that marijuana and driving do not mix, one challenge is that the effects of marijuana upon driving ability are hard to quantify. Marijuana Affects Driving Differently Than Alcohol Alcohol’s effects upon drivers differ greatly from those of marijuana. The detrimental effects of marijuana […]
March 24, 2016

GPS Convenient, But Sometimes a Dangerous Distraction for Drivers

When it comes to navigating our way to new destinations, we’ve come a long way since folding out road maps and stopping to ask strangers for directions. Today, drivers across the globe are able to utilize Global Positioning System (GPS) technology that comes equipped on their phones or in their cars to provide […]
March 22, 2016

The IME: Why There’s Nothing Independent About It

Sometimes a personal injury defendant will request that a doctor of the defendant’s choice examine the plaintiff. This may sound harmless enough, but there is one big problem with independent medical examinations, also known as IMEs. There is no such thing as an independent medical examination. Adverse is a more […]
March 14, 2016

What Happens When the Driver Who Hit You Doesn’t Have Insurance?

When an accident occurs, one of the first things the drivers do is to exchange insurance information. Insurance coverage is an integral part of a personal injury case, since coverage ultimately determines how the damages are paid. Uninsured/underinsured motorist protection is insurance that you buy to cover yourself and your […]
February 15, 2016

Snow Removal Responsible for Thousands of Injuries Each Year

According to a CBS Chicago report, by early February 2015, at least 18 people in the Chicago area had died in incidents related to snow shoveling. Shoveling snow is practically a winter sport in North Dakota, and taking a few precautions can help avoid unnecessary pain and injury. The National […]
February 11, 2016

How to Eliminate Distracted Driving

According to the National Safety Council (NSC), hands-free devices often are seen as a solution to the risks of driver distraction because they help eliminate two obvious risks: Visual, or looking away from the road Manual, removing your hands from the steering wheel However, a third type of distraction can […]
January 28, 2016

5 Tips for Safe Winter Driving

There is something that you can do to make yourself a safer winter driver and reduce your risk of accident – be a defensive driver. According to Drive-Safely.net, some defensive driving tips include: Glance further up the road, not just at the vehicle directly in front of you. Looking one-half […]
January 18, 2016

Trucking Accidents Cause More Damage Than You’d Think in North Dakota

When you’re involved in a trucking accident, the effects often last much longer than a typical car accident. Colliding with a large commercial vehicle, such as a semi-truck or 18-wheeler, can cause extensive damage. The accident will not only cause damage to your property, but can also result in personal […]
January 12, 2016

Questions to Ask Your Lawyer after an Accident

Accidents can be stressful and require you to make quick decisions. It doesn’t matter if it is a car accident, a work accident or anything in between, in cases like these it’s important to ask the right questions and educate yourself on the processes you are about to go through. […]