Recent Blog Posts
Recognizing the Signs of Medical Malpractice
A person who has been injured by medical malpractice should realize it is important to recognize some common signs. A primary sign to watch for is the worsening symptoms after treatment. Additional signs to look for is unexplained complications, lack of communication from the healthcare provider or a lack of transparencey when information is sought. Further, a patient should trust their own judgment when they think that something is just not right.
Being injured by a…
Insurance Companies Work to Minimize Case Value
After you are injured, the opposing insurance company will work to minimize the value of the case. Since insurance companies are businesses with a profit motive, they have a duty to their shareholders to pay out as little as possible. Insurance companies will use various tactics to minimize case value such as disputing liability, disputing the severity of the injuries, underestimating damages, delaying the claims process, exploiting the claimant's lack of knowledge and using quick…
What is a Safe Place?
An important law in Wisconsin is the Wisconsin Safe Place Statute. This law requires property owners to maintain their premises in a safe condition for both employees and customers. This law is often applied in personal injury cases. When the law is applied, an evaluation is done to determine if the property owners failed to uphold their duty under law.
An understanding of the law is necessary to build a case in Wisconsin where the issue is premises liability. …
Wisconsin Drunk Driving Statistics
Wisconsin has over 23,000 convictions each year for operating while intoxicated. In additon to the convictions, drunk drivers put all other drivers on the road in danger. Wisconsin statistics indicate that a person is injured or killed in the State every two hours by an intoxicated driver.
A personal injury case involving a drunk driver has many complexites that are not found in other…
How Can a Personal Injury Lawyer Help?
A personal injury lawyer takes on the task of working for people who have been injured due to the fault of a person, entity or organization. The type of injuries of which a personal injury lawyer is concerned include not only the body, but the mind. The job of a personal injury lawyer is to help the injured recover compensation for their injury. Compensation in a personal injury case can include many elements but some of the standards are medical bills. loss of consortium, past…
What is a Release?
A release is a legal document used to settle a claim. The release acts to release a party for further liability for a matter. The release is typically given in exchange for compensation.
At Herrick & Hart, we recommend to never sign a release for a personal injury claim without consulting an attorney. The release has legal consequences and should carefully be reviewed by a lawyer.
Let an Attorney Sort it All Out
A personal injury attorney deals with many complex accident scenarios. For example, in a car accident if one person is using or borrowing another person's car and gets into an accident things can get very complicated quickly. The situation even becomes more complex when you add passengers to the vehicles who are not family members who have their own insurance policy. There is no need to sort the situation out yourself. After an accident, when you are injured you have…
Truck Conspicuity and Lighting
Truck collisions can occur because a driver may be unable to see a truck. Trucks or tractor-trailer combinations may be struck by other vehicles due to their length and lower maneuverability. In order to avoid collisions where a driver cannot see a truck, the truck's lighting and reflectors should be adequate. Further, a truck driver should use extra care in crossing traffic lanes and making turns.
A truck with appropriate lighting and reflectors will assist a driver…
Hospital Falls
A fall in a hospital can lead to liability issues for the institution. When under a hospital's care, the hospital is expected to take reasonable measures to ensure patient safety. If a patient falls and is injured and it is discovered the the hospital was negligent or failed to take reasonable measures to prevent the fall a legal claim could be made by the injured party. In order to prevent hospital falls, the hospital should peform a fall risk assessment of all patients…
What is an Underide Truck Collision?
An underride truck collision occurs when a smaller vehicle slides under a larger truck. The collision often occurs due a sudden stop on the part of the larger truck. The larger truck will often have underride guards which are a safety feature that are designed to help lessen the damage by acting as a barrier between the smaller vehicle and the larger trucks undercarriage.
Even with the underride guards in place, the damages from underride truck collisions can be…