Automobile Accidents

• People Injured in Accidents Often Face Bankruptcy

  John Cooper | April 30, 2007 12:22 PM | 0 CommentsNorfolk, Portsmouth & Hampton, VA

  Unfortunately, there is a relationship between the field of personal injury law and the field of bankruptcy law. At my law firm, Hajek, Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis, and Appleton, "all we do is personal injury law"; however, I have had to learn over 18 years in injury practice about the relationship of bankruptcy to what I do representing injured people. One of the main reasons that people end up in...

• Lots of Specialized Personal Injury Laws

  John Cooper | April 27, 2007 9:39 AM | 0 CommentsNorfolk, Portsmouth & Hampton, VA

  I have been working in the area of personal injury law nearly all the time for 18 years. During that time, I have learned lots of specific rules that are hidden in the statutes and case law pertaining to automobile wreck and other injury cases. Now, after having done injury work for so long, I feel that I know probably 97% of the rules applicable to handling personal injury cases and trying them...

• Injuries to Children Involve Special Issues

  John Cooper | April 21, 2007 3:38 PM | 0 CommentsNorfolk, Portsmouth & Hampton, VA

  The Virginia (VA) law related to injuries to minors is different than when adults get injured. Some special issues arise in the sad situation of serious injury to a child in Virginia (VA). One of the issues when a kid gets hurt by someone else's negligence is who is the client of the personal injury lawyer. The client is typically a parent who acts as representative for the child in hiring the...

• The Recent Automobile Accident Involving Governor Jon Corzine of New Jersey Shows Just How Devastating Injuries Can Be From a Vehicle Wreck

  John Cooper | April 20, 2007 11:27 AM | 0 CommentsNorfolk, Portsmouth & Hampton, VA

  The SUV that the governor was in was run into by another vehicle who was trying to avoid a collision. Unfortunately, it appears the governor was not wearing his seat belt and his vehicle may have been speeding. This automobile accident involving an important government official puts the spotlight on how all of us are vulnerable to being severely hurt on the road.The governor is going to have leg...

• How Insurance Companies Think

  John Cooper | April 18, 2007 4:35 PM | 0 CommentsNorfolk, Portsmouth & Hampton, VA

  Insurance companies make their money by taking in premium dollars and paying out as little as they can get away with. That basic equation is why insurance companies do what they do. As a personal injury lawyer, it always amazes me to see the huge number of dollars wasted by insurance companies on television advertisement. We all know Geico's gecko, Geico's green lizard commercials, Nationwide...

• Health Insurance Companies Get Greedy Again!!

  John Cooper | April 12, 2007 4:21 PM | 0 CommentsNorfolk, Portsmouth & Hampton, VA

  Under the terms of most health insurance policies, and in accordance with the law of many states, if you are injured as a result of the negligence of someone else and sustained serious personal injury, your health insurance company is required to pay for the medical care that is needed to treat your serious personal injuries. This is true whether you sustain serious personal injuries as a...

• The Rules On Calling Yourself A Personal Injury Specialist Are A Problem In Virginia (VA)

  John Cooper | April 10, 2007 4:21 PM | 0 CommentsNorfolk, Portsmouth & Hampton, VA

  There are ethics rules that apply in Virginia (VA) that say you cannot hold yourself out as a personal injury specialist no matter how specialized you are in personal injury law. In Virginia (VA), there are no recognized specialties in any field of law, including representing injured people. The state could develop a system of certified specialties so that a lawyer who has been practicing in a...

• AMA Guidelines For Permanent Partial Impairment Ratings Are An Important Piece Of The Personal Injury Puzzle

  John Cooper | April 04, 2007 4:12 PM | 0 CommentsNorfolk, Portsmouth & Hampton, VA

  As a personal injury lawyer, it is important to use the AMA guides to permanent partial impairment to your client's advantage. AMA is the American Medical Association, which is the primary national professional group for doctors. They publish and periodically revise a book that sets forth how to quantify permanent partial impairments of various parts of the body after an injury. Most...

• Corporations In Injury Cases Often Destroy Evidence

  John Cooper | April 03, 2007 12:04 PM | 0 CommentsNorfolk, Portsmouth & Hampton, VA

  In 18 years of practicing injury law, it has never stopped amazing me how insurance companies and corporate defendants will "lose" or outright destroy important evidence about a personal injury accident. It is often hard to prove that this loss of documents in a personal injury case was intentional. However, with big dollars on the line in a serious injury case, some corporate managers forget...

• In Pedestrian Crossing Cases, The Vehicle OperatorIs Not The Person Who Gets Hurt

  John Cooper | March 22, 2007 10:03 AM | 0 CommentsNorfolk, Portsmouth & Hampton, VA

  The human body is not designed to withstand an impact with a car. If you get hit at a crosswalk by an automobile, you are likely going to be seriously hurt. The lightest cars weigh several thousand pounds. Even if the vehicle is moving at a relatively slow speed, it may well break your bones if it hits you when you are crossing the street.We are handling several pedestrian crossing cases...