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Posts Tagged ‘Personal Injury’

Another Court Room Victory for Harris Personal Injury Lawyers

Saturday, October 8th, 2011

This week Ryan Harris and Phil Alexander had another successful trial victory! Our client was side-swiped by another vehicle in the summer of 2007. Following the accident, the defendant’s insurance company told our client they were not going to pay for any of her medical treatment and offered no monetary compensation to resolve the case.

The insurance company took this position because our client had waited to seek medical treatment for 6 months following the incident. The client retained our law firm a year after the incident.

Prior to trial, the insurance company only offered $2,500 to settle the case. Following a 3-day, expedited trial, the jury returned a $27,000 verdict, with $19,000 awarded for past medical expenses, $8,000 awarded for past pain and suffering. In addition to the jury’s $27,000 verdict, the insurance company will also pay prevailing party costs, along with CCP Section 998 interest and costs of about $12,000, requiring a total payment of approximately $40,000 to satisfy the judgment.

We have successfully tried numerous personal injury cases to verdict, both small and large. If you or a loved one have been involved in a serious personal injury case, please do not hesitate to contact Harris Personal Injury at 760 231-9970.

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Heros Lift Burning Car To Save Biker

Tuesday, September 13th, 2011

Check out this amazing video capturing a group of onlookers working together to lift a burning car off a motorcyclist and drag the man to safety. The event took place yesterday in Utah after a BMW and a motorcyclist crashed into each other.

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Ryan Harris is Awarded 2011 Top Attorney Award

Thursday, July 28th, 2011

On July 27, 2011, Ryan Harris received the 2011 Top Attorney Award from George Chamberlin, Executive Editor of The Daily Transcript. The Award was determined as The Daily Transcript conducted a peer voting process to determine the best lawyers in Personal Injury in San Diego County.

Read more at: http://www.sddt.com/microsite/topattorney11/

Ryan Harris Top Attorney San Diego

Top Attorney San Diego


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5 MED PAY MYTHS

Thursday, July 14th, 2011

Attorneys and Medical Providers share a common sigh of relief when our clients/patients have Med Pay coverage. It simply makes receiving payment easier and quicker, two adjectives not often used when dealing with insurance companies. In this blog post were going to try to dispel some of the common myths you have heard about Med Pay.

Myth #1: Med Pay never requires reimbursement.

Clients are often surprised when their insurance carrier requests payment reimbursement after their personal injury case is settled. The fine print on many policies does allow insurers to seek reimbursement, but clients must know their rights. If a client is not “made whole” by the Med Pay funds, the client is not legally required to reimburse Med Pay. A good attorney will make this argument on behalf of the client, or at the very least they will negotiate down the Med Pay reimbursement amount.

Myth #2: Med Pay is only needed if I don’t have health insurance.

Health insurance may cover certain injuries, but finding an approved provider, proving there are no pre-existing conditions, paying deductibles and a host of other hurdles can delay care when time is of the essence. For approximately $20 per year, you can receive $1,000.00 worth of med pay coverage. Why risk health insurance when a cheaper and better option exists?

Myth #3: Med Pay should be paid to attorneys, not directly to medical providers.

Unfortunately we’ve heard stories of attorneys withholding Med Pay disbursements until settlement, or even worse, taking a fee on Med Pay. If you have had such an attorney it is time for you to find new legal representation.

Myth # 4: Med Pay only covers insured drivers, not passengers.

Med Pay is actually purchased on a “per vehicle” basis. According to most Med Pay policy language, anyone injured in the insured’s vehicle is eligible for Med Pay. However, some policies make exclusions so you need to read the fine print. Moreover, if you or your family member are injured in someone else’s car, your Med Pay remains valid as a supplement or replacement coverage to the car owner’s insurance.

Myth #5: Using Med Pay weakens my personal injury lawsuit.

A negligent at-fault driver is liable for all of your medical bills regardless of Med Pay availability. If anything, Med Pay helps your personal injury lawsuit by facilitating consistent medical treatment.

If you or someone you know has been injured in a auto accident, you need to know your rights. Contact Harris Personal Injury Lawyers today for a free case consultation.

Personal Injury Lawyers, Los Angeles, CA

Personal Injury Lawyers – Los Angeles, CA

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Driving While Texting

Sunday, January 30th, 2011

Texting while driving has become one of the leading causes of vehicle accidents. Yet millions of drivers continue to text and drive every day. Distractions on the road happen all too often. For example, in 2009, a 30 year-old schoolteacher in Endwell, New York was killed by one of her own students – a teenager who was texting while driving.

Texting While Driving Kills

Laws have been passed in California making texting while driving illegal, because it is so common and has caused many avoidable collisions. The 2008 Chatsworth train collision in Los Angeles, California was blamed on the operator of one of the trains missing a signal due to sending a text message. That tragedy killed 25 people, including the distracted Metrolink engineer.

In June 2009, Car and Driver magazine conducted a study and found reaction times and stopping distances increased 36 feet for drivers who are a reading text message, and nearly doubled to 70 feet for drivers who are typing and sending a text. By way of comparison, stopping distances for intoxicated drivers only increase by four feet when compared to unimpaired drivers.

In addition, a study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute showed that drivers took their eyes off the road for an average of four to five seconds while sending a text. This is long enough for a distracted driver to travel the length of a football field, placing surrounding vehicles, bicyclists, pedestrians, and various other obstacles in harm’s way. Unfortunately, studies in many of the states that have passed laws banning cell phone use demonstrate the number of accidents that continue to rise, despite the restrictions.

If you have been involved in a car accident, bicycle accident, or anything where you believe cell-phone distraction is to blame, we can help. Please contact our offices immediately for a free case consultation.

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Bicycle Accident Injury

Tuesday, January 18th, 2011

Bicycle accidents are often overlooked as potential personal injury cases. It is easy for cyclists to feel as though they have no rights on the road. They are much smaller, slower and less powerful. Some cities are more bicycle-friendly than others. However, in some cities, there are no lanes or shoulders to ride, leaving the cyclists to ride in the street (dangerous) or the sidewalks (usually against the law).

Most laws dictate that cyclists follow the same rules and laws as motor vehicles, and in some cases, they may be given similar rights as pedestrians. However, it can be intimidating to share the same lane with cars and trucks, especially when they are rushing by you at 30 to 50 miles per hour. Your other option is to ride on the sidewalk, and although you may feel safe from the traffic, you may be posing a risk to pedestrians. Riding on the sidewalk may also get you a ticket.

Although it is of little consolation to some riders out there, there are rules and laws for motor vehicle drivers to follow. It is common to see the yellow diamond-shaped signs indicating bicycle traffic, or the signs pleading with drivers to “share the road.” Unfortunately, drivers often force cyclists onto the sidewalk or off the road onto rough terrain a bicycle may not be built for.

Most bicycle-related accidents are not reported to the police unless they involve death or very serious injuries. Most hit-and-run drivers in bicycle-related accidents are never caught. Unless there are other drivers and witnesses involved, there is rarely enough information. Right after a bicycle accident, it is very difficult for them to pay attention to details such as the type of vehicle that it them or its license plate number. Even the vehicle’s color can be hard to recall after such an event.

Naturally, the best protection is road awareness and following the rules, as well as wearing the proper protective gear (helmet, pads, etc). Also very important (and required by law in most places), are lights. A headlight on the handlebars, a red light usually attached to the seat post pointed to the rear (blinking or not), and reflectors in the spokes make the bicycle more visible from all sides at night. You can improve your chances even more by wearing reflective clothing.

As with driving a motor vehicle, developing your skills is also important. Learn to control your bicycle before braving the highways. The ability to keep your balance while making evasive maneuvers can mean the difference between simply catching your breath after a scary moment, an ambulance ride, or worse.

Proper representation is crucial in any type of injury case, especially bicycle accident injuries, where the shadow of blame is often cast towards the cyclist. There are laws that favor cyclists, and knowing your rights is important.

If you have been involved in a bicycle accident with a motor-vehicle of any kind please contact Harris Personal Injury immediately to find out your rights.

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Boating Accidents

Tuesday, December 21st, 2010

Don't let a boating adventure become a boating accident.

It is such a treat to be able to escape from your daily routine and go sailing, jet skiing, wakeboarding or waterskiing. Boating is a fun sport and hobby, but the truth is that boats are just as dangerous as any other type of motor vehicle. Unfortunately, many do not take their responsibility on the water as seriously as they should and they wind up in a boating accident.

It is no surprise that with the ocean, rivers and many lakes throughout California, it ranks second in the U.S. for boating accidents. The five primary factors resulting in boat accidents are operator negligence, inexperience, excessive speed and alcohol. The Operational Boating Statistic report states that in 2009, there were 4,730 boating accidents in the U.S. resulting from operator inattention. California has 900,000 registered vessels.

Although you cannot control the decisions others make on the water, you can be prepared by wearing a life jacket and doing your part to stay attentive. Also, because of the high number of boating accidents, the California Department of Boating and Waterways offers safety courses and education for beginner and advanced boaters.

Boating accidents are considered personal injuries – attorneys take a similar approach to boating accidents as they do automobile accidents. Preserving evidence from these accidents is extremely important and often crucial.

Our personal injury lawyers may be able to assist you in recovering damages for medical bills, personal property, pain and suffering. At Harris Personal Injury Lawyers, we have experience with boat accident cases and have handled numerous cases to successful conclusion. Contact us today for your free case consultation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdG618TMc5E

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Road Rage can result in Car Accidents and Personal Injury

Monday, November 22nd, 2010

Road rage has always been an issue, not only with California drivers, but with drivers around the country.  Incidents of road rage causing a variety of vehicle accidents are becoming more common as drivers take their aggression to the road.  Road rage often ends in serious personal injury, and in some cases, even death.

The movie “Last Exit” demonstrates the consequences of drivers becoming distraught, hurried, and frazzled behind the wheel of a motor vehicle.  This Hollywood movie features an auto accident brought on by road rage between two women .  One of the women in the film loses her life, and the other is bound to a wheel chair because of a severe injury to her leg.

In 1995, the American Automobile Association (AAA) conducted a survey to measure road rage. The findings showed that 90 percent of drivers claimed to have been either a victim of road rage or had witnessed a road rage incident.

Here are some safety tips when dealing with road rage, courtesy of www.dmv.org:

1.  It is important to understand that you cannot control another driver’s behavior. If you see an aggressive driver on the road, remember to “back off.”  Retaliation never ends well.  If you have been offended by an aggressive driver, the best thing you can do is to avoid confrontation.   By remaining calm, you can prevent risking injury to you or the passengers in your car. Aggressive drivers are usually unaware of their surroundings.  They are not calculating the consequences of their actions, which lead to accidents and injury.

2.  If you have been a victim of, or have witnessed road rage, DMV.org offers this advice: “Talk to a friend or family member about the driving experience… someone you can vent your frustration over the incident to.  Telling the story can reduce your stress.  Some driving clubs or online discussions offer members a chance to vent their frustration as well.”

3.  Another safety tip is to “Know Your Own Driving Style.”  Aggressive drivers often:

~  Tailgate.

~  Use their horn.

~  Flash their headlights.

~  Change lanes quickly and often.

~  Gesture to other drivers.

~  Talk on their cell phone.

Harris Personal Injury Lawyers is experienced with handling law suits that involve auto accident injuries. We have successfully tried numerous personal injury cases to a satisfactory verdict. If you or a loved one have been injured in a car accident caused by road rage and need legal representation, please do not hesitate to contact Harris Personal Injury Lawyers to get more information on how we can help.

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Head-On Crash Leaves Two Injured

Thursday, July 29th, 2010

Two motorists were involved in a head-on collision Wednesday night in the Clairemont Mesa area, authorities report.

An 18-year-old man driving an Acura Integra southbound tried to pass another vehicle and crashed into a northbound Toyota Corolla driven by a 67-year- old man. Police do not suspect the crash was alcohol-related.

San Diego police Officer David Stafford said both motorists suffered serious leg fractures due to the crash. Each driver had one passenger in his car and they sustained minor injuries.

Ryan Harris, the managing attorney of Harris Personal Injury, has dedicated his career to representing victims of San Diego auto accidents. As a result he has successfully settled and tried to verdict a number of  large and small personal injury cases. If you or a family member have been injured or killed in a San Diego County auto accident please visit our website at www.harrispersonalinjury.com or call 1-877-231-9970 for a FREE case consultation.

sandiego6.com

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11 Students Injured in School Bus Crash

Wednesday, May 19th, 2010

Several students were injured Tuesday when a school bus was involved in a parking lot crash.

The Yuma, Arizona school district bus struck a light pole in the Golden Acorn Casino parking lot; located on the Campo Indian Reservation.

According to authorities, ten students suffered minor injuries, and one suffered moderate injuries. All eleven students were transported to Sharp Grossmont Hospital and Alvarado Hospital to receive treatment.

CHP reported a total of 45 people involved in the collision.

Harris Personal Injury would like to wish the injured students a quick recovery and hope further travels will result in safe arrivals.

Ryan Harris, the managing attorney of Harris Personal Injury, has dedicated his career to representing victims of San Diego auto accidents. As a result he has successfully settled and tried to verdict a number of  large and small personal injury cases. If you or a family member have been injured or killed in a San Diego County auto accident please visit our website at www.harrispersonalinjury.com or call 1-877-231-9970 for a FREE consultation.

sandiego6.com and 10news.com



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