The Most Dangerous Roads for Bikers in California

Every Californian needs to be aware of the dangers presented on the road. Even though driving sounds like a fun thing to do, it is, in fact, a very dangerous activity. Sure, you can get to work faster, but what about the risks of getting involved in an accident?

Motorcycles are even more dangerous to drive than cars. They have little to no protection for the driver, and in most motorcycle accidents, the motorcyclist will end up hospitalized or dead.

However, sometimes the road itself could be dangerous. California is notorious for having a few extremely dangerous roads. If you are living in Southern California, you should be familiar with the following.

The I-10 Freeway

Let us start with the biggest freeway, the one that runs all the way to Florida, the I-10 freeway. Based on the number of total fatalities, this road is among the deadliest in the entire country. However, the most dangerous part of this freeway is the one passing through San Bernandino country. At this particular place, the highest number of DUI accidents happened. Both motorcycles and cars were involved in these accidents.

Additionally, the area around Los Angeles is also extremely dangerous, and probably has the highest number of rear-end collisions. There are just way too many vehicles on the road at all time, and it is only logical that accidents will occur more often.

Los Angeles Bike Accident Attorney agree that most of these accidents occur at night and during rush hours, with many vehicles entering the city right off the freeway without slowing down. If you were hit by another vehicle, causing you to fall off your motorcycle and end up with injuries, contact our attorneys and seek compensation for your damages, including:

• Property damage (motorcycle repairs)
• Pain and suffering
• Medical costs
• Lost wages and earning potential)

The I-5 Highway

Another deadly road, for both motorcycles and other motor vehicles, is the notorious I-5. It runs north from San Diego, and it has been a place with the highest number of fatalities in 2016. In total, over 3,600 people died in California as a result of motor vehicle accidents in 2016, out of which, 211 were motorcyclists. According to statistics, the most dangerous counties in California are:

• Los Angeles
• Riverside
• San Bernardino

If you plan on visiting these areas or driving through, be careful, especially if you drive at night. There are many drunken drivers (especially among teenagers) and inexperienced drivers. If you plan on going out for a night ride on your brand new motorcycle, be sure that you are well equipped and wearing the right uniform, that is easily spotted in the dark. Wear a helmet, and pay attention to every vehicle on the road.

If you end up in a motorcycle accident, consult with Bike Accident Attorneys in Los Angeles. You may be eligible to obtain compensation for your damages, without you even being aware of it. Give them a call today and find out what your best course of action is.

A Motorcyclist Wasn’t Wearing a Helmet When He Was In a Motorcycle Accident. Can He Still Obtain Compensation?

The large portion of all claims come from motorcycle accidents. Since motorcyclists are exposed to injuries in almost every accident, filling a claim against the person responsible for causing the accident is rather easy. However, there are some factors that may impact the claim and make it harder to obtain. One of those factors is the rider’s safety equipment or a helmet in particular. Can a rider seek compensation for his injuries if he did not wear a protective helmet at the time of the accident? The answer is a bit complicated.

Determining Factors

Even though it may seem easy to obtain compensation for the injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident, (not) wearing a helmet can have a huge impact on a motorcyclist’s claim. If it is evident that the other party involved was completely at fault for causing the accident, there should not be any problems with the claim. However, the second party’s insurance company may use the fact that you did not wear a protective helmet against you. That way, you may take partial or even full blame for your injuries.

There are some specific scenarios, such as:

• Getting a neck or head injury while not wearing a helmet
• Obtaining cuts on your face as a result of no protective helmet
• Getting eye injuries
• Losing a tooth due to the force of the impact

In these scenarios, you may receive part of the blame for not wearing a protective helmet. If the investigators can prove that you would not receive any of these injuries should you have had a helmet, you may not receive compensation at all. The best way to find out for sure is to speak with their knowledgeable Los Angeles motorcycle accident attorneys and find out if you have the right to seek compensation for your injuries or not.

Your Head and Neck Were Not Injured

You ended up in an accident, but your head and neck did not sustain any injuries. In this scenario, even though you did not wear a protective helmet, you can still seek compensation for your injuries. As the helmet did not affect the outcome of the accident, as long as you can prove that it was the other party’s fault for causing the accident, you are eligible to receive compensation for your:

• Pain and suffering
• Lost wages
• Medical bills
• Property damage

You should still turn towards your insurance company for motorcycle repairs, as it may take some time for your claim to conclude. Remember that you are going to need legal representation. Without an attorney, it may be hard to prove that you took reasonable precautions to avoid getting injured as you were not wearing a helmet. For that and other reasons, contact motorcycle accident attorneys in Los Angeles as quickly as you can following the accident. The initial consultation is free, and you will receive a free case evaluation, as well as legal advice on the best course of action. What are you waiting for? Pick up your phone and call at 818-610-8800 today.

What Are The Differences Between Personal & Bodily Injury?

The most common question people ask when it comes to collecting insurance or filing an insurance claim is – what is the difference between a personal injury and a bodily injury?

Even though these two sound almost the same, they are very similar but cover two separate things. Below is all the information you need to understand the basic difference between a personal and bodily injury, and how you can learn to tell the difference between the two.

Personal Injury

When an individual suffers injuries from accidents (car accident, truck accident, bike accident, slip, and fall accidents) or from defective products, that individual has the right to seek compensation for a personal injury. This also applies to the family of the deceased if the individual lost his/her life as a result of the accident. In that case, the surviving family has the right to file a wrongful death claim.

Personal injury is an element of civil law. In order to be able to file and collect a personal injury claim, the injured individual has to prove liability. If it can be proven that the other party (or parties) involved in the accident were at fault for causing the accident, then the plaintiff (the injured individual) has the right to seek compensation for:

• The lost wage
• The medical costs
• Pain and suffering

Negligence plays an important role in every personal injury claim. Every Los Angeles Personal injury attorney knows that proving negligence will win the case. To prove negligence, every attorney has to investigate the accident and collect enough evidence to support the plaintiff’s case. This involves:

• Proving that the accused had a breach of a duty of care
• Proving that the accused was distracted at the time of the accident
• Proving that the damages that the plaintiff suffered resulted from the accident

Bodily Injury

On the other hand, a bodily injury usually refers to a particular injury sustained in a motor vehicle or car accident.

It is way more limited, and it may also imply to injuries sustained by another person in a car accident. In a specific insurance context, a bodily injury is a type of an insurance policy which compensates the victim of an accident. The compensation is received through the at-fault party’s insurance company.

It is essential to go through the accident, police report and the medical report to find out what happened and who was responsible for causing the accident. After that, the insurance company will approach the plaintiff and try to settle outside the court.

If you are approached by insurance adjusters, you should call your attorney right away. If you do not have one, consult with personal injury attorneys in Los Angeles at JML Law immediately and seek their legal advice. They are your best shot at securing the highest compensation possible after sustaining a specific bodily injury.

Even though a personal injury and a bodily injury have a lot of in common, they are two separate types of injuries. For more information, feel free to call an attorney and schedule a free consultation today.

Avoid Bad Habits That Make a Work Injury Worse

Once you have received an injury at work, assuming that you filed for worker’s compensation, you should be in the process of getting the benefits you deserve. After you get them, you will have your medical bills completely paid, as well as receive weekly or biweekly payments that will help you sustain your income.

One thing that you should focus on particularly is your recovery. The faster you recover, the quicker you will be able to return to work and enjoy the same privileges you used to have before the injury. You will be able to continue with your normal life (hopefully) as if nothing happened in the first place.

However, there are some bad habits that may slow down your recovery process and even make your injuries worse. They are listed below, in no particular order.

Smoking

There are numerous studies which showed that smoking can reduce the body’s healing effects and have a negative impact on chronic pain, increasing it over time. If you are feeling a lot of pain following your injury, you should try and quit smoking and thus give your body a chance to heal properly and become strong again.

Being Physically Inactive

Even though you may think that being still and physically inactive will help you heal, it will only lead to muscle breakdown. You will lose your body mass and your muscles will start to break down in function. In addition, you will need much more effort to complete the usual tasks. Weak muscles can lead to additional injuries and a poor body balance. As a result, you may fall down and break your leg or receive a serious back injury. Consult with best Los Angeles Workplace Injuries Attorney at JML Law to learn more about how being physically active can help you recover faster, as well as what you can do to secure your worker’s compensation benefits.

Super Active

On the other hand, being extremely active can have negative results on your recovery. Pushing yourself will exhaust your body, lower your immune system and leave you exposed to additional sicknesses and diseases. Also, your body’s regeneration will slow down, leaving you vulnerable to additional chronic injuries. Find a balance between being inactive and being super active.

Alcohol Consumption

Every doctor will tell you to stop using alcohol while recovering from an injury. Alcohol can amplify your pain, or make you feel as if it is gone, until you sober up. Getting that false sense of total recovery comes at a price, as alcohol will reduce the effect of your medication. Not only that, but in combination with certain medication and pills, it may even be lethal.

If you can, stay away from alcohol consumption until you have fully recovered.

A Workplace Injuries Attorneys in Los Angeles offer free counseling and guidance in helping you obtain and secure your worker’s compensation benefits. Contact them right after getting injured to maximize your chances of obtaining the benefits you desperately need.

Riverside’s Festival of Lights Opens on Thanksgiving: How to Ensure Your Safety (And Sue Those Who Cause Injuries)

Riverside announced the opening of the Festival of Lights on Friday, November 24, for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend celebrations. The festival will kick off after the ceremonial switching on of 5 million lights.

Huge crowds, thousands of drunk, turkey-digesting people, lots of glass bottles around, and 5 million lights… What could possibly go wrong, right?

“A lot of things could go wrong in that scenario,” our Riverside personal injury and premises liability attorneys at JML Law warn. If you’re planning to attend the festival this coming Friday, make sure you stay safe and, preferably, have our attorney’s phone number in your smartphone’s ‘Contacts’ in case you get injured.

Write down JML Law’s number – 818-835-5735 – before heading to the Festival of Lights that is full of potential hazards that could cause injury to you or your loved ones (remember: we offer a free initial consultation).

Injuries that could occur during Riverside’s Festival of Lights:

• Human stampedes and crowd crushes (it’s fair to predict that a festival of that scope could have a density of four people per square meter, which is especially dangerous when crowds are large).
  Fact: over 100 people have been killed in human stampedes worldwide this year alone, while festivals are among the deadliest venues where dozens or hundreds of people may get injured.
• Equipment falling on people.
• Colliding with other festival-goers, especially those with jerky moves (think: dancers and drunk people).
• Being hit by glass bottles thrown by others in the crowd.
• Getting into a fight with violent, drunk or drug-impaired festival-goers (the festival organizer may be sued for premises liability for serving alcohol to overly intoxicated people, or for failing to prevent drugs sale at the venue).
• Trips, slips and falls that occur on walkways or in public restrooms that have wet floors (also, beware of objects on the ground, as you may trip over them).
• Dog bites (some festival-goers choose to come to festivals with their pets).
• Stepping on broken glass (festivals are full of broken glass on the ground, it’s a fact).
• One of the 5 million lights catching fire.
  Fact: Fires cause over 15,000 injuries and more than 3,000 deaths every year in the U.S. alone.
• Deafness and other hearing problems due to the extremely loud music.

How to file a personal injury or premises liability claim at the festival?

As seen from the non-exhaustive list above, there are quite a few scenarios that may cause personal injury at festivals and concerts

Premises liability and personal injury claims stemming from festivals may be difficult to litigate, as determining liability at festivals require professional legal representation from a personal injury or premises liability attorney in Riverside.

Here at JML Law, our Riverside attorneys have helped clients collect relevant evidence of premises liability and personal injury in order to make a claim for compensation.

Don’t let the festival’s organizers ruin your Thanksgiving holiday just because they were negligent to ensure everyone’s safety at the Festival of Lights. And don’t let other festival-goers get away with causing you injuries.

Consult our premises liability attorney here at JML Law by calling our Riverside offices at 816-610-8800 today or send an email to schedule a free initial consultation.

How Many Injured Workers to Lose Compensation Benefits this Year and How We Can Help?

After an injury, many employees aren’t aware of their benefits and often lose compensation by not meeting deadlines or having a Los Angeles workers’ compensation attorney fighting for their rights. It is estimated that thousands of injured workers lose benefits each year for a variety of reasons. 

Steps to take after your accident

First and foremost you need to seek medical attention for your injuries. Emergencies that require a hospital visit will be reimbursed by the employer. The employer may provide the name and information of a doctor or emergency room where to get treatment. When at the medical facility inform the staff that this is a workers’ comp case. Some employees lose benefits by not informing the doctor who has to take additional steps in a workers’ comp claim. California workers’ comp injuries need to be reported within 30 days. Failure to report the injury within the time frame can result in loss of benefits compensation. Contacting a Los Angeles workers comp attorney will help keep you within the statutes of limitations and avoid any discrepancies. 

 Filing a Workers’ Comp Claim

California workers’ comp claims have two major steps involved. The first step is to report the injury sustained to your employer. They will then give you a workers’ comp claim form to send to the employer’s insurance carrier. The next step is to contact a Los Angeles workers’ compensation attorney who will complete the workers’ comp application through the court. These need to be done to get all eligible benefits. Within 14 days of filing a claim, the insurance company will be contacting you denying your claim, stating it is under investigation or issuing temporary disability payments. 

Mistakes to Avoid when filing a claim

There are a few common mistakes people make when filing a claim that costs them thousands in lost benefits. The first mistake is not reporting the incident, to begin with, or improperly reporting it. The employer of the insurance company will deny the claim stating the incident was not properly reported. Injured employees feel that disclosing prior medical history can hurt their case but the opposite is true.  Even though you feel better, you need to finish and comply with all medical treatment advised. This can easily find you are uncooperative and deny your benefits. The most important mistake people make is failing to hire an experienced lawyer. The attorney is here to protect your rights and benefits. They can instruct you on how to avoid the other common mistakes to get maximum compensation. 

How a Los Angeles attorney can help

A Los Angeles workers’ compensation attorney can file a claim form and application or review a filed claim and file a new application. It is important to keep in mind that filing a claim and filing an application is very different. Attorneys can identify potential problems with your claim like deadline issues or pre-existing conditions. If you failed to contact an attorney prior to filing a claim and it was denied it can be looked over 

How long will a personal injury claim take?

Being injured can be traumatic and then figuring out what to do next adds more stress to the situation. Personal injury attorney works diligently to settle the case as soon as possible. Some cases can take years especially those where there is the permanent injury. Smaller personal injury claims can be resolved within a few months. JML Law is staffed with experienced Los Angeles personal injury attorney that can look at your accident and determine the best plan of action.

Medical Treatment

Before anything else, seek medical treatment for your injuries. This is crucial to your health and to your case. Insurance adjusters will argue about the seriousness of your injuries if medical attention is not obtained within the allotted time period. If the case were to go to trial, the jury may also find that you could not have been seriously injured if you waited so long to seek help. This will also help the lawyer determine if there is a case.

Discussing the case with a Lawyer

Find a Los Angeles personal injury attorney to discuss the incident. The attorneys at JML Law have years of experience related to personal injury cases and can help you decide the best route to take.during an initial consultation, the attorney will interview you about the accident, medical treatment sought and will need a  little background about yourself. It is important to be forthcoming with all information because the lawyer does have your best interests in mind and is seeking all this information to win the case. If you are not initially forthcoming and they later find information to the contrary, this can harm your case. After the interview is complete, the attorney will ask for all medical records related to the injury as well as documents about your medical history. The personal injury attorney in Los Angeles will review the documents and determine how to proceed.

Making a Demand and Negotiations

At this point, the personal injury attorney will have a clear idea whether to drop the case, settle or file a lawsuit. Smaller personal injury cases are usually settled outside of court. Your personal injury attorney will file a demand with the other party's insurance company or corresponding attorney.  A lawsuit will be filed without question if the incident caused permanent injury or impairment. These types of cases will take longer especially when waiting for you to reach maximum medical improvement. The payout is much larger in this instance and will prevent the jury from undervaluing the case if you have not recovered entirely by the time the case goes to court.

Lawsuit

A personal injury claim can take one to two years after being filed before going to trial. The first six months to a year will consist of both attorneys collecting depositions, interrogations, and any relevant documentation. The amount of time spent on discovery depends on the complexity of the case.

Mediation and Trial

Los Angeles personal injury attorney will attempt mediation with the rival attorney first. If a settlement cannot be reached they will bring a mediator that will attempt to come to a settlement between both clients and both personal injury attorneys. When mediation does not work, the case will go to trial. The trail can last days, weeks or months depending on the court, judge, and case.