Find an Experienced Personal Injury Attorney
It’s a good idea to try to find a law firm that has over 15 years experience in dealing with personal injury cases. Fifteen years is plenty of time for a law firm to develop a positive reputation. If you are not impressed with their settlement amounts or their reputation you should probably move on to a more reliable firm. Chances are the longer a firm has been around, the better they are at what they do.
If you have been injured in an accident it is important to seek immediate medical attention, taking care of your health is the most important thing you should do. The last thing you want is for an insurance adjuster to lower the value of your case because they don’t take your accident seriously. If you don’t seek medical attention you will not be taken seriously because your injuries will look disputable. Reasonable and necessary medical attention is crucial in documenting your claim. Be open and honest with your health care provider so that a clear record is established about your injuries and how it affected your life.
Your medical records will be reviewed by everyone involved in and evaluating your accident. If you miss medical appoints you are bound to look flaky. When you look flaky to a jury they are less likely to sympathize with you and sympathy is what you want. You want other individuals to understand the suffering you went through and the serious impact your injuries have had on your life. If you go missing appointments it will be difficult in getting others to care about your case, because it looks like you don’t care about your case.
You want to make sure that you finish all possible treatment your health care provides for your injuries before you agree on a settlement amount for your case. Insurance adjusters value your case based on the severity and length of your treatment. The diagnosis and prognosis at the end of your treatment is crucial to your case. It is important to follow directions from your health care provider regarding the duration, scope and necessity of your treatment. Your health care provider will need to determine that you have either recovered or that you will never fully recover before we can fully evaluate the value of your case.
You will want to make it clear that you have a strong support system. If you have suffered traumatic injuries and you rely on help from your loved ones or friends for the necessities of daily functioning this is crucial to document. Having to rely on others in a common occurrence in accident cases and may not only inconvenience you but friends and family as well. If you need assistance in daily care it is important to show document these events.
How do you feel as a result of your injuries? Make sure to record the severity and location of pain on a daily basis. Write down any emotions you are feeling as well. Are you frustrated, angry or sad in your necessity to rely on others for help? Are you having trouble connecting with loved ones because you cannot sit or stand for long periods of time? Did you miss church or other events because you simply cannot get there because of doctor appointments? Record all these details for your attorney. It is easier to sympathize with someone when their thoughts are made available for review. If you do not record the feelings you are suffering you may not recall the level of suffering you endured 12-14 months later when your case is presented. It is your job document what’s happening to you emotionally, physically and socially.
Your injuries need to fully heal before you can get the justice are entitled to. You will want to be compensated for the full extent of your medical expenses, wage loss, loss of enjoyment of life, and any future losses. Sometimes this takes time. It is important to be patient, finish your treatment protocol and attempt to manage your affairs to the best of your abilities. As always the attorneys and staff at Phillips Law Firm are here to provide advice, direction and empathy.
Daniel Chong has received an official apology from the Drug Enforcement Agency for the neglect he suffered over the course of five days, but it somehow just doesn’t seem like enough. Chong was under investigation for involvement with illegal drugs and after being locked in a cell for five days without food or water had to resort to drinking his own urine in order to survive.
Handcuffed the entire four days, Chong began to suffer from hallucinations. According to the San Diego Associated Press Chong urinated on a metal bench in order to drink his own urine with limited mobility.
With the realization that he was trapped in a windowless room with muffled sound he began to panic and act with means of getting DEA officials to notice him as he was sure he was forgotten. According official reports he stacked a blanket along with his pants and shoes on the facility bench in his cell in an attempt to set the fire sprinkler off with his cuffed hands by standing on the items. He had no luck.
After four days with no food, water or toilet Chong had accepted death at the young age of 23 and decided to bite into his eyeglasses to use the glass shards to carve “Sorry Mom” into his arm as his final message to the outside world.
Later that same day a DEA agent found Chong covered in his own fecal matter with a wound on his arm. Chong was then immediately taken to a hospital where he spent five days recovering from dehydration, kidney failure, cramps and a perforated esophagus. Reports conclude he also lost fifteen pounds over the course of his facility stay.
Law enforcement officials have been closed-mouthed about the situation because of the ongoing investigation but one comment was made that Chong was not going to be charged with a crime and he should have been released. Chong claims to have no criminal record.
According a federal law enforcement official Chong’s holding was never intended for overnight stay as there was no toilet in his cell.
In a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder, U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer writes:
“Please provide me with the results and the actions the department will take to make sure those responsible are held accountable and that no one in DEA custody will ever again be forced to endure such treatment.”
According to reports Chong said he ingested a white powder found in his cell which agents later identified as methamphetamine. Chong claims he ingested the powder to survive because there was no food in his cell.
UCLA Medical Center’s Dr. Wally Ghurabi commented that people can die from dehydration in as little as three to seven days, and commended Chong for drinking his own urine.
Chong’s attorney filed a $20 million claim on Wednesday, May 2, 2012 against the federal agency with allegations that Chong’s treatment while at the San Diego facility constitutes torture under U.S. and international law.
Interview with Daniel Chong
Women of all ages take birth control pills to take charge of their reproductive lives. Research from the FDA concludes that many popular birth control pills including Yaz, Yasmin, Safyral, Ocella and Loryna have the potential to fatally harm you. There has even been alarming new research showing that women have up to a 75% higher risk for blood clots while taking one of the more popular birth control pills Yaz or Yasmin. With all the risks how can you know which products are safe?
Ladies (and men who want to help keep their friends or loved ones informed), it’s time to whip out your social media applications meaning Facebook, Twitter and Google+. While doctors do their best to protect you it is important to complete some independent research. Check out this informative and opinionated blog Sweetening the Pill written by a British journalist living in Los Angeles, dedicated to discussing different birth control pill options.
As companies spend millions of dollars in advertising it is all too easy to make a mistake in choosing a popular birth control pill over a safer birth control pill. Many times when we see repetitive commercials we end up subconsciously ignoring warnings because we have already heard them so many times the “shock factor” no longer exists. As a result of this dangers are ignored. Women often times choose a popular birth control pill with the idea that it safe because of high popularity levels. This assumption could not be further from the truth. The popularity of advertising practices may even leave your doctor in the habit of prescribing or recommending the most popular birth control pills instead of the safest pill for you.
You may have heard advertisements that Yaz helps treat PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder) and acne via television commercials in 2008. It turns out that the FDA had not actually approved Yaz for these purposes and then fined the manufacturer, Bayer for advertisement claims. Bayer tried to downplay the serious side effects by making positive claims and in result they tricked many women into thinking they are receiving positive benefits from their birth control products. This is a perfect example that you cannot always trust what you see on television in advertisements.
Ladies, do you like to sit around clubs and talk about birth control? Bayer’s latest advertising strategy markets their birth control product as the topic of conversation.
Another social media resource that allows you to learn from the experience of others is Facebook. Check out our Facebook page Take Back Your Life. This page is a place dedicated to keeping women empowered with information about birth control recalls and warnings. On this particular webpage women can discuss their experiences while taking certain brands of birth control without censorship. Another great Facebook page (with information about birth control regulations in Canada) is Take Your Body Back.
Remember that while the FDA exists to protect you, drug testing takes time. Bayer made claims of positive benefits from Yaz in 2008 and it has taken four years for a complete investigation of these claims from FDA. In result, the FDA found Bayer’s claims to be untrue and then required Bayer to promote awareness of blood clot risks to consumers. During these four years while the FDA conclusions were in limbo some women have experienced strokes, heart attacks, blood clots and some have died as a result of taking Yaz or Yasmin.
As social media sites are advancing there has never been a better time to connect with internet users. Empower yourself and use technology to benefit your health by learning of potential risks before the FDA releases an official ruling. Now is the time to like, tweet, and +1 your way to awareness.
