Children in Pickup Trucks

Pickup trucks have become increasingly popular in the United States. A recent study found that in crashes involving fatalities, cargo area passengers were 3 times more likely to die than were occupants in the cab. Compared with restrained cab occupants, the risk of death for those in the cargo area was 8 times higher. Furthermore, the increased use of extended-cab pickup trucks and air bag-equipped front passenger compartments creates concerns about the safe transport of children. The most effective preventive strategies are the legislative prohibition of travel in the cargo area and requirements for age-appropriate restraint use and seat selection in the cab. Parents should select vehicles that are appropriate for the safe transportation needs of the family. Physicians have an important role in counseling families and advocating public policy measures to reduce the number of deaths and injuries to occupants of pickup trucks.

Motor vehicle trauma remains a leading cause of death of children. Occupants in pickup trucks should receive the same level of protection provided in other vehicles according to national policies that address protection of motor vehicle occupants. The safety issues relevant for pickup trucks include the following: 1) prohibition of cargo area travel; 2) age-appropriate restraint use; 3) appropriate seat location in the cab; 4) appropriate use of rear seating positions in various models of extended cab vehicles; and 5) risk of air bag-related injuries.

Smart Tips for Buying Car Insurance

Columbus, Ohio. Personal injury, car accident attorney David A. Bressman has helped thousands of injury victims over the past 19 years. Unfortunately, there are many he could not help because they simply did not have the right insurance.

Some statistics indicate that nearly 1/4 of all Ohio drivers do not have insurance. What happens to you if you, or a loved one, are injured through no fault of your own but the at-fault driver does not have any, or adequate, insurance? The answer is that we have to look at YOUR auto insurance policy to see if you have adequate coverage.

If you are injured, the other has no insurance and you do not have insurance...then what? Then consider bankruptcy. The other party will have to be sued, a judgment obtained and then collected upon. Good luck with that! The doctors and hospitals are not going to forgive your bills just because neither you nor the at-fault party lack insurance. Thus, you are stuck with the property damage, the medical bills and being injured to boot. All because there was no insurance to cover the crash.

Tip #1: If you have been putting off getting car insurance, do it...NOW.
Tip #2: In most instances, liability only coverage is stupid but if it is the best you can do for now, then at least get that.
Tip #3: Get full coverage, it's actually pretty cheap and well worth it when the inevitable car crash happens. Get a bunch of quotes, they are available online and from independent agents. If you are a client of mine, I'll review the quotes with you, free of charge, and make suggestions on what is, and is not, appropriate. If you are not a client, I'll still do the review but you'll have to pay me for my time.
Tip #4: Get uninsured/underinsured coverage. It used to be that this coverage HAD to be offered as part of your full coverage but now it does not. If you can, get this coverage, it provides you with a security blanket should you be hit by a driver who has no insurance or who has low limits insurance.

MORE TIPS TO COME......................

Questions For the Adjuster That Simply Won't Get Answered # 4

Columbus, Ohio. Personal injury trial lawyer, David A. Bressman, has over 20 years of experience representing injury victims. Over that time period, he has come across many who have pretty basic, fairly easy questions that they would like the insurance adjuster to honestly answer. In his experience, most adjusters either refuse to answer or provide misleading information. He presents to you a series of questions, and likely insurance company responses.

"QUESTION 4: If I give you a recorded statement, can I then get a recorded statement from your own insured, i.e., the other driver?

ANSWER: No! This will never happen. It seems fair though doesn’t it? If you have to give a statement about the accident, then why can’t you also get a statement from the other driver? Yet, the insurance adjustor will never allow this for the same reasons you should never give a recorded statement to the insurance company. The adjuster wants to PIN YOU DOWN but, wisely for the insurance company, will never allows its at-fault driver to be similarly boxed in. The adjuster wants YOU to be put in a bad position, period.

Questions For the Adjuster That Simply Won't Get Answered #3

Columbus, Ohio. Personal injury trial lawyer, David A. Bressman, has over 20 years of experience representing injury victims. Over that time period, he has come across many who have pretty basic, fairly easy questions that they would like the insurance adjuster to honestly answer. In his experience, most adjusters either refuse to answer or provide misleading information. He presents to you a series of questions, and likely insurance company responses.

"QUESTION3: Why does the adjuster insist that I have to give a recorded statement when the adjuster can get information about the accident from the police report?

ANSWER: Because the insurance company will try to use your own statements against you! In most accidents a police report will be filed and the insurance company has easy access to this report (it just takes a written request and a small fee). So why is a recorded statement necessary? Most companies have written policies in place which require the adjuster to get
a recorded statement to see if there’s any information the accident victim might reveal which could be later used to either deny the claim or pay out less money when settlement occurs.

For instance, let's say that you are contacted by the adjuster the day after the accident. You have some aches and pains but, you think, nothing too serious.The adjuster puts you on tape agreeing that you have little or no injury but, lo and behold, you wake up the next day with excruciating neck and back pain. You are now in serious trouble since you have now gone "on record" as minimizing your own injury. In effect, you have now become your own worst enemy! These recorded statements are, mostly, done to pin you down to a point in time when you might not be aware of the full extent of your injuries. They are also, mostly, done without an attorney present to advise you on what are fair, and unfair, topics.

My usual approach to requests for these types of statements -- denied!

Questions For the Adjuster That Simply Won't Get Answered #2

Columbus, Ohio. Personal injury trial lawyer, David A. Bressman, has over 20 years of experience representing injury victims. Over that time period, he has come across many who have pretty basic, fairly easy questions that they would like the insurance adjuster to honestly answer. In his experience, most adjusters either refuse to answer or provide misleading information. He presents to you a series of questions, and likely insurance company responses.

"QUESTION 2: Will the insurance company verify that the settlement amount being offered to me is fair and reasonable?"

ANSWER: The adjuster surely will TELL you what you want to hear -- of course, the settlement is fair, you wouldn't expect an insurance company to tell you any different. But the adjuster can’t verify or prove that everyone with similar injuries never receives more. Unless you are in the business of negotiating and settling injury claims there is little chance you will know whether the settlement amount that is being offered is fair. Therefore, by negotiating and settling the claim yourself without using the assistance of a professional (i.e., personal injury attorney) you run the risk of accepting a sum that may turn out to be much less than what is considered reasonable for your type of claim. Moreover, once you accept that amount, and sign the accompanying release, then you are forever barred from revisiting and reopening your settlement. In other words, you had best be sure that you are fairly, and fully, compensated before agreeing to, or signing, anything..

Questions For the Adjuster That Simply Won't Get Answered #1

Columbus, Ohio. Personal injury trial lawyer, David A. Bressman, has over 20 years of experience representing injury victims. Over that time period, he has come across many who have pretty basic, fairly easy questions that they would like the insurance adjuster to honestly answer. In his experience, most adjusters either refuse to answer or provide misleading information. He presents to you a series of questions, and likely insurance company responses.

If I use an attorney, I’m likely to recover more money in settlement than if I try to settle
the claim on my own?

ANSWER: Don’t be surprised if the adjustor says “no.” But why lie about this? Because a study by the Insurance Research Council (a nonprofit group funded by major insurance companies across the nation) and titled “Paying for Auto Injuries” found that the average total payout on claims that have an attorney is 4.8 times greater than those claims where the injured victim settled on his or her own.

This study showed that individuals who use an attorney receive 3.28 times more money after the attorney’s fee is paid. Most insurance claims adjustors are very aware of this study. So, if the insurance company wants to maximize profits it will train its claims representatives to go to
great efforts to dissuade people from hiring an attorney. Simply put, the insurance companies know that if you hire counsel you will likely get more money in settlement, even after deducting
the lawyer’s fee.