Oklahoma Injury Lawyer Blog

On the 14th, I posted the Texting While Walking Video. Now, it looks like the woman is looking to sue. Wait, what??

Image via Wikipedia

We recently launched a micro-site for the defective DePuy Orthopedics ASR hip replacement devices. 

DePuy, a division of Johnson and Johnson Services, Inc. announced a recall of the dangers and defective hip implant on August 26, 2010. According to their numbers, at least 13% of the patients will require a second replacement surgery or revision. It's likely this number will be much higher.

We've added sections on:

• The DePuy Hip Recall
• Hip Replacement FAQ
  

A U.S. News and World Report ranked Oklahoma at 47 out of 50 in a ranking of the worst teen drivers, citing an average of 115 teenager deaths on Oklahoma roads every year.

Call your doctor for an appointment. You will want to see if you can get a prescription for a different pain medication. Immediately stopping the drug can cause withdrawal symptoms, so you'll need to follow your doctor's instructions on tapering down on it.

Even though the drug was banned in the U.K. six years ago, the drug was only recently banned here in the U.S.

According to Public Citizen, the side effects (heart problems) will go away once the drug's use is ended.

Here's something similar to what we've been advising our clients for years: Lawsuit Loans Add New Risk for the Injured. Basically, the loan is going to be a lot more expensive than what you expect it will be.

The article gives several examples:

• A Vioxx client faced eviction, so he took out a lawsuit loan to pay his rent. He borrowed $9,150. By the time his case settled (18 months later), the loan payout was up to $23,588.


• A car accident injury client borrowed $10,500. Two years later his payout to the loan company was $35,939.

And people drive while texting?

January 24 edit: YouTube took the video down. Here's the updated one:

Simple! Just tell the truth. To be more specific, if you don't know the answer, say so. A lot of people feel the need to answer - even if they're not sure. That's where they get into problems.

If you don't understand what the defense attorney is asking, ask the attorney to clarify the question.

It's exactly what it sounds like. It's a tear in the largest artery in the body. Common symptoms include sudden severe pain that feels like something is tearing, stabbing, or even just a sharp localized pain. Less common symptoms include congestive heart failure and ECG changes.

Problems with misdiagnosis, or failure to diagnose often occur because of the variety of symptoms. A proper diagnosis can be made by looking at a chest x-ray, CT scan, or MRI.

Recently, Richard Holbrooke suffered an aortic dissection:

CNN Health cites Five Commonly Misdiagnosed Diseases:

1. Aortic Dissection - it sometimes feels like heartburn


2. Cancer - breast and colon are the most common misdiagnosed. The study attributed doctors failing to follow proper guidelines


3. Clogged Arteries - confused with patients being out of shape


4. Heart Attack - sometimes the symptoms are limited to sense of fullness in the chest, nausea and not feeling well


5. Infection

Today's link is Jim Calloway's Law Practice Tips Blog. Jim Calloway is the Director of the Oklahoma Bar Association's Management Assistance Program. His blog has a ton of product reviews and good information for running a law practice. Jim has an excellent reputation nationally as a "go to" law firm management guy. Surprisingly, a lot of Oklahoma attorneys have never been to his site.

There's obviously important stuff in your case about going to the doctor, but what's the best way for you to screw up your case?

Lie.

This completely destroys your credibility. Be completely honest with your doctors and your attorney.

Automobile.com has an article on States with the Lowest Car Insurance Rates in 2010. They also mention in the article the ten most expensive states. Oklahoma clocks in as the 3rd most expensive state at $1,869.39. I think it's safe to say that a large reason for this is that we drive everywhere.

If you've been hurt, and the other party is found responsible, you are entitled to financial compensation. This entails your medical bills, lost income, and any pain and suffering the accident caused you. The dollar value of cases varies tremendously. Some cases will be barely over what the medical bills and lost income total, while others will be fives times that.

Some insurance companies will disclose the policy limits before a lawsuit is filed, but they are not actually required to. They are, however, discoverable once a lawsuit is filed.

Bob Kraft first started posting to his P.I.S.S.D. (Personal Injury, Social Security Disability) Blog back on April 25, 2005! Not only that, but he updates it nearly every day. Even more impressive: His firm celebrated their 30th anniversary last year.

I get a kick out of Bob's Friday Fun posts (even though they're generally not law related). Bob's main field is personal injury law, but his firm also handles social security disability, immigration, and bankruptcy law. Their office is in Dallas, Texas.

Here's Bob's description of his blog:

The title of this blog reflects my attitude toward those government agencies and insurance companies that routinely mistreat injured or disabled people. As a Dallas, Texas lawyer, I've spent almost 40 years trying to help those poor folk, and I have been frustrated daily by the actions of the people on the other side of their claims. (Sorry if I offended you...)

The FDA announced in November 2010 that the Darvon, Darvocet, and their generic medication wree being withdrawn from the U.S. market. The painkillers were linked to serious heart risks that could result in sudden death.

The FDA received reports of the problems as early as 1978. Consumer groups began calling for the ban of the drug in 2006. The drugs were withdrawn in Europe in June 2009, but stayed on the market here. Finally the FDA removed the drug this past November.

There's a new city proposal in Tulsa that would bill the at fault driver a flat fee. The $200 fee goes to help pay for the Tulsa Fire Department.

According to Car and Driver, Texting is more dangerous than driving drunk. The magazine tested two drivers' reaction times at both 35 and 50 mph to get a baseline. They then had the drivers read a text message (Caddyshack quotes!) while driving. The drivers then drank screwdrivers until their b.a.c. was .08%. At the highway speeds, the delay in stopping caused the car to trave an average of 70 feet farther.