| | | Board Certified In Personal Injury | 28 Years Experience | (903) 531-9300 | | Dear Subscriber, Read about how ordinary people took extraordinary action to pursue justice, and in the process, helped protect the safety and legal rights of others. We think these stories represent the best of our civil justice system in action. What do you think? | | | | 28 Years Experience Trying Personal Injury Cases Counts After 28 years of handling personal injury cases we've learned that sometimes you have to "just say no" to the insurance company and saddle up and go try the case in front of a jury. We did just that in June of this year in a car wreck case involving some pretty serious injuries. The Defendants' auto liability insurance company made a lowball offer and dug in. We said "NO" and headed to the court house. I guess being hard headed has its advantages because a Smith County jury awarded us more than seven times what the insurance company had offered. It was a good day for the good guy. Continue reading.
| | 2014 Justice Served Awards: Reader Survey Courageous Americans Turn Grief into Action | Vicki Seliger Swenson speaks out against domestic violence. | Many of you know too well the life-changing consequences of a devastating injury. Far too often, tragedy might have been prevented if not for the carelessness or negligence of others. Those haunting "what ifs" only compound the grief for family, friends and the community. This month we bring you the stories of four families that turned their grief and "what ifs" into action: - Vicki Seliger Swenson, a sister who helped change state law to protect women after her sister was brutally murdered.
- Eric Rice, a father fighting laws that penalize people hurt or killed by medical mistakes after his daughter died from a botched diagnosis.
- Daphne Izer, a mother who started Parents Against Tired Truckers after her son and three friends were killed by a semi-driver who fell asleep at the wheel.
- Ken and Beth Melton, parents who single-handedly uncovered GM's attempt to hide problems with a faulty ignition switch after their daughter died in a car crash.
Presenting our nominees for the 2014 Justice Served Award. Read their stories and take our reader survey. >>> | BY THE NUMBERS / | 3rd- Leading Cause | A recent study estimates that 440,000 people die each year from medical mistakes, making it the third-leading cause of death in the United States after heart disease and cancer. Source: A New, Evidence-Based Estimate of Patient Harms Associated with Hospital Care, The Journal of Patient Safety | 67% In Cars | In 2012, 67 percent of the 3,514 people killed in vehicle-truck accidents were vehicle occupants, 17 percent truck occupants and 15 percent pedestrians, bicyclists or motorcyclists. Source: Large Truck Fatality Facts, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety | $2.4 Billion Recall | GM's record-setting recall of 2.6 million cars this year for numerous defects will cost the company almost $2.4 billion. Faulty ignition switches have also been linked to at least 13 deaths, numerous congressional hearings and a federal criminal investigation. Source: The Numbers Behind GM's Year of Recalls, The Wall Street Journal | | BOOKMARK FAVORITES / | Mother's Love Spurs Crusade for Improved Truck Safety After her son and three other teenagers were killed when an overly tired truck driver fell asleep at the wheel, Daphne Izer started the group Parents Against Tired Truckers. Its mission is to improve safety standards for truckers and educate the public on fatigued driving. Groups Question GM's Compensation Fund The leaders of two influential consumer groups, the Center for Justice and Democracy and the Center for Auto Safety, are concerned that GM's compensation fund will not help all the victims and families affected by faulty ignition switches. Their recommendation: hire a lawyer. Patient Safety America Is Father's Fight for Safer Health Care Patient Safety America is the brainchild of a researcher, author and father of a 19-year-old daughter who died in a Texas hospital "as a result of uninformed, careless and unethical" care. The ultimate goal of the group is the creation and enforcement of a national patient bill of rights. | |