$15 Million Settlement For Construction Workers

An attorney for workers in Atlanta who sued over the collapse of an elevated walkway under construction in the treetops at the Atlanta Botanical Garden says settlements totaling more than $15 million have been reached in the case.

The accident occurred when workers were pouring concrete for an elevated canopy walkway collapsed, dropping workers four stories to the ground. According to Forbes, the lawsuit was filed on behalf of the family of one worker who died in the collapse and fifteen who were injured in the accident, including some with spine and brain injuries.

The accident occurred in December, 2008, when workers were pouring concrete on an elevated platform. The temporary shoring columns reportedly couldn’t support the weight of the concrete and collapsed, causing workers to fall up to 40 feet. Construction worker 56-year-old Angel Chupin fell to his death along with eighteen others. 

The Canopy Walk in the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, which is at the edge of Piedmont Park in Midtown, was opened in 2010.

Unfortunately, construction accidents are common and the fault for these accidents does not just reside with the victim, but instead the construction company or site owner. The nature of the industry creates dangerous situations but if you have been injured due to the following, you may need legal representation:

1. Lack of proper safety precautions
2. Negligence
3. Defective materials
4. Badly maintained equipment
5. Poor supervision
6. Improper signage
7. Inadequate safety training

Catastrophic accidents are costly, and if the accident is not fatal, workers’ compensation benefits are sometimes not enough to sufficiently compensate the worker for his or her injuries, so other means must be utilized.

If an individual is injured in a construction accident, they may be eligible to receive compensation for injuries, medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. If you or a loved one has been injured on the job or as a bystander, contact a Linton & Associates. We are knowledgeable and experiences construction accident attorneys and will pursue legal recourse and ensure that you get the results you deserve.

My name is Christopher S. Linton, Attorney at Linton and Associates Law Firm in Birmingham, Alabama. We specialize in Personal Injury, Wrongful Death, Premises and Product Liability, Auto Accidents and Infant Injury and Death.

Keywords: Construction Accidents, Accident Attorney, Personal Injury Attorney Birmingham, Alabama

Critical Steps After An Accident

Protect Yourself First

 

An accident happens in an instant, but it can have consequences that last a lifetime. In one moment you are going about the normal parts of your life and in the next moment, you or a loved one is trading insurance information, being examined by paramedics or rushed to the nearest hospital.

A day that began carrying the kids to school, communing to work, picking up the dry cleaning, running errands...it can all change in an instant. Then, in a panic and sometimes shock, what you do next is sometimes not very well thought out.

There is simply no way to plan for an accident, however there are several things that you can do following a car wreck for yourself or your loved ones if you are able.

Your first priority is to seek medical attention for the treatment of your injuries and having a medical record of your injury and treatment is important.

Next, try and get photos of any evidence, your automobile,  and your injuries. Then, make sure you keep track of all medical costs and expenses related to the accident and your injuries. Make sure to request a copy of any accident or police report and avoid signing any releases. If your insurance company is trying to make a deal with you, make sure that you get those in writing.

Insurance companies often times want to rush accident victims into insignificant settlements and with those come release forms. Unfortunately, you may not know the extent of a long-term or permanent injury for several weeks or months. On the other hand, if you haven't received an offer from the insurance company within 6 months, you may need to seek legal representation to protect your rights.

Insurance companies know that the average layperson has no real objective way to evaluate the actual monetary value of a legal claim resulting from a car crash. The adjuster who calls you may seem amicable and genuinely helpful, but the goal of the conversation is to get you to settle the claim quickly for far less than its actual value. Especially in cases where the liability of the insurance company's insured.

Linton & Associates specializes in personal injury claims and we know how to handle the mistreatment of unfair compensation from insurance companies following car wrecks. Call us and expect a free consultation and review of your case.

My name is Christopher S. Linton, Attorney at Linton and Associates Law Firm in Birmingham, Alabama. We specialize in Personal Injury, Wrongful Death, Premises and Product Liability, Auto Accidents and Infant Injury and Death.

Keywords:  What to do after an automobile accident, Personal Injury, Mistreatment of Insurance Companies.

$3 Million Jury Award in Tired Trucker Accident

A  federal jury in Florida has awarded the family of a 33-year-old man who was killed in 2009 by a fatigued truck driver $3 million. The case involved a collision between two commercial tractor-trailers. The driver of the at-fault truck failed to yield the right of way and caused the victim's truck to hit the back of her truck.

The at-fault driver testified in court that she saw lights coming, but felt that they were far away. Testimony revealed that she had been on duty for about 19 hours prior to the accident, which was in violation of the 14-hour "Hour of Service" Rule of the Motor Carrier Safety Act.

Unfortunately, large companies routinely push commercial truck drivers to break the law in order to make delivery deadlines. It is a very common practice and is responsible for many injuries and deaths each year in our country. These companies have to be held accountable and forced to stop making shipping deadlines more important that human lives.

From 1986-2006, there was a 49 percent increase in registered large trucks, equaling 8.8 million trucks throughout the country and a 76 percent hike in miles traveled by large trucks. Tractor-trailers pose a much greater risk of being involved in a rollover or jack-knife accident, due to their immense size. The national 2007 facts about truck accidents are unsettling:

• There were 4,584 trucks involved in fatal accidents.
• There were 4,808 fatalities in crashes involving semi-trucks.
• There were 139,587 commercial trucks involved in non-fatal accidents.
• There were 56,487 semi-trucks involved in injury collisions.
• There were 83,908 injuries in crashes involving commercial trucks.
• There were 83,100 trucks involved in tow away accidents.
• There were 2,248 large trucks involved in Hazmat placard crashes.

Source, Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS)

If you or someone you love has been injured by the wrongdoing of another, contact us today at Linton & Associates for your free consultation. We will fight for you against these large companies and ensure that they are held accountable for the injuries that they have caused you to suffer.

My name is Christopher S. Linton, Attorney at Linton and Associates Law Firm in Birmingham, Alabama. We specialize in Personal Injury, Wrongful Death, Premises and Product Liability, Auto Accidents and Infant Injury and Death.

Keywords:  At-Fault Driver Accidents, Semi-Tractor Trailer Accidents, Settlements, Personal Injury, Wrongful Death

Family Awarded $2.9 Million

The family of a 14-year-old girl who was killed in a 2004 hit-and-run crash while she was trying to cross a road has been awarded $2.9 million by a Bucks County, Pennsylvania judge.  The case was decided without a jury.

The girl, who was about to begin ninth grade, fell victim to a hit-and-run accident and killed by a 21-year-old who was intoxicated at the time and was driving with a suspended license. The at-fault driver was arrested for hit-and-run DUI and later plead guilty and is still in prison today. No amount of money will bring this precious little girl back to her family.

However, it allows the family to hold on to the fact that the person responsible for killing their daughter is being held responsible and is not just going to be free to do this to other innocent victims.

If you or someone you love have been injured as a result of someone's  carelessness or recklessness, contact Linton & Associates today for your free consultation. We are Alabama injury lawyers that come to you no matter where you are located. We have the knowledge and the resources to hold accountable those that harm you.

My name is Christopher S. Linton, Attorney at Linton and Associates Law Firm in Birmingham, Alabama. We specialize in Personal Injury, DUI Accidents, Wrongful Death, Premises and Product Liability, Auto Accidents and Infant Injury and Death.

Keywords:  Hit-And-Run, Hit and Run, DUI Accidents, Pedestrian Hit and Run, 14-Year Old Pennsylvania Girl Hit and Run, Personal Injury, Family Settlement

$11 Million Settlement Reached in Brain Injury Case

A 19-year-old Virginia woman who suffered a traumatic brain injury in a traffic crash, has settled her case for $11 million with the owner of a van that crossed the center line on a wet two-lane highway. 

She was a backseat passenger in the vehicle that was hit by the van. She incurred $562,043 in medical bills for the treatment of these injuries after the crash.

Currently, Alabama’s statute of limitations for bringing a personal injury or wrongful death claim is two years from the date of the accident. So, if you’ve been injured in an auto accident, consult with an attorney whose practice focuses in this area of the law to discuss your situation – and do so well before that deadline. As always, consultations are free, without obligation and are strictly confidential.

Before the injury, the woman participated in softball and gymnastics and took advanced placement classes in high school. The woman now has the functional abilities of a 12-year-old and her doctors feel that it is unlikely that she will ever recover any more intellectual capacity.

Unfortunately, these injuries happen too frequently and they are often the result of the wrongdoing of someone else. Likewise, when these injuries do happen, insurance companies refuse to do the right thing and if they are not forced into accountability, the victim suffers a second injustice to them.

At Linton & Associates, we are Alabama personal injury lawyers - committed to helping our clients recover the justice that they deserve. If you or a loved one have been injured as a result of the wrongdoing of someone else, contact us today for your free evaluation. We have the knowledge, experience and resources able to hold those that injured you accountable.

Source:  Lawyersusaonline.com

My name is Christopher S. Linton, Attorney at Linton and Associates Law Firm in Birmingham, Alabama. We specialize in Personal Injury, Wrongful Death, Premises and Product Liability, Auto Accidents and Infant Injury and Death.

Keywords: Traumatic Brain Injury, Personal Injury, Car Wrecks, Motor Vehicle Accident, $11,000,000 Settlement, 19-Year Old Virginia Woman

Getting What You Deserve For Your Tornado Damage Claim

With the massive devastation from the storms throughout Alabama in April, obviously insurance companies owe a lot of money to their policy holders that suffered property damage. As always, these insurance companies are going to try every trick in the book to avoid their responsibilities to their policy holders and reduce the amount of money they have to pay on these claims. Using a combination of low ball offers and litigation, they employ the three D's. Deny, Delay and Defend.

Extremely motivated to collect premiums, but less eager to pay for covered losses.

  

Did you know that the insurance industry takes over $1 trillion annually in insurance premiums? The insurance industry also, has more than $3.8 trillion in assets, according to the Insurance Information Institute. One would think that with all of this money, why on earth would the insurance industry have to deny benefits to clients that were entitled to them.  There is only one thing that comes to mind and that is corporate greed.

If you are a residential or commercial property owner and have suffered property damage from the recent series of tornados or previous wind, storm, hail or fire, you should get the insurance payment you deserve and are entitled to under your policy. You need to call an attorney familiar with insurance law.

Insurance is a form of investment and it is your right as a policyholder to challenge the recovery you previously received. The insurance company's opinion of what an insured is owed from a claim is often lower than what the insured is actually entitled to under the policy.

Insurance companies can make more money by paying out less and any insurance company that takes advantage of people who are suffering from such devastation is wrong and it is disgusting.

If you feel that you might not have received the payment you deserve from your insurance claim, it is not too late. At Linton & Associates we work with a dedicated legal team to handle all aspects of your property claims and disputes through a network of experts that represent you, your family and your property. You deserve access to the courts and if we do not recover, you do not pay.

Contact us today for a free consultation and start the process of getting the payment you deserve.

My name is Christopher S. Linton, Attorney at Linton and Associates Law Firm in Birmingham, Alabama. We specialize in Personal Injury, Wrongful Death, Premises and Product Liability, Auto Accidents and Infant Injury and Death.

Mobile Jury Returns $40 Million Verdict for Wrongful Death

You May Have A Defective Seat Belt

A Mobile, Alabama jury has returned a $40 million verdict in favor of the parents of a Mobile County teenager who was killed in a car wreck in 2004. The jury award came in a wrongful death lawsuit against Kia Motors and the maker of a seat belt buckle that failed. The girl was ejected from her car on a highway in west Mobile on July 4, 2004.

The high school student was driving a 1999 Kia Sephia that her father had bought for her 16th birthday, just two months prior to the accident. Kia officials knew that the seat belts in the 1999 model were defective but did not include them in a recall. This is yet another example of major corporations putting profits ahead of consumer safety and this conduct is happening in the board rooms of major corporations consistently. However, this Alabama jury sent a message that all of the greedy corporations should listen to, and that is that we are going to hold you responsible if you continue this conduct in Alabama.

Jury Awards $5,000,000 Verdit in Commercial Bus Crash

A New York County jury returned a verdict in the amount of $5,000,000 on behalf of a 48 year old advertising executive who was a passenger in a motor vehicle which was rear-ended by a commercial bus. As a result, he suffered mild traumatic brain injury.

If you or a loved on has been injured by a commercial vehicle, contact Linton & Associates for a free consultation and review of your case.

Linton & Associates has the knowledge and resources to hold the responsible parties accountable for the pain they have caused you and your family.

My name is Christopher S. Linton, Attorney at Linton and Associates Law Firm in Birmingham, Alabama. We specialize in Personal Injury, Wrongful Death, Premises and Product Liability, Auto Accidents and Infant Injury and Death.

Keywords: New York County Jury Awards $5M, Mild Traumatic Brain Injury,