Jay Trucks and Associates Legal Blog

Unfortunately, the potential for injury and even wrongful death during surgical procedures is high. A surgeon can perform "wrong site surgery” – actually operating on the wrong body part. A nurse can leave a surgical sponge in the wound, bringing about serious infection. An anesthesiologist can cause life-threatening allergic reactions in an allergic patient, or give the patient too much anesthesia. Other not uncommon errors include:

• Tears and holes made in internal organs
• Surgical instruments left in the patient's body following surgery
• Laparoscopic surgical mistakes
• Damage to the nerves
• Infection following surgery
• Oxygen starved brain from general anesthesia complications
• Caesarian section complications and errors

The joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations states that 64 wrong site surgery cases were reported last year--they believe that the actual number of incidents is probably a larger number. Settlements in surgery error cases are estimated to typically be around $600,000.

If you or a loved one has experienced medical malpractice, be sure you are well informed of your rights in the state of Michigan. Please contact the law firm of Jay Trucks & Associates, PC at 1-800-762-8623 to schedule a free consultation today.

Occasionally, a number of individuals, even hundreds or thousands, have the same complaint or legal issue. The class action lawsuit provides a means for these individuals to have their grievance addressed. Jay Trucks & Associates are prepared to assist their clients with this type of suit.

A class action is a civil suit initiated by one or more people for the benefit of themselves and others with the same grievance. Essentially, the other individuals involved in the suit are for the most part in highly similar circumstances that make the suit applicable to them as well.

As an example, if a substantial number of buyers suffer injury from an apparently defective product or service, the courts will examine whether or not the product or service actually caused the injury. Historical examples of class actions suits against manufacturers of products deemed harmful include asbestos, Agent Orange, certain vaccines, tobacco and breast implants. Some examples of products that could potentially be harmful are the following:

• Food and drinks
• Cleaning products
• Toys or games
• Cosmetics or make-up
• Body washes or shampoos
• Medical equipment or devices
• Medications doctors prescribe or over-the-counter medicines

If you or a loved one has been injured by defective products or services, take the time to get to know your rights in the state of Michigan. Please contact the law firm of Jay Trucks & Associates, PC at 1-800-762-8623 to schedule a free consultation today.

Jay Trucks & Associates have helped many auto accident victims gain the financial assistance they need to aid in their recovery. Unfortunately, for many teens, recovery is not an option. Four times more likely to be a fatal statistic in a car accident, teens should be better prepared before they set out for the challenges of the highway.

Crashes take place most frequently during the weekend, between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. Fifty percent of these car accidents are associated with either alcohol, drugs or both, and over 80 percent of all car accidents are connected to errors made by the driver. Statistics also appear to show that teenagers tend to ignore fundamental safety rules around going too fast or using seat belts (of those teenagers killed in a car accident, 60 percent were not wearing seat belts).

Five fatal mistakes have been identified:

1. Not yielding to traffic
2. Failing to adjust to weather or darkness
3. Following too closely
4. Ignoring the speed limit and not wearing a seat belt
5. Using alcohol or drugs while driving

Twenty-five percent of teen male drivers killed in car accidents had high blood alcohol level concentration levels, but 16-year-old girls are as likely to die in crashes as their 16-year-old male counterparts.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, learn what your rights are in the state of Michigan. Please contact the law firm of Jay Trucks & Associates, PC at 1-800-762-8623 to schedule a free consultation today.

Not wearing a seat belt plays a role in more car accident fatalities than any other single driving or passenger behavior. Sixty-three percent of people who die in accidents do not have their seatbelts on. Jay Trucks & Associates have assisted many individuals injured due to their failure to wear a seatbelt.

Young males in the 16-25 age group are the most resistant to seat belt usage—despite colossal education efforts. Even though this group is at the highest level of risk with greater amounts of driving under the influence and speeding, they refuse to accept that they are in danger. Tougher seat belt laws and enforcement of these laws are the only solution to protecting these young men.

It is estimated that seat belts save approximately 9,500 lives each year. Still, only 68 percent of the automobile traveling population uses them. If we increased seat belt usage to 90 percent of Americans, over 5,500 deaths and 132,000 injuries could be prevented yearly.

Even hospital care costs for those who were not wearing a seat belt are 50 percent higher than for those who are in an accident but were wearing a belt. Individually, Americans pays around $580 a year to cover accident victims’ costs. That should be enough to start a crusade encouraging seat belt use among friends and acquaintances.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, take the time to understand your rights in the state of Michigan. Please contact the law firm of Jay Trucks & Associates, PC at 1-800-762-8623 to schedule a free consultation today.

As the victim of an accident occurring while you are on the job in the state of Michigan, or as one who has become disabled from a disease associated with your job, worker's compensation benefits are entitled to you.

Generally speaking, Michigan workers are covered by workers' compensation whether their employers are private or public companies. There are exceptions; these can include the following:

• Federal government employees, such as veterans administration hospital employees, postal employees and those in the military
• Employees working on interstate railroads that have coverage under the Federal Employers Liability Act
• Worker on the sea that are covered by the Merchant Marine Act of 1920
• Workers that load and unload ships that are covered by the Longshoremen's and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act

It is essential that the injury take place at work for workers’ compensation to be viable. Generally this is any easy call, but occasionally, definitions are somewhat tricky. If an employee is on his way to work or home from work, the injury is not likely to be covered. If travel is central to the workers’ job, any injury sustained while traveling will likely be covered.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a work-related accident, be sure you understand your workers’ compensation rights in the state of Michigan. Please contact the law firm of Jay Trucks & Associates, PC at 1-800-762-8623 to schedule a free consultation today

Most car accidents are the result of some type of distracted behavior. Around 98 percent of car accidents involve just one driver not focusing on the road. Common distractions include:

• Drivers slowing down to observe events occurring on the road
• Drivers speaking on their cellular phones
• Fatigue of the driver
• Passengers distracting the driver
• Drivers adjusting their radios, etc.

The courts examine factors such as driving without regard to the speed limit, not using turn signals, not adjusting driving to weather or traffic conditions, ignoring traffic signs, or using alcohol while driving to decide if the driver was driving unsafely. Several other causes of accidents are prevalent:

• Driving recklessly: This includes aggressive actions such as driving too fast, unsafe or extreme lane changing, or passing in an unsafe manner.
• Driving drunk: Some estimates state that a person is killed by a driver under the influence of alcohol every 30 minutes.
• Defective vehicles: Defects may exist in the driver’s vehicle, causing an accident; a supplier or manufacturer could be at fault.
• Deteriorating roads
• Traffic signals not operating properly

If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, be sure you have full knowledge of your rights in the state of Michigan. Please contact the law firm of Jay Trucks & Associates, PC at 1-800-762-8623 to schedule a free consultation today.

If you or a loved one is a pedestrian, driver or passenger that has been hurt in a car-related accident, compensation for pain and suffering may be available to you to help you manage associated medical bills. Car accident related injuries can be quite serious if they are not fatal. Victims may experience:

• Brain injuries
• Joint, bone, and muscle injuries
• Whiplash
• Burns and lacerations
• Fractures or amputations
• Head, neck or spinal cord injuries

Michigan car accident victims must file a lawsuit for injuries sustained from an automobile accident within three years of the accident. A closer evaluation of the law reveals that you must act much more quickly. Michigan law states that you must document symptoms of closed head injuries or traumatic brain injury right away or it will difficult to achieve any settlement for medical services.

Document any and all symptoms immediately after your accident. What may seem like a minor injury can get worse over time.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, be sure you understand your rights in the state of Michigan. Please contact the law firm of Jay Trucks & Associates, PC at 1-800-762-8623 to schedule a free consultation today.