Injury leading to a Wrongful Death at an Ohio Water park
A grandfather with 2 grandchildren is visiting a recreational park in Ohio. The park has a waterslide, and while the grand parent and his grandkids are going down the slide a wooden beam inside the tunnel collapses, hits the grand father leading to a severe injury which kills him. In Ohio, losing a family member or loved one due to the negligence of others is known as a "wrongful death". As an experienced accident and injury attorney I have often represented the family of a deceased relative to protect their rights and to hold the responsible parties legally and financially responsible. I can manage all of the details associated with the case so that the family may focus on grieving and recovering from their loss.
Ohio wrongful death cases are brought by the estate of the deceased. In this case I handled all of the correspondence and negotiations with the park, insurance representatives, inspectors and authorities representing the State of Ohio. There was obvious negligence on the part of the owner of the waterslide, but the State of Ohio Department of Agriculture had obviously failed to inspect the facility. I am one of the few lawyers in Ohio to obtain a financial settlement from the Ohio State Department of Agriculture. The grandfather's family received substantial compensation from the insurance company of the waterslide's operator, as well as a settlement from the State of Ohio.
Utility Company and their Contractor Held Responsible for the Death of a Father
It was a snowy day in Ohio, and a father is enjoying sledding with his children in his own backyard. The sled overturns and the Dad is impaled on a piece of metal "rebar" which is partially sticking out of the ground. The injury leads to his death, and the family is suddenly without their father as well as the income he provided for their home.
I represented the estate of the husband and father, and investigated the circumstances which led to his untimely and unfortunate death. A gas company had dug a trench in the family's back yard a few years before, and hired a subcontractor to complete the work and fill in the trench. The subcontractor left the site with the metal rebar sticking out of the ground resulting in the negligent hazard which caused his loss. I pursued the gas company and their subcontractors to hold them accountable for the wrongful death of the father and to ensure that a substantial financial settlement did as much as possible to recover their losses and provide for their future.
Graduation Night Accident Involving Alcohol
It is customary and appropriate to celebrate the joyous occasion of a graduation from high school, college, and many important occasions in life. My experience shows that it is important to make sure that we as parents are protecting our underage children, and do not allow alcohol or other intoxicants to be served at the celebrations.
On this particular night a car with celebrating graduates is traveling from one party to another. The driver, who is intoxicated, loses control of the vehicle striking a tree. The accident results in the death of the driver and one of the passengers, and another passenger (my client, a young father) is severely injured resulting in the permanent loss of the use of his limbs. One moment he is enjoying a wonderful occasion, the next he is a quadriplegic with special needs for the rest of his life.
It was important to retain an experienced and proven accident and injury lawyer to investigate the chain of events which led to the intoxication of the underage driver, the accident itself, and to hold the responsible parties accountable. The kids had attended a party at the home of a friend where parents had served alcohol. In addition, one of the kids had illegally purchased alcohol from an Ohio establishment.
After a thorough reconstruction of the night's events, I successfully pursued a "Dram Shop" action against the business with the liquor license who sold alcohol to the underage kids. There were complex negotiations with the insurance company of the driver, as well as the parents who served alcohol earlier in the evening. In addition, I helped to make sure that the client sought and obtained the Social Security Disability income to which he was entitled. As a result, we were able to obtain a just and comprehensive financial settlement and established a financial plan for the client and his child to provide for their present and future financial needs.The Wrongful Death of a Motorcyclist
In another case, I represented the estate of a biker who was killed when the driver of a pickup truck pulled out carelessly in front of him. Even though he was wearing a helmet, the accident resulted in severe injuries leading to his death. As an avid biker myself, I am keenly aware of the behavior of other drivers and vehicles with whom we share the road. We can be the most responsible and cautious drivers, but our motorcycle is no match for vehicles which change lanes or pull out in front of us without seeing us.
I aggressively pursued the driver of the pickup truck and obtained a substantial financial settlement for the family of the motorcyclist who lost his life. It is fulfilling to provide comfort and support to a family in these situations by handling all of the investigation and legal details of an incident, allowing them to focus on healing and coming to terms with the loss of their loved one.
Motorcyclist and His Passenger Injured When Car Crosses the Center Line
A motorcycle rider and his passenger are enjoying a ride together when an oncoming vehicle crosses the center line, heading directly toward them. The motorcycle driver lays his bike down to avoid a collision, resulting in severe injuries to both the driver and the passenger of the bike. The driver has 2 broken legs, and both have severe soft tissue injuries including lacerations, bruising and "road rash". The passenger, a woman, is left with permanent facial scarring.
The driver of the responsible vehicle was minimally insured. Unfortunately, in Ohio many drivers are minimally insured (to meet the State of Ohio's minimum insurance requirements) or have no insurance at all. This is known as an "Uninsured Motorist" or "Underinsured Motorist". The motorcycle rider and his passenger were left with substantial medical bills and loss of income, and the insurance of the person who caused the accident did not provide enough to provide adequate compensation.
If you are injured in an accident due to someone else's negligence it is important to immediately seek an experienced Ohio accident and injury attorney who can help to find all potential sources of financial recovery. In this case I was able to pursue the biker's own insurance company under the uninsured and underinsured motorist portion of his policy. In many cases, an injured person's own medical insurance provider (versus his motor vehicle insurance carrier) can provide substantial benefits. There are complicated legal issues between these types of insurance and the resulting "Med Pay" disputes require an experienced and aggressive lawyer to stand up to the adjusters and attorneys of the insurance companies and to protect the legal and financial rights of those who are injured - my clients.
