Category: Personal Injury

Severe burns can play a big role in a number of different types of personal injury claims. For starters, those involved in vehicle accidents, whether it be a car, truck, or something else, can sustain severe burns for a number of reasons. Others may sustain a severe burn due to a dangerous property condition that led to a house fire or a defective product such as a space heater. Regardless of the specific cause, a severe burn can have devastating and lasting implications for a person’s health and well-being. The full extent of the impacts that can come with such an injury should be accounted for in any personal injury damage award pursued to help ensure the victim is properly compensated.

Symptoms and Effects of Severe Burn Injuries

The immediate symptoms of a severe burn can be really painful and uncomfortable in and of themselves. Such symptoms include:

• Blistering
• Pain
• Swelling
• Pale and clammy skin
• Weakness
• Peeling skin
• Decreased alertness

While many who suffer even severe burns make a successful recovery with minimal long-term impacts beyond scarring, many of these kinds of injuries have effects spanning a person’s entire lifetime. In fact, the health risks associated with a severe burn have led some medical experts to advocate for this type of injury to be classified as a chronic disease. The fact that severe burns have been linked to increased risks for so many other serious health conditions means that classifying it as a chronic disease would help healthcare providers monitor a patient’s condition to more effectively and efficiently identify when these other health concerns arose.

Severe burns have been shown to increase the risk of:

• Cancer
• Cardiovascular disease
• Circulatory system disease
• Diabetes
• Gastrointestinal disease
• Musculoskeletal disorders
• Anxiety and depression
• PTSD
• Hypermetabolism
• Nervous system conditions
• Infectious disease
• Chronic and persistent pain

In addition to having an increased risk for all of these serious health conditions, burn victims also face the potential to have persistent and long-term health problems associated with the burn injury itself. For instance, those who have suffered severe burns often have continuous problems with the burn site after it has healed. Hypertrophic scarring, for instance, is a really common complication to experience with a burn injury. This refers to the raised skin that forms around the original burn during the healing process. This scarring can have a serious impact on the burn victim’s ability to function, however. It can also have seriously detrimental impacts on their body image, leading to depression.

Contractures are also complications that arise as a result of a burn that has healed, but the scar continues to develop. As the scar continues to mature, it thickens and tightens which leads to a constriction of movement. This is particularly a problem when the scarring is happening over a joint. When these types of scars develop on the joints of the lower extremities, it can be difficult for the person to take a seat and walk around. When these types of scars develop on the upper extremities, activities of daily living can become very difficult if not impossible. Those tasks requiring fine motor skills can be particularly difficult depending on where the scarring has occurred. 

Central New York Personal Injury Attorneys

If you have suffered a severe burn injury as a result of someone else’s negligence, make sure the full extent of your injury’s impacts is taken into account. At CDH Law, we fight to help ensure our clients are fully compensated for the harm they have suffered. Contact us today.

New Yorkers wait through a seemingly endless amount of snow days, cold days, and overcast days until we get to summer. It really is a magical time for the state and you will see people out in droves to enjoy the season. While you are out enjoying the fine weather and the school break with your family, be sure to take care and be aware of some of the risks that summer brings along with the nicer weather. This can be a critical step towards keeping everyone that much safer.

Summertime and Personal Injuries: What Is the Correlation? 

It seems that, yes, summertime does have a heightened risk of personal injury. This is the season that has traditionally proved to show increases in the number of accidents and personal injury claims. So, as you make those summer plans and enjoy all that the season has to offer, be aware of those factors that seem to contribute to that increased risk of personal injury in the summer and take precautionary steps accordingly.

One type of personal injury incident that seems to increase in the summer is the occurrence of motor vehicle crashes. In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that the time frame between Memorial Day and Labor Day is a primary time for motor vehicle crashes across the country. This is likely due to a number of factors. Consider, for instance, the fact that summer brings an increased number of drivers onto the road. The weather is nice and people are on vacation, driving roads they may be unfamiliar with. They are taking trips and getting out to enjoy the weather. There also tends to be more road construction in the summer as well as more teen drivers and more drinking and driving.

Bicycle accidents also tend to be common in the summer month. Bicycling can be a great way to enjoy the beautiful summer months and, thus, tends to be a more popular pastime and form of transportation in this season. More bikes out there, more cars out there, and more pedestrians out there, combined with other factors like increased road construction, however, all contribute to the chances of a bike accident occurring. If you plan to be out on your bike this summer, be sure you are fitted with the proper safety gear, such as a helmet, and familiarize yourself with your biking route as well as the relevant laws applicable to bike riding.

Slip and falls are also a problem in the summer months. While winter may bring ice and snow, summer brings rainy days, cracks in concrete, and hazards littering lawns everywhere, including ladders, landscaping equipment, and toys. Kids are outside running around. Adults are running around trying to wrangle them. Take care when you are out and about. 

Summertime also is a common time for other personal injury accidents including:

• Dog bites
• Pedestrian accidents
• Electric scooter accidents
• Amusement park accidents
• Pool accidents

Central New York Personal Injury Attorneys

Enjoy this summer season as safely as possible. Should you be injured in an accident caused by someone else’s negligence, you can count on the team at CDH Law to protect and enforce your legal rights. Contact us today.

The fact is that, even on the best days, a construction site is a dangerous place to be. Workers are doing intense physical labor that is often highly skilled as well. There are powerful machines. Often, work is done at great heights or on the side of the road. Because of this, there are inherent risks to working construction jobs. Construction workers injured on the job can often be living with serious injuries, constant pain, and financial problems exacerbated by steep medical bills and missed work.

Fortunately, the law provides a variety of legal protections to help injured workers seek proper compensation for the harm they have suffered. Understanding your rights and how to access them is critical. Our team at CDH Law can help you do just that and help secure you full and fair compensation for your construction site injuries.

What Are the Most Common Injuries Sustained in a Construction Accident?

Because of the range and variety of dangers present on construction sites, there is also a range and variety of injuries that commonly take place in construction work. Often, however, the injuries are severe. Some of the most common injuries sustained on construction sites include:

• Broken bones
• Knee and other joint injuries
• Spinal cord injuries (in severe cases, this can include paraplegia or quadriplegia)
• Shoulder injuries
• Vision impairment or blindness
• Head injuries
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Chemical exposure injuries
• Electrocution

It may also come as no surprise that these injuries are often caused by the most common types of construction site accidents. Among the most common types of accidents that occur on construction sites, falling from significant heights is among the most prominent. Workers on construction sites often find themselves at elevated heights. This may be working in a building or on scaffolding. Sometimes, the use of machinery elevates workers to significantly above ground level. Falling from any one of these things can easily be fatal or at the very least lead to significant injuries.

Workers can also fall into pits, holes, and ditches located throughout many construction sites. There are also trenches dug for various reasons and it is not uncommon for these trenches to collapse. Workers in collapsed trenches risk having their air supply cut off. Furthermore, there is the risk of sustaining injury by being crushed in the trench collapse.

As previously stated, the big machines on a construction site can be a big risk to workers. Between the power tools and machinery, as well as working with generators and electrical wiring, it is understandable that electric shock is also among one of the most common construction site accidents. Workers can suffer serious electrical burns as a result. This can lead to both external and internal damage to the body as the electric current may run through the body.

Central New York Construction Accident Attorneys

If you have been injured on a construction site, understanding your rights to compensation can be critical to helping you get back on your feet. You may be able to pursue compensation through a third-party lawsuit. The team at CDH Law is here to help. Contact us today.

When you reach the settlement phase of your personal injury case, you will be faced with a choice. Do you want to take your settlement as a lump sum, which would be a check for the full settlement amount? Or, do you want to invest all or part of your settlement in a structured annuity and receive payment over time at a guaranteed interest rate? The second option is referred to as a structured settlement and it is an attractive option for a number of reasons. Let’s take a closer look at structured settlements here.

What to Know About a Structured Settlement

With a structured settlement, you are, essentially, entering into a contract with an insurance company for the purchase of an annuity. You give the insurance company a lump sum portion of your settlement or your settlement in full upfront and then the insurance company provides you with regular monetary distributions from the annuity at a set interest rate.

Why would you take a structured settlement as opposed to a lump sum settlement? Well, there are several reasons. You would receive interest on the structured settlement investment. Some may say, “But couldn’t I just invest my settlement proceeds in something like the stock market and get interest that way?” Yes, you could, but this goes to one of the other benefits of a structured settlement.

You see, back in 1982, Congress passed The Periodic Payment Settlement Act of 1982. This Act was a formal recognition of the benefits of structured settlements and encouraged the use of structured settlements. After the Act passed, the Internal Revenue Code was modified to exempt personal injury settlements from taxation if the settlement proceeds were invested in a qualified structured settlement annuity. This means that the interest distributed from your annuity would not be taxed, but interest earned due to any increases in stock purchased with your lump sum settlement proceeds would be taxed. The interest on the annuity is also guaranteed whereas there is no guarantee that your stock will go up in value.

Additionally, structured settlements provide protection from other people accessing your settlement proceeds. It is a barrier to others gaining access to your money. Furthermore, putting your settlement in an annuity eliminates the need for you to manage your settlement proceeds as it is taken care of for you.

Before you take the structured settlement option for your personal injury settlement, be sure to review everything with your lawyer. Discuss whether this is the best way for you to go and the potential implications of entering into a structured settlement. You may also want to discuss all the customizable aspects of a structured settlement. You can decide how much of your settlement you would want to invest, when you would want payouts from the annuity, and more.

Central New York Personal Injury Attorneys

At CDH Law, our team takes care of you from the beginning to the end of the personal injury claim process. We fight for the injured. Contact us today.

Well New Yorkers, winter is upon us. Whether you love the chilly days or plan to hibernate for as much of the season as possible, the ice and snow is here for the foreseeable future. As such it is important to brush up on your winter driving safety practices. After all, even for the most seasoned winter warriors among us, New York winter driving hazards can be perilous. Let’s take a look at some such hazards and how we can all stay safe on the roads this season.

New York Winter Driving Hazards

What creates winter driving hazards? The low temperatures, the icy conditions, and the snowy conditions. These are the real root causes to pretty much all of the winter driving hazards. Consider the snow and ice, for instance. Ice and snow on the road can not only be difficult to see, but can easily cause you to lose control of your vehicle as the tires struggle to grip these slick surfaces. The lack of traction due to snow and ice can make it difficult to stop your car and it can also make it difficult to steer your car.

There are also the visibility issues to consider when discussing winter driving hazards. Ice and snow buildup on your windshield and mirrors can bring your visibility on the road to a minimum. There may also be cars driving by that kick up snow onto your windshield. On top of all of this, you may also have visibility issues due to problems within your car as well. A low functioning heater or window defroster in your car can make condensation buildup nearly impossible to combat. Foggy, icy, or snowy windshields are not going to afford you much of an ability to clearly see the path ahead of you and can be incredibly dangerous as a result.

There are also some dangerous side effects to the low temperatures we experience in New York winters. For instance, cold air impacts tire pressure. The lower temperatures causes a reduction in tire air pressure. This means that your properly inflated summer tires may not be up to snuff for the winter. Additionally, cold weather can lead to battery failure. Batteries struggle in the cold to provide sufficient charge to start a car’s engine. In colder temperature, more charge is required. This means that many end up stranded in the cold because they cannot get their car to start.

Speaking of being stranded in cold temperatures, because of all of the winter hazards out there, it is always recommended that you keep a winter emergency kit in your car. In the event that you experience car problems during the winter season, a well-stocked winter emergency kit can be invaluable. In this kit, consider including things like blankets and extra clothing. It should also contain flashlights, water, and hardy snacks.

Personal Injury Attorneys

Stay safe out there, New York. If you are injured in an accident caused by someone acting negligent this winter season, you can count on the dedicated personal injury team at CDH Law to help fight for full and fair compensation. Contact us today.

Rarely a day goes by that person does not access their social media accounts. Social media has become ingrained in our everyday lives. We have come to depend on it to provide us with updates on friends and loved ones near and far. It provides a sense of community and support to many. We post our thoughts, share our feelings, and show people a glimpse into our lives. There are so many benefits of social media, but it does not come without its risks. This can be particularly and poignantly true when it comes to the time following an accident. Accident victims risk more than they may know when using social media while they have an injury claim pending with an insurance company. Here is why you should think twice before using social media after an accident.

Think Twice Before Using Social Media After an Accident

Insurance companies investigate claimants. This is a fact. You may not believe it, but insurance companies have vast resources and they use it to protect their bottom line. This means looking into the lives of claimants to see if there are any weaknesses in their accident claims. Insurance companies will dispatch investigators to follow claimants around, covertly taking pictures of their day to day comings and goings. It will also involve a thorough search of the claimant’s online presence.

Well, you may think that there is nothing on your social media that could hurt your claim. You may think that you would never post anything that would hurt your claim. The trouble comes with the fact that even the most seemingly innocent social media activity can end up undermining your claim or completely destroying it.

For instance, you may post something about the accident after it happened. It may be just a simple “I was in an accident, but I am okay.” Innocent enough, right? Well, saying you are “okay” after an accident can be twisted around as you saying you were not hurt in the accident. This is a sticking point if you have a pending injury claim related to that very accident. It doesn’t matter if your intention was only to assuage the fears of your loved ones that you may have been seriously injured, an insurance company will use it as it can.

After an accident, you have to carry on with your everyday life despite the new challenges you may face. Doing this and posting evidence of this on social media can read very differently. For instance, you may have posted pictures from your weekend hike or kayaking trip. When these kinds of pictures get in front of an insurance adjuster, however, they can spin it in a different direction. They can claim that it does not look like you are that hurt or that you are suffering too much after an accident. Posts and photographic evidence of things like this can be compelling. Even if the reality is different, pictures like this can be difficult to refute.

Personal Injury Attorneys

After an accident, call CDH Law. We know the tricks of the insurance company and we are not only here to protect you from them, but to stand up and fight for you. Contact us today.

Being injured in an accident is an overwhelming ordeal to go through. After such a traumatic experience, there are still battles and hurdles to overcome afterwards. While trying to cope with the pain of your injuries, you may feel helpless as you watch medical expenses pile up. You may be missing out on wage earnings due to missed time at work. The anxiety and financial pressure can be severe. It is no wonder accident victims are often extremely eager to reach a resolution on their personal injury claim. While most personal injury claims end in reaching a settlement with the insurance company, what happens when settlement negotiations do not work in a personal injury case?

When Settlement Negotiations Don’t Work in Personal Injury Cases

Settlement negotiations on a personal injury claim usually begin with the sending of a demand letter to the insurance company. The demand letter will outline the events of the accident. It will detail the property damage and, perhaps most importantly, it will detail the injuries sustained by the claimant in the accident. The claimant’s damages will be broken down and estimated. This will all be presented to the insurance company. As a result, the insurance company will likely generate their initial offer on the claim.

Now, brace yourself for that initial offer, because, after all you have been through, you may be disheartened by it. It is often extremely low and not nearly what you deserve to be paid out on your claim. The insurance company is often hoping that the claimant will accept this initial offer in a desperate attempt to quickly resolve the claim and get at least some much-needed compensation to cover expenses. Remember that once you accept an insurance company’s settlement offer, you will be asked to sign a release that will prevent you from bringing any future claims on this accident. In other words, you get one shot to recover the compensation you deserve for the harm you have suffered in the accident. Do not get wrapped up on the idea of a quick recovery when it could have such a significant impact in the long term.

After the initial settlement offer made by the insurance company, there will often be a back and forth exchange of offers and counteroffers. In most cases, a settlement agreement is reached. There are some cases, however, where an insurance company will fail to come back with a reasonable offer. They will not budge and you as the claimant will have some tough choices to make. At this point in the process, it is time to seriously consider the possibility of filing a lawsuit against the insurance company.

By bringing your claim to court, it is important to realize that you could leave the courthouse with nothing. You could, however, end up being awarded much more than you would have gotten through settlement negotiations. The point is that you must take a good, hard look at your claim. How strong is it? Are there any potential questions as to who is actually liable for causing the accident? Is the medical evidence of your injuries clear, consistent, and solid? If you have a strong claim, then it may be a good idea to file a lawsuit.

Personal Injury Attorneys

The time dealing with the insurance company after an accident can be frustrating, especially after all an accident injury victim has been through. Hand this burden over to the dedicated team at CDH Law. We are here to fight for you. Contact us today.