Automobile Accidents
Auto accidents are the leading cause of death for Americans under the age of thirty-four. Annually, auto accidents are responsible for over 37,000 deaths in the United States and 1.25 million deaths globally. This includes over 1,600 children under 15 years old. Each year, nearly 2.35 million people are injured or disabled due to injuries sustained in auto accidents. As a citizen of the United States you are likely to be involved in at least one automobile accident in your lifetime.
Common auto accident injuries include neck injury, whiplash, head and brain injury, paralysis, joint, bone, and muscle injuries. If you are involved in an auto accident, and you are injured, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible.
Personal injury claims stemming from auto accident injuries can hinge on the accuracy of medical records and medical billing that correlates the automobile accident to the claimants injuries. Generally, the more time that elapses between the date of a auto accident and the date that medical treatment is sought (and received), the more difficult to prove the connection between the accident and claimed injuries.
Insurance companies adamantly defend against frivolous personal injury claims. One way to prove that your injuries were directly caused by an auto accident is to seek medical attention within a reasonable amount of time following an accident, follow your physician’s orders, and treat only as much as is medically necessary for you to recover from your injuries.
In some cases, automobile accidents resulting in personal injuries (or extensive property loss) lead to lawsuits. Damages sought after auto accidents can include the cost of medical treatment, the cost of any future medical treatment, loss of property, and income loss. If you’ve been injured in an automobile accident, the Law Offices of Sean E. Puritz can help. We offer free consultations where a qualified Chico automobile accident attorney will answer your questions and determine the best course of action for your specific situation.
Burn Injuries
Burns are extremely painful and take a very long time to heal. Most doctors consider severe burns to be the most painful category of injury. Victims with severe injuries from burns often require a series of surgeries and skin grafts to replace tissue damaged by burns. Burns severely affect the victims’ quality of life, and can require long-term, costly medical care. Some burns will need dozens of surgeries to conduct skin grafts, prevent joint contractures, and treat infections
Burns affect millions of Americans every year, often due to occupational hazards, negligence, or product malfunctions. Burns originating in the fault or negligence of another may result in large settlements to offset treatment of burns, replace lost wages, and compensate for decline in quality of life and emotional/psychological damages.
If you or a loved one has suffered injury or death as a result of burns originating in the fault or negligence of another, The Law Offices of Sean E. Puritz can help answer your questions and determine the best course of action for your specific situation.
Truck & Big Rig Accidents
A trucking accident occurs when large trucks (10,000+ lbs.) collide with other vehicles or pedestrians. Around 500,000 trucking accidents occur every year in the United States. Of these, approximately 5,000 trucking accidents result in fatalities. In fact, one out of every eight traffic fatalities involves a trucking accident. Most of the deaths and injuries involve the passengers of vehicles; truck drivers usually escape trucking accidents with little or no personal injury.
If a trucking accident does occur, record as much information as possible, including names and contact information of witnesses. Trucking accidents usually involve extensive property and personal damages. Lawsuits may recover losses due to trucking accidents, and consulting an attorney familiar with the specific laws and insurance regulations governing trucking accident settlements can help you determine your best legal course of action.
If you have been involved in a trucking accident, the Law Offices of Sean E. Puritz can help answer your questions and determine the best course of action for your specific situation.
Pedestrian & Bicycle Accidents
Pedestrian and cycling accidents are very common, and often result in significant injury. Pedestrians and cyclists have very little protection, and are very vulnerable when a collision with a motor vehicle occurs. Many pedestrian/bicycle vs. motor vehicle accidents result in significant injury or death, and many times the fault is not with the injured party.
If you or a loved one has suffered injury or death in a pedestrian or bicycle accident, you may be eligible to seek compensation for your losses and suffering. The Law Offices of Sean E. Puritz can help answer your questions and determine the best course of action for your specific situation.
Wrongful Death
A death resulting from misconduct on the part of another person or a company is considered a “wrongful death”. The misconduct by the responsible party can range from negligence or carelessness to an intentional criminal act resulting in a wrongful death. There are a number of wrongful death situations, including work-related accidents, medical mistakes or malpractice, automobile and plane accidents, and sports related accidents. A wrongful death may also occur due to the unsafe nature of the premises on which the incident occurs.
The loss of a loved one is always devastating, and the trauma surrounding a wrongful death can be especially difficult to deal with. However, if a loved one has died as the result of another’s wrongdoing or negligence, filing a wrongful death suit may help to bring some sense of resolution to the loss of life. In addition, a party found liable for a wrongful death will be held accountable, minimizing the chances that another person will suffer or die due to the same circumstances.
If you believe that the death of a loved one resulted from the negligence of another party, the wrongful death attorneys at Law Offices of Sean E. Puritz can help answer your questions and determine the best course of action for your specific situation.
Dog Bites
When dog bites occur, they can potentially result in serious injuries, including disfigurement and death. Sadly, dog bites occur on a relatively frequent basis. Each year in the United States, approximately 4.7 million people suffer dog bites with approximately 800,000 of those requiring medical care. Even worse, most dog bites are sustained by children.
Fortunately, those who have suffered serious injury or harm as a result of a dog bite have legal rights. Dog owners, landlords, care centers, and former dog owners can all be held accountable for dog bite injuries.
If you or a loved one has been attacked by a dog, the Law Offices of Sean E. Puritz can help answer your questions and determine the best course of action for your specific situation.
Boating Accidents
In general, inattentive or inexperienced operators, careless or reckless operation and excessive speed are the leading causes of all boating accidents. Additionally, approximately 80 percent of all boating accident fatalities occurred on vessels where the operator had not received boating safety instruction; alcohol was involved in 39 percent of all fatal boating accidents.
Boat operators are responsible for the safety of their passengers and must take proper precautions to ensure boating accidents do not occur. If you or a loved one have been involved in a boating accident and have sustained injury, the Law Offices of Sean E. Puritz can help answer your questions and determine the best course of action for your specific situation.
Motorcycle Accidents
Motorcycle accidents comprise a significant number of accident-related fatalities each year, approximately eight percent, even though motorcyclists represent a minority of drivers (a mere two percent) on the road. Because motorcycles lack the weight and bulk of automobiles, as well as certain safety features like a roof, airbags, and seatbelts, motorcyclists suffer from a higher rate of injury and fatality in accidents.
If you or a loved one has suffered injury or death in a motorcycle accident, you may be eligible to seek compensation for your losses and suffering. The Law Offices of Sean E. Puritz can help answer your questions and determine the best course of action for your specific situation.
Slip & Fall Accidents
Studies show that 60 percent of all falls are related to a slipping or tripping incident, with such likely causes as a foreign object on the walking surface, a design flaw in the walking surface, a slippery surface caused by weather or a spill, or a person’s impaired physical or mental condition. If the latter is the case, or if the injured party in the slip and fall incident should have been aware of the dangerous surface and avoided it, the fault lies solely on the victim.
In other cases, however, liability can be questioned. In order for a slip and fall victim to win such cases, it must be proven that the owner of the premises either caused the damage to the walking surface, knew of the dangerous spot and did nothing about it, or should have known about the dangerous surface because it should have been discovered, reported or repaired by a so-called “reasonable” person taking care of the property.
If you or a loved one has suffered injury or death as a result of a slip & fall or unsafe property, you may be eligible to seek compensation for your losses and suffering. The Law Offices of Sean E. Puritz can help answer your questions and determine the best course of action for your specific situation.