In this Issue — February 2011
- This month’s drawing question.
Congratulations to Matthew M. Who won last month’s $50.00 gift card!!
Kenneth F. who recently won the lobster tails from Wholey’s Fish Market for correctly answering December’s Newsletter question, called me last week. Ken told me how good his lobster tails were. And they were delivered right to his house in dry ice!! Ken said they tasted fantastic!! Glad you enjoyed them, Ken!!
So for another shot at winning free lobster tails from Wholey’s (delivered right to your house) answer this question:
Name any Pittsburgh Steeler who has been elected into the Hall of Fame.
- LEARNING FROM THE EXPERTS
On January 19, 2011, I went to a legal seminar entitled “Understanding Neuropsychological Injuries Resulting From Head Trauma”. The featured speaker was Michael Collins, PhD and head of UPMC Sports Medicine Concussion Program. Dr. Collins is internationally recognized for his expertise regarding head trauma, post concussion syndrome and neuropsychological injuries.
Dr. Collins also speaks nationally on these issues and is recognized as one of the top experts in his field. He discussed issues related to recognizing and understanding cognitive injuries resulting from traumatic brain injuries which can be complicated and often are missed or mis-diagnosed by doctors and hospitals.
He is the guy who basically decides when Sidney Crosby can get back on the ice after a hit, or when Ben Roethlisberger, our Steelers quarterback, can go back to playing football after being knocked out. Talk about job pressure!
Angela and Denise, our two tremendous Paralegals, also attended. We basically went to the seminar because so many of our clients, past and present, have suffered from concussions and head trauma from their accidents.
It was an extremely informative seminar. Dr. Collins spoke at length without notes about all aspects of a head trauma case. One of the things I learned from the seminar is that a large portion of concussions and head traumas go undetected and undiagnosed. Further, many times Emergency Room Departments, because they are so busy and understaffed, do not properly diagnose the patient’s injuries. You could have a head trauma injury from your accident case and not even know it because it didn’t show up on an MRI.
I strongly recommend that any reader or client, who is suffering from memory loss, amnesia, excessive headaches, irritability, crankiness or inability to concentrate, contact the UPMC Sports Medicine Treatment Center in South Side, near where the Steelers practice. The phone number is 412-281-8700.
- SCARY: Resident Relative Blues!
See if you can guess the right answer to this legal issue. Want to know how technical the law can be? Consider this – In order to qualify for insurance coverage in an auto accident, generally the injured person must be considered a “resident relative” of the insured. That means, first, the injured person must be a relative of the person who bought the insurance coverage. For example, a child, brother, sister, aunt or uncle of the insured would qualify as a relative. Second, the injured person must reside (live) at the same address as the policyholder.
So, what if the injured person is a relative and lives next door to the policyholder? What if the victim lives at 116 Wells Street and mom, the policyholder, lives at 118 Wells Street? Does the child get benefits under mom’s insurance policy? The answer is NO, because technically the child did not reside with mom (even though she lived immediately next door and was severely injured). 116 Wells Street vs. 118 Wells Street is what doomed a recent court case for an attorney friend of mine.
This is an example of the types of issues Courts must deal with constantly. Here is another example. What about children who go away to college and are away from the parent’s home nine months out of the year? If they are hurt in an auto accident, are they residents of their parent’s household? The answer is usually yes because their college address is considered a temporary residence.
- CONSIDER US
If you or someone you know has been hurt in any of the following situations, please feel free to contact me for a free consultation: Personal Injury cases, Injuries Involving Surgery of any kind, Children’s Injuries, Fractured Bones, Vehicle Accidents, Catastrophic Injuries, Medical Malpractice cases, Wrongful Death cases, Product Liability/Defective Product cases, Homeowners Liability cases, Workers Compensation cases and Criminal Defense.
- GO PENGUINS!!