Greenwood Village Personal Injury Law Blog

Why do most motorcycle accidents happen?

On behalf of Tomazin, Hillyard & Clor, LLP on Wednesday, August 21, 2019.

Many people choose to ride motorcycles because they enjoy the freedom of the open road and the sense of adventure they get when they are on the bike. While bikers share the same rights as drivers of other types of vehicles, other Colorado drivers don't always understand this. In fact, the road can be a very dangerous place for bikers.

Because bikers are largely unprotected against the impact of a crash with another vehicle, a motorcycle accident can result in grave injuries or even death. It is the responsibility of each driver to know how to safely share the road with motorbikes and how to avoid accidents. Many of these types of motor vehicle collisions are preventable with caution and attentive driving.

What happens if an accident leaves you permanently disabled?

On behalf of Tomazin, Hillyard & Clor, LLP on Wednesday, August 21, 2019.

An accident can change your life in a matter of seconds. This is especially true for severe car accidents or motorcycle crashes. One moment you are driving to work, heading to the grocery store or on the way to pick up your child, and the next you are in pain and your vehicle sustained serious damage. At some point, it may become obvious to you that your life will never be the same.

While the pain may subside and you may regain some of your strength, you may not be able to go back to work. Some injuries are severe to the point that they leave a Colorado victim with limited physical capabilities, permanent exhaustion and other persistent medical needs. If you are in this situation after an accident, you may be able to move forward with a disability claim.

Monkey attack on Wayne Newton's former estate leads to lawsuit

On behalf of Tomazin, Hillyard & Clor, LLP posted in premises liability on Thursday, August 15, 2019.

During a tour of Wayne Newton's former estate in Las Vegas, a 15-year-old girl was apparently attacked by a monkey that was kept there as a pet. This occurred back in October 2017. Now, the mother of that girl has filed a lawsuit against both Newton and the company that owns the estate. Colorado residents should know that the plaintiff is asking a minimum of $15,000 in damages.

The estate is called Casa de Shenandoah and is both a museum and a tourist attraction. Guests can tour the 40-acre mansion with its gardens, its stables for the Las Vegas singer's horses and its collection of exotic animals. Both the mother and daughter went on this tour upon invitation. The lawsuit alleges that the pet monkey had attacked without provocation.

What you should do if a negligent driver has hit you

On behalf of Tomazin, Hillyard & Clor, LLP on Friday, August 9, 2019.

You watch as another driver drifts into your lane. You immediately try to remove yourself from his path, but unfortunately, he ends up striking you. Now, you must deal with damage to your car along with life-disrupting injuries.

Fortunately, you have the right to seek compensation for the losses you incur in a motor vehicle accident resulting from another driver's negligence in Colorado. Here is what you need to do immediately following your accident to protect your best interests long-term.

Groups push for mandatory sleep apnea screening for truckers

On behalf of Tomazin, Hillyard & Clor, LLP posted in auto accidents on Friday, August 2, 2019.

Truckers in Colorado, as elsewhere, sometimes have a hard time sleeping. Some individuals, in fact, suffer from obstructive sleep apnea, a sleep disorder characterized by pauses in one's breathing that last at least 10 seconds. If left untreated, it causes truckers to suffer from high blood pressure, memory lapses and drowsiness behind the wheel.

Sleep apnea screening became mandatory under the Obama administration, though the Trump administration has overturned this rule. However, many experts encourage companies to mandate screening as long as they can afford it. Besides cost, there are concerns over the time that truckers must spend away from work to be screened and treated. One patient support group, Truckers for a Cause, has helped minimize this downtime.

Do you know why your car accident happened?

On behalf of Tomazin, Hillyard & Clor, LLP on Friday, July 26, 2019.

One moment, you may be driving down the road, and the next moment, you could be sitting inside of your damaged vehicle after another driver caused an accident. Do you know what to do next? Do you know how to pick up the pieces and get back on your feet after an accident that was not your fault? One of the first steps is determining exactly what happened.

It's not always easy to know why an accident happened. However, in most cases, accidents are the result of human error. If you are the victim of someone else's reckless or negligent actions, you do not have to suffer alone. It is possible that you could have grounds for a civil claim against that Colorado driver, through which you may be able to claim compensation for your losses and damages.

Women more prone to car crash injuries than men, study finds

On behalf of Tomazin, Hillyard & Clor, LLP posted in auto accidents on Monday, July 15, 2019.

There is no doubt that newer cars are safer than older models. A study in the journal Traffic Injury Prevention finds that cars built in or after 2009 see 55% fewer injuries than those built prior to 2009. Newer cars reduce the risk for injuries to the lower extremities, including the hips, thighs, knees and ankles. Colorado residents should be aware, though, that one's sex has an impact on car crash injury risk.

The same study shows that women are 73% more likely to be injured in a front-end crash than men are. Researchers focused on front-end collisions because these are the most common. They also excluded from their study any women who were more than three months pregnant or who failed to wear a three-point seat belt.

Complications more likely when surgeons are unprofessional

On behalf of Tomazin, Hillyard & Clor, LLP posted in malpractice on Monday, July 1, 2019.

Between 70% and 80% of surgeons in Colorado and throughout the U.S. never receive a complaint about unprofessional behavior. Of those who do, most show a willingness to improve their performance. Still, that leaves a small group of surgeons who are both negligent and hard to work with. This combination can have a negative impact on patient health and safety.

The link between unprofessional behavior and post-operative complications has been made in various studies. A study published in JAMA Surgery in June 2019 shows that the more times a surgeon has been reported by co-workers, the more likely it is that a complication will arise.

Drunk drivers in Colorado often do these things

On behalf of Tomazin, Hillyard & Clor, LLP on Friday, June 28, 2019.

When you're behind the wheel or traveling as a passenger in someone's vehicle, there's only so much you can do to keep yourself safe. Arriving safely to your destination depends on a lot of external factors, as well, such as whether there happens to be a drunk driver in the vicinity. If so, you and anyone else nearby are a great risk for collision and serious, if not fatal injuries. Colorado police are always on the lookout for suspicious driving behavior.

You can be just as diligent. Driving under the influence of alcohol affects a driver's brain. Not only is depth perception impaired but other cognitive delays typically show themselves in the way a driver is maneuvering his or her vehicle. If you notice a situation that causes concern, it's best to try to distance your vehicle from the other. That's not always possible, which is why it's also important to know where to seek support if a drunk driver hits you.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: Car accidents can cause it

On behalf of Tomazin, Hillyard & Clor, LLP on Thursday, June 27, 2019.

Those who have served in the U.S. military and faced combat deployment are likely familiar with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. However, military warfare is not the only type of life experience that can cause PTSD. In fact, if you're one of many Colorado car accident victims, you're also at great risk for this condition.

It's understandable that, if you're in an automobile collision, you might feel upset, frightened or confused in the near aftermath of the incident. If these and other symptoms last a month or more, a licensed physician might be prone to diagnose PTSD. Symptoms of this condition are not always immediately apparent. You might not develop symptoms for months, or even years, after the trigger event.