Research Your Nursing Home

If you or a loved one need nursing home care, a good place to start your research is memberofthefamily.net.  This website has researched over 16,000 Medicare certified nursing homes in the U.S.  They maintain a National Watch List for nursing homes with serious violations.  And they also maintain an Honor Roll for nursing homes that are doing a good job.  They provide a link to Medicare ratings and reports.  You can also go to our links page for more helpful sites to assist you in your research of nursing homes.

Decline in the Number of Jury Trials — Not a Good Thing . . . Really!!

In the July 27, 2011, issue of Virginia Lawyer’s Weekly, it was reported that there were 1,514 civil jury trials in Virginia in 2000, but only 592 in 2009.  These figures from the National Center for State Courts represent a decline of nearly 61 percent.  Virginia Supreme Court Justice Donald W. Lemons was quoted as saying, “You get disputes resolved outside the courtroom; you get disputes resolved inside the courtroom. But, if you lose the jury trial, the system dies and that’s not good.”  I am a trial lawyer by training and experience, and a litigator by heart.  If I represent you in a person injury case, I will see your case to the end.  I have tried many cases before juries with favorable outcomes.  Keep me in mind if you need a personal injury lawyer to serve your needs and to look out for you.  At Altizer & Altizer, we are here to provide personal care for your personal injury.  You can contact us at (540) 345-2000, toll free at (800) 310-5777, or on the web at altizerlaw.com.

Umbrella Policies — Important Benefits to the Plaintiff

 

 

 

A ruling from the bench in Henrico County, Virginia, allowed a man who was injured in an automobile crash to collect underinsured motorist coverage from his umbrella liability policy.  The Defendant’s liability insurance coverage was inadequate to compensate the Plaintiff for his injuries.  The Plaintiff had an automobile liability insurance policy and an umbrella liability policy.  Typically, umbrella liability policies do not provide coverage to the insured.  In this case, it was the specific wording of the umbrella policy that allowed the Plaintiff to tap into the coverage.  When you are injured in an automobile collision, your most important concern is to recover from your injury and get your life back to normal.  But insurance coverage issues can be very important in determining whether or not you receive adequate compensation for your personal injuries, lost wages, and pain and suffering.  The attorneys at Altizer & Altizer can assist you in sorting out the intricacies of insurance coverage for your auto accident claim.  Our offices are located in Roanoke, Virginia.  But we also serve clients in Bedford, Smith Mountain Lake, Lynchburg, Covington, Harrisonburg, Rocky Mount, Martinsville, Botetourt County, Blacksburg, and all areas surrounding the Roanoke Valley.  Consult an experienced personal injury attorney if you have been injured in an automobile accident.  Call us at Altizer & Altizer at 540-345-2000 or toll free at 800-310-5777 or visit us at our website, www.AltizerLaw.com.

Safety Issues Regarding Large Trucks

Here are some interesting facts from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

 Do large trucks have high crash rates?

On average, drivers of large trucks travel many more miles than passenger vehicle drivers, and a high proportion of those miles are on interstates, which are the safest roads. In 2008, large trucks accounted for 4 percent of registered vehicles and 8 percent of miles traveled.¹ Per unit of travel, large trucks are involved in more fatal crashes than passenger vehicles — 1.7 crashes per 100 million miles traveled in 2008 for large trucks, compared with compared with 1.5 for passenger vehicles. Large trucks have a much lower rate per mile traveled of crashes resulting in nonfatal injuries or property damage only compared with passenger cars and light trucks.

Who dies in crashes involving large trucks?

In 2009, 3,163 people died in crashes involving large trucks. Fourteen percent of these deaths were truck occupants, 70 percent were passenger vehicle occupants, and 14 percent were pedestrians, bicyclists, or motorcyclists. In fatal two-vehicle crashes involving a passenger vehicle and a large truck, 98 percent of the deaths were the occupants in the passenger vehicles. Large trucks were involved in 9 percent of all motor vehicle crash deaths and 20 percent of passenger vehicle occupant deaths in multiple-vehicle crashes.

¹Federal Highway Administration. 2010. Highway statistics, 2008. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Transportation.

Big Announcement for Altizer & Altizer ~ Terri Welch Luzynski has joined our Law Firm

We are so pleased to announce that Terri Welch Luzynski has joined the Altizer & Altizer law firm family.   Terri is an experienced personal injury and domestic relations lawyer.  She has lived in the Roanoke area since 2002 and also practiced law in Charlottesville for a number of years.  She is a Harvard Law School graduate.  Terri is smart, down to earth, and is dedicated to doing the very best for her clients.  That is why she is part of the Altizer Team.  We are honored and proud to  have her as part of our law firm.

Truck Safety — Where does Virginia Rank?

Trucksafety.org provided the results of 2009 truck crash deaths per 100,000 population.  North Dakota was at the top of the list with a “disastrous” 4.79 percent.  Virginia was ranked 32^nd in the number of deaths with 0.98 percent, which was considered “dangerous,” and was tied with the State of Florida.

ATV Wreck Statistics

ATVsafetynet.org quotes some staggering statistics regarding ATV’s and kids.  From 1982 to 2008, nearly one-third of the 9,633 ATV-related deaths were children under the age of 16.  Over one hundred children are seriously injured every day and approximately one dies every other day from an ATV-related crash.  Injuries to children from ATV accidents cost our society over two billion dollars annually in medical and economic costs.  Don’t allow children under the age of 16 to ride ATV’s.