Every year, just about this time of year, I get calls and e-mails from potential clients who returned from their cruise vacations with questions about injuries and accidents that they suffered while either on the cruise ship or during a day excursion on an island.  Many of the injuries are very serious and the cruise ship lines are surprisingly disinterested in helping passengers injured while cruising the Bahamas, Mediterranean,  Carribean, Greece, and even Hawaii.  This is probably because the cruise ship industry has been able to work with their “legislators” to make it difficult for an injured passenger to file a case.  They have created obstacles by shortening the time allowed for filing the claims and the location where claims can be filed.  For example, a Michigan cruise ship passenger who was injured on a Disney cruise leaving from Miami will have to file a claim in Miami, as opposed to filing where they live or even where they booked the cruise.

Because of these obstacles, it is important to contact a cruise ship injury lawyer as soon as possible after the vacation to ensure that a claim will be timely filed.  They failure to file a timely claim will forever destroy your right to be compensated for your cruise ship industry.  These time limitations are often much shorter than the general statute of limitations and many experienced injury attorneys are not even aware of these deadlines.  So just after you unpack, I suggest that  you grab your cruise ship ticket and contact a lawyer before your time to make a claim is gone.

The war in Iraq has opened a lot of eyes to the seriousness and prevalence of brain injuries in the United States.  With many soldiers returning with traumatic brain injuries and closed head injuries, there has been an increased focus on both the injury and the proper treatment.  It is unfortunate that it is the war and our injured soldiers that has opened up the dialogue on brain injuries because these young men and woman are returning to our country with a long road of recovery ahead of them.  The only silver lining (if you can call it that) is that the public’s interest and understanding of these injuries is now growing.

As an attorney who handles cases for patients suffering from brain injuries, I have seen first hand for almost twenty years how brain injury victims struggle to resume their normal life and the toll that it takes on both the victim and their family.  Attorneys handling brain injury cases must fully understand how brain injuries affect their clients ability to lead their normal lives in order to best represent them in their cases.  This is especially true for car accident and motorcycle accident cases, where the Michigan No-Fault laws can provide great benefits to brain injury victims.  A thorough understanding of the medicince and science is necessary for an attorney to effectively represent a brain injury client.

I am proud to have helped these families on their road to recovery and am proud of my firm’s participation with the Michigan Brain Injury Association, an organization of tremendously dedicated individuals with the common goal of educating, providing support, and finding the best treatment facilities for brain injured patients.

The Chipotle Mexican Grill in Kent, Ohio was recently closed after more than 400 customers reported symptoms of food poisoning after eating burritos at the restaurant.  Many were treated at local hospitals and urgent care centers.  The health department is looking into the source and cause of the poisoning.   A number of Kent State students were reported as among the sick.

As customers, we place a great deal of trust in restaurants to properly store food, prepare food, and serve food to us when we dine out.  The majority of the time, the dining establishment serves our food in a safe and sanitary way.  Unfortunately, a single lapse in proper methods can cause the illness of a substantial number of people.  In the case of the Chipotle Mexican Grill, it has been reported that almost 400 customers have reported illnesses.  Many others may not even have come forward yet.

Once the source of the food poisoning is identified and the cause is determined, the sick customers may have legal rights against the restaurant chain.  Although the claims may not seem substantial if treatment was minimal and the illness was short lived, they are nonetheless worthwhile to pursue.  Not only does a large number of claims hold the restaurant responsible, it helps prevent future food safety lapses at the restaurant and serves to protect other customers in the future.  My firm handles food poisoning cases and I am interested in discussing claims with any customers who became ill at the restaurant.

It seems like when the snow thaws and the Spring weather is here, the number of Michigan dog bites and Michigan dog attack cases skyrocket.  With more people, especially children, playing outdoors and unleashed dogs roaming neighborhoods and parks, the likelihood of these dog bite injuries is much greater.  My firm handles quite a few dog bite cases in Michigan and I wrote “The Ultimate Michigan Dog Bite & Animal Attack Handbook” to explain the legal rights to victims of these attacks.  I’ll be happy to send a free copy to anyone that calls my office.

These dog bite cases can result in signficant damages being awarded to the victim.  Many times, there is severe scarring and disfigurement, nerve damage, and the need for plastic surgery after an attack.  The medical bills add up quickly, not to mention the post-traumatic stress experienced by the victim after an attack.  A pit bull attack case recently settled for $475,000 in favor of the victim of a dog bite attack. 

Although dogs are man’s best friend, the best friend and owner of the dog has a legal duty to control the canine and avoid situations that might result in an attack.  The failure to do so holds the owner and keeper of the dog legally accountable for money damages.

Now that the weather has turned, its time to pull the bicycles out of the garage, inflate the tires, and go for a leisurely ride.  While bike riding is great fun and exercise, it can also be dangerous, even in your own neighborhood.  Drivers frequently seem to ignore the rights of bicyclists and causing serious accidents, many times because they are talking on their cell phone or simply not paying attention.  The injuries from bike accidents are often very serious and even deadly.

My firm handles a number of Michigan bicycle accident cases every year.  In most cases, the biker was just enjoying the weather when a careless driver ran him down.  Under Michigan law, the injured biker has two possible cases.  The first case is a no-fault insurance case and can file this type of claim even if he did not have an insurance policy or if the victim was a child, because the claim can be made against a number of other insurance policies.  The other type of claim is for the personal injuries caused by the negligent driver.  These include claims for pain and suffering, scars, disability, and loss of earnings. 

To avoid these accident and to minimize injuries, stay off the main roads, wear an approved helmet and refelective clothing, and follow the rules of the road.  Hopefully, you’ll have a great summer on two wheels.