Georgia Legal Issues Blog

Man says dad's fatal personal injury was due to nursing neglect

On behalf of Morris & Dean posted in personal injury on Wednesday, January 16, 2019.

Many adult children in Georgia and elsewhere have parents who reside in nursing homes. Some are unable to function independently due to aging or adverse health conditions. Others, such as a man's father in another state, enter such facilities on a temporary basis as they recover from surgery or other health episodes. In this man's case, he had suffered a stroke and had been recuperating in a nursing home for several months when a fatal personal injury occurred.

The man was taken to an emergency room, where it was discovered that he was suffering from serious bed sores. His medical records when he entered the nursing home stated he had no bed sores at that time. However, upon admittance to the hospital that day, ER workers told his son that his father's bedsores were the worst they had ever seen in a patient coming from the nursing home in question.

The tragedy of children getting hurt in car crashes

On behalf of Morris & Dean on Monday, January 14, 2019.

Although the average American spends time in a vehicle every single day, there is a lot of risk involved in traveling by motor vehicle. It is easy to ignore this risk until something happens on the road. Unfortunately, you aren't the only person who incurs risk while driving. Your children in the vehicle are also at risk.

In fact, motor vehicle accidents remain a leading cause of childhood mortality for almost all age groups of minors. Even in cases where crashes don't prove fatal, injuries to your children can be more difficult and traumatic than an injury to yourself. Not only do you have to deal with the guilt of your child's injury, but you also have to face the reality of how complicated medical care is for small children who get severely hurt.

Don't believe what you hear about cellphones and car accidents

On behalf of Morris & Dean posted in personal injury on Wednesday, January 9, 2019.

Hardly anything is as simple as right or wrong. Much of the information that Georgia residents receive from the media and the internet requires a bit of skepticism. For instance, not everything people say about the correlation between cellphones and car accidents is correct.

For instance, many Georgia drivers may be lulled into a sense of security in using their cellphones while driving as long as they are using a hands-free device. Unfortunately, research by the National Safety Council indicates that the amount of concentration it takes to carry on a conversation while driving increases the danger of becoming involved in an accident. Few people can actually successfully multitask, and attempting to do so while driving could prove dangerous.

Failing to use turn signals is a risk factor for a serious crash

On behalf of Morris & Dean on Friday, January 4, 2019.

Turn signals, also called blinkers, are one of the most important communication devices on your vehicle. After all, the primary purpose of these lights is to alert other drivers to your intentions. People in front of and behind you, or even across from you at an intersection, will know how to predict what you will do next based on the use of your turn signals.

Unfortunately, although Georgia law mandates the use of turn signals before every turn, many drivers do not use them consistently. It is more than annoying to other drivers when people fail to use their blinkers. It is, in fact, quite dangerous. When no one else can predict when a driver is about to turn, this can result in accurate assumptions and potentially a crash.

Pedestrian dies in car accident

On behalf of Morris & Dean posted in personal injury on Thursday, January 3, 2019.

Some people walk for health, while others do so out of necessity. Regardless of the reasons, pedestrians should be able to travel safely when walking near Georgia roads. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, and a car accident involving a pedestrian can lead to serious personal injury or even worse -- death.

In Dec. 2018, a 42-year-old man was traveling northbound by foot along U.S. 41. At the same time, a passenger vehicle was driving south. As he attempted to navigate a curve in the road, the driver hit the pedestrian. According to police, the man may have been walking along the solid line that separated the right-hand lane from a merge lane.

How to alleviate stress when seeking a Georgia divorce

On behalf of Morris & Dean posted in family law and divorce on Thursday, December 27, 2018.

If you're one of many Georgia residents whose plans for the new year include ending a marriage, you likely have numerous concerns and, perhaps, worries regarding your or your children's future. Divorce is never easy and often prompts a lot of emotional turmoil, not to mention additional challenges that may surface as you adapt to a new lifestyle. If you and your spouse disagree about child custody, visitation or property issues, you may feel overwhelmed about it all, even before you file the paperwork in court.

It can help to talk to others who have trod similar paths before you. If you have a close family member or friend who recently divorced, he or she may be able to share ideas about what worked or didn't work in his or her situation. If co-parenting is a main concern of yours, it would, of course, be most helpful to talk to someone whose divorce also included such issues.

Liability for personal injury and death is on the at-fault driver

On behalf of Morris & Dean posted in personal injury on Thursday, December 20, 2018.

The determination of "liability" in a vehicular accident in Georgia involves the process of determining which of the drivers, if any, have legal responsibility due to being partly or totally at fault in causing the accident. Those drivers who are at least partly at fault may also be compelled to pay personal injury compensation to the victims of the accident. When the cause of the accident is clear-cut against a driver, those injured are sometimes said to have a strong case of liability against the wrongdoer.

Where the fault of one of the drivers is not apparent and evidence of fault appears to be nonexistent, then it is sometimes said that liability against that driver is weak. It will not apparently be difficult to determine liability in an accident with fatalities that occurred on Sunday, Dec. 16, in Baldwin County, at about 12:45 p.m. The accident occurred at the intersection of Ga. 243 and Ga. 112.

Why are drivers addicted to their phones?

On behalf of Morris & Dean on Thursday, December 13, 2018.

Using a phone and driving puts everyone at risk. The driver. Passengers. Pedestrians. Other drivers on the same road. That type of distraction causes accidents every day.

People know this. Many of the very same people who cause the accidents know -- and knew, before the crash -- that it's a risk. But they take that risk anyway.

Motor vehicle accidents: 2 hurt in Georgia

On behalf of Morris & Dean posted in personal injury on Thursday, December 13, 2018.

Two people were seriously injured following a head-on crash in Thomasville, according to local sources. The Georgia State Patrol has confirmed the location of the car accident as having taken place on Lower Boston and New Hope. For the moment, charges have not been filed against either driver, but as with most motor vehicle accidents, further investigation will be necessary before this case is closed.

According to the preliminary report, around 12:50 p.m. the afternoon of Dec. 7, a pickup truck carrying a single individual collided with a passenger car carrying two. The cause of the accident was not immediately clear, but it has been confirmed that the force of the impact ejected both individuals from the passenger car. Neither of these individuals has been identified publicly at this time.

Car accidents: Crash injures 3, kills 6-year-old child

On behalf of Morris & Dean posted in personal injury on Thursday, December 6, 2018.

Many collisions take place when a driver fails to yield the right of way upon approaching an intersection. Car accidents that occur at intersections can have devastating results, as oncoming drivers may be left with insufficient time to respond to the situation. Several individuals were injured in a recent accident that claimed the life of a 6-year-old child in Georgia.

The accident reportedly took place on a recent Thursday at around 7:40 a.m. as the vehicle approached a nearby intersection. Initial investigations suggest that the driver failed to yield the right of way and pulled out in front of a nearby car. The car struck the side of the vehicle soon thereafter, subsequently forcing it off the road. Both drivers and a passenger in the first vehicle all suffered serious injuries in the crash and each was rushed to a hospital for medical care.