Author Archives: Richard M. Katz

Avoiding dangerous road hazards is a continuing problem in the Pasadena area, just like in other parts of the country where roads are crowded and road surface conditions are deteriorating. A Pasadena personal injury attorney sees many cases where clients have been injured due to hazardous road conditions or when drivers are distracted by cell phones or texting.

Distracted driving is fast becoming one of the main reasons for accidents. Combine this with road construction, and you have increased chances of an accident happening. Many roads are under construction to fix potholes, bumps and missing chunks of concrete. Some roads are hazardous because entrances and exits are hidden or require sharp turns. Drivers need to pay special attention when they enter road construction areas where lanes are reduced and become a slow two-way road with barrels and markers set near to passing cars.

Avoiding dangerous road hazards requires simple prevention techniques:

• Scan frequently – always know if other vehicles are in front, at the side or behind your car

• Assume there will be obstacles in the road from time to time, stay watchful

• Assume the worst about the other driver – be prepared to take evasive action

• Adjust speed, direction and position to negotiate around problem areas

• Take rest breaks – get out of your car and move around

• Don’t wear headphones and keep music low enough so you can hear

• Keep a safe distance from vehicles ahead of you

• Double your safe distance on wet or icy roads

• Beware of total vehicle weight including trailers – this can affect your stopping time

• Don’t cell phone/text while driving – stop and pull over if you must communicate

• Keep lights turned on while driving to prevent accidents

• Use turn signals – be sure to let other drivers know your intentions before you make a move

• Report to local authorities any road hazards like potholes that need to be fixed

Contact your Pasadena personal injury lawyer if you have been in an accident or received property damage due to road hazards. Repairs are expensive, and deductibles take a big bite out of your budget. You should not have to suffer if someone else was negligent and caused you expense, bodily injury or other stressful problems like damage to your vehicle. If you have any questions about getting legal representation for any accidental injury or damage case, please call and talk with a Pasadena personal injury attorney. You can arrange for a free case consultation today.

In the event of an automobile accident, the one piece of equipment you are trusting to protect your child is the car seat holding your precious cargo. Pasadena personal injury attorneys encounter numerous cases each year involving an improper child seat. A number of factors can affect the safety of the seat you are using. For example, did you know that some child car seats do not have a properly manufactured slot for the automobile’s seat belt to stay in place in an accident, given the amount of force that can be exerted in a collision? The slot may be too flimsy to hold the belt, thus allowing the seat to move.

Among children who are age 5 to age 14, the National Highway and Transportation Safety Administration reports the number one cause of death in this group is traffic collisions. In some cases, a malfunctioning or defective child car seat can be to blame. If a family suspects that such an issue may have contributed to the death or injury of their child, they should place a phone call to a Pasadena personal injury attorney right away.

It may be surprising to learn that there are instances where a child’s shoulder strap has come undone or loosened during a wreck and allowed the child to be ejected. Sometimes the harness that is designed to provide pelvic protection for the child is manufactured wrongly, thus permitting the child to unsafely slide down too far in the seat during an accident.

A safety seat for a child is supposed to provide an additional layer of protection within the automobile. If a car seat is defective or malfunctions, however, it can actually be the catalyst for additional, tragic injuries to the child. When a family follows the guidelines given for using a safety seat, it is an even greater tragedy when a defect is to blame for the maiming or death of a child. A Pasadena personal injury lawyer can help determine if a defective safety seat is responsible for your child’s injury or death.

When you have been the victim of a doctor’s negligence, you can feel like you are at your most vulnerable position in life. It can feel overwhelming to decide how to proceed in this type of case. You may feel like you have been wrongfully injured, but the insurance company or hospital administration may attempt to convince you otherwise. The hospital administration may actually try to convince you that the injury was the result of your own negligence or is not the responsibility of the hospital in any way. When this is the case, you need to call in a strong advocate to help you. A Pasadena personal injury attorney will help you fight for the amount of money that can be used to cover the cost of your tragic injuries. A Pasadena personal injury attorney will help you throughout every stage of your complicated medical malpractice case.

At the Law Offices of Richard M. Katz, you will find a lawyer who has a specialty in medical malpractice cases. At this law office, the attorneys have been able to achieve settlements on very important and high-profile cases. In the case of Price v. Children’s Hospital, the lawyers at this law office were able to obtain a settlement of over $3 million. The case involved a young girl who contracted AIDS as a result of a negligence blood transfusion. In this very sad case, the Law Offices of Richard M. Katz were able to help the young girl obtain the compensation that was rightfully hers. In the case of Louis v. Westerfeld, the Law Offices of Richard M. Katz was able to obtain over $600,000 for a patient who did not receive the proper diagnosis of bacterial endocarditis from doctors.

When you want to find a diligent medical malpractice attorney, it is important to hire an attorney who has proven results. You should find a Pasadena personal injury lawyer who has won previous medical malpractice cases. You may want to ask a Pasadena personal injury lawyer about the types of settlements or verdicts that he or she was able to obtain.

Making a good choice when you need a Pasadena personal injury attorney can affect the entire outcome of your case. Choose the wrong one, and it could cost you far more than just a loss in court. Your financial benefits could be lost if you do not have a strong legal representative who will stand firm for a winning outcome for you.

If you have never used an attorney before, but suddenly need one because you have been injured in an accident, been discriminated at work, or if you need to work out other legal contractual matters, you may wonder how on earth to start to find the right Pasadena personal injury lawyer. The process is very important, but not difficult. There are many tools to use to help you narrow down your choice to the best for your needs.

You can start with getting some recommendations from friends or family. Bear in mind, however, that even with the best of intentions to help you, your associates and family may not truly know that much about selecting the right attorney for your situation. There are better places to look when you need the services of a Pasadena personal injury attorney. At the Richard M. Katz Law Firm, we stand on our record of winning settlements and verdicts of over $70 million dollars for clients in the past 25 years. This includes our wins and some of our predecessor, plus structured settlement figures; we work to provide excellent legal care for all clients.

Your local Bar Association is an excellent place to obtain serious information about local law firms and attorneys. They can refer you to qualified attorneys who practice in the area of law you need. A local Better Business Bureau will have recommendations and information about any complaints a professional office may have lodged against them by clients.

The best way to make your final choice is to go in person and meet the attorney. This gives you an opportunity to see how the firm treats potential clients, and you can discover if you really feel comfortable with the lawyer. Before you make a final decision about which Pasadena personal injury lawyer you choose, you need information like this. You want someone who will put your best interests first and work hard to see that you benefit from their legal expertise. This is what we strive for at the Richard M. Katz Law Firm; call us for your free first consultation today.