Category: Injuries

Dock workers are at a huge risk for injuries. Loading docks can be busy, chaotic places, and in many situations the employer does not put a big priority on safety. Dock workers who are injured could end up with large medical bills, lost wages, and even death or permanent disability. Dock workers who are injured on the job should speak with an attorney.

Typically, loading docks are full of hazards that can result in injuries. Normally, large trucks and other vehicles are coming in and out of the area. There may be elevated surfaces and a great deal of mechanical equipment in use. The environment is often busy and may be disorganized. Some of the common hazards that dock workers in Los Angeles face include slip and fall accidents, exposure to chemicals or other dangerous substances, and injuries involving lifting heavy objects.

By law, employers in Los Angeles have a duty to provide a safe work environment for employees, particularly in areas that could be hazardous, such as loading docks. Employers must provide the necessary safety gear, equipment, and training that will help prevent injuries. OSHA safety standards must be complied with. If an injury on the job does occur, employers may be responsible for workers’ compensation. In some cases, an injured employee may be able to sue the employer directly for his or her injuries.

Call me, Conal Doyle, Los Angeles personal injury attorney, at 310-385-0567 if you have been injured at a loading dock. My team can help. Call today to learn more or to schedule a consultation.

Cauda equina syndrome (CES) is a serious condition. It occurs when the nerves at the end of the spinal cord are compressed. CES requires emergency surgery – if it’s not treated quickly, it can result in paralysis, difficulty walking, other neurological issues, and impaired bladder or bowel control.

CES can develop suddenly, or could take weeks or even months. Some symptoms of CES include lower back pain, pain or numbness in one or both legs, and altered sensations on the thighs, back of legs, feet or heels. Patients can develop CES with no history of back issues, or may have a long history of sciatica or low back pain. Some common causes of CES include the growth of tumors, fractures, infections, and violent impacts, such as falls or car accidents.

In rare cases, CES is a complication of spinal anesthesia. This can occur in patients that are on anticoagulation therapy. Reports have associated spinal anesthesia that has been administered through a small gauge needle with CES. It’s important that doctors rule out CES if a patient who has received spinal anesthesia complains of back pain.

You may be able to obtain damages for your CES from the negligent driver who caused your accident. Also, if you believe your doctor failed to act quickly enough in diagnosing your CES, which exacerbated the problem, you may have a case for medical malpractice.

Call me, Conal Doyle, Los Angeles personal injury attorney, at 310-385-0567. I can help. Call today to learn more.

When you enter public premises such as a restaurant, grocery store, hotel, or another business, you are owed a duty of care. The owner of the building has a legal duty to take precautions to ensure you and other guests are safe. If the owner fails to clean puddles or other slippery surfaces, or fails to repair holes or uneven surfaces and a visitor falls, the accident victim may have a claim against the owner of the property.

In many slip and fall accident cases, the case hinges on whether or not the property owner knew or should have known of the dangerous condition on the property. Owners of property open to the public have a duty to keep their visitors safe, but they also are not absolute insurers of their visitors’ safety.

In many cases the liability hinges on whether the property owner acted reasonably. If, for example, a guest on the property slips and falls in a spill that had been on the floor for two hours, the property owner is most likely liable for failing to clean it up. However, if one customer spilled a substance and another slipped two minutes later, the property owner may not have been liable, since such a short time elapsed between the time of the spill and the fall. Slip and fall cases can be very fact-dependent.

In most slip and fall cases, the accident victim should have an attorney, particularly if there are significant medical expenses. An attorney can help prove your case by obtaining surveillance videos, speaking with eyewitnesses, negotiating with insurance companies, and more. If you have been injured in a slip and fall accident in a public business, call me, Conal Doyle, Los Angeles personal injury attorney at 310-385-0567. We can help. Call to schedule your free consultation.

I am very sorry to hear that you suffered a traumatic brain injury. Brain injuries are among the most serious injuries that a person can incur. Many people with traumatic brain injuries never fully recover. If they do recover, the brain injury can cause problems later, and the recovery period may be very long. You should consider consulting with an attorney if you have suffered a traumatic brain injury because of another party’s negligence.

All areas of a victim’s life can be affected by a traumatic brain injury. The injury can put a serious strain on family members and friends. Medical expenses may be astronomical. The brain injury victim may be unable to work, and his or her quality of life may be impacted. Fortunately, a lawsuit can provide compensation that can help a victim recover.

To win your case, you must be able to legally prove that the injuries that you suffered were the direct result of another person or company’s negligent actions. You must prove that the defendant owed you a duty of care, he or she breached that duty, and that your injuries were a direct result of that breach of duty. You must be able to show the court exactly what caused your injuries, and how the duty of care was breached.

If you have suffered a brain injury in the Los Angeles area, step one should be seeking medical treatment for your injuries. You should also contact a personal injury attorney if your brain injury was caused by the negligence of another party. Call me, Conal Doyle, Los Angeles personal injury attorney at 310-385-0567. My team can help. Call today to learn more or to schedule a free consultation on your case.

After a serious accident involving injuries, most accident victims are concerned about paying for their expenses after the accident. Accident victims are also often concerned about whether or not they will have to pay those expenses out of their own pockets. They may have been forced to take time off work without pay, and could also be in physical pain, which can cause additional expenses.

Damages in a personal injury lawsuit are intended to compensate the accident victim. They are designed to make the accident victim whole again, and in some cases may exist to punish the person who caused the accident. There are several types of damages available in personal injury lawsuit. Some types of damages include:

• Medical expenses. Medical expenses are the most common type of damages in a personal injury case. Accident victims can be awarded damages for medical expenses related to the accident, as well as future physical therapy and rehab expenses, and future medical expenses.
• Lost wages. If you were forced to miss work because of the accident, you can receive compensation for your lost wages.
• Property damage. If your vehicle was damaged in the accident, you can recover compensation for those damages. The standard compensation is the difference in what the vehicle was worth before the accident and after the accident. If the vehicle is destroyed, you can receive the fair market value for the vehicle, which in some cases may be less than is owed on it.
• Loss of earning capacity. If you have a permanent injury, you can seek damages for the loss of future earnings. In order to be able to receive lost future earnings, you must be able to show the amount of wages you could have earned without the injury.
• Wrongful death. If an individual is killed in an accident, family members of the deceased can seek damages for wrongful death.
• Punitive damages. Punitive damages exist to punish the defendant for his or her wrongdoing, not to compensate the victim. Punitive damages are only available in some cases.

If you have been injured in an accident in the Los Angeles area, call me, Conal Doyle, Los Angeles personal injury attorney at 310-385-0567. My team can help. Call today to learn more or to schedule a free consultation on your case.

Yes, you may be able to receive punitive damages in a Los Angeles automobile accident case. Typically, accident victims can recover compensation for medical expenses, damage to the vehicle, pain and suffering, and other damages. In some circumstances, the plaintiff may also be entitled to punitive damages.

There are typically two types of damages in a personal injury lawsuit: compensatory and punitive. There are also two types of compensatory damages, economic and non-economic. Economic damages cover actual expenses suffered by the accident victim, including medical bills, property damage, and lost wages. Non-economic damages are more subjective, and can include pain and suffering and emotional distress. Punitive damages are not to compensate the accident victim. Instead, they are designed to punish the person responsible for the accident.

Punitive damages are not awarded in most automobile accident cases. Under special circumstances, however, an accident victim can be awarded punitive damages. If the person responsible for the accident behaved in a willfully reckless manner, punitive damages may be awarded. Standard behavior like normal speeding or running a red light would be considered simple negligence and would not rise to the level necessitating punitive damages. However, if a driver was driving while intoxicated or was driving 100 miles an hour in a school zone and hurt someone, that behavior could rise to the level that would justify punitive damages.

If you have been involved in an automobile accident in Los Angeles and you believe that you should be entitled to punitive damages, you need to speak with an attorney. Call me, Conal Doyle, Los Angeles personal injury attorney at 310-385-0567. My team can help. Call today to learn more or to schedule your free consultation.

Residents of Los Angeles rely on all forms of public transportation and alternatives to driving their own vehicles on LA’s crowded streets. Every day, thousands of people in the city ride buses and trains, or take taxis or other forms of public transportation to get to and from work, school, or other destinations.

Public transportation providers and their employees have a duty to ensure passenger safety. Passenger safety includes providing proper maintenance for vehicles, operating vehicles safely, and protecting the safety of passengers waiting and train stations or bus stops.

The potential for serious injuries while riding public transportation can be high, since many taxis, buses, and trains do not require their passengers to wear seat belts. Some types of accidents that can occur while riding on public transportation which could lead to a lawsuit include bus, train, taxi, or charter bus accidents with other vehicles; slip and fall injuries at bus stops or train stations; accidents caused by poor maintenance of the public vehicles; assaults on a train, bus, or taxi, or while at a train station or bus stop; and train derailments.

If you have been involved in an accident involving public transportation, you should speak with an experienced personal injury attorney. An attorney can help secure all evidence, including surveillance video, eyewitness accounts, accident reports, maintenance logs, and more. Transit companies typically are quick to take action to investigate and defend themselves against claims, so it’s important that you hire an attorney who can aggressively pursue your case. Call me, Conal Doyle, Los Angeles public transportation attorney, at 310-385-0567 to learn more about how to protect your legal rights if you have been involved in an accident involving public transportation.

Dental injuries can be incredibly expensive. Dental insurance often requires huge payments up front to the dentist before any coverage applies. Caps and crowns can take a lot of work from a dentist. If dental surgery is involved, the bill can be thousands of dollars. If you injured a tooth in an accident, you may wish to speak with an attorney who can help you seek coverage for your damages.

If you have damaged a tooth in an automobile accident, truck accident, motorcycle accident, workplace accident, slip and fall accident, or another type of accident, your first immediate need is probably dealing with your other medical issues. Dental work may be your last concern. Besides possibly not being covered by insurance, dental work can be painful, and you may not have the time to focus on your teeth.

An attorney can help you receive the coverage you deserve after your accident. You may have been left with broken teeth, damaged teeth, missing teeth, or other serious tooth injuries after a car accident. Dental work is very expensive, and you should not have to cover those damages out of pocket. An insurance adjuster may be willing to offer you a quick settlement, but it’s often far less than you are entitled to, and may not even cover the cost of your dental work.

If you have been involved in an accident in Los Angeles that has harmed your teeth, call me, Conal Doyle, Los Angeles personal injury attorney at 310-385-0567. My legal team can help you. Call today to learn more or to schedule a free consultation on your case.

Meniscus tears can be horribly painful. Knees have two menisci, one on the inside of the knee, and one on the outside of the knee. Menisci are layers of hard cartilage, and their job is to distribute weight evenly. When a meniscus is torn, there can be pain, swelling, and very limited movement.

Meniscus tears can be caused naturally as people age, or they can be caused by accidents. Some accidents that can commonly cause meniscus tears include car accidents, workplace accidents, and slip and fall accidents. A meniscus tear can happen when there is a forceful twisting of the knee, which causes the femur to grind against the tibia.

People who tear a meniscus may be able to avoid surgery. However, if the tear is a large one or is causing issues, surgery may be needed. There are a number of surgical options, depending on how torn the meniscus is. In the past, typically the whole meniscus was removed. Now, it may be repaired, or simply the damaged portion can be removed.

If you have suffered from a torn meniscus that was the result of someone else’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensation for your damages. You may have medical expenses, time off work, pain and suffering, and more. Call me, Conal Doyle, Los Angeles personal injury attorney at 310-385-0567. My team can help. Call us today to schedule a free consultation on your case.

Injuries among boat crew members can be prevalent, so in 1920 Congress passed the Jones Act, which now covers people who work on ships or other types of vessels on the ocean, rivers, lakes, and other bodies of world. Under the Jones Act, owners of water vessels must provide well-maintained and safe vessels for employees. Boats must be free from defects and in good working order. According to the Bureau for Labor Statistics, the water transportation industry is one of the most dangerous industries in the country.

Although workers in other industries who are injured on the job are covered under workers’ compensation, injured maritime workers cannot recover workers’ compensation. Instead, they must pursue a claim or a lawsuit against their employer under the Jones Act. In order to recover under the Jones Act, a crew member must show that his or her injury was due to the fault of the employer.

Once liability has been shown, the injured maritime worker is entitled to temporary benefits called “maintenance” and “cure”. Maintenance is an amount of money paid to workers who cannot work because of their injuries. Cure is a payment for medical expenses including doctors, hospitals, therapies, and prescription medications. In addition, unlike what is available under workers’ compensation, injured maritime workers may be entitled to damages for lost wages, pain and suffering, and other benefits under the Jones Act.

If you have been injured in a maritime accident as a maritime employee in California, call me, Conal Doyle, California personal injury attorney, at 310-385-0567. My team can help. Call today to learn more or to schedule a free consultation on your case.