The weather in Phoenix has cooled enough for you to dust off your bicycle, fill the tires, and hit the road. That’s what you’re thinking this time of year but drivers aren’t always watching for bicyclists even in the daytime. The numbers alone tell the story – ADOT reports 72.5% of all motor vehicle accidents happen in broad daylight. In 2014, there were 1,466 accidents involving bicyclists, down 12.74% from 2013 but don’t get comfortable on the road just yet. And while the law expects drivers to pay attention to all people using the roads, the reality is that it’s ultimately up to you to make yourself noticeable and to be aware of what’s happening on the road. Just ask Mr. C who was clipped and flipped by an older driver taking a right turn. The driver didn’t look to see Mr. C going straight in the bike lane. She took a right turn, hitting Mr. C so hard he flew over the handle bars leaving his bike and his arm a twisted mess. In addition to cuts and bruises, Mr. C suffered from post-concussion syndrome and endured several surgeries to repair his arm. After a year of negotiating with insurance companies, he was awarded damages for medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. If you’re thinking about hitting the road, here are tips to help you in case of a bicycle accident:

1. Obey the rules of the road. All too often we hear bicyclists tell us they didn’t know there are actual rules for cycling and we’re honestly surprised. Just as you would learn the rules of driving, you should learn the rules for bicyclists. Generally, the law for DUI is the same for cyclists as it is for motorists, for example, so be aware and obey the law. It could save your life or at least help you in the event of an accident.
2. Do not leave the scene of the accident. Unless you’re in desperate need of medical attention, we advise that you stay at the scene and call the police. They can get statements from you and other witnesses. You will need those later for your case review.
3. Witness information. Gather your own witness contact information including name, address, phone number, year, make, model, and license plate of their vehicle.
4. Accident information. It’s often easier and more accurate to refer to your notes from the scene of the accident than trying to remember them later. Use your phone or ask for pen and paper to write down the date, time, and location of the accident. You may also want to have the number and type of other vehicles or pedestrians involved in your bicycle accident case as well as weather, road conditions, and damages.
5. Take photographs. If you have a smart phone, you probably have a camera on hand. Do your best to take as many photos of the accident scene as you can. If nothing else, it will help you remember important details when you’re reviewing your case with your attorney.
6. Call a personal injury attorney. Your life and injuries matter. Even if you think you don’t have a case, it’s worth it to have your case reviewed. You may need a personal injury attorney to help you through the lengthy (and sometimes costly) insurance claims related to your bicycle accident case.

Mr. C wasn’t able to call a personal injury attorney right away because of the seriousness of his injuries but his wife called to get the process started. That’s what you can do too. We wouldn’t want an accident to keep you from seeking what you deserve as a result of your bicycle accident. And you might even get back on the road. We hear Mr. C’s love of cycling can’t be stopped. He’s back riding and is more vigilant than ever about watching other drivers and pedestrians. If you or a loved one has been involved in a bicycle accident, contact us or call Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer at 602-535-5899 for a free case review.

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For generations big, yellow buses have been carrying children to and from school. Each day you trust them to carry your most precious cargo, your kids. And the truth is that school buses are designed to be a safe mode of transportation. Looking at the statistics, school buses are dramatically safer than if the children were travelling in their parents’ cars. In fact, the National Highway Safety Traffic Administration (NHTSA) reports school buses are seven times safer than cars. [Source] But the reality is that despite being exceptionally safe, school bus accident injuries do happen. Sometimes the injuries are from hitting another vehicle, sometimes a kid can get hurt after getting off the school bus, and sometimes it’s just crossing the street. Let’s take a look at three different scenarios, all dealing with school bus injury accidents.

Sometimes the other vehicle is a school bus

Take the Gilbert bus accident at Gilbert and Recker Roads in December 2014. It was a cool December morning when a bus carrying 40 school children for the Gilbert School District was making it’s way to the school for drop-off. Suddenly there was a wrenching stop when the larger bus collided with a smaller bus operated by Tutor Time. Glass shattered on the larger bus, resulting in minor injuries to the students, none of which required medical treatment. Both buses sustained damage and of course, there were a lot of scared children! In this scenario, it’s fortunate that the kids involved weren’t hurt. It’s the job of the emergency services personnel to make sure the kids aren’t seriously injured or in need of immediate medical care but it’s our experience that many injuries may not show at the time of an accident. Since there’s just no way to easily tell if your child sustained an injury that can present later, the Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer recommends seeking medical attention especially if the accident involves children. While they may not show symptoms initially, they can suffer long-term injuries if left untreated. And if you’re not sure whether you have a case, contact us anyway. There are unique rules on handling cases involving school bus accidents and we can make sure that your rights are protected.

School bus accidents happen – stay alert at all times

Children will run in front of a bus to cross the street without giving thought to traffic. The tragic death of 8-year-old Elizabeth Bates underscored that sometimes the systems you think are in place don’t cover everything. In 2012 a young girl was struck and killed by a motorist because the school bus driver hadn’t extended the STOP sign to notify drivers that children were getting off the bus. At the time the law was such that they were only required to do so on public roads. The school district used this as their defense against criminal charges for the bus driver. Elizabeth’s family lobbied to get the legislation changed and in 2013 the law was revised, requiring school bus drivers to extend the STOP signs even when on rural or private roads. Even with the law change, bus drivers aren’t perfect. It takes just one moment of inattention to cause a tragedy. And while these types of school bus accidents aren’t common, it’s critical to get expert legal assistance immediately. The truth is that your mind is on protecting your child, not worrying about your legal rights. That’s why we do everything so that you don’t have to.

Being in a crosswalk doesn’t mean you’re safe

Just ask former Skyline high school student Wynnona Brookes. Talking with her friends, Wynnona was crossing the street at a crosswalk to head home when a school bus drove through the crosswalk, hitting her and knocking her down. She suffered major injuries because the school bus driver failed to yield at the crosswalk. Wynnona went through a painful year of recovery as her body healed from the extensive injuries and her family piled up big medical expenses. Fortunately for her, she reached a settlement with the Mesa Public Schools. If you or your child has been in an injury accident involving a school bus, it’s time to call Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer for a free case review. Our expert team understands the unique rules of pursuing school bus accident injury cases and will make sure that your rights are protected right from the beginning. Contact us or call the experienced team at Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer at 602-535-5899.

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Admit it. You’ve driven while talking or texting on your cell phone. We’ve all done it. We just can’t help ourselves. We need to read an email or check social media. We think it won’t hurt anyone because we’re at a red light but the truth is that sometimes we don’t put the phone down when the light changes. Just one more email or one more minute talking on the phone. It’s the same for semi-truck drivers.

The Difference between You and a Semi-Truck Driver

You don’t need a degree in physics to know that big, heavy things that are moving fast take longer to stop than smaller things moving at the same speed. There’s more of them to stop! A semi-truck filled to capacity weighs as much as 80,000 pounds compared to your tiny 3,000-pound car – you might be able to stop quickly with a small skid if caught by surprise. It’s a different story with a fully loaded truck. A trucker, waiting to hear about the birth of his daughter, hears the chime of his phone that a message just came in. He knows that he needs to keep his eyes on the road, especially during rush hour traffic, but he’s been on pins and needles all day. It’s just a quick glance, he reasons. Snagging the phone with his right hand, he opens the display and sees a picture of his beautiful new baby girl. A smile crosses his face when he glances back up. The river of moving cars has turned into a stopped sea of red taillights. His heart jumps up in his throat – he’s going too fast. There’s no way to stop in time so he swerves to avoid hitting the car in front of him. The swerve of his semi-truck quickly turns into a jack-knifed vehicle blocking two lanes of traffic on a rush hour freeway. One driver gets past but the next driver isn’t so lucky. The truck hits them. The next car can’t react fast enough to avoid the semi-truck accident and barrels into the already stopped vehicles. And on and on.

Semi-truck driver common distractions

Besides the typical distractions of checking phones, semi-truck drivers deal with a broad number of other distractions that can result in an injury accident. The most common situations involving distracted semi-truck drivers are:

• Poor sleep – Truck drivers have a tough schedule to keep when getting products to the stores and warehouses. Even though there are strict federal guidelines around their sleep behavior, truck drivers have been known to push it to meet deadlines. One minute their eyes are drooping, the next minute they’re veering into your lane.
• Checking directions – Truck drivers have sophisticated systems that help them get from point A to point B but many of them are driving unfamiliar roads. The distraction of looking for a hard to see destination can result in a truck driver failing to see that you’ve stopped your car just ahead of them.
• Impaired driving – All it takes is misreading the label of a cold or allergy medication for a truck driver to end up being impaired on the road.
• The “quick glance” – It’s a quick glance away from the road to papers inside the cab. In that moment you merge into the lane in front of them and they don’t see your car.

Unraveling Your Semi-Truck Accident

Because semi-truck accidents involving a distracted driver are complicated by their very nature, it becomes even more challenging to deal with them when the root cause is a distracted driver. It requires a lot of investigative work to uncover what caused the semi-truck accident, a process that is complicated by the layers of legal representation shielding the trucking company and their insurance companies. Fortunately there’s a secret weapon to help you breakthrough the barriers and straight to the facts, the Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer. We have a lot of experience successfully pursuing semi-truck accident cases. Gathering evidence, interviewing witnesses, and negotiating settlements with trucking and insurance companies takes more than just knowing what to do. It takes patience, persistence, and an unstoppable commitment to protecting our client’s rights! When we work with you, we dedicate our team reviewing your case and getting you the compensation you deserve in your semi-truck accident case. If you or a loved one were involved in a semi-truck accident, we want to help. Call Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer at 602-535-5899 for a free case review.

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Specific details and identifying information has been changed in order to protect the confidentiality of the settlement agreement. What seemed to be minor injuries resulting from a motorcycle accident turned into much more for our 45-year-old client Mr. G, who suffered from delayed onset injury. A month after his accident, Mr. G noticed his right shoulder was not getting better. With mounting medical bills and no help from insurance, unfortunately Mr. G’s case is all too typical for motorcycle accident injury cases.

The Motorcycle Accident

Mr. G was riding his bike down the road, enjoying the weather when a woman in a brand new silver SUV, two lanes over, realized she had missed her left turn. She pulled hard on her steering wheel to get over, swerving her vehicle from the far right lane to try to make her turn. Instead of making a left turn, she crashed her vehicle into our client, and into the center turning lane. Mr. G was thrown from his motorcycle, thankfully protected by his helmet and padding, able to walk away from the accident with what appeared to be minor injuries. His bike was not so fortunate it was completely totaled. Still, Mr. G was grateful to be alive – he’d seen accidents like this with other riders and knew how bad it could have been. The only thing that bothered him, besides the wrecked bike, was the pain in his right shoulder where he’d hit the ground. With time and rest, Mr. G thought it would get better but it didn’t – the pain continued and got worse. When his right shoulder seemed to not be healing, he knew he had a problem. Mr. G went to his doctor to find out what was going on and scans revealed several right rotator cuff tears and a bicep tendon tear. Mr. G was told that it can only get worse over time and that he needed surgery. And as much as he wanted to get it done, he knew that he couldn’t afford the lost time from his business. There was just no way he could be out of work for 6-8 weeks while recovering from shoulder surgery. He didn’t have employees who could help him and he owned his own home so he tried every non-operative option available. Many were considered experimental by his insurance company and they wouldn’t cover his claims. To make matters worse, the hospital bills started to arrive in the mail. The cost of his emergency care was so high that the bills ate up almost half of the money he could get through the at-fault insurance within the $50,000 policy limit. This meant that after the hospital was paid for his care, there wouldn’t be enough money left over to cover the surgery, let alone compensate him for lost wages, pain and suffering resulting from his motorcycle accident. Out of options, out of patience, and running out of money, Mr. G knew he had to do something before his life spiraled out of control.

That’s when Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer got involved.

On the advice of a close friend, Mr. G contacted us to help him deal with his case. He was anxious about the process and wanted to make sure that we were going to be able to take care of him. Starting with his free case review, we were able to help Mr. G understand exactly how we would pursue his case and the kind of results we thought we could help him achieve. We began gathering all of Mr. G’s insurance information and discovered he had an underinsured policy on his work truck. Working with his orthopedist, we put together a demand package to the at-fault insurance carrier that was based solely on future medical bills and lost wages. The Settlement At the time we submitted a demand package, Mr. G had not had the surgery and was unsure if he would be able to based on the financial complications of the situation. Through our experience in cases like this and our persistence in dealing with insurance companies, we were able help Mr. G secure the entire $50,000 policy limits from the at-fault insurance company. Ultimately we secured the entire amount available within the underinsured policy limits the client had on the policy covering his work truck. After that we went to work on reducing the outstanding medical bills, securing arrangements with medical providers to bring the outstanding expense amounts down so that Mr. G can get on with his life. When all was said and done, Mr. G had the money he needed to pay his outstanding medical bills and his surgery. He had enough in reserve to cover his personal expenses, including his mortgage, while he recovered from surgery. Today Mr. G is back on the road, enjoying his bike and his life. Sometimes it takes a few days or weeks for the true extent of injury to be known. If you’ve been involved in a motorcycle accident and are suffering delayed onset injury, it can cost you in lost wages, medical bills, and pain and suffering. It’s time to get the help you deserve. If you or a family member has experienced a motorcycle accident injury, you don’t have to handle it alone. Contact us or call Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer at 602-535-5899 today for a free case consultation.

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Motorcyclists are reckless and don’t ride safely. We hear that a lot and in most cases, it’s just not true. Motorcyclists are constantly at risk from the environment and drivers around them. The reality is that the road is a fast paced, constantly changing flow of dangers. Whether it’s distracted drivers or poor road conditions due to someone else’s neglect, it’s clear that there’s more to meet the eye when it comes to motorcycle accidents and their injuries. Heck, even the day of the time of day or the day of the week matters! Rush hour is especially dangerous; with the majority of accidents involving motorcycles happening on Fridays between 5 and 6pm. Too many people are in a hurry to get home and start their weekend, putting riders at greater risk for an accident. According to the Arizona Department of Transportation Crash Report, 3,189 of more than 210,000 motor vehicle accidents in Arizona involved a motorcycle, with 129 of those motorcycle accidents resulting in the rider’s death (2014). Let’s take a look at two motorcycle accident scenarios that both result in serious (but fortunately not fatal) injuries for the rider.

Failure to Yield

A motorcyclist is obeying the rules of the road when a car driving in the opposite direction takes a left in front of the motorcycle. The car driver, not paying attention, fails to yield and strikes the motorcyclist. The motorcyclist is sent over the handlebars and over the car, landing roughly on the pavement. An ambulance and the police are called. While the resulting injuries are extensive, fortunately they are not fatal. The motorcyclist did everything right but is still a victim because of the other person. In this scenario, the motorcyclist may be awarded damages based in part on a police report citing the driver of the car for failing to yield the right-of-way. And of course, the situation can be made worse if the driver is under the influence, driving erratically, or even when there are unforeseen road conditions (like debris). Not all motorcycle accident cases are as seemingly clear-cut as this one.

Road Conditions

A motorcyclist is riding through a construction zone on the city streets before sunrise. Signs are posted to stay in your lane and drive at no more than 40 mph. The motorcyclist is obeying the law but because it is dark he fails to see a large piece of concrete in the road. Unfortunately, he hits the construction debris. The hard stop of hitting the concrete causes him to fly off his motorcycle and land on the ground moments before his motorcycle hits him. As a result of the motorcycle accident, he suffers multiple broken bones and punctured lung. At the time of his case review he isn’t able to work full-time because of these injuries, making it hard for him to pay for the medical care he needs and to take care of his family. In this case it’s clear that someone else is at fault but it’s hard to tell who is responsible. Is it the construction company? A subcontractor? Maybe a waste disposal provider? No matter how you slice this example, there are many layers of responsibility that need to be addressed by an experienced law firm like Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer. Whether your case seems straightforward or complicated, don’t waste your time figuring who is responsible and what happened. That’s our job. When you call Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer about your motorcycle injury accident, we will review your case and make recommendations of how to proceed to get you the settlement you deserve. If you or a loved one has been involved in a motorcycle accident, you need a free case review from Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer. Contact us or call today at 602-535-5899

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With the temperature (finally) dipping below 100 degrees in Phoenix, it’s prime riding season here in Arizona. And while we know that bumper stickers that say, “Start Seeing Motorcycles” and “Look Twice, Save a Life” are designed to remind car drivers on their responsibility for sharing the road safely with you, we also know that not everyone does what they’re told. What can you do to reduce your risk for being in a dangerous motorcycle accident and a victim of another careless cager? Motorcycle safety starts with you as the rider. And as anyone who rides will understand, just because you’re following the rules doesn’t mean you’re going to be safe on the road. That’s why we’ve put together these reminders and tips, to help keep you safe on the road and from having to call Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer about a motorcycle injury lawsuit.

Here are our tips for sharing the road safely:

1. What to Wear. While helmets may not be required by Arizona law, reflective material on helmets and jackets increases visibility and safety of motorcyclists and their passengers. Remember, a helmet can save your life.
2. Play nice. Remember that car drivers may be as scared of you as you are of them. No driver wants to be the person who accidentally hits a motorcyclist. The best thing to do is to think of the driving lane as three equal sections with the safest and most visible section being on the left side. You are most likely to be seen by car drivers while in this position. It’s not illegal to be in any part of the lane but it’s always best to act on the side of caution. Don’t try to share a lane by placing your motorcycle next to a car; it’s likely to lead to an accident.
3. Blind Spots. When you are in the left part of the lane, you can still go unseen by drivers. Even in the best conditions with the most alert drivers, accidents happen because cars have blind spots. Pay close attention to the vehicles on the road; assume that they can’t see you.
4. Safe Stopping Distance. Allow 3-4 seconds between a car and your motorcycle, giving each vehicle enough time to stop without incident.
5. Road Conditions. Cars are able to pass or drive over potholes, railroad crossings, gravel, and water on the road more easily than motorcycles. By allowing a safe following distance, you can keep yourself safe from unforeseen debris or road and weather conditions.
6. Look then Turn. Do what your parents taught you about crossing a street especially when you’re making a left turn. Don’t assume drivers are paying attention to traffic flow and signals. Look both ways. Then look again before turning. And don’t forget to check mirrors.
7. Signal All Intentions. Whether you’re changing lanes on the freeway or a side street, be sure to signal so drivers and pedestrians know where you’re heading.

Road safety is a shared responsibility. While car drivers are required pay attention, the best person to look out for you and your safety is you. And of course, we all know that you can do everything right and still get into an accident. If you have been in a motorcycle accident (or know someone who has), it’s important to get immediate expert legal assistance with your motorcycle accident injury case. Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer works aggressively on your motorcycle accident case to get you the compensation you deserve. Contact us or call today at 602-535-5899 for a free review of your case.

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What you can do if you’re involved in one

Semi-truck accidents happen all the time.

A study conducted by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) found that 73% of large truck accidents involve another vehicle. [Source]

The vehicles involved are just part of the story. Fully loaded, a large truck can weigh more than 80,000 pounds compared to a passenger car that may weigh only 3,000 pounds. When they collide, the results can be devastating but weight isn’t the only factor. Driver errors, truck problems, and environmental or weather issues contribute to why semi-truck accidents happen. How you deal with the accident can be the difference in the amount of compensation you receive and being left in the dust by big corporations and their insurance companies. Long before your truck accident there may have been a problem with the truck itself. Whether it’s a manufacturing defect or lack of maintenance, the driver may have done all they could to prevent an accident and an accident still happened. That doesn’t mean the driver or trucking company aren’t liable. It means you need the experienced semi-truck accident attorney at Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer to sort the details on your behalf.

Causes of Semi-Truck Accidents

Truck Problems – When it comes to large truck accidents, the two common truck-related issues are maintenance and cargo. Brakes that are not maintained cause trucks to skid into other vehicles causing accidents. If the truck isn’t loaded properly – overload or not securing the load – the cargo will shift, causing the truck to become out of control.

Driver Errors – Have you ever been a stressed out driver? Whether it’s because you’re unfamiliar with the road, are trying to get to a destination on-time, or are going too fast for weather conditions, accidents happen. It’s the same for truck drivers. They are under tremendous pressure and may have lapses in judgment, be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or become distracted causing an accident.

Lack of Sleep – The FMCSA, a division of the Department of Transportation, regulates hours of service for day-to-day and semi-truck drivers. They are required to rest a certain number of hours while on a long distance interstate trip and log these hours. As a result of this regulation, there are less semi-truck accidents but not every driver is resting or properly logging their time.

Road Conditions – Construction, signage, and weather contribute to road conditions and the resulting semi-truck accidents. By the time a driver sees their exit or begins to stop, it could be too late for other drivers.

Accidents happen for any number of reasons. This is why you need immediate expert legal representation for you or your loved one who has been involved in a semi-truck accident. Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer works on your behalf to sort the evidence of how your accident happened and get you the proper compensation. Contact us or call today at 602-535-5899 for a free review of your case.

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Specific details and identifying information has been changed in order to protect the confidentiality of the settlement agreement. Our client Ms. M was out shopping on Saturday afternoon at a major chain grocery store when she slipped and fell in an aisle. Embarrassed, in some pain, a little shaken, and annoyed by the fall, she continued her shopping trip and then headed home. A few days after the fall, the pain that she experienced from the fall persisted and continued to get progressively worse. She became concerned that she had seriously hurt herself as a result of the fall. Ms. M went to visit her doctor who told her that she had likely sustained injuries that would require working with a physical therapist in order to deal with them. However, a few months into treatment, it was discovered Ms. M’s condition was so serious that it required her to get surgery. Her injuries took a long time to treat, costing her money and time out of work – neither she could afford. The injury also hurt her family – she wasn’t able to care for them or her home as well as she wanted. In addition to the pain and difficulty she experienced, Ms. M was getting nowhere with the store or its “loss department.” They made her a settlement offer that seemed very low and unwilling to consider a higher amount. Frustrated that she might have to accept an amount that wouldn’t even pay for all of her medical bills she already owed, Ms. M decided that she needed to get help with her situation. Ms. M started her search for a personal injury attorney by interviewing three different, well-established personal injury firms. Unsatisfied by their responses, she scheduled time with Alex Silkman of the Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer. “[Alex] addressed my concerns in a detailed yet easy to understand answers,” said Ms. M. “… was interested and eager to take on my case. He was honest about possible outcomes or stumbling blocks that could arise. His experience in similar cases and his demeanor gave me confidence.” At the outset of the case, Alex Silkman of the Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer completed an exhaustive review of the client’s case. He reviewed medical records, evaluated the security tape at the time of the fall, and requested the sweep log for the store’s internal maintenance team. Despite delaying tactics on the part of the store and its insurance company, Alex and his team were able to uncover that the corporate required periodic inspections were not being followed and that the accident was entirely preventable. During the presentation of the case facts, Ms. M was required to provide direct testimony regarding her accident. “I felt shielded from the unpleasantness that may happen in legal disputes when answering the defense attorney’s written questions or at my deposition,” said Ms. M. After presenting the argument and the evidence, Ms. M ultimately was offered a settlement amount that was nearly 20 times the amount originally offered to her by the insurance company. It was more than enough to cover the costs of her medical coverage, the lost time from work, and give her additional time to recover from her injuries. Thankful for the exceptional outcome and the experience, Ms. M concluded with, “Mr. Silkman was also very attentive to my welfare. He checked on my progress in physical therapy, was a sympathetic ear during my setbacks and cheered my triumphs. He’s an excellent attorney and a good person. I’m quite satisfied with the settlement he obtained for me.” If you or a family member has experienced a slip and fall injury, you don’t have to handle it alone. Contact us or call Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer at 602-535-5899 today for a free case consultation.

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You’re driving your car, obeying the rules of the road. You don’t see it happening. All of a sudden a Phoenix city bus hits you. Now what?

City bus accidents are not like auto accidents

When you have an auto accident, the rules are usually pretty clear. You exchange insurance information with the driver, file a police report, and you contact Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer, your personal injury attorney, if you’ve been hurt. But what happens when the vehicle that hits your car is a city bus? The rules can change, that’s for sure. The process of dealing with the case is more complex because you’re no longer dealing with an individual – you’re dealing with a large corporation or possibly a government agency. If you or a family member have been hit by a Phoenix city bus, we can help you find a solution.

Who is at fault in a city bus accident case?

When you have been in an accident involving a city bus, you need to understand that the city bus may not belong to the city. Occasionally city buses are not actually owned by the city. What appears to be a city bus is actually a bus owned by a private company contracted to provide services for the city. These issues are also complicated by the typical causes of a city bus accident:

• Distracted driver
• Poorly trainer driver
• Intoxicated driver
• Driver Fatigue
• Poor or improper vehicle maintenance
• Manufacturer defect on the vehicle or vehicle systems

Truly, there are many factors that come into play when evaluating the cause and responsibility for your city bus accident injury. This has the expected outcome of making a complicated issue (dealing with a personal injury case), more difficult.

Why is it so difficult to pursue a city bus accident case?

One element of dealing with an injury case from a bus accident is addressing the ownership of the bus. If it is in fact owned or operated by a city or municipality, there are distinct rules to follow when pursuing a claim a governmental entity in order to avoid losing your claim. Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer has worked with many city bus cases and we know that every case is unique. Too often we hear stories of people involved in bus accidents who thought they followed the rules for pursuing a case only to find out later that important notices were not sent, we sent incorrectly or were not sent in time, and their claims were dismissed.

Failure to follow the rules can result in a dismissal without having a chance to present an argument.

We at the Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer are keenly aware of these notice requirements and make sure a notice of claim is pursued quickly to get the issues out in front of the relevant government agency and to avoid hitting statutes of limitation issues and other problems. Just because the accident happened doesn’t mean you or your loved ones should be left without proper compensation. We will dig deep to finding out the root cause of the commercial vehicle accident so we can aggressively pursue the right parties and get you the compensation you deserve! It’s time for a free case review from the experienced team at Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer.

Contact us or call the experienced team at Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer at 602-535-5899 for a free case review today.

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Most people don’t take the idea of “slip and fall” accidents seriously until a fall injury happens to them. However, the numbers speak for themselves. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), slip and fall accidents are the second leading cause of injury in the United States behind car accidents, resulting in over a million injuries and over 17,000 fatalities per year. Many falls are preventable. And often they’re the responsibility of the property owner to ensure that you remain safe from injury or made aware of that there is the potential for injury.

Slip and Fall Case Stats

The stats can be overwhelming when it comes to slip and fall injuries. From lost earnings to medical costs, the impact to Americans is billions of dollars. Here are a few stats to give you a sense for how big a problem this really is and what’s at stake:

• In 2013, the direct medical costs of falls were approximately $34 billion. (CDC)
• Falls account for over 8 million hospital emergency room visits, with slips and falls accounting for over 1 million visits, or 12% of total falls. (NFSI)
• Slip and falls account for over 300,000 disabling injuries per year in North America. (OSHA)
• Older adults, those 65 and older, are more prone to falls. Incidence of falls goes up with each decade of life. (CDC)
• In 2013, about 25,500 older adults died from unintentional fall injuries. (CDC)
• Falls are the most common cause of traumatic brain injuries. (CDC)
• Slip and fall accounts for 15% of all workplace injuries. (CDC)
• Slip and falls result in Worker’s Compensation claims over $1.8 Billion a year or about 40% of all accidents claims paid out. (OSHA)
• Slip and falls account for 40% of general liability claims. (OSHA)

You’re More than a Number

Despite the mass of statistics around the injuries and impacts of slip and fall injuries, the truth is that you’re more than a number. Each slip and fall case is unique and must be treated as such. Because these accidents can be difficult to prove and win in court, they will do everything in their power to diminish or invalidate your claim. You need professional help when you’ve had a slip and fall accident. When you work with Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer, you work with an experienced attorney to review your case and collect the facts. This is critical when evaluating the best approach to pursuing your claim.

Determining the Value of Your Claim

If you’ve been injured in a slip and fall accident, there is no magic formula to determine what your case is worth. The assignment of responsibility and the assessment of damage is a complex process. Some factors that will determine if you have a case and what it would be worth include:

• What injuries were suffered?
• Did or will you need surgery?
• Did you miss work? Are you still unable to work?
• How long was your recovery or is full recovery possible?
• Is there permanent physical damage or scarring?

At Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer we will undergo an extensive review of your claim, the facts surrounding it, and put together our recommendations for pursuing a claim. We’ll identify the amount of damages that we believe are reasonable to pursue based on your unique situation and our extensive experience pursuing personal injury cases. If you’ve suffered a fall, we’re here to help. Contact Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer or call at 602-535-5899 for a free case evaluation.

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