News Category: Personal Injury
| Past Events, Personal Injury
“Hot Coffee” filmmaker coming to Greensboro for free screening
Have you heard the one about the lady who spilled hot coffee in her lap and sued McDonald’s for millions? Chances are you have, but like most people, you probably don’t know the real story of what happened to 79-year-old Stella Liebeck. Instead of receiving the sympathy and compassion her severe injuries merited, Liebeck became a national punch line. She became emblematic of the so-called “frivolous lawsuit,” and the McDonald’s hot coffee lawsuit became a rallying cry for tort reform. The documentary “Hot Coffee” by dire ...
Read More | No Comments| Auto Insurance, Auto, Truck and Motorcycle Accidents, Insurance Practices
Progressive’s underhanded treatment of accident victim’s family goes viral
A blogger named Matt Fisher recently posted about his family's treatment at the hands of Progressive Insurance: "My Sister Paid Progressive Insurance to Defend Her Killer In Court." Fisher's sister, Katie, was killed in 2010 in an auto accident when another driver ran a red light. The other driver was underinsured, but Katie carried Progressive insurance underinsured motorist coverage that should have kicked in and paid benefits to her family. Source Only it didn't because Progressive refused to accept that the other driver was at fault fo ...
Read More | One Comment| Legislation, Personal Injury, Workers' Compensation, Workers' Compensation Reform
Elections and Tort Reform
Yesterday, we wrote about the grassroots effort afoot to educate people about the realities of so-called "tort reform" through viewings of the documentary, "Hot Coffee." Here are some concrete things you can do to take action. It starts by being an informed voter and voicing your opinions to your elected officials and those running for office. ...
Read More | No Comments| Legislation, Personal Injury, Workers' Compensation, Workers' Rights
“Hot Coffee” Viewing Parties
We've written here before about "Hot Coffee," the documentary that tells the real story of the McDonald's coffee lawsuit brought by Stella Liebeck and the real cost of so-called tort reform. The McDonald's case became a rallying cry for advocates of so-called "tort reform," and general public opinion is that Liebeck's was a frivolous lawsuit, when in fact, she suffered extremely serious burns requiring multiple operations and skin grafts. And she wasn't the first person to be hurt by McDonald's scalding hot coffee; the fast food chain had rece ...
Read More | 2 Comments| Auto Insurance, Personal Injury, Resources for Injured People
Auto Insurance Coverage: What You Need to Know
Do you have GAAP insurance? Do you need it? Do you even know what it is? What about Med Pay? What are your insurance liability limits? Are you a candidate for an umbrella policy? Is your automobile insurance adequate to protect and provide for you after an accident? That last question is one you should be asking yourself and your insurance agent now -- before you have an accident and find out that you don't have coverage you desperately need. We've done the research for you and have created a cheat sheet chock full of information about ...
Read More | One Comment| Brain Injury, Catastrophic Injuries, Personal Injury
Catastrophic Brain Injuries on the Rise in High School Football
Researchers from UNC released findings recently that catastrophic brain injuries are on the rise for high school football players for the first time in more than 30 years. These are injuries that are serious enough to leave the players permanently disabled. Catastrophic brain injuries associated with full-contact football appear to be rising, especially among high school students, according to a new report. The increase is alarming and indicates more coaches and athletic trainers should change how they teach the fundamental skills of the game ...
Read More | One Comment| Auto Insurance, Personal Injury
Do You Have the Right Auto Insurance?
Do you have the right kind of insurance to protect you in an automobile accident? Despite what their commercials say, the insurance company won’t take care of you in an auto accident unless you take things in your hands. Don’t leave it in their hands. Make sure you have the right kind of insurance coverage and know what questions to ask when filing a claim. What are you liability insurance limits? Do you carry collision insurance? Does your policy include Medical Payments (or Med Pay) coverage? Do you have Uninsured Motorist and Und ...
Read More | No Comments| Auto, Truck and Motorcycle Accidents
New law hurts auto accident victims in lawsuits
Insurance companies scored a major victory – and a major financial windfall – with legislation that recently passed the N.C. General Assembly. The new law, part of House Bill 542, will impact everyone who is injured in a car accident that was someone else’s fault. The new law effectively penalizes injured people who have health coverage through private insurance, Medicaid or Medicare by reducing the amount of money they can recover in a personal injury settlement or jury award. This particular unfair portion of the law is known as t ...
Read More | One Comment“Hot Coffee” documentary, premiering Monday on HBO, tells true story behind the McDonald’s coffee lawsuit
You may not know the name Stella Liebeck, but I'd bet $2.9 million you know her story. Liebeck is New Mexico woman who sued McDonald's after she was burned by a cup of coffee. Yep, she's the McDonald's coffee lawsuit lady. You've probably cracked jokes about what happened to Liebeck -- David Letterman did. And if you're like most Americans, you believe hers was a frivolous lawsuit, an example of what one commentator termed "jackpot justice." Well, you don't know the real story. There was nothing frivolous about Liebeck's lawsuit, and t ...
Read More | No CommentsTexting while driving has deadly consequences
You take your eyes off the road for a split-second and it could mean a brother... a loved one... a father is gone. It's just sad. Those are the words of Tywane Diggs, whose brother, Tyrone Diggs of Greensboro, was killed Sunday after his motorcycle was struck by a car on I-40. The driver of that car, Jamarr Kentrell Calhoun, has been charged with texting while operating a motor vehicle, operating a vehicle without insurance, failure to reduce speed to avoid a wreck, misdemeanor death by motor vehicle and involuntary manslaughter, according ...
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