Phoenix Personal Injury Law Blog

What are the risks to children associated with vicious dogs?

On behalf of Gary Phillips Accident Law PLLC on Saturday, August 24, 2019.

As a parent, you probably do everything that you can think of to help your child stay healthy and happy. Unfortunately, sometimes the most obvious risks are things you can easily overlook, like a vicious dog who lives in the home of a friend or family member.

Other times, even though you try to keep your child safe, a spontaneous incident in public could result in physical or emotional trauma thanks to an unrestrained dog. Dog owners have a responsibility to the public to properly train and restrain their animals. Sadly, not everyone does that, which can lead to dog bite attacks.

Car accidents and the cost of a broken arm

On behalf of Gary Phillips Accident Law PLLC posted in car accidents on Thursday, August 22, 2019.

The worst car accident injuries are those that leave victims with permanent disabilities, disfigurement or that end up causing fatalities. Although these individuals or their families face enormous losses that typically can only be recovered through a personal injury lawsuit, even comparatively minor injuries can result in serious physical, emotional and financial harm. Therefore, those Arizonans who are injured in a car accident caused by the negligence of another need to carefully consider whether they want to pursue legal action in hopes of recovering damages.

To see just how extensive financial damages can be, let's look at the broken arm. This is a common injury suffered in car accidents, and it can seriously disrupt an individual's life. It can be painful and take a while to recover. But on top of the physical pain and suffering associated with a broken arm, an individual can end up facing extensive medical expenses. Depending on the type and severity of a broken arm, an individual may be subjected to as much as $20,000 in medical costs.

Phoenix sees rash of wrong-way drivers

On behalf of Gary Phillips Accident Law PLLC posted in car accidents on Thursday, August 15, 2019.

When we talk about car accidents on this blog, it may be easy to think that these severe wrecks are few and far between. However, the truth of the matter is that negligent drivers abound, presenting themselves on nearly every street in our city. This means that on any given day, you could be placed at risk and, in the blink of an eye, be seriously injured in a car accident.

To see just how common even severe negligence is in the Phoenix area, let us look at a spate of wrong-way incidents. According to reports, there have been at least five of these cases in recent days. One of those wrecks occurred when an alleged drunk driver drove the wrong way on I-17 north of the city. This accident resulted in injuries. Two other incidents involving at least one drunk driver occurred on the Loop 101. One of those cases resulted in a fatal wreck. Two other wrong way drivers were seen on I-10, with one of them resulting in a multi-vehicle accident.

Safety features assist drivers but shouldn't be seen as failsafes

On behalf of Gary Phillips Accident Law PLLC on Wednesday, August 14, 2019.

All motor vehicles on the road have specific safety features to protect the occupants if there is an accident. Most people don't think about them when they get into the car, but you will realize how important they are if you are in a wreck.

As new year models come out, more safety features are added. This makes newer vehicles somewhat safer than older models, but there is no reason for people who have cars with more features to drive in an unsafe manner. Most vehicles will have at least the following:

Arizona ranks fifth on list of highest dog bite claim payouts

On behalf of Gary Phillips Accident Law PLLC posted in animal bites on Thursday, August 8, 2019.

Animal bites occur much more frequently than most people know. Most individuals think that news reports detailing gruesome attacks are few and far between. But the fact is that there are a significant number of animal attacks that go unreported in the media. In fact, 2018 saw more than 17,000 claims based on dog bites alone, resulting in a total of $673 million in damages.

According to one recent study, Arizona ranks fifth on a list of states ranked by the amount paid out for a dog bite claim. In 2018, that figure was more than $40,000, which is well above the national average, with the state seeing nearly 400 claims that year. Only New York, New Jersey, Utah and California outranked Arizona in the cost-per-claim analysis.

How can property owners boost motorcycle safety?

On behalf of Gary Phillips Accident Law PLLC on Saturday, August 3, 2019.

The weather in Arizona means that property owners don't get much of a break from cutting the lawn. Individuals who aren't familiar with motorcycling might not realize that they may be causing a potentially fatal situation for people on these bikes.

The grass clippings that fly about when a person is cutting grass should never be blown toward the street. Instead, people mowing lawns can use a bag if they don't want them in the yard or blow them toward the house if they don't mind the clippings in the grass. This one small change to how people cut the grass can save many lives and prevent some serious crashes.

Car accidents and broken legs

On behalf of Gary Phillips Accident Law PLLC posted in car accidents on Thursday, August 1, 2019.

Arizonans who are injured in a car accident can suffer extensive harm. Sure, some car accident victims are fortunate enough to escape a wreck with mere bumps, bruises or minor cuts, but others suffer injuries that can wreak havoc on their lives. Brain and spinal cord injuries are the most obvious of these injuries, as they can result in permanent disability and the need for long-term care.

Yet, even moderate injuries can have a profound impact on an individual's life. A broken leg, for example, can necessitate extensive medical care, force an individual to take time off work and make one's day-to-day life challenging. There are many types of ways a person's leg can be broken, and each type may require a different course of treatment. A compound fracture, which is a broken leg where the bone protrudes through the skin, typically requires more aggressive treatment to reduce the risk of infection. On the other hand, an individual who suffers a displaced fracture may have to have surgery to realign the bones so that they properly heal.

Dog bites can lead to serious infection

On behalf of Gary Phillips Accident Law PLLC posted in animal bites on Thursday, July 25, 2019.

Dog bite injuries can be gruesome, leaving victims in Arizona with immediate physical injuries and disfiguration. Yet, the damage caused by a dog bite injury may not be truly seen until days after the incident. Therefore, animal bite victims need to know how to identify symptoms of serious medical conditions, so they can protect themselves as fully as possible.

Capnocytophaga is a type of infection that often arises in individuals after a dog bite. Symptoms typically show themselves three to five days after an animal bite, but they sometimes don't present until two weeks after the attack. These symptoms can be quite severe. They may include blistering around the bite wound, redness and swelling near the bite site, fever, diarrhea, stomach pain, vomiting, headaches and muscle pain.

Concussive brain injuries can manifest in the weeks after a crash

On behalf of Gary Phillips Accident Law PLLC on Tuesday, July 23, 2019.

When you are involved in a motor vehicle crash, you have to be vigilant to watch for injuries that might be hidden at the time of the wreck. One of these is a concussion or any traumatic brain injury. The adrenaline that your body releases in response to the stimuli of the crash could mean that you don't feel the symptoms of the injury right away. Plus, these injuries might become progressively worse over the next few days.

There are many misconceptions about these catastrophic injuries that you might have heard. For example, some people think that you have to hit your head on something to have a concussion. This isn't true because a violent shaking of the head, which is possible in a crash, can cause the brain to strike the inside of the skull and damage the delicate brain tissues.

Drug use may have contributed to fatal Mesa bicycle accident

On behalf of Gary Phillips Accident Law PLLC posted in bicycle accidents on Thursday, July 18, 2019.

It's no secret that the opioid epidemic that has swept across our country is still in effect. While drug use of any kind can have a serious impact on an individual and his or her family, the risks associated with drug use have rippling effects that can have far-reaching ramifications. One way this occurs is when individuals who are under the influence of drugs get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle.

To see just how dangerous this act can be, one need only look at a recent fatal bicycle accident in the Mesa area. There, a man who was high on heroin and who had also recently used methamphetamine veered into the bicycle lane in the early evening hours, hitting a bicyclist. The bicyclist, a 67-year-old man, was pronounced dead at the scene.