Phoenix Personal Injury Law Blog

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.

Would you be safer riding your bike on the sidewalk?

On behalf of Gary Phillips Accident Law PLLC on Tuesday, July 16, 2019.

You buy a new bike, feeling excited to finally have a way to commute to work that is good for the environment and that gives you an easy way to get some exercise. You get yourself a helmet, a light and the other accessories. Then you hop on and ride out into the road in Phoenix.

Instantly, your excitement turns to fear. The cars feel so close. You know that you legally have a right to ride in the street, but you do not think other drivers respect that right. They pass far too close, they break the speed limit, they cut you off and they turn in front of you. They commit all sorts of mistakes, and you know that it just takes one error to put you in the hospital.

Man seriously injured in Phoenix pedestrian accident

On behalf of Gary Phillips Accident Law PLLC posted in pedestrian accidents on Thursday, July 11, 2019.

Phoenix has its fair share of pedestrians. These individuals may feel safe on the city's sidewalks and crosswalks, but the truth of the matter is that there is nothing that can protect them from an errant driver. And, sadly, there are far too many distracted, drowsy and drunk drivers on our city's streets. This means that a significant number of individuals wind up seriously injured or killed in pedestrian accidents.

Drivers who don't look for motorcycles can cause serious crashes

On behalf of Gary Phillips Accident Law PLLC on Friday, July 5, 2019.

As a motorcycle enthusiast, you are aware of how your hobby could have a negative impact on your overall health and well-being. An accident in any kind of motor vehicle could be serious, but accidents on motorcycles are often catastrophic.

There are a couple of reasons that motorcycle crashes can be worse than regular vehicle crashes. The first is that motorcycles offer very little protection to your body from the force of impact. The second is that the other vehicle involved in the crash is going to be substantially larger than your own, increasing its ability to cause damage to you and your bike.

Bicycle accidents are common and have many causes

On behalf of Gary Phillips Accident Law PLLC posted in bicycle accidents on Wednesday, July 3, 2019.

Recognizing that many people in Phoenix wish to travel by bicycle, the city and surrounding areas have attempted to accommodate bicyclists by enforcing road sharing laws and implementing bike lanes. Yet, even these efforts aren't enough to ensure bicyclists' safety. This is because errant drivers abound. In the blink of an eye these negligent motorists can cause devastating bicycle accidents that leave victims struggling to recover.

The statistics surrounding bicycle accidents are startling, too. In 2017 alone, 783 bicyclists were killed in wrecks involving motor vehicles. Over the last 15 years or so, fatal pedestrian and bicycle accidents have increased nearly 6%. The deaths have increased by about a third between 2008 and 2017. Many of these accidents occur at locations other than intersections and in the dark.

These common causes of crashes can be prevented

On behalf of Gary Phillips Accident Law PLLC on Thursday, June 27, 2019.

Crashes can happen for many reasons, but some of the more common causes include speeding, distractions and intoxication. When any of these actions are involved, there is a higher risk that the driver will make mistakes that result in a crash.

For example, a speeding driver may be paying attention to the road, but if they suddenly have to stop, they will need more time to slow down. If they're moving too quickly and don't have enough space, then there is a higher likelihood that they will cause a rear-end collision.

Car accident can result in a torn meniscus

On behalf of Gary Phillips Accident Law PLLC posted in car accidents on Wednesday, June 26, 2019.

A car accident can cause a wide variety of injuries. Although many of these injuries by themselves are relatively minor, the accumulation of multiple moderate injuries can still leave a car accident victim in a painful and worrisome predicament. Physically recovering from a multitude of injuries can be challenging in many ways. Sure, it can be physically and emotionally trying, but it can also be financially draining.

Take a torn meniscus as an example. Each knee has two menisci, which are pieces of cartilage shaped like the letter "C" and provide cushion between a person's shinbone and thighbone. Sometimes, when a knee is twisted, turned or subjected to trauma, such as when it strikes a dashboard, that cartilage can tear. This causes pain and swelling, and oftentimes results in limited movement. Although a torn meniscus can be remedied through surgical treatment, it can have an extensive recovery period, and the injury itself can increase the risk of developing osteoarthritis.

Truck accident cases can be fraught with complexities

On behalf of Gary Phillips Accident Law PLLC posted in car accidents on Thursday, June 20, 2019.

Phoenix residents who find themselves operating their vehicles near semi-trucks can wind up nervous. This is usually because they know that one minor mistake on a trucker's part can cause serious damage, leaving them with serious injuries. All too often this fear becomes a reality. In these situations, car accident victims can struggle to find a way to overcome their injuries, regain their physical capabilities, recover their financial losses, ease their emotional trauma and obtain a sense of justice.

Fortunately, a personal injury lawsuit could help achieve all of these goals. Yet, when a car accident involves a semi-truck, matters can quickly become complicated. One reason is because it is often difficult to determine which parties can be held accountable. Although an errant trucker is almost always on the hook, it may be unclear as to whether a truck company can be held liable. While the legal theory of "vicarious liability" says yes, with some exceptions, those lines can become blurred when truckers are owners and operators, or when they are carrying a load that belongs to a party separate from the truck company.