Washington DC Personal Injury Lawyer Blog | Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata, & Siegel P.C.

Friday, January 30, 2009

Living with a Brain Injury – The Stages of Care

The Brain Injury Association of America has produced a pamphlet entitled, “Living With Brain Injury: A guide for and about adults with moderate to severe brain injury”. This pamphlet contains useful information for all with an interest in this area to read. Although the pamphlet is available upon request, we at Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel believe that it would be valuable to set forth various sections of this pamphlet in this blog for the information of our readers. The chart attached depicts the types of care a brain-injured person might receive at different stages of their treatment.

/Phases%20of%20Care.doc

Labels: brain damage, traumatic brain injury

posted by Biera Campbell at 9:19 AM

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

BIA-DC: Join the Brain Injury Association of the District of Columbia.

You are all invited to check out the new website for the Brain Injury Association of the District of Columbia at www.biadc.org. The website for the Brain Injury Association of America is www.biausa.org. Each organization provides information, education and access to resources for individuals that have sustained a brain injury and/or family members or loved ones. Additionally, membership forms are available for various levels of membership. You are all invited to join the Brain Injury Association of the District of Columbia. Please take the time to review our website.

Labels: BIA DC

posted by Biera Campbell at 1:29 PM

Monday, January 26, 2009

Beware of Tractor Trailers in Bad Weather.

Many of you have seen the headlines relating to the terrible multi-car collisions in the Midwest. We do not need major snowstorms, however, for icy road conditions or road conditions less than optimum to cause significant injury. Tractor trailers are always a danger to occupants of automobiles on the roadway no matter what time of year. Bad weather brings even greater dangers. Fishtailing tractor trailers can swipe at a vehicle and swat it like a fly seriously injuring all of the occupants. Moreover, trucks and tractor trailers carrying heavy loads are more difficult to stop than lighter, smaller vehicles such as an automobile. They pose great dangers on the roadway when attempts to stop them are unsuccessful. Accordingly, all of us need to be particular careful in the presence of tractor trailers on our roadways.

Labels: auto accidents, tractor trailer

posted by Biera Campbell at 6:21 AM

Friday, January 23, 2009

Law Firm Files Lawsuit in Drunk Driving Case

The law firm has filed suit on behalf of an individual that was struck while in his vehicle which was at a standstill at Dupont Circle. The driver of the vehicle pled guilty to criminal charges resulting from his drunk driving. The law firm has filed suit against the drunk driver as well as the local Dupont Circle bar that served the individual, despite the fact that he had to have been visibly intoxicated. The law firm of Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata and Siegel will vigorously prosecute the claims not only against the driver but also against the bar.

Labels: auto accidents, drunk driving, dui, dwi, traumatic brain injury

posted by Biera Campbell at 12:44 PM

Friday, January 16, 2009

Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel Conference Room to Have Webcam Capability.

The completion of the renovation of the Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel conference room will provide the opportunity to have webcam conferencing. The new conference room has had a total renovation replacing all the bookcases with new, hand-crafted furniture and also has cutting-edge technology. There will be a speakerphone permitting teleconferencing as well as allowing for depositions to be conducted by telephone and the opportunity for video conferencing. Additionally, clients will be able to watch DVDs, including a DVD of client comments of individuals who were former clients in a variety of cases, from medical malpractice to automobile accidents. We are all very excited about the renovation and the upgrade in services that will be provided at Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel as the result of these renovations.

posted by Biera Campbell at 8:18 AM

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel to complete law office renovation.

The office of Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel, P.C. is proud to announce the completion of the renovation of its offices scheduled for January 30, 2009. The new offices will present a new face to the reception area. We have replaced the formica workstations for our longtime receptionists, Nia Morson and Cheryl Morton with handmade wooden desks made to match the original wooden fireplace. As many of you know, the building itself was first constructed in approximately 1889 and as much of the original woodwork as possible has been maintained in the building. We are proud that the reception area will now compliment the original wood construction of the fireplace.

Additionally, the reception area is furnished with new furniture.

posted by Biera Campbell at 2:14 PM

Monday, January 12, 2009

Joseph Cammarata and Ira Sherman received a plaque awarding affiliate status with the Brain Injury Association of America.

The Brain Injury Association of America, an organization that has provided education, information and resources to individuals with brain injury, head injury or coma for over 25 years has awarded affiliate status to the Brain Injury Association for Washington, D.C. This non-profit organization was formed by Joseph Cammarata, president of the Brain Injury Association of the District of Columbia and Ira Sherman, vice president of the Brain Injury Association of Washington, D.C. The affiliate status was awarded to the Brain Injury Association of Washington, D.C. at the convention of affiliates on December 4, 2008. The plaque awarding affiliate status to the District of Columbia will proudly be on display at the law offices of Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel, P.C. beginning January 13, 2009.

Labels: BIA DC, brain damage

posted by Biera Campbell at 7:00 AM

Friday, January 9, 2009

How you can protect yourself from the rise in the number of uninsured motorists?

We have previously spent considerable time, in this blog, explaining uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. To review, uninsured motorist coverage is purchased by you from your own insurance company because it is part of your own insurance coverage. Uninsured motorist coverage protects you in the event that you are hurt as the result of the fault of an individual with no insurance whatsoever. Most importantly however, uninsured motorist coverage converts to underinsured motorist coverage which, protects you in the event that you are injured as the result of the carelessness of an individual that has less insurance than you do. Accordingly, protect yourself from the rising number of uninsured and underinsured motorists on the roadway by making sure that you have purchased uninsured motorist coverage, and that the amount of uninsured motorist coverage you have purchased is the highest amount that you can afford. This will provide you true “insurance” in the event that you or your loved one is struck and injured as a result of the fault of an uninsured or underinsured motorist.

Labels: auto accidents

posted by Biera Campbell at 6:39 AM

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

The Wall Street Journal reports “road risks rise as more drivers drop insurance”.

The awful economy is taking a toll on individuals’ ability to purchase car insurance. More and more drivers are letting their car insurance lapse because they can no longer afford to purchase it. Several hundred thousand drivers have dropped their automobile insurance in the past year as the unemployment rate has climbed. OnlineInsurance.com says that they also see evidence of more uninsured motorists. It says that as many as 40% of callers following up on online applications have let their policies lapse which is up 10% from a couple of years ago.

This trend is very bad news for everyone on the roads. If you are hit by an uninsured motorist, it is unlikely that the individual will have enough assets to pay you for any significant injury caused as a result of that individual’s negligence. Accordingly, it has now become imperative to assure that our own automobile insurance policies are up to date, fully paid for, and provide for uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage to the fullest extent you can afford.