Lowell Stanley Injury Lawyers Blog

We Have Decades of Experience Getting Compensation for Dog Bite Victims

by admin@gotechark.com | December 26th, 2022

Nearly 70 million households in the U.S. own a dog, and a huge percentage of the population considers themselves to be “dog people.” There’s no denying that dogs are an integral part of many families nationwide and right here in Virginia, but there’s also no denying that they have the potential to bite—and sometimes without provocation, warning, or a history of aggression.

All dog breeds have sharp teeth and powerful jaws. From the smallest “toy” dogs to the largest hunting dogs, dogs can cause serious damage to fingers, hands, arms, feet, legs, and other body parts when they bite.

Victims of dog bites face serious complications, including infection, bleeding, and nerve damage. It’s not uncommon for some victims to need to be hospitalized to treat their injuries, and some require surgery to repair the damage. In severe cases, victims may even become permanently disabled.

Despite all of the potentially severe consequences of dog bites, many victims never pursue compensation. That’s because they don’t want anything bad to happen to the dogs that bite them or their owners, especially when the victims know them well. This is understandable, but there two things to know about dog bite claims:

  • They often come out of insurance policies rather than dog owner’s pockets
  • Dogs aren’t required to be euthanized or given up after a bite, even if it results in a lawsuit

At Lowell Stanley Injury Lawyers, our Virginia dog bite attorneys work hard to protect innocent victims’ rights after serious dog-related injuries. If you or someone you love is bitten or attacked, contact us anytime for a free consultation.

Let Us Investigate Your Nursing Home Abuse or Neglect Claim

by admin@gotechark.com | December 19th, 2022

The mere thought of your loved one being mistreated, let alone abused or neglected, while living in their nursing home is horrifying. Unfortunately, that’s reality for countless residents every year in the U.S., including right here in Virginia. Nursing homes are profit-focused, and that means they understaff and hire inexperienced workers they can pay less, both of which are major risk factors for resident abuse and neglect.

As Virginia nursing home abuse lawyers, we know that many families are often in denial about what’s happening to their loved ones. After all, nursing homes are typically very expensive, and they often have long wait lists just to secure a room. Their exclusivity and monthly costs make it seem like abuse and neglect are unlikely or even impossible, but they happen more often than you might expect.

If you have even an inkling that your loved one may be abused or neglected in their nursing home, it’s important to contact a lawyer right away. At Lowell Stanley Injury Lawyers, we can review the facts of what happened to your loved one, whether it was unexplained bruises, sudden weight loss, dehydration, bedsores, or any other startling change in health to determine if abuse or neglect are occurring.

When we determine that a resident’s rights are being violated, we waste no time in building strong claims for them and their families. It’s our goal to ensure that victims and their loved ones get maximum compensation for something as heinous as the abuse and neglect of a nursing home resident. Contact us today for a free consultation to get our experienced legal team on your side.

Partially Blamed for an Injury That Wasn’t Your Fault? You Need a Lawyer!

by admin@gotechark.com | December 12th, 2022

In most other states, you can still get compensation for an injury even if you are ruled partially at fault for the accident. For example, if you’re rear-ended by a driver who was speeding and following too closely, but your brake lights were burnt out, you may be assigned partial fault. You will be penalized an equivalent percentage of your settlement, but you wouldn’t be prevented from getting one.

In Virginia, however, being ruled even 1% at fault makes you ineligible for ANY compensation. This harsh legal doctrine is called contributory negligence, and it’s only used in a few states in the U.S., including ours. That makes it extremely important to push back on any level of fault assigned to you if you believe it’s in error and that the other party is solely at fault.

At Lowell Stanley Injury Lawyers, our Virginia personal injury lawyers build claims not only to prove the other parties’ negligence, but also to prove our clients’ lack of fault. Unfortunately, it’s not enough to simply prove the other person was at fault in many cases—it’s also necessary to prove the victim did nothing, no matter how minor, to contribute to the accident or injury.

After an accident or injury that wasn’t your fault, you don’t have to accept or deal with the consequences of unfair blame. There’s too great of a cost in Virginia to be pinned with even 1% of fault for something you didn’t do. Contact us anytime for a free consultation and to learn how we can put our experience to work for you.

Unsure if Your Child Suffered a Birth Injury? Call Us for Help.

by admin@gotechark.com | December 5th, 2022

Many birth injuries are obvious right away after birth, but not all are. Some birth injuries take time to show up and be diagnosed. And in many cases, doctors, midwives, and other medical professionals explain birth injuries as being unavoidable or even normal to concerned and frightened parents when this may not be true. When this happens, parents are often confused about what happened to their babies, and they may not even consider filing birth injury claims.

Furthermore, when parents are unsure about what happened, they may be reluctant to call a lawyer because they don’t want to waste money if they don’t have a case. At Lowell Stanley Injury Lawyers, we know this happens all too often. We believe that everyone deserves equal access to the legal system, regardless of their financial situation or even whether they’re certain they have a case or not.

That’s why we make all of our consultations 100% free for potential clients. There’s no risk in contacting us and telling us exactly what happened to you or your child. We’ll review the facts and let you know if you might have a claim, and even then, you aren’t obligated to hire our firm.

We also work on a contingency fee basis, which means we don’t charge for our services after being hired unless we win our clients’ claims. If there’s no recovery, there’s no legal fees, period.

You don’t have to suffer silently wondering what happened to your baby with no hope of recourse or justice. You can get our experienced Virginia birth injury lawyers on your side today without worrying about expensive invoices or lawyer’s fees. Contact us today to tell us your story.

Don’t Count on Your Car Insurance Provider to Be Helpful After a Crash!

by admin@gotechark.com | November 28th, 2022

After car accidents, many victims expect a battle with the other drivers’ insurers. They know those companies will want to protect their profits as much as possible, and that means their claims may be reduced or even outright denied.

But what many car accident victims don’t count on is their own car insurance providers playing hardball, too. Unfortunately, when it comes to giving out payments to injured victims, insurance companies operate the same way whether the victims are their policyholders or they were injured by their policyholders.

Thankfully, there are a few steps you can take to increase your chances of getting full compensation from your insurer after a crash:

  • Report the crash right away: Your insurer likely requires near immediate notification of any accidents, regardless of whether you were at fault or not. Call the claim reporting line within a day or two of the crash and tell your insurer what happened. Be honest about when and where the accident occurred and the severity of your injuries.
  • Get medical treatment right away: Insurance companies are skeptical of just about every claim they receive. And when victims don’t go to the doctor in the hours or days immediately after an accident, they become even more skeptical. The sooner you go to the doctor or hospital, the more seriously the insurance company will view your claim.
  • Call a lawyer right away: Getting a lawyer after a crash isn’t just for dealing with the other driver’s insurance company. It’s also for dealing with your insurance company! The sooner you call, the sooner your lawyer can start building your claim.

Lowell Stanley Injury Lawyers is here to take your call 24/7. Contact our Virginia car accident lawyers anytime for a free consultation.

Many Popular Spray Sunscreens Are Linked to Cancer

by admin@gotechark.com | November 21st, 2022

When you purchase sunscreen and apply it before spending the day outdoors, you feel good knowing that you’re protecting your skin, reducing your risk of sunburn, and decreasing your risk of skin cancer. But a May 2021 study found that of 300 popular types of sunscreens tested, 78 contained benzene, which is a known carcinogen.

Many of the affected sunscreens are spray or aerosol versions, and they include the following Johnson & Johnson brands and products:

  • Aveeno Protect + Refresh aerosol sunscreen
  • Beach Defense aerosol sunscreen
  • CoolDry Sport aerosol sunscreen
  • Invisible Daily Defense aerosol sunscreen
  • UltraSheer aerosol sunscreen

People who are frequently exposed to benzene face an increased risk of developing many types of cancer, including leukemia and lymphoma. And while Johnson & Johnson has issued a recall for many of its affected sunscreens, not all sunscreens containing benzene have been removed from store shelves. In addition, countless Americans still use and have these sunscreens already in their homes.

If you or someone you love developed leukemia, lymphoma, or another type of cancer after using a Johnson & Johnson sunscreen, especially if it was a spray or aerosol sunscreen, there’s a chance the cancer was caused by benzene exposure.

At Lowell Stanley Injury Lawyers, we’re working hard to help people harmed by dangerous sunscreens get the compensation they deserve for their medical bills, lost wages, and more. Contact our Virginia defective product lawyers anytime for a free consultation of your case and to learn how we can put our decades of personal injury law experience to work for you.

Let Us Help You Get Full Compensation for Your Brain Injury

by admin@gotechark.com | November 14th, 2022

Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) that result in long-term complications are both highly disruptive to victims’ lives and extremely expensive. A 2013 study found that TBIs can cost victims and their families hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of their lifetimes. That’s because TBI victims may lose the ability to work and may require ongoing health care for decades.

There are many law firms that take on TBI claims for their clients, but they have one goal in mind: getting settlements as quickly as possible. When law firms want quick settlements, they’re only looking out for themselves and their profits. They want their clients to accept the first settlements so they can move on to their next cases (and next pay days).

At Lowell Stanley Injury Lawyers, we don’t work that way. We know that TBI victims and their families deserve maximum compensation for all the ways their injuries have affected them and changed their lives. We work hard to get our clients every penny they’re owed, even if it means longer negotiation periods with insurance companies and even going to trial if necessary.

The last thing we want is to get a settlement for a TBI victim who needs more money just months or even weeks later. It’s our goal to ensure our clients get the money they need to compensate them for their TBIs for the rest of their lives. If you or a loved one suffered a TBI that was caused by someone else’s negligence, contact our Virginia brain injury lawyers today for a free consultation.

We’ve Got the Experience You Need for Your Workers’ Compensation Application

by admin@gotechark.com | November 7th, 2022

As Virginia workers’ compensation lawyers, we can tell you firsthand that getting approved for benefits after a work-related injury is rarely easy. The Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission (VWCC) intentionally makes it difficult for workers to get approved to help reduce the risk of fraudulent claims, but in doing so, it causes many valid applications to fall through the cracks.

Why is it difficult? The biggest reason is because of how many forms need to be filled out and how closely the VWCC scrutinizes them. When it finds a single missing piece of information or questionable answer, it can put the brakes on your application. The best-case scenario at this point is that your application—and benefits—are halted for weeks or months, and the worst-case scenario is the VWCC denying your claim altogether.

At Lowell Stanley Injury Lawyers, we help injured workers build their applications from the ground up from day one. It’s our goal to help our clients avoid delays and denials as much as possible. Because we know exactly what the VWCC looks for when it reviews claims, we can significantly reduce the chances that it finds anything that might raise the alarm on your claim and result in more scrutiny and a longer time of your family not receiving benefits.

Contact us today for a free consultation. We have decades of experience building successful Virginia workers’ compensation applications, and we know how to expedite the process to get the money you’re owed into your bank account as quickly as possible.

We Help Injured Patients Sue Negligent Clinics and Hospitals

by admin@gotechark.com | October 31st, 2022

Medical malpractice isn’t always a case involving a doctor or surgeon who made a negligent mistake and injured or harmed a patient. It also frequently involves a patient being harmed by a healthcare clinic or hospital’s negligence. And while a specific employee, such as a nurse, physical therapist, or physician assistant may be the person who made the mistake, the organization they work for may be held liable—not the individual healthcare worker.

However, suing organizations for medical malpractice isn’t always easy. Just as doctors and surgeons have malpractice insurance to protect them from lawsuits, so too do healthcare clinics and hospitals. In fact, the amount of coverage they have—and the legal protection they’re afforded—is often much greater than what doctors and surgeons have access to.

At Lowell Stanley Injury Lawyers, we know the challenges involved with suing negligent clinics and hospitals, but we also know how to win those cases. We work hard to help our clients and their families get the compensation they’re owed, even if it means going up against multi-billion-dollar hospital systems that are armed with big legal teams and uncooperative insurers.

If you suspect that your or your loved one’s preventable injury or illness was caused because of a negligent healthcare clinic or hospital, we want to hear from you. Contact our Virginia medical malpractice lawyers today for a free consultation.

How to Stay Safe while Bicycling in Virginia

by admin@gotechark.com | October 24th, 2022

Fall is one of the best times of year to be a cyclist in Virginia. The scenery is beautiful and the weather is mild. But no matter what time of year you ride your bike, you face serious risks from other road users. When you ride your bike, especially if you bike in an urban area, your biggest priority should be reducing your risks of being struck by vehicles.

Here’s how to stay safe while cycling:

  • Wear a helmet—Just as wearing a helmet saves motorcyclists’ lives, it can also save your life if you’re struck by a vehicle while riding your bike. Make sure your helmet fits you properly, and replace your helmet if it gets damaged in a crash.
  • Obey traffic laws—When you bike on public streets, you’re required to obey traffic laws just like people in cars, trucks, and SUVs. That means you need to come to a complete stop at stop signs and red lights, obey the speed limit, and maintain your lane.
  • Avoid distractions—Riding a bicycle requires focus and concentration. If you’re listening to music, engrossed in a podcast or audiobook, or looking at your phone, your focus won’t be on your surroundings. Keep distractions to a minimum while riding, and ensure your eyes, ears, and mind are focused on staying safe.

Even the safest and most conscientious cyclists can be seriously injured when other drivers are negligent, careless, or reckless. If you or someone you love is injured while riding a bike in Virginia, Lowell Stanley Injury Lawyers wants to help.

Contact our Virginia bicycle accident lawyers today for a free consultation.