When someone is involved in a car crash, their brain floods their body with adrenaline as a coping mechanism to deal with shock. The effects of this adrenaline can last for hours or even days after an accident occurs, masking the pain associated with many common car accident injuries.  Here are five common car accident injuries that are often diagnosed days after a crash:

Whiplash. Whiplash is a very common soft-tissue injury that occurs upon impact when your head is suddenly and violently jerked back-and-forth.  Whiplash injuries that go undiagnosed and untreated can have neck and shoulder pain that continues to worsen, creating severe discomfort and loss of mobility.  Physical therapy and prescription medication is often required for a whiplash injury to heal.

Scientific American estimates that roughly 66,000 infants are injured every year in the U.S. due to accidents that occur while a baby product is being used. Due to how small and fragile infants are, products that are made for young children need to be manufactured with care. When product manufacturers do not keep this fact in mind or attempt to cut corners to conserve costs, products may injure children unnecessarily.

Parents in Wisconsin and everywhere throughout the Unites States should be cautious when buying the following products and do whatever research they can to ensure they buy an item that will not cause harm to their infant. Additionally, they should remember to always prioritize safety. Children should never be left unattended in a carrier, stroller, or device which may cause injury.

The debate surrounding the idea of “distracted walking” takes to new heights as the Honolulu City Council proposes a bill that will legally limit pedestrian cell phone use.  Should the bill pass, it will be against the law for a pedestrian in Hawaii to look at their phone while crossing the street.  However, controversy arises as it will still not be illegal to look at your phone while driving a car through the very same intersection.

A recent study released by Ohio State University claims that pedestrian injuries involving a cell phone are rapidly rising.  The study reported that cell phones cause more than 1,000 serious pedestrian injuries every year.  The researchers claim this number is just the “tip of the iceberg” and that thousands more pedestrian injuries occur each year that are not categorized as serious.

Riding a bike is a fun and healthy way to travel on Wisconsin roads.  It is a responsible choice for the environment and for your finances.  But riding a bicycle on a road with cars and trucks can be dangerous.  Bicycles offer zero protection to their riders, making a collision between a bike and a car catastrophic.  Following these basic safety tips can protect Wisconsin bike riders and make sure they reach their destination safely.

Wear a Properly Fitted Bicycle Helmet.  A helmet is your greatest defense in the event of a crash.  Research has proven that helmets save lives, as many bicycle accidents involve a massive blow to the head.  Whether it be collision with the ground or with another vehicle, bike riders can protect their brain and, in many cases, save their life just by choosing to wear a helmet.

If you’ve been injured in a serious car wreck in Wisconsin and are questioning your legal options due to difficulty in settling an insurance claim and/or getting the necessary compensation, you have a great deal to consider. The first of which, of course, is the matter of fault. Who was really at fault for your accident? How will the court approach the matter of fault, often referred to as liability? How is liability determined?

The first thing you need to know is that matters of fault and liability differ from state to state. In Wisconsin and in many other states, the factor of negligence will inevitably come into play. When someone acts negligently, they act carelessly and fail to behave with the level of care that would be expected of someone under the same conditions.

At Urban & Taylor, we’re committed to helping students obtain the education they need to ensure a bright future. As part of that commitment, we decided to start a scholarship that would help first-time college students do just that. The first submission period for that scholarship, Fall 2017, just came to a close. We were humbled by the overwhelming number of applications we received. All of the essays were outstanding. Thank you to everyone who applied!

We’re pleased to announce we’ve chosen a winner.

Congratulations to Nick Katz of Branford, Connecticut!

Nick will be attending the Duke University of Law this fall.

Fall 2017’s essay topic was on driver safety and how we, as a global society, can encourage drivers to prioritize the lives of others before getting behind the wheel. Nick wrote an outstanding essay taking from his own personal experiences as a police officer and offered actionable suggestions for prioritizing driver safety.

When someone loses a loved one in a tragic accident or incident that should not have occurred or could have been prevented, we refer to deaths like this as ‘wrongful deaths’. Under the U.S. legal system, family members who have experienced a wrongful death of a loved one may be able to file what is known as a wrongful death lawsuit against the guilty individual, company, or entity that caused the incident or accident. Doing so may allow a family to begin to recover—both financially and emotionally.

Wrongful death cases are separate from criminal cases. Whereas a criminal case attempts to penalize a guilty individual for performing murder or manslaughter in the case of a death, a wrongful death lawsuit is a civil claim that lets the family members of a deceased individual obtain damages (compensation) from the individual or party that was responsible. These damages can potentially go towards funeral costs, loss of wage costs, final medical costs, pain and suffering costs, and more.

At Urban & Taylor, S.C. of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, our legal team is committed to representing our clients to the best of our abilities and bringing peace of mind to the families of victims who were injured due to negligence. As part of our continued drive to provide quality legal counsel to local residents in need, we are proud to announce that David P. Lowe, a Milwaukee-based trial attorney, will be joining our firm on an “as counsel” basis. What this means is that he will be assisting us and our clients in addition to handling cases at his own successful firm.

David P. Lowe has been a successful personal injury lawyer and trial attorney for over 35 years and has helped numerous injured victims in Wisconsin get the financial compensation they have needed to move forward. He specializes in the areas of personal injury including car accident claims, medical malpractice claims, product liability, wrongful death, insurance claims and disputes, business and consumer contracts and disputes, and will be helping our team to the best of his abilities to ensure justice is within reach for those wronged.

According to data obtained from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Federal Highway Administration, I-94 is the deadliest interstate in the State of Wisconsin. This interstate has a fatal crash rate of 0.2. Compared to dangerous highways in other states, I-94 is one of the safer interstates in the United States. But in the State of Wisconsin, a car accident on I-94 has the greatest risk being fatal.

Overall, the most dangerous roads in Wisconsin are the rural two-lane roads.  They are less forgiving because they are more narrow, have dangerous hills or curves, have little or no shoulders, and short clearance space for vehicles that leave the roadway.  In 2014, the fatality rate on Wisconsin’s non-interstate rural roads was more than double that on all other roads in the state.

All nursing home and long term care facility residents have federal and state legal rights in Wisconsin. These rights exist to protect residents and their family members and ensure that facilities treat residents fairly. If you have a loved one in a facility and their resident rights are ever violated, you can take legal action against the facility on behalf of your loved one as well as relocate your family member to a safer environment.

If you have an elderly loved one in a nursing home in the Milwaukee area or anywhere in our state, it’s important to understand the following Wisconsin nursing home resident rights and keep an eye out for any type of mistreatment or conduct that may violate these rights: