North Adams Legal Blog

Serious personal injury can be compensable if due to negligence

On behalf of Donovan O'Connor & Dodig, LLP posted in Serious Personal Injury on Friday, October 11, 2019.

Have you ever gotten the flu or sprained your ankle? Then you know how much more difficult everything in your life can be when your health isn't well or your body isn't injured. These injuries are fairly common and most everyone who suffers them ends up making a full recovery. However, when injuries and illness occur on a larger scale, it can have much more serious impacts on an injured person and their family.

Oftentimes, when a person is injured it is due to an accident. Accidents are generally sudden, unexpected and can leave the injured and their family reeling. Car accidents, work accidents, medical injury and many other incidents can leave a person injured. In all of these scenarios and more, a person, business or other related third party could have played a role in causing or failing to prevent a person's serious personal injury.

Semitruck crashes have many causes

On behalf of Donovan O'Connor & Dodig, LLP on Friday, September 27, 2019.

The roads that stripe this country were designed to improve safety, but each driver has a direct impact on this. Large semitrucks pose a significant risk to smaller vehicles, so these drivers need to be especially careful as they drive down the highways and roads.

Crashes between 18-wheelers and passenger vehicles can leave the victims with catastrophic injuries, which can involve the spinal cord or brain. The factors that cause these wrecks vary greatly.

The dangers of distracted driving

On behalf of Donovan O'Connor & Dodig, LLP posted in Motor Vehicle Accidents on Friday, September 27, 2019.

Today, most drivers in Massachusetts are aware of the dangers associated with using a cell phone while driving. Despite this knowledge, some drivers still decide to reach for their phone while driving. Even if it is for a second, the reality is that using a cell phone takes the driver' eyes off of the road, hands from the wheel and their mind off of the task of driving. And in that short moment, an accident could ensue because that motorist was distracted.

The idea of distracted driving is not new, and the dangers associated with it are continually emphasized. Nonetheless, automobile collisions are the result of drivers being distracted. This has resulted in certain traffic laws being passed, sometimes making texting and driving a primary offense. Despite these efforts to penalize these acts, the reality is that distracted driving still occurs and many victims suffer severe injuries or even death because of it.

What are common birth injuries suffered?

On behalf of Donovan O'Connor & Dodig, LLP posted in Medical Malpractice on Wednesday, September 11, 2019.

The birth of a baby is a very joyous event for parents in Massachusetts and elsewhere. While it is a positive and happy moment in the lives of parents, it is also a time where the unexpected could occur. Complications are not uncommon; however, when a medical professional acts quickly and properly, some harms and medical issues can be avoided. In contrast, when a medical professional makes an error or does not uphold their duty of care, this could result in significant harms to the mother, newborn or both.

While America is a developed country, there is an alarming rate of maternal deaths due to medical malpractice. Based on current data, roughly 60% of these deaths are preventable. The rate of birth injuries in the U.S. is also shockingly high, amounting to roughly 3 per hour.

Understanding Medicare's Hospice Benefit

By Donovan & O'Connor, LLP of Donovan O'Connor & Dodig, LLP on Monday, September 9, 2019.

Medicare's hospice benefit covers any care that is reasonable and necessary for easing the course of a terminal illness. It is one of Medicare's most comprehensive benefits and can be extremely helpful to both a terminally ill individual and his or her family, but it is little understood and underutilized. Understanding what is offered ahead of time may help Medicare beneficiaries and their families make the difficult decision to choose hospice if the time comes.

Helping you take action after a serious accident

On behalf of Donovan O'Connor & Dodig, LLP posted in Serious Personal Injury on Thursday, August 29, 2019.

No one expects to suffer a serious injury; however, many individuals are faced with suspecting risks and dangerous situations on a daily basis. Whether it is in the workplace, on the roadways or at home using a product, a sudden and tragic accident could happen at any point. And when such a situation strikes, victims are often left questioning what they can do to navigate this situation that has left them injured, overwhelmed with medical bills and unable to work.

No one can fully understand the pain and suffering one is going through; however, the attorneys at Donovan O'Connor & Dodig, LLP, are sensitive to these matters. Our goal is to help make our clients whole by taking the time to understand their situation, making them aware of their rights and helping them secure the monetary award they are entitled to.

Pedestrian severely injured in hit and run

On behalf of Donovan O'Connor & Dodig, LLP on Thursday, August 29, 2019.

When drivers choose to drink and drive, they put your life in danger. Not only are they a danger to other cars, they are also a danger to pedestrians. A drunk driver can cause you life-threatening injuries.

A pedestrian in Massachusetts received serious injuries recently after a drunk driver hit him and then fled the scene. The driver’s negligence in drinking and driving and then fleeing the scene put the pedestrian’s life in danger.

Investigators questioning cause of fatal motorcycle crash

On behalf of Donovan O'Connor & Dodig, LLP posted in Motor Vehicle Accidents on Wednesday, August 14, 2019.

Some would say that car crashes are not accidents, as they have a cause. In many cases, it is due to a driver being distracted, reckless or intoxicated. The aftermath of some motor vehicle collisions can be devastating. What can be even more troubling is that the severity of the crash can increase the complexities of the investigation process. It may not be initially clear how the crash occurred, and if there is no secondary driver to evidence that there was in fact another vehicle, it can be difficult to understand if an accident is actually a hit-and-run.

This is the question plaguing investigators after a recent crash in Woburn. According to Massachusetts State Police, authorities are currently questioning the involvement of another vehicle following a fatal motorcycle crash on Interstate 95. This collision occurred just after midnight in the northbound lane of I-95, just north of Exit 35.

Estate planning and retirement considerations for late-in-life parents

By Donovan & O'Connor, LLP of Donovan O'Connor & Dodig, LLP posted in Elder Law on Monday, August 5, 2019.

It is becoming more common for people to be parents at an older age, partly because of changing cultural mores and advances in fertility treatment. Comedian and author Steve Martin had his first child at age 67. Singer Billy Joel, 70, welcomed his third daughter in 2017. Janet Jackson had a child at age 50. But later-in-life parents have some special estate planning and retirement considerations.

How common are deaths post-surgery?

On behalf of Donovan O'Connor & Dodig, LLP posted in Medical Malpractice on Thursday, August 1, 2019.

Every day, patients in Massachusetts and elsewhere rely on medical professionals to diagnose and treat them. An overworked medical professional could make an error, causing a patient to suffer great harm. Medical errors could be the source of serious medical conditions or even cause the unfortunate death of patients.

How common are deaths post-surgery? With regard to surgical errors, many patients are afraid that complications may arise from the procedure that they are about to undergo. While this is understandable, what isn't comprehensible is the fact that a patient could suffer harm post-surgery because of errors made during the surgical procedure.