How to increase safety when cycling to work
As the weather improves you might be tempted to take your bicycle out of the garage and start riding to work. There are so many benefits to this that it would be good if more people thought the same. However, most of our towns are still dominated by cars.
As a cyclist, that means you can never be sure whether you will get to work intact. You don’t have any protection, unlike those inside the cars. And you can’t rely on all drivers to drive well, so you need to be proactive about your safety for the sake of self-preservation. Here are a few ways you can do that:
Make eye contact
You don’t need to gaze into the eyes of every driver on the road, but you should catch the eye of certain ones. For instance, someone you want to sneak ahead of in a traffic queue, or a driver whose path you must cross to turn.
Drop your left shoulder
You need to know what’s happening behind you, and quickly dropping your left shoulder allows you to turn your head more for a glance behind. It’s crucial before pulling back in or turning and it’s wise to do it regularly so you are aware of anyone who might try to pass you.
Consider adding some color to your outfit
If you want to wear all black and ride a bike that matches, that’s your right but it’s not going to help you be seen. Even a little color can help you get noticed by those who could knock you off.
It’s a driver’s responsibility to take care around you but many are not that careful, so being proactive helps your odds of arriving at work without incident. If you don’t, there is legal help available to hold a negligent driver responsible.
What is “pain and suffering” in a car wreck claim?
When you are involved in a car accident, you may suffer different kinds of losses, or “damages.” You can claim compensation for these damages – including pain and suffering, even though it’s a non-economic loss that does not directly impact your finances like lost wages or medical bills.
Pain and suffering are the physical and mental/emotional stresses you experience from an injury. It’s not the injury or medical damages associated with it, but the pain you feel and its consequences.
What are examples of pain and suffering?
The most obvious example is the physical pain you feel from the injury. Others include:
- Discomfort
- Loss of opportunities/ability
- Difficulty doing things you used to
- Nightmares/trouble sleeping
- Anxiety, depression or any other mental health issue you may develop
It will help to write down everything you feel after the accident. For instance, you can have a scale for the pain, perhaps 1-5, and then document your daily rate.
How is the damage calculated?
Since it’s non-financial damage, it can be challenging to quantify pain and suffering and put a price on it. Nonetheless, the legal field has formulas that help with this. The first one is the multiplier method, in which the value of the multiplier depends on the degree of pain and is then multiplied by economic damages. For example, on a scale of 1 to 5, permanent disability would probably be a 5. If your financial damages were $2,000, you can receive $10,000 in pain and suffering.
Another method is per diem compensation, which means “per day.” You will agree on the daily amount to be paid for the pain suffering, which will be multiplied by the number of days suffered.
You should obtain more information about pain and suffering compensation to get what you deserve. Experienced legal guidance can help.
When following another vehicle, you need to leave a safe distance. The rule of thumb is three seconds between two cars. You can simply determine this by counting how many seconds it takes you to pass an object, such as a road sign, tree or telephone pole, after the driver ahead passes it.
However, in some instances, you may need to increase this distance. They include:
Driving near a truck
If you are driving behind a large truck, you should increase the following distance. Due to their size, behind the truck can be a blind spot for the driver, which means they may not see you. If they brake suddenly, you may crash into the truck or get under it.
It will also help to increase the seconds when following an emergency vehicle, farm equipment, snowplows and construction vehicles.
Poor weather conditions
Poor weather conditions, such as during winter, may affect a driver’s visibility. Thus, you should increase the safe following distance by a few seconds to eliminate the chances of crashing into another vehicle. This is also essential in nighttime driving.
Entering or exiting a highway
When entering or exiting a highway, you should leave more space between you and other drivers to do so safely.
Someone is tailgating you
If someone is tailgating you, consider increasing the safe following distance, as they may have made a mistake. However, if this persists, proving they are doing it intentionally, maintain your speed and let the tailgater pass when it’s safe.
There should be a safe distance between you and other vehicles. If you are injured by another driver, despite observing safety measures, obtain more information about your case and act accordingly to receive fair compensation.
What do you imagine when someone tells you that they suffered an injury after a collision with another vehicle?
You probably think of conditions involving blood, bruising and/or broken bones. While these are real concerns, they are not the only things that crash victims need to worry about. Vehicle accidents can also cause intense emotional damage. Here are just a few examples of how emotional damage manifests in the wake of a collision.
1. Victims may be too scared to drive again
Recovering the physical ability to drive a vehicle is only part of the battle. Many people are left too scared to take the wheel again. Others can only do so if they stick to quieter roads or daylight hours or don’t take passengers.
Each situation will be different, but they can all cause inconvenience. If you have recently suffered harm in an accident, you might even need to change your job if you no longer feel confident enough to drive there or if driving was your job.
2. Victims may suffer flashbacks
Waking up screaming in the middle of the night can be scary for those you share a house with and stressful for you. Also, enduring flashbacks during activities where you need to focus, such as when you are driving or operating a machine, could endanger you and others.
3. Victims may struggle to live with guilt
Despite everyone telling you that there was nothing you could have done to avoid crashing and that it was entirely the other driver’s fault, you may still feel guilty if someone was injured or killed. That guilt can take a massive toll on crash victims, causing some to engage in self-harm or to be unable to enjoy their life anymore.
You should not assume that everything is fine after a vehicle crash. It may take time to tell. Getting legal help to understand what kind of compensation you may be able to claim could potentially help you to recover quicker and more fully.
How does premises liability work in North Carolina?
The basic concept of a premises liability claim is that a property owner should have done more to ensure you were safe when visiting their premises.
Yet these cases are anything but basic. North Carolina cases revolve around two things.
1. Whether an owner took reasonable care
Things that could affect your case include the following:
- Whether the owner knew or should have known about the hazard in question
- What, if anything they did to warn and protect visitors from the hazard
- Where the hazard was located (in an easily accessible spot or behind a barrier, for example)
Let’s use the example of a hole in the ground. You are more likely to succeed in a claim if:
- The owner knew of the hole rather than if they were entirely unaware and the hole was new.
- The hole was in plain view rather than hidden under brambles.
- The owner did nothing to safeguard people rather than if they took action.
- The hole is close to the road rather than a long way inside the property.
2. Whether you had the legal right to be there in the first place
You’ll have a stronger case if you were lawfully on the property than if you jumped a fence with signs saying, “Private property. Stay out.” Courts sometimes make exceptions if they feel the hazard tempted a child to enter unlawfully. One example could be a climbing frame that could see through the boundary fence.
You could face large medical bills if you or your child gets injured on someone’s property. Understanding your legal options could help to cover them.
Things can get costly when you’re injured in a workplace accident. Hopefully, you can recover those costs through a workers’ compensation claim. Yet many people see their claims denied or their compensation reduced because of mistakes they made after the accident.
Here are some errors you need to avoid making:
1. Taking too long to tell your employer you’ve had an accident
Some employers or line managers can be difficult to deal with. If you fear yours will give you an earful for having an accident, you might prefer to hide it from them. However, you must tell them as soon as possible and notify them in writing within 30 days. Otherwise, you could lose your right to claim.
2. Not getting a medical check-up
Medical reports are crucial when claiming compensation. Having a doctor document your injuries as soon as possible makes it clear when they happened. If you do not see a doctor for two days, for example, the insurer may claim you got injured elsewhere and try to deny your benefits.
Even more importantly, early medical attention increases the chance you make a full recovery. Some injuries can deteriorate fast if left. Doctors train to spot medical problems others cannot see.
3. Trying to do too much too soon
If your doctor says you need a month of work and should avoid strenuous activity, then do what they tell you. While you might feel well enough to mow the lawn or return to work early, doing so could jeopardize your claim. Insurers are always on the lookout for opportunities to argue the doctor’s diagnosis was too generous.
There is legal help available if you wish to understand more about maximizing your chances of a successful workers’ compensation claim.
Why a truck crash was probably not your fault
When a truck is in a collision with a car, most people assume the trucker is at fault. Statistics from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) show this assumption is usually wrong. In 81% of cases, they found that the car driver was to blame for the crash with a truck.
Most car drivers have never even sat in the cab of a truck, let alone tried to drive one. They do not understand how challenging it is. Therefore, when they encounter an 18-wheeler on the road, they act in a way that endangers you and them.
Why do car drivers cause truck collisions?
Here are some of the errors drivers of smaller vehicles make:
- They sit too close behind you: Something happens in front of you, and you need to slow. It could be another vehicle braking, a light turning red, or a pothole. It is not your fault if the car behind did not leave enough of a gap and crashes into the back of you.
- They pull too close in front of you: Some drivers are in such a hurry to pass that they take stupid risks and need to squeeze back under your nose to avoid getting hit by an oncoming vehicle. You might not be able to stop in time.
- They do not account for the wind: It should be obvious that strong gusts of wind can blow an 18-wheeler sideways. If a car is tight alongside, they cannot blame you if the wind blows you into them.
- They do not leave you room to turn: You need to turn left, so you indicate and pull out to swing into the turn. An impatient driver cuts up your inside and crashes into your turning cab.
Car passengers often suffer worse injuries in a truck crash, so people focus on helping them. Yet, you have just as much right to receive compensation. Showing why the collision was their fault, not yours, will help.
Tips for holiday shopping safety
If you are like most Greensboro residents, you are making your holiday lists and checking them twice this time of year. For many reasons, a lot of shopping will be done online. Yet, there are still must-have items that can make you venture out into the horde of shoppers crowding the aisles and jockeying for position in the parking lots.
While shoppers are bustling for bargains, however, they may not realize the enhanced risks of injury they encounter during the height of the holiday shopping season. To keep yourself hale and healthy this holiday season, here are some tips to keep you and your loved ones safer while shopping.
Plastic is safer than cash
When shopping, avoid carrying lots of cash. If your pocket gets picked or your purse is stolen, your cash will be gone forever. But if it’s a credit or debit card, you can freeze it and not be responsible for the thief’s purchases (although some may set a $50 limit or less).
Shop in groups
Solo shoppers are much likelier to be targeted as victims by criminals during the holiday shopping season. Make plans to shop with a friend or two.
Choose stores with visible security officers
All stores have a duty to provide a safe space for their customers. That includes hiring sufficient security to patrol parking lots and the store’s premises to keep dangerous conditions from occurring. Simply seeing a visible presence of security guards on duty in a mall or shopping center is a deterrent to many thieves.
Beware of crowded aisles
Yes, you may be jostling for bargain merchandise, but remain aware of your surroundings. Aisles with heavy items stacked above shoulder height could come tumbling down on unsuspecting shoppers’ heads. This could cause catastrophic injuries or even death.
If an accident occurs, seek help
If you do wind up injured due to a store’s lack of security or maintenance, learn all that you can about the process to seek compensation for your injuries and other damages.
Among other things, workers’ compensation provides important medical benefits for injured workers.
Unfortunately, exercising your rights to the care you need isn’t always a straightforward process, however. It often surprises injured workers that their employer actually gets to dictate what doctor they see. In an emergency situation, you can seek immediate care wherever necessary, but you otherwise need to see your employer’s on-site doctor or their designated health care office.
What if you don’t trust the medical provider you’re seeing?
You may suspect that the doctor you’re seeing is more concerned about making your employer happy than your actual care – and you could be right.
Doctors who make their living on a company’s dime may have some hidden biases that influence how they rate the severity of an injury, what restrictions they think an injured worker should have and when they allow an injured worker to return to duty.
If you don’t think that your workers’ comp physician is giving you proper care, you do have some recourse:
- You can request a second opinion. You have to make your request in writing, and your employer has 14 days to either agree to the request or deny it.
- You can request the Industrial Commission’s intervention. If your employer denies your request for a second opinion, you can petition the Industrial Commission to grant your request. This is a one-time visit and no guarantee that the doctor will become your approved physician but it can be the first step in the right direction.
- You can ask the Industrial Commission to let you use the doctor you prefer. This could be a doctor wholly of your own choosing or the doctor you used for your second opinion, but the burden is on you to show why the change is appropriate. (This is why a second opinion can help.)
When your workers’ compensation claim isn’t going as you’d hoped, it’s always best to learn more about your legal options.
A car accident can be a traumatizing experience. If you are hurt in a car crash as a result of another driver’s reckless acts, you will want to pursue compensation. In so doing, you must establish how the accident happened and how the other driver is liable for your injuries.
Unfortunately, not all personal injury claims end in compensation. Sometimes, a personal injury claim may be denied even if it is justified.
Here are two reasons for denial.
You fail to seek treatment in time
If you are involved in a car accident, you must seek treatment as soon as you can. This is important for two reasons. First, your health is important. Second, you will obtain a medical report that you will use to justify your claim. Even if you do not feel hurt, it is important that you seek medical attention.
Remember, some injuries take days or even weeks to manifest. Claiming will be more challenging if you fail to seek medical attention immediately following the accident, as the defendant’s insurance company may argue that the injuries for which you are seeking compensation had nothing to do with the accident.
You delay in filing your claim
Every state has a time limit within which an injury victim must file a claim. This is known as the statute of limitations. In North Carolina, an injury victim has three years from the accident to file a personal injury claim. Except under specific circumstances, you risk losing your right to compensation if you do not file on time.
A car accident can leave you with costly injuries. If you are hurt in a car accident, it is important that you avoid pitfalls that might result in your personal injury claim being denied.
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