Missouri Nursing Home Laws

Products liability is the part of the law that deals with defective or dangerous products. As a Missouri products liability attorney, I’ve been involved in cases where a product was misused and the manufacturer knew that it would be misused in that manner. The one that comes to mind was a baby seat case where a grandpa had strapped a baby into the car, didn’t get the seatbelt routed right, and there was a crash and the baby had a horrible, horrible brain injury because of that. We were able to hold the car seat manufacturer accountable because they knew that folks misused the product in this way and they didn’t design around it.

 It’s coming to light now that General Motors did exactly what Ford did back in the 70s and choose dollars over human lives with their Chevy Cobalt. As a Missouri product liability attorney, we understand that it takes a lot of work from the legal aspect from getting engineers involved and kind of doing reverse forensic sciences to figure out what was wrong with the product. Although, in the GM case, frankly they knew what was wrong and they made a decision to choose dollars over human lives. It’ll take a lot of attorneys to hold them accountable for what they did and for all the lives that they destroyed. There was a problem with the ignition switch that caused the airbag to fail. The airbag that’s designed to protect folks was failing and the cost of the part to fix it was under $1. GM’s first choice was to tell folks don’t hang heavy keys on your keychain. That will keep this from malfunctioning. They’d known for years before they finally did a recall, but they decided that the lives that they would have to pay for cost less than the cars they would have to fix. When you’ve been hurt and the bills are racking up, you don’t have to pay a lawyer out of pocket to represent you in your injury case. Call my office and if we can help you, we won’t charge you anything until the end of your case if we’re successful for you.  Call 314-A-LAWYER today for a free consultation.

By: Spencer Farris

When you’ve been hurt and the bills are piling up, the big question on your mind is: What is my case worth?  Injury Law News brought to you by the S.E. Farris Law Firm. I’m Spencer Farris, a St. Louis injury lawyer at the S.E. Farris Law Firm. The value of your case depends on a lot of factors. Let’s talk about those for a minute.  The facts of your case matter. What happened? Was it a injury that went away after a couple of days, or did you need surgery?   Where did it happen, in a conservative venue, or one where jurors understand that pain and suffering have a value?   How did it happen? There’s a difference to the value of your case if Grandma hit you on the way to bingo versus a corporation in a large truck with a drunk driver. The combination of these factors go into the mix and help determine what your case is worth, what a jury – and therefore a claims adjuster – would assign as the value of your claim.   Choosing the right St. Louis injury attorney matters. The insurance company knows what lawyers have the experience and the credentials necessary to prepare your case to present it to a jury, and that goes into their valuation of your claim.  If you have more questions about the value of your case, please contact my law firm at the phone number or the website address on your screen. We’re happy to talk with you without any cost or obligation about your case.  The S.E. Farris Law Firm is dedicated to the needs of injury victims and their families.

By: Spencer Farris

I want to talk to you for a moment about recorded statements. You’ve been involved in an injury. So a slip and fall, or a car accident, a truck accident, things of that nature. And the insurance company calls you right away. And they say, “Hi, I’m,” and they state their name. From whatever insurance company, “and I want to ask you about your accident or your injury. I need you to know that this phone call is being recorded for quality assurances.” Really, it’s for quality assurances? that’s why you’re recording me? That’s not true.

So they start off with a lie. They’re recording your conversation, in order to defeat your claim. They don’t want to pay you. You’ve just been involved in something that injured your body. You’ve been in the hospital. You might be on pain medications. And this nice person is calling you, and recording your conversation for quality assurance. They’re lying. That should be a big red flag. I need to call a lawyer. Call me at (314) 542-9999. Don’t give them a recorded statement. And let’s talk about why.

They’re going to ask you– let’s call it car collision. “What roads were you on, and which direction were you going?” Well you got to think. Was I going north, or was it west. I can’t remember. “What color was the traffic signal?” “Well when? When I was stopped at it, and hit from behind? Or before that when it was green?” I mean, they’re asking you questions to defeat your claim. “How hard was the impact?” Why do you want to answer those questions? Why would you? “What is the speed limit on that road?” I don’t know. Is it 35 or 40? Maybe it’s 45. They’re not helping you. You need a lawyer. Get the police report and figure those things out, and think about them. This isn’t a quiz, where you’re required to answer immediately.

They’re calling you to try to get you to mess up. So that later, when I’m preparing you for your deposition, and I show you that the police report says that you were stopped at a red electric signal and the speed limit is 40 miles an hour. You say, “Oh, well I told them earlier I thought the car was going 15 or 20.” Well how do you know that? You saw them in your rear-view mirror. You don’t know that. Don’t commit to that. Think about it. Do you know it, or do you not know it? If you know it, say it. And if you don’t know it, don’t say it. But get counsel. Because the insurance company doesn’t want to pay you.

So there’s lots of reasons not to give a recorded statement. They’re later going to take your deposition, which is your sworn statement under oath. And now they have two statements. Don’t do that. What’s the advantage of that? There is none. That’s why you always see lawyers in these 30 second commercials saying don’t give a recorded statement. They’re right, you shouldn’t. Instead, when they ask you for that, that’s your signal to call a good law firm and a good lawyer. And I don’t care who that is, which state you’re in. But you need representation. If you’re in the mid-west, in Missouri or Illinois, that’s all we do. My name is Mark Cantor. And again, our phone number is (314) 542-9999. And either I or my law partner Gary Burger, will personally represent you in your claim. Thank you.

By: Mark Cantor

Ok, you have the contact number of Missouri motorcycle accident lawyer, but you want to find someone else who rides, because the physics and the science of being on a motorcycle make those crashes different than a simple car crash. It’s helpful to get someone who understands what it’s like to be out there on the road and how naked and exposed you feel when you’re riding next to a three-ton car. You might be wondering how to hire a personal injury lawyer, or what kind of things you should look at. And the first thing that I tell every client, “Look, if you look around Saint Louis or Missouri, there’s probably 300 or 400 folks that will do just as good a job for you as my firm will do,” but you need to find someone that you feel comfortable working with, because you’re forming a partnership. And if you’re going to spend two or three years locked in a partnership with someone who won’t return your phone calls, doesn’t answer your e-mails, or really doesn’t care about you and thinks of you like you’re a number, no matter how qualified that lawyers is, he’s not the right lawyer for you.

You need a good mix of qualifications, and concern and caring chemistry, if you will, to get the right match so that you hire the right lawyer for you and your case.  When you’ve been hurt and the bills are racking up, you don’t have to pay a lawyer out of pocket to represent you in your injury case. Call my office, and if we can help you we won’t charge you anything until the end of your case if we’re successful for you.  Call 314-A-LAWYER today for a free consultation.

By: Spencer Farris; Nevada Auto Accident Lawyers.

MMI or Maximum Medical Improvement, is the term that the insurance company’s doctor uses when he or she believes that medicine will no longer make you any better, and you’re as good as you’re going to get from the treatment you’ve gotten after your work-related injury.

By: Spencer Farris

We carry insurance on our homes because the folks that come visit us are friends and relatives. And if they get hurt, you want them to be taken care off. In Missouri though if you get hurt at the house of a friend or relative, they are the ones who named in lawsuit, and it scares a lot of folks. Am I going to take grandma’s car? Am I going to cause aunt Betsy lose her house? No, you’re not. The short answer is, A Missouri slip and fall lawyer is going to pursue the insurance that covered the home. And we’re never going to take away the property of the person whose house you were at. Insurance companies want you to feel guilty and want you to feel that way, but it simply not true. When you’ve been hurt and the bills are racking up, you don’t have to pay a lawyer out of pocket to represent you in your injury case. Call my office. And if we can help you, we won’t charge you anything until the end of your case if we’re successful for you. Call 314-A-LAWYER today for free consultation.

By: Spencer Farris

Any time a grownup falls in Missouri, there is an opportunity for the jury to blame you for not paying attention. Because of that, slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall type cases are the type that I’ve tried more than any other in my history as a Missouri slip-and-fall lawyer. Whether it’s on snow and ice, or a spilled yogurt at the grocery store, or any number of other things, you’re responsible to look out. And because of that, the insurance company is going to want to blame you for your incident and say you’re at fault for falling. Call a professional, call a Missouri slip-and-fall lawyer, and get the help you need when you’ve injured yourself, to take care of your medical bills and to pay for the bills that are going to continue to come in while you can’t work.  When you’ve been hurt and the bills are racking up, you don’t have to pay a lawyer out-of-pocket to represent you in your injury case. Call my office, and if we can help you we won’t charge you anything until the end of your case, if we’re successful for you. Call 314-A-LAWYER today for a free consultation.

By: Spencer Farris

A trial is when your case is finally decided by a judge or a jury, and somebody else decides what your case is about and what it’s worth.

By: Spencer Farris

I got a call from a lady the other day who wanted to know how her medical bills were going to be paid after her injury.

Injury Law News brought to you by the S.E. Farris Law Firm.

I’m Spencer Farris and I represent injury victims in the state of Missouri. I get that kind of call a lot from folks who are worried about their rising medical bills and the daily mail that they get with another bill collector looking for payment. And this is what I typically tell them.

Medicare

Senior citizens and folks on social security disability are covered by Medicare and Medicare will pay the medical bills as they are incurred. However, Medicare gets part of their money back from your injury case at the end. Your lawyer will have to negotiate that for you because Medicare will want dollar for dollar on what they spend.

Medicaid

Children in Missouri who don’t have private health insurance, and some adults, are covered by Missouri Medicaid. And Medicaid also will pay Medical bills and, at the end of your lawsuit, they will expect to be repaid. However, a judge can reduce or totally eliminate your payback to Medicaid. You’ll need your lawyer to help you with that.

Private Insurance

The other group that frequently pays medical bills in Missouri is private insurance and private insurance will ask for repayment almost always. Unless they are a special plan, a self-funded union plan or something along those lines that is governed by federal law, they’re not entitled to reimbursement. The word that they will say is subrogation, which means they stand in your shoes and get to collect their money back from the person who hurt you. Make sure that your lawyer is well aware and willing to fight for you so that you don’t have to pay back the health insurance. And this isn’t cheating. You paid benefits to get the health insurance. You wrote a check every month. They shouldn’t get their money back just because they did what they promised to do.

No Insurance

Finally, there are a lot of folks that don’t have any health insurance. And in those situations, hospitals and doctors will treat you on what’s called a lien basis. Hospitals don’t have to see you unless you’re in an emergency. But, experienced trial lawyers can help you find a doctor who will treat you on a lien basis and will make sure that your doctor understands that they will get paid.

When you’ve been hurt, the most important thing is to feel better and not be worried about how you’re going to pay for your medical bills. Remember that a trial lawyer who cares about his clients will fight for you and fight to put money in your pocket, rather than spend it all on the health care that you wouldn’t have needed but for your injury. If you have questions about medical care or how to pay for it after an injury, call my office or reach us at the website at the bottom of the screen. I’m happy to visit with you without any cost or obligation and hopefully help put your mind at rest.

The S.E. Farris Law Firm is dedicated to the needs of injury victims and their families.

By: Spencer Farris