Biloxi / Gulfport Personal Injury Lawyer

Mississippi Gustav victims could lose twice

Gerry McGill — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:53:27 GMT

On August 22, 2008 I posted a blog about how Florida flood victims from Tropical Storm Fay could lose twice. Now thanks to Hurricane Gustav, many Mississippi victims may be in the same boat when they discover their Homeowner's Insurance Policies DO NOT cover flooding. See my earlier post for what needs to be done to protect yourself in the future. Call your insurance agent to review your coverages. Do it today as it usually takes 30 days to become effective. Hurricane season won't be over for a couple more months, but Hurricanes and Tropical Storms are not the only cause of flooding. Flood insurance is needed year round.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Gerry McGill

Disgust with lobbyists at GOP Convention

Gerry McGill — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:23:00 GMT

With Hurricane Gustav bearing down on the Gulf Coast John McCain asked delegates to the GOP convention to tone down their celebrating because it was not appropriate when so many people were suffering the hardship of evacuation and the uncertainty of having homes to return to after the storm. Unfortunately, the the people who most want John McCain to be President, the lobbyists, power brokers, and career politicians,totally ignored his requests. I was disgusted to see on Good Morning America on Monday morning the parties, limos, and Romanesque celebrations thrown for the purpose of insuring access to the politicians who are supposed to serve the people who elected them. One man said on television words to the effect that everyone has hard times sometimes. It wasn't that they didn't get it, they didn't care.

I don't know what the answer is but I do know that if we can't elect leaders that will help us take back the country from the vast, well financed influence peddlers we will get what we deserve.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Gerry McGill

Florida flood victims may lose twice

Gerry McGill — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 13:10:37 GMT

Florida homeowners flooded by Tropical Storm Fay may lose twice. The first is when the flood waters recede and they are able to return to their homes. As someone who had his house partially flooded by Hurricane Ivan, I know the sick feeling you get when you first return to your house to find ruined walls, carpets, furniture, appliances, and personal items. As bad as that is, for some the worse loss will be when they find out that homeowner's injurance policies DO NOT COVER FLOODING. A seperate policy is needed to cover flood damage.

A flood policy can be purchased from an insurance agent or directly through the National Flood Insurance Program,(NFIP), which is run by the Federal Emergency Management Program (FEMA). More than 20,300 communities nationwide participate in NFIP. Check the "Community Status Book" at fema.gov to find out whether your area participates. Then, go to floodsmart.gov and click on "What's your flood risk?" to determine your odds and find a local agent.

Later posts will discuss some myths about flood insurance.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Gerry McGill

Bow Riding Leads to Boating Accident

Gerry McGill — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 17:07:18 GMT

A 24 year old woman was killed Sunday when she fell overboard from a 24 foot pontoon boat and was struck by the boat's propeller. Michal Elboum was sitting on the bow of the boat when she fell into Perdido Bay near Pensacola, Florida about 3:30 p.m. Sunday. Ten people were on the boat at the time of the accident. The accident is still being investigated by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Exactly what caused Eboum to fall is still unknown but alcohol is not believed to be a factor.

FWC Officer Stan Kirkland said: "We strongly discourage people from riding on the bow because if you fall off you are on the path to be run over. It's possibly the most dangerous place you can be on a vessel." In Florida FWC Officers can issue a citation to the operator of a boat for allowing people to ride on a boat's bow. Kirkland said it was too early in the investigation to know if anyone will be cited for anything.

Eboum was helped back into the boat after she fell and was taken to a private boat dock on the bay, where Firefighters and paramedics tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate her. She was declared dead at the scene. Fire Chief Jim Pokrandt said: "She had massive lacerations to the left side of her body."

Although this tragedy occurred in Florida, it should serve as a warning to all Mississippi boat operators not to let anyone sit on the bow of a moving boat.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Gerry McGill

We are losing the war on drugs

Gerry McGill — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 18:45:04 GMT

In an earlier blog I wrote that the U.S. Coast Guard seized 238,040 pounds of cocaine in 2007. Assuming that figure represents 20% of the cocaine smuggled into the U.S., that means over one million pounds reached the distributors for users in America. John McCain went to Central America and Mexico to seek assistance in stemming the flow of cocaine into the U.S. While that is commendable, it seems to me that we are looking at the wrong end of the pipeline. What we as Americans need to do is cut down on the users here at home. We have made significant inroads against cigarette smoking and a similar approach to cocaine use might yield similar results in the long term. As I stated earlier, the major beneficiaries of our drug addictions are the drug cartels, dictators, and terrorists. In addition, Afghanistan produces about 90% of the world's poppies used to produce heroin. Finally, if we can't stop the flow of drugs into the U.S. and the consumption of these drugs, our government should consider de-criminalizing these drugs thereby dropping their street value so significantly that the providers' profits are slashed. At least they wouldn't have such huge amounts of money to corrupt our legal system and finance our enemies.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Gerry McGill

U.S Coast Guard seized 238,040 pounds of cocaine in 2007

Gerry McGill — Fri, 23 May 2008 16:26:57 GMT

The U.S Coast Guard seized 238,040 pounds of cocaine in 2007, up just slightly from the 234,337 pounds seized in 2006. The largest amount seized, 303,662 pounds was in 2005. No one knows for sure what percentage of the actual amount of cocaine brought into the U.S. the seizures represent but it probably is no more that 10-20 percent. Obviously there are a lot of users in the U.S. The worst part, even more than wasted lives, is that the profits go to support organized crime, dictatorships, and terrorists.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Gerry McGill

Attorney Fees in Injury and Death Cases

Kay Whitson — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 15:57:07 GMT

Virtually all attorneys who handle injury and death cases handle them on a contingent fee basis. Most attorneys charge 33 1/3% if a case is settled before litigation and 40% if litigation is necessary. However, some attorneys charge as much as 50%! But what a lot of attorneys don't tell you is that contingent fees are

negotiable. Many lawyers are willing to discuss reduced fees depending on several factors in the particular case. The most important factor for me is the strength of the liability case. In an automobile case where the victim was rear-ended while stopped at a stop sign liability is clear and a recovery, while not guaranteed, is very probable. In this case a client would be justified in asking for a lower fee percentage. However, in an intersection collision in which both drivers claim they had the green light, and they are the only witnesses, liability is much less clear and the attorney may be justified in asking for a higher percentage fee than in the first example. Future blogs at this site will address other aspects of contingent fees.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Kay Whitson

Prescription Drug Prices Rise Faster Than Inflation

Gerry McGill — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 11:15:01 GMT

The Associated Press reported on Wednesday, March 5, that drug makers increased their prices last year by an average of 7.4% for the brand-name medicines most commonly prescribed to the elderly, according to the advocacy group AARP. The increase was about 2.5 times overall inflation.

The AARP has been tracking drug prices going back to 2002, focusing on the prices charges to wholesalers. The organization noticed that the price increases
have been slightly greater since the Medicare drug benefit kicked in January 1, 2006.

In the four years before the benefits startup, wholesale prices rose between 5.3% and 6.6% a year.

All but four of the 220 brand-name prescriptions in the study had price increases during 2007. Nearly all exceeded the rate of general inflation. Among the top 25 drug products, the sleep aid Ambien had the largest price increase, 27.7%.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Gerry McGill

Some FEMA Trailer Brands More Toxic

Gerry McGill — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:12:35 GMT

Four of the six most commonly used brands of trailers supplied by FEMA for Gulf Coast hurricane victims are among those brands with the highest formaldehyde levels, according to a recent study by the U. S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Air samples from trailers made by Gulf Stream, Keystone, Pilgrim and Forest River contained more than four times the formaldehyde levels that are found in newer U. S. homes, according to the study.

The study is the first brand-specific information provided about formaldehyde levels in the tens of thousands of travel trailers and other temporary homes that hurricane victims have been living in since Katrina and Rita hit in 2005.

The CDC found average levels of 77 parts formaldehyde per billion parts of air in these models, significantly higher than the 10 to 17 parts per billion concentrations seen in newer homes. Some levels were as high was 590 parts per billion.

The Associated Press reported that in the latest report the CDC found an average level of 108 parts per billion in Pilgrim-brand travel trailers, 103 in trailers made by Gulf Stream, 102 in those made by Keystone, and 85 in those made by Forest River.

Since the testing was done during the winter months, when the temperatures are at the coldest, the levels found are likely to be the lowest results. As the weather warms towards summer, more formaldehyde is given off and accordingly these formaldehyde levels may rise significantly.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Gerry McGill

Millions of Ford Vehicles Recalled

Gerry McGill — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 15:52:40 GMT

The Federal Government on Thursday warned owners of about 4.6 million recalled Ford vehicles to bring their cars and trucks immediately to dealerships to disconnect cruise control switch systems that have been linked to engine fires.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said that about 9.6 million Ford vehicles have been recalled since 1999, but only 5 million have been fixed, raising concerns about the remaining vehicles on the road. The NHTSA said they have received about 60 complaints of engine fires in the Ford vehicles since August, 2007.

The NHTSA said many dealers will disconnect the cruise control switches as a "drive-through service" so owners do not have to leave their vehicles at the dealership or schedule an appointment. Once sufficient replacement parts are available, owners can return their cars to the dealership for rewiring.

A complete list of all vehicles, some dating back as far as 1993, is available at http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Gerry McGill