The Mason Law Firm

Lets face it - social media is not going away, at least not for now. More and more people are joining the social media world of Facebook, Twitter, blogs and Google+. Anyone who is a member of the social media world needs to be aware of the fact that anything he or she says or posts following an accident can come back to haunt them.

A report prepared by Governors Highway Safety Association reveals that in 2009, motorcyclist traffic fatalities in the United States dropped by 16% to 4,465. This was the first time in 12 years that this number decreased. Unfortunately, any accident involving a motorcyclist results in serious injuries, if not death. Statistics gathered in 2006 show that for every mile traveled in the United States, there were 35 times more deaths resulting from motorcycle accidents than from car accidents.

Personal injury refers to any incident where the victim sustains physical and/or emotional injuries. Classic examples include accidents (car, truck, bus, construction site, motorcycle, pedestrian, and train accidents), slip and falls, dog bites, food poisoning, burn injuries, and using defective products. This article focuses on mistakes make after accidents.

Every year, there are thousands of scaffolding injuries resulting from scaffold use and scaffolding accidents. Scaffolding injuries occur because construction sites are dangerous places to work and there are different subcontractors performing different duties, sometimes in the same area. Scaffolding injuries can result in serious injuries, which is why it is very important to use an attorney experienced in construction site accidents.

What is a personal injury incident? A personal injury incident refers to any incident where someone gets injured, physically and/or emotionally.

In bankruptcy proceedings, individuals who are trapped in financial crisis caused by huge debt, are given the opportunity to start fresh financially. The individual filing bankruptcy protection is called the debtor and the person to whom the debtor owes money is called the creditor. There are essentially two different types of bankruptcy protection available to individual debtors: Chapter 7 (liquidation) and Chapter 13 (repayment plan). What is Chapter 7 Bankruptcy?

Trucking remains a major mode for transporting goods in the United States. With so much traffic and so many trucks on our highways, accidents with these big rigs are sometimes inevitable. Sometimes, a truck accident occurs because of driver fault and sometimes, it occurs because of equipment failure. Unfortunately, when an accident occurs between a passenger car and a truck, the truck generally wins and injuries are rarely minor.

No one likes getting into an accident and because it is not an every day event, people usually do not know what to do or what not to do. So, here is a simple guideline to tell you what to do and what not to do after a car accident.

Do I really need a lawyer? This is a question that I have been asked more than once. Abraham Lincoln once said: “He who represents himself has a fool for a client." Even though I can use this quote, I usually like to use an example such as: “Let’s say you have a tooth ache. Now, you can go to your garage, pick up a pair of plyers and yank that tooth out, or you can call a dentist. Which one would you choose?” The same concept applies when it comes to the law and hiring an attorney.

According to 2008 statistics compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administrations, 4,378 pedestrians were killed and 69,000 were injured in traffic accidents in the U.S. This means that on average, 1 pedestrian is killed in traffic accidents every 120 minutes and 1 pedestrian is injured every 8 minutes. Most pedestrian fatalities occurred in urban areas (72%), at non-intersection locations (76%), in normal weather conditions (89%), and at night (70%).

We have all heard of the term “picture is worth a 1,000 words.” The same principle applies to pictures when comes to car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, pedestrian accidents, construction accidents, slip and falls, dog bites, burn injuries, etc. What should you photograph and why?

So, you have health insurance, but have also heard about Med Pay (medical payment coverage under your auto insurance policy). Should you still carry Med Pay on your auto insurance even if you have health insurance? The simple answer is “yes.” Why?

You may have heard of "Med Pay", but not know what it means. Med Pay refers to medical payment coverage in an automobile insurance policy. Under the Med Pay provision, a policyholder is generally covered for reasonable medical expenses (including chiropractic) if he or she is in a car accident, regardless of fault. Med Pay can also cover family members who are in the car at the time of the auto accident.

The State of California requires that motorists carry liability insurance. However, there are other types of insurance which, although not required by motorists to carry, can help protect one in case of an accident. Some of these types of insurance are more known than others, such as uninsured motorist coverage. However, some of less known, such as GAP Insurance.

Greedy insurance companies (backed by big, powerful and greedy corporations) have been fighting the legal system, and particularly against Personal Injury attorneys for years, using propaganda ads and sensationalizing single cases out of thousands of legitimate claims and lawsuits. But have you ever thought about how instrumental the legal field has been in improving our every day lives and the activities which we all take for granted, and how many lives have been saved by those improvements?

Each state has its own set of statute of limitations, which set forth the maximum time frame allowed, after an event occurs (such as an accident), for an injured party to start legal action, such as a lawsuit. Statute of limitations differs for bodily injury claims, property damage claims, breach of contract claims, medical malpractice claims, and claims related to fraud and misrepresentation. This article strictly discusses claims against public and government entities.  

Every year, thousands of individuals are injured on property owned, leased, possessed and/or controlled by someone else. Injuries from such incidents can range from back and/or knee strain or sprain, to broken bones, to torn ligaments requiring surgery, to death. What happens in such cases?

You are driving to the market when another driver runs a red light and strikes you from the side. Your neck starts to hurt and your car appears to be a total loss. You check on the other driver who then tells you: “I have no insurance.” Now what? Are you protected? Who will pay for the damage to your car? Who will pay your medical bills? What about your pain and suffering? Hopefully, you covered yourself by having uninsured motorist coverage.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, 3,696,100 cases of work related injuries were reported in 2008. Many of these injuries occurred on job sites of construction projects. These injuries led to medical bills, pain and suffering, emotional distress, and missed time from work. Some even led to deaths or permanent job losses. What are the remedies available to an employee injured on the job and is his/her remedy limited to workers' compensation benefits or can he/she sue for recovery?

Statistics show that approximately 120,000 people in the United States suffer from whiplash injury per year. This is the reason behind the insurance industry's scheme to attack soft tissue cases, such as whiplash, by spending millions of dollars in propaganda to make the public believe that such injuries do not exist. But what is whiplash? What causes it? How is it treated?

In Southern California, particularly in and around the Los Angeles area, people love their cars. However, there is an ever growing population who uses public transportation, including buses. How does the law protect those who get injured in bus accidents? What information does an injured passenger need to know?

So, do you believe that low-tar cigarettes are safer than full-flavored cigarettes? Does switching to low-tar cigarettes reduce your chances of developing cancer? Why were low-tar cigarettes introduced by cigarettes makers? Are lawsuits against cigarettes makers justified? These are just some of the questions that were raised in this Oregon lawsuit, filed by the husband of a deceased 53 year old woman who died due to cancer.

According to a 2007 statistic, about 37% of U.S. households owned a dog. More specifically, that is about 43,021,000 households in the United States who owned an average of 1.7 dogs. With so many dogs residing in the U.S., dog attacks are not uncommon. How does the law treat dog bite cases?

Have you ever wondered what a personal injury case refers to? Do you know what to do in case of a personal injury case? When should you seek medical attention after a personal injury incident? How can you afford paying for a personal injury attorney?