A LAW FIRM HELPING INJURED PEOPLE

 

INSURANCE COMPANIES-WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW

Everyday people injured by the negligence of others find themselves facing aggressive insurance companies doing all they can to save money for their executives at the expense of injured people. Because of the law in Colorado jurors are not allowed to even know that the at-fault person even has insurance. Insurance companies through aggressive lobbying have fought to keep this fact secret. It is important that injured consumers have a knowledgeable and aggressive team of experts to fight off the insurance companies and help injured persons gain just compensation for their injuries. The Law Office of Pete Cordova, PC offers the experience, aggressiveness, personal attention and ethics that you will need to successfully take on the all powerful insurance companies.

 

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO PROTECT YOURSELF

Drive defensively. Looking out for the other driver is often what keeps serious accidents from happening in the first place. Being aware at all times could save you and your family from serious injury or even death. Always wear your seat belt. Failure to wear your seat belt will impact the compensation you will receive from another driver regardless if the other driver was at fault.

 

Auto Accidents

• Stop your car and get help for the injured.

 

• If there are injuries or substantial property damage, ask someone to call the police or highway patrol.

 

• If you are injured, get prompt medical attention.

 

• Provide police with the information they require. Ask the investigating officer where to obtain a copy of the police report. You will probably need it.

 

• Take notes. Keep a pad and pencil in your glove compartment. Write down the following items: Names, addresses and phone numbers of all drivers and passengers involved in the accident.

 

• Car license numbers, make and model of each car involved

 

• Operator's drivers license number and insurance identification number

 

• Names and addresses of as many witnesses as possible

 

• Names and badge numbers of police officers

 

• Record the details of the accident while they are fresh in your memory. Draw a diagram to recreate the scene. Suggestion: Carry a small disposable camera in your car and photograph the accident scene.

 

• Collect all your belongings from the damaged car.

 

• Get the name, address and phone number of the driver and his/her insurance company.

 

• Save all medical bills and receipts

 

Medical, Hospital & Pharmacy Negligence

 

Medical Error Statistics

 

Three years ago the Institute of Medicine estimated that 44,000 to 98,000 patients die each year because of medical mistakes-more than are killed annually by automobile accidents or die each year of breast cancer.

 

Survey conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health and the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, examined the views of more than 800 American doctors and 1,200 other adults found:

 

Fully 35 percent of the doctors said that either they or members of their families had experienced medical errors in the course of being treated, and most said the errors had "serious health consequences," such as death, long-term disability or severe pain. Three in ten had seen an error that caused serious harm to patients outside their families in the past year. (Excerpt from NY Times Article "Errors that Kill Medical Patients") Research by Dr. Atul A. Gawande (Surgeon and author of an article published in The New England Journal of Medicine) & his colleagues. 

 

Estimate that sponges or instruments are left behind at least 1,500 times a year in the United States-a tiny fraction of the total operations, which exceed 28 million. That works out to about one case a year for a typical large hospital. But, the authors note, the cases "attract wide, critical press coverage," and patients often sue. In Massachusetts cases that the researchers studied, patients won an average of about $53,000. 

 

Using records from a malpractice insurer in Massachusetts, the researchers found 54 patients who had instruments or sponges left behind from 1985 to 2001.