Dallas Personal Injury Lawyer

A contract with my new teen driver.

Jeff Rasansky — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 12:17:05 GMT

When your sixteen year old start to drive, it opens up all kinds of new worlds! Each of us has a different perspective on what it means for our teenager to start driving but at the same time we are all in agreement – we want them to be safe. I did what I do best to make sure my teenager is safe…I drew up a contract. A contract that shares my concern with my sixteen year old and puts my teenager in the safest and best position possible as a new driver.

Here is the ‘Safe Driving Contract’ you can use as a resource with your new teenage driver. Pass it around and make sure any teenager takes the safest route home.

Other resources for teen drivers.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jeff Rasansky

Yes, it pays to be a PPC Attorney

Jeff Rasansky — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:11:46 GMT

Last week we addressed the cost of being a PPC attorney. Just a little nudge to measure conversions when doing pay per click (PPC) campaigns like Adwords. Of course it is worth the investment but, you need to take a look at your keyword selections for tweaking and getting in to your niche. It takes a good cross-section of research.

Start by looking at what you want to accomplish in your interactive marketing. That includes making sure your search engine optimization and social media activities like Twitter search or Facebook are helping you to harness PPC and drive down the cost of those clicks. In the long run, the goal is to find the best clients possible and do it by knowing how they search on your practice areas online.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jeff Rasansky

The cost of being a PPC attorney.

Jeff Rasansky — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 17:36:20 GMT

Finance and travel have the top costs in the pay per click (PPC) campaigns run online by search engines like Google. But, being an attorney is right up there in cost per clicks. Just read this article by the New York Times or go directly to cwire.org and see a list of the highest paid search terms on the web. Samples of cost per click:

· $65.85 personal injury lawyer michigan
· $61.26 car accident attorney los angeles
· $59.39 arizona dui lawyer
· $55.57 mesothelioma attorneys
· $47.74 automobile accident lawyers
· $44.52 truck accident lawyers

What is the real cost? You could spend thousands each month but is it paying off? Do you have a conversion rate? Are you getting the clients you want from this type of advertising? It’s time to measure up and find out if the cost of being a PPC attorney is worth the investment.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jeff Rasansky

'Technology feeds' about drivers and driver studies

Jeff Rasansky — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:24:44 GMT

Here are some good videos on drivers and driver studies.

Safety belt fetes 50 years

Drivers get virtual "guardian angel"

Crash test warning

Marijuana makes for bad drivers

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jeff Rasansky

Are Tanning Booths as Dangerous as Tobacco?(2)

Jeff Rasansky — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 17:42:00 GMT

Tanning beds first arrived in the United States in 1978, and their design has not changed much since then. They contain a special blend of phosphors that bombard users with a combination of UVA and UVB ultraviolet radiation. This wavelength of light does two things. First, it stimulates a golden, glowing tan that will turns heads at the beach. Second, it causes melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer.

It's no secret that tanning beds are dangerous. Recent studies have found that the risk for skin cancer increases by 75% for those who regularly use tanning beds, a statistic so worrisome that it has compelled the World Health Organization to classify the products in their highest cancer risk category. In 1988 the government began to regulate the beds at a federal level, primarily with restrictions on exposure times, variations between brands, and compulsory labeling of their dangerous side effects. Several states have issued their own guidelines since then.

All this information begs a comparison with the tobacco industry. Both cigarettes and tanning beds are products that can cause cancer, and both have been markets as tools to improve one's quality of life. Should the salon industry, then, expect impending, successful lawsuits?

Probably not. When individuals have sued tobacco companies for selling dangerous products, the companies have responded, successfully, that the pruchase of the product is an individual choice. To get around this argument, plaintiffs have claimed, again successfully, that cigarettes are so addictive that it isn't a choice to buy them. This argument, while persuasive and backed up by science for cigarettes, fails to apply to tanning beds; we all like looking tan, but we don't go through symptoms of withdrawal without it.

Furthermore, the fact that the tanning industry has been so closely regulated since its inception has helped stave off lawsuits. For tobacco companies, the laws applying to their product have constantly changed over the years; for tanning salons, the rules of the game were set from the very beginning. Therefore the tanning industry has been able to more conscientiously adhere to regulations and pre-emptively avoid any possible unlawful activity.

The lesson? Use tanning beds at your own risk. If you do end up with cancer, you'll need more than a lawyer to save your bronzed, gleaming skin.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jeff Rasansky

Are Tanning Booths as Dangerous as Tobacco?

Jeff Rasansky — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 17:20:00 GMT

It's no secret that tanning beds are dangerous. Recent studies have found that the risk for skin cancer increases by 75% for those who regularly use tanning beds, a statistic so worrisome that it has compelled the World Health Organization to classify the products in their highest cancer risk category. In 1988 the government began to regulate the beds at a federal level, primarily with restrictions on exposure times, variations between brands, and compulsory labeling of their dangerous side effects. Several states have issued their own guidelines since then.

All this information begs a comparison with the tobacco industry. Both cigarettes and tanning beds are products that can cause cancer, and both have been markets as tools to improve one's quality of life. Should the salon industry, then, expect impending, successful lawsuits?

Probably not. When individuals have sued tobacco companies for selling dangerous products, the companies have responded, successfully, that the pruchase of the product is an individual choice. To get around this argument, plaintiffs have claimed, again successfully, that cigarettes are so addictive that it isn't a choice to buy them. This argument, while persuasive and backed up by science for cigarettes, fails to apply to tanning beds; we all like looking tan, but we don't go through symptoms of withdrawal without it.

Furthermore, the fact that the tanning industry has been so closely regulated since its inception has helped stave off lawsuits. For tobacco companies, the laws applying to their product have constantly changed over the years; for tanning salons, the rules of the game were set from the very beginning. Therefore the tanning industry has been able to more conscientiously adhere to regulations and pre-emptively avoid any possible unlawful activity.

The lesson? Use tanning beds at your own risk. If you do end up with cancer, you'll need more than a lawyer to save your bronzed, gleaming skin.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jeff Rasansky

How Damaging Can Social Networks Be?

Jeff Rasansky — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:15:43 GMT

Today it’s not so much about what we say but when and how we say it. People who are posting on social networks need to realize it has repercussions across all aspects of their life. They can’t just post a personal message without a business colleague finding it and reading it. They can’t go out and party it up for the weekend without a friend posting pictures online and who wants to see that! Here are 5 ways to keep your online persona clean, honest and undamaging (as best possible).

1. Consider your medium. It might sound simple but don’t mix business with pleasure. Don’t post personal information on your business sites and try to keep your personal postings private.
2. Control your friends. Be careful who you let into your ‘friends’ circle in on your personal and business networks. Avoid guilt by association and be ready to reject or remove friends to preserve your image.
3. Monitor your state. Don’t post when you have been drinking, don’t post when you are angry. Always give yourself time to come down before you let the world know something you shouldn’t.
4. Be true to yourself. Always be who you are online. Fakes, when found out, will be driven out of the village never to be heard from again.
5. Know your tools. There are ways to track when your photos or postings are being use. Use those tools so you can be sure your information isn’t showing up in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Don’t miss this interview with the Legal Broadcast Network about an attorney’s client posting damaging info on his Facebook and MySpace pages that cost him at least $20,000! It really does pay to keep your social networking, well, undamaged.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jeff Rasansky

What influences whiplash recovery?

Jeff Rasansky — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:12:13 GMT

Whiplash is the most common traffic injury and has a lot of side effects and long lasting syptoms. A study by the Arthritis Care & Research Center author states "The results agree with our previous analysis in a cohort of patients compensated under a no-fault insurance scheme and support the hypothesis that the prognosis of whiplash injuries is influenced by the type and intensity of care received within the first month after injury,"

Over the years, evidence has grown that suggests the type and intensity of treatment received shortly after the injury can have long-lasting effects on the results of the care. All the more reason to seek immediate attention and justice for whiplash clients.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jeff Rasansky

Texas Drivers, Meet Big Brother and Big Insurance

Jeff Rasansky — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 11:13:51 GMT

Rarely drive your car?

Rarely drive your car at night, during rush hour, or in major cities?

Do you always accelerate and deccelerate smoothly?

Do you live in a state that would guarantee a discount for providing your insurance company information about your driving habits?

Have no privacy concerns about your personal driving habits?

You must not live in Texas.

Progressive Insurance has recently introduced a technologically advanced method to record driving statistics called MyRate. This device is a chip that is placed inside the car and records driving information and, after a couple months, the information is sent to Progressive. This device may lead to discounted insurance rates, but many across Texas view the technology as unnecessarily intrusive.

MyRate tracks several different driving variables including what time of day the car is being driven, how far it travels, and how smoothly the driver starts and stops. This data is used by Progressive to determine the liability involved to insure the driver.

In most cases, MyRate claims to lower insurance costs for safe drivers who tend to not drive many miles or at night. Drivers who drive fast, too many miles, at night, or repeatedly step on the brakes might not receive a discount - but see an increase in insurance costs!

Progressive provides plenty of evidence pointing to discounted insurance rates - yet this data comes from states where insurance companies are required to provide these discounts in exchange for driving data.

The information tracked by MyRate might be used in a different manner. This device might be used to help distinguish how accidents are caused and who is to blame. As stated above, this system tracks how smoothly a driver starts and stops. In most accidents, drivers slam on their brakes as they react to a possibly collision. Sudden braking will appear on the MyRate and will raise cause for concern. Speed is also a variable tracked by MyRate, another variable in car accidents.

This new technology may allow Progressive to bully consumers and policyholders into unfairly low car accident settlements using MyRate data as evidence. Drivers locked in a dispute regarding whether one was speeding, hit the brakes, time of day, length of trip, miles driven that day can now use the MyRate as evidence to deny various claims.

Stephen McKay, a products manager at Progressive, states that information gathered by the MyRate chip cannot be used in an accident investigation without the driver's permission. At-fault drivers who are involved in a legal case with another driver might not want these statistics released to the jury.

Yet how many consumers unknowingly provide ammunition to the insurance company? The privacy policy for the use of the device leaves this little tidbit out.

Deeia Beck, public counsel for the state Office of Public Insurance Counsel, does not believe at-fault drivers will be allowed to keep these driving statistics - some might be forced into giving this data to a judge. "They may not use it against their own insured," she said. "But let's say you're a Progressive customer, you're the at-fault driver, and these records are available. I'm sorry, but the opposing attorney is going to subpoena records, and it's not necessarily a done deal whether that's going to be admissible."

Ready to hand over all your driving information?

We're not either.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jeff Rasansky

Top 10 Worst Insurance Companies in the United States

Jeff Rasansky — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 14:16:35 GMT

The American Association for Justice (AAJ) has recently published a lengthy report detailing America's ten worst insurance companies. The majority of these companies are household names, each of which advertises as the best company and most customer friendly. The report provides damaging evidence to the contrary, that each company employs different tactics trying to take advantage of their policyholders. These companies are ruthless and will stop at nothing in their pursuit of profits, usually employing the slogan of &ldquo;profits over policyholders.

Several of these insurance companies, including Allstate, State Farm and Torchmark, employed the consulting firm McKinsey & Company. This consulting firm was hired to help the company raise their bottom line. Once employed, McKinsey helped each company establish a 'three D approach' for handling customers: delay, deny and defend. Insurance companies were taught to deny the claim, delay the payment and do anything to defend against the lawsuit. This approach taught insurance companies the value in using their litigation team to defend against lawsuits brought upon because of not paying claims.

Profits over policyholders is a slogan used by many of these insurance companies as an approach in handling their business. Basically, insurance companies should do anything possible to gain profits, even at the expense of their policyholders. Many of these companies identified their company goal as earning the maximum amount of return for their shareholders as possible.

Another tactic that many of these insurance companies employ is abandoning of their policyholders. Companies have identified policyholders in hurricane prone areas, Louisiana and Florida, to be more risky policies than others. Companies have become very stingy in their claim payments to policies in these regions evidenced by Hurricane Katrina.

One unfortunate lasting image of Hurricane Katrina involves State Farm and their deceptive ways in avoiding paying claims. An example involves the Nguyen family who lost their home in Hurricane Katrina and whose claim was denied by State Farm. State Farm&rsquo;s own engineers surveyed their damages and concluded the damage was caused by wind. Eye witnesses shared their account that another house was literally picked up and thrown into the Nguyen&rsquo;s home.

State Farm hired other engineers to come to a different conclusion, that the damage was caused by flooding, allowing them to deny the claim. Bob Cochran, a CEO of an engineering firm employed by State Farm to assess Hurricane Katrina damage, was told to alter reports that State Farm did not agree with. This led to ethical issues from Cochran's employees regarding State Farm's position.

We cannot overstate the importance of understanding each policy provision with regards to an insurance company. Many insurance companies trick their policyholders by adding complicated portions to their policies which confuse policyholders. Consultation with an attorney before signing anything not completely understood is highly advisable.

After reading this report, I am shocked by the practice of leading companies in the insurance industry. I want a company that is reliable and will handle my claim with honesty and speed. None of these insurance companies listed will do that. This report should alert consumers to the danger of working with insurance companies. Policyholders should be very cautious and understand exactly what they are covered for and not covered for.
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Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jeff Rasansky