Have you ever received a letter from your car manufacturer telling you about a recall on your car? If you have, did you look into it? Ensuring your car is meeting safety standards regarding recalls is extremely important. It can even mean the difference between life and death. March 10, 2010 A pediatric nurse, Brooke Melton, in Georgia fell victim to a vehicle defect on her 29th birthday. While driving down the highway after a shift at the hospital, Melton’s car, a 2005 Cobalt, “slipped into the accessory position,” causing her car to lose all power and struck another vehicle. Due to her injuries, Melton passed away. At first, police concluded that Brooke Melton lost control driving since the roads would have been wet due to rain that day. However, weeks after the accident, Melton’s family discovered a notice in the mail from GM. This notice, addressed to Brooke, informed them of the open recall on Cobalt’s that GM had let slide for too long. Unfortunately, 124 people lost their lives due to vehicle defect that was the subject of this recall, and left 257 injured. Startling Facts The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported in 2018 that over 30.7 million cars were on the roads with open recalls. That number should be concerning to you if you know you have an open recall on your car. In 2017, every 1 in 5 vehicles had some sort of open recall. However, if you’re wondering if you car is subject to any sort of recall, even regarding tires, check here. Most recalls come in the form of a printed notice in the mail. Otherwise, you could be notified when taking your vehicle in for maintenance at a certified dealership. Dangers Behind a Recall Imagine you’re on a road trip. Maybe this is for work or leisure. Either way, you are traveling down a fairly unoccupied highway and suddenly your car stops. Or, it is making a funny noise. Something happens and you know this can’t be good. You vaguely remember receiving some kind of recall notice in the mail. But, you discarded it without a second thought. Ignoring a notice can lead to you becoming stranded or even be the cause of an accident. Unfortunately, for Brooke Melton, her notice was not sent out until it was too late. If you start to notice your car acting funny, or doing something it should not be doing, contact your local manufacture dealership and ensure there are no open recalls. Keeping up with your car’s safety will help keep you and your loved ones safe. Gerling Law is a leading personal injury law firm dedicated to providing aggressive legal representation to individuals and their families.  With over 50 years of experience, Gerling Law has helped thousands of people in Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky recover hundreds of thousands of dollars in a wide variety of personal injury and consumer protection cases, including trucking accidents, wrongful death, medical malpractice, nursing home negligence and social security disability. Gerling Law takes pride in the fact that we have never represented insurance companies, hospitals or large corporations and that we fight against powerful companies for our clients. If you need an experienced, dedicated personal injury lawyer, Gerling Law is here to help.  You can always reach us at 888-GERLING (888-437-5464) or through our website at www.gerlinglaw.com.

Personal injury. You have heard the term used many times. But what does it actually entail? A personal injury is typically some sort of harm that is caused by someone or something. Your mind might automatically think of a car accident, which is certainly a common type of personal injury. However, there are many other ways one can obtain an injury that may require legal assistance in the battle for justice. Let’s take a look at 5 different types of personal injury. Workman’s Compensation If you’ve ever had any type of job, you have surely heard of a workman’s compensation injury. These types of personal injuries occur in the workplace, as the name suggests. Many jobs have safety manuals or guidelines you must follow while on the clock. People who work in factories typically must wear protective eyewear and masks to prevent anything from harming their face. Other places might have rules such as requiring someone else to be present when you’re on a high ladder. If you’re a construction worker, you wear hard hats to protect your head from falling material or other harm. This is to prevent any accidents from happening and to protect yourself and other employees. If you become injured at work, it would be best to seek the legal assistance of a personal injury attorney. Having an attorney on your side during a workman’s compensation case is beneficial for many reasons. Firstly, they will handle all the paper work and communication with insurance companies. Secondly, your attorney will fight for a satisfying outcome when it comes to your settlement. Motor Vehicle Accident Like mentioned above, motor vehicle accidents are a huge type of personal injury. Accidents can cause any sort of injury, from concussions to paralyzation, and even death. Unfortunately, when it comes to vehicle accidents, there is usually a laundry list of expenses. The worse the injury, the longer the tab. Having an attorney on your side during a vehicle accident would be highly beneficial to you and your loved ones. Experienced attorneys know when insurance companies are not playing fair or may not be giving you their best offers. Injuries obtained in accidents require lots of proof, paperwork, and communication with medical facilities and insurance companies. Your attorney will handle this all so you can focus on recovering. Slip and Fall Another type of personal injury is a slip and fall. Slip and fall personal injuries are pretty much what they sound like. You slip and fall in an unsafe place, the fall is not your fault and obtain an injury. For some, this can happen in a public place such as a store. If the floor is wet and the store failed to warn customers with a caution sign, then they will most likely be held accountable for your fall. Slip and fall cases will typically become associated with the term “premises liability.” This just means that the property owner or company has failed to ensure safety where the accident occurred. Dog Bites Another common form of personal injuries are dog bites. This is one of the common types of personal injury. We’ve touched on this topic before, but it can never be said enough. Owning a pet, especially a dog, is a huge responsibility. However, it is also your responsibility as an individual to make sure you use safe practices around animals. Some safe practices include ensuring your own pet is on a leash. You don’t want to risk your dog attacking another dog or person. Even if your dog is normally well-behaved, their animal instincts can kick in at any moment. You do not want to be liable for your dog biting another human, so keeping them on a leash at all times is important. If you see a person approaching or reaching down to pet your dog, make sure you’re keeping an eye out. Also, never attempt to pet another dog without asking permission. Some dogs do not take well to people they do not know, which leads to attacks. Often when dogs attack young children, it is because the child has done something to upset the dog. Make sure you never leave your dog and young ones unsupervised together. Medical Malpractice Unfortunately, the medical field is no exception to mistakes. When negligence comes from a doctor or other medical professional, you may have a medical malpractice case. Some common forms of medical malpractice include being misdiagnosed or prescribed the wrong medicine. Sometimes these errors might seem small, but the long-term effects could be extremely dangerous. Imagine being told you have a common cold when actually it is a severe case of pneumonia. If you believe you have experienced medical malpractice, it is important you seek out an attorney to help you. Insurance companies and hospitals will want to be very thorough with all your medical records which can be very confusing when trying to tackle a lawsuit on your own. This is where a personal injury attorney can help. Gerling Law is a leading personal injury law firm dedicated to providing aggressive legal representation to individuals and their families.  With over 50 years of experience, Gerling Law has helped thousands of people in Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky recover hundreds of thousands of dollars in a wide variety of personal injury and consumer protection cases, including trucking accidents, wrongful death, medical malpractice, nursing home negligence and social security disability. Gerling Law takes pride in the fact that we have never represented insurance companies, hospitals or large corporations and that we fight against powerful companies for our clients. If you need an experienced, dedicated personal injury lawyer, Gerling Law is here to help.  You can always reach us at 888-GERLING (888-437-5464) or through our website at www.gerlinglaw.com.

Hiring an attorney can be quite stressful if you don’t know what questions to ask. You might be unsure of what is appropriate to ask. The truth of the matter is, you can pretty much ask an attorney anything. One thing you need to keep in mind from the very beginning is that honesty with your lawyer or potential lawyer is very important. What types of cases have you handled before? Don’t be afraid to ask the attorney if he or she has taken similar cases or not. Feeling comfortable and confident with your attorney’s abilities is important as well. However, keep in mind they may not be able to give you exact details. Also, every case is different. Most people want a lawyer with lots of experience. Luckily, all of our attorneys here at Gerling have lots of successful cases under their belts. However, we understand that you may want to dig a little deeper. Feel free to ask your attorney about similar cases. All results will differ based on the facts and situation of your case, so keep that in mind. How long will it take to resolve my case? Timelines regarding personal injury cases are often unpredictable. Though, your attorney might be able to give you an estimate. Keep in mind it might take a while for things to process in your case. It takes time and detailed attention to settle a case. Your medical records must be shared to the attorney and insurance companies, as well as accident reports or other documents containing proof or information regarding the accident. These files are looked over by everyone, including your attorney, to ensure accuracy and fairness. The more records there are to look over, the longer it will take. However, this precision helps your attorney make the best decisions for you and your case. Who will be working on my case? Another of the important questions to ask your attorney is who will be working on your case. Often times our attorneys will consult each other on certain cases. For the most part, your attorney and their paralegal will be the ones handling your case. However, a lot of your communication will come through the paralegal. A common misconception is that the attorneys pictured in commercials and billboards will be the one handling your case. Most law firms have multiple lawyers and paralegals. At Gerling, our owning and managing attorney is Gayle Gerling Pettinga. However, there are six practicing attorneys, each who have their own paralegal. Gerling Law is a leading personal injury law firm dedicated to providing aggressive legal representation to individuals and their families.  With over 50 years of experience, Gerling Law has helped thousands of people in Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky recover hundreds of thousands of dollars in a wide variety of personal injury and consumer protection cases, including trucking accidents, wrongful death, medical malpractice, nursing home negligence and social security disability. Gerling Law takes pride in the fact that we have never represented insurance companies, hospitals or large corporations and that we fight against powerful companies for our clients. If you need an experienced, dedicated personal injury lawyer, Gerling Law is here to help.  You can always reach us at 888-GERLING (888-437-5464) or through our website at www.gerlinglaw.com.