Author: James Sabatini

James Sabatini is a Connecticut trial lawyers practicing personal injury law.

About James Sabatini

James Sabatini is a Connecticut trial lawyers practicing personal injury law.

Here are my most recent posts

Bus Crashes, Rolls Over, Injuries Reported

A bus carrying a high school lacrosse team rolled over on its way to a game. The extent and number of injuries are unknown at this time. The bus rolled over in the Middletown area between exits 9 and 10 on Route 9 around 2:50 p.m., officials said. Injuries have been reported. The injured have been taken to local hospitals. The cause of crash is under investigation.

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Truck Accidents – Driver Fatigue

The National Transportation Safety Board analysis of Fatal Accident Reporting System (FARS) data indicates that in 1993 there were 3,311 heavy trucks involved in 3,169 fatal accidents, in which 3,783 persons died (432 were occupants of the heavy trucks). Research has suggested that truckdriver fatigue may be a contributing factor in as many as 30 to 40 percent of all heavy truck accidents. In 1990, the Safety Board completed a study of 182 heavy truck accidents that were fatal to the truckdriver. These 182 accidents were a census of the heavy truck accidents that were fatal to the driver in the eight participating States. The primary purpose in investigating fatal-to-the-driver heavy truck accidents was to assess the role of alcohol and other drugs in these accidents. The study found, however, that the most frequently cited probable cause was fatigue. The Board believes that the 3 1-percent incidence of fatigue in fatal-to-the-truckdriver accidents found in the 1990 study represents a valid estimate of the portion of fatal-to-the-driver heavy truck accidents that are fatigue-related.  To read more about the Safety Board’s study, results and recommendations, click here.

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How Much Car Insurance Coverage Do You Need

Liability coverage is purchased to protect you if you get sued because of a car accident that you caused. This is perhaps the most important insurance you will buy, not only because it will prevent you from going bankrupt, but also because it is part of your responsibility as a driver of a what can be an instrument of destruction, a motor vehicle. How much insurance is enough? As much as you can afford, and get your insurance agent to quote you the difference to buy higher policies. And the amount of liability insurance you purchase is doubly important because it dictates the maxium amount of uninsured and underinsured coverage you can buy.

$100/300,000 policies are absolutely not enough and any policy which provides a split coverage, provides an illusion of more coverage than you actually get. A $100/300,000 policy only provides $100,000 available to settle any one persons injuries. $100,000 is about what the medical bills would be for one weeks hospitalization in a serious accident. Even accidents where people walk away from the wreck, often have values above $100,000. If a younger person suffers a neck or back injury which prevents them from returning to their current employment, the damages will almost always exceed $100,000. If a 20 year old person’s income is reduced even $2 an hour as a result of injuries, the loss of earning capacity over such person’s life will exceed $100,000. Damages in motor vehicle accident cases also include physical pain and suffering, mental anguish, the loss of enjoyment of life’s activities and any permanent partial impairment or disability resulting from the injury sustained.

Minimun liability limits in Connecticut are $20,000 per person, $40,000 per event.? The minimum coverage is grossly inadequate.? It fails to protect your assets in the the event that you negligently cause an accident which results in personal injuries to another.? It also fails to cover you for injuries you have suffered from an uninsured or underinsured driver.

It is our recommendation that you?purchase a single limit $500,000 liability coverage and to also explore getting a $1,000,000 umbrella policy.

Uninsured Motorist Coverage. Connecticut law requires everyone to have insurance, the legislature has mandated that every insurance policy which is sold in Connecticut include protection against accidents caused by uninsured motorists. Such coverage is called “uninsured motorist coverage”. Connecticut law mandates that such insurance must be equal to the amount of liability coverage (a minimum of 20/40,000), however you can purchase up to two times the liability coverage. This coverage is extremely important because it protects you against being damaged, by what are often the worst drivers on the road, including many drivers who don’t have insurance because there driving licenses have been revoked or suspended.

Underinsured Motorist Coverage. Even more important than “uninsured motorist coverage” is underinsured motorist coverage. Where uninsured, protects you from the driver who doesn’t have any insurance, underinsured protects you from someone who doesn’t have enough.

We recommend that you purchase a single limit $500,000 of both uninsured and underinsured coverage and to also explore getting a $1,000,000 of both on an umbrella policy.

Adequate auto insurance coverage is vital.? We have seen far too many personal injury?cases where a seriously injured person is under compensated because there is a lack of available insurance coverage.?

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Connecticut Emergency Room Crisis

Last week an Illinois woman died from a heart attack after waiting to been seen by a doctor at the emergency room. Here in Connecticut, emergency room doctors believe that it is just a matter of time until such a tragedy occurs in a Connecticut emergency room hospital.

According to the Hartford Courant report: Michael Carius, chairman of the department of emergency room medicine at Norwalk Hospital, does not know of any deaths in Connecticut due to emergency room delay but has witnessed too many close calls. The largest contributing factor to this serious problem appears to be overcrowding. A task force has been established to seek remedies to this serious problem. Until then, sick people arriving at Connecticut emergency rooms may be waiting too long – exposing themselves to greater injury and possible death.

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Dog Bites – More Dangerous Than You Think

Every year, approximately 4 million people are bitten by dogs. Most of these people are children. Aside from the physical injuries of lacerations and bruising, dog bites can cause infections and disease, especially for individuals with certain health conditions.

For example, someone with a chronic disease, diabetes mellitus, immunosuppression, liver dysfunction or systemic lupus can experience a high risk of infection after a dog bite. Doctors recommend treatment with antibiotics following a dog bite wound.

Another concern is the risk of rabies. If the dog has not been vaccinated for rabies, or if the dog’s vaccination history is unknown, the dog should be quarantined for 10 days to determine whether it is positive for rabies. If the dog cannot be quarantined, a rabies vaccination for the victim is recommended.

With dog bites, as with most injuries, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Teach children to be careful around animals, even if the animal appears to be friendly. Should a bite occur, seek medical attention.

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