Richard N. Shapiro (Rick) is a personal injury trial attorney, American inventor, and international award-winning fiction author. One of his co-authored legal treatises was published in the American Jurisprudence “Trials” Law Encyclopedia.
It is whispered that the nurses that really “care” about their patients will only go so far to protect a negligent doctor or hospital from “whistleblowing” –when they know malpractice has occurred. Will a nurse “whistleblow” even when they worry that they could be fired or disciplined for notifying
Cases of nursing home abuse and neglect are quite common these days. The main reason is that many of these facilities are run with an eye towards the bottom line for the owners and not the benefit of the patients. Some corporations which own nursing home facilities will squeeze every last dime out o
So many drivers these days are talking on the phone while driving. Studies have shown that talking on the cell phone while driving is very close to the danger of driving while drunk. The reason is that your mind is taken up with your conversation and not 100 percent focused on the road.It is the sli
Virginia recently changed its laws related to medical malpractice cases. The new law requires that the lawyer certify that he has an expert witness in the appropriate specialty who will testify that the defendant violated the standard of care before serving the lawsuit. This law is actually a good t
Long ago, the federal government and its agents could not be sued for torts (a civil wrong). However, the federal government passed an act called the Federal Tort Claims Act many years ago that allows suits for negligence against federal agents, including postmen, if they are negligent and the negli
The ultimate embarrassment: An experienced DEA agent demonstrates gun safety to children in Orlando, Florida, and during the videotaped safety discussion he accidentally shoots himself in the foot! In the aftermath, he is now suing the DEA! Why?Paige alleges that the DEA intentionally leaked the tap
Is it safe to pull over on the shoulder of a highway to change a tire, change drivers, get something out of the trunk, or even to be pulled over by a police officer?Based on my experience as an injury lawyer, the answer is a resounding "no." If you can, get off the busy highway first, or at least pu
Monday, April 3, 2006 was a dangerous day on the road. Every Monday following the conversion back to daylight savings time in the Spring is a heavy day for traffic accidents. The problem is that everyone is an hour short of sleep and in a rush. This results in a statistical increase in the number of
I had a great time and got a super result in an automobile wreck case recently in the Norfolk Circuit Court, Virginia. My client was involved in a low speed, low property damage rear end collision. She also had pre-existing conditions in her back and fibromyalgia. I was thrilled when the jury came b
It is reasonable for the law to impose upon the innkeeper, and on the common carrier, a duty to take reasonable precautions to protect his guests against injury caused by the criminal conduct on the part of other guests or strangers if the danger of injury by such conduct is known to the innkeeper o
A Canadian Pacific Railway train derailed in January 2002 near Minot, North Dakota, spewing anyhydrous ammonia from tankar cars, causing extensive property damage and personal injuries. First, the federal district court certified a class action. The Court lowered the boom later. On March 6, 2006, th
Virginia has special rules regarding what damages are recoverable in personal injury cases including special rules relating to what some would call “double recoveries” of medical expenses. It is best to use examples to explain some of the rules. Imagine you have a health insurance policy, and a car
