Blog Archive - August, 2010

Whether it is lead based paint in children’s toys or contaminated dog food, the news has been dominated by reports of products produced in China causing serious injuries to U.S. consumers. A new defective product from China threatens to be far more dangerous than any of these previously cited imports.

Cell phone use in the U.S. has exploded with over 260 million people now using their cell phones for such diverse tasks as making calls, texting, GPS navigation and surfing the web. Unfortunately, cell phone use while driving is now one of the leading causes of auto accidents in Georgia, as well as nationally. Cell phones are a major cause of driver distraction leading to accidents causing 6,000 fatalities and 500,000 more people being injured annually.

Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) may have originally been developed as off-road all terrain recreation vehicles but over the last decade have become a very popular family vehicle with seating for everyone and lots of storage space. Despite their popularity, SUVs have a number of characteristics that create a significant danger of being involved in rollover accidents leading to catastrophic, and even fatal injuries.

Whether you live in the Atlanta metro area or the surrounding counties, Georgia's urban and suburban areas present significant risks for walkers and joggers. Distracted and inattentive drivers often disregard crosswalks, resulting in catastrophic injuries and even fatalities. Though walking is a fundamental part of our daily activity, every time we walk across a shopping center or parking lot, or walk our children to school, we face a real risk of being involved in a pedestrian auto accident.

The southbound lanes of I-575 at Cumming Highway in Canton were closed following a serious motorcycle accident that killed one and injured another last week. This accident serves as a reminder of the dangers one faces when riding a motorcycle. At Montlick and Associates, Attorneys at Law, we understand how difficult it can be when you or someone you love is involved in a motorcycle accident. Motorcycles have features that place riders at a higher risk of being involved in an accident and suffering catastrophic injuries including spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, internal organ injuries, amputation, paralysis and even death. Our compassionate attorneys and staff have been helping those in the greater Atlanta area and throughout the state of Georgia rebuild their lives after such tragedies for over 25 years.

As early in life as our first school bus ride to the local elementary school, buses have a significant impact on the way we conduct our lives. Our experiences riding a bus may range from taking a bus to school, traveling on a commuter bus to work, riding a transit bus to the mall, using an airport shuttle, or taking a bus to visit a relative in another state. Almost half a million buses transport over 24 million students every day. Despite how often we may hop on a bus, we rarely stop to consider the potential of being involved in a bus accident or suffering serious injury. This is odd when one considers that most buses lack many of the safety features of an automobile, such as seat belts and air bags.

The Columbus Georgia Northern Little League team continues to dominate the 2010 Little League playing field! Winners of the 2010 Southeast Regional Championship, the team is a top contender for this week’s 2010 Little League World Series’ United States and World Championship titles. Northern Little League faces off with Hawaii today at 2pm in Williamsport PA, with the winning team earning a place in Saturday’s US Championship Game against Texas.

Montlick & Associates, Attorneys is proud to salute the Northern Little League team with a special congratulatory television tribute scheduled to air in the Championship Games on ABC this weekend on WSB TV Channel 2 in Atlanta and WTVM in Columbus, Georgia.

Montlick & Associates, Attorneys at Law has a long history of giving back to the community, not only in terms of providing free legal advice to accident victims, but also through the firm’s ongoing family safety initiatives. We are proud of our Help Keep Kids Safe program which dates back to 1987, and our newest Family Safety and Legal Tips program. At Montlick & Associates, we know from experience that the more parents know about avoiding common dangers, the better equipped they will be to prevent injuries and possibly even save their child’s life. Each week we provide a two-minute video that was featured on ABC News, along downloadable materials, all designed to help you and your family stay safe. One example is Cyber Bullying.

Georgia Auto Accident Attorneys Montlick & Associates was retained by a husband and wife who were injured in a car accident while heading northbound on I-75. The couple were driving a 92 Toyota Corolla when a 2004 Safari Panther crossed over into their lane, causing their vehicle to spin out of control and hit the guardrail. Witnesses stated that they saw the party who caused the accident (the "Defendant") attempt to change into our client's lane. The Defendant stated that he did not see anyone in the lane when he began to merge. No citations were issued to either party, although the defendant violated the failure to yield law.

Montlick & Associates, Attorneys at Law is proud to partner with WSB-TV Channel 2 to recognize high school players that excel both on and off the football field, with the “Montlick & Associates Athlete of the Week.” Each week a new player will be featured on WSB-TV’s Sportszone program airing Friday nights on Channel 2 in Atlanta. At the end of the 2010 high school football season, Montlick & Associates will honor an Athlete of the Year. As part of our ongoing commitment to serve the community, Montlick & Associates will donate $5000 to the winner’s school.

Since 2007, an alarming increase has been reported in infant deaths due to drop-side crib-related accidents. If the cribs break or parts become loose, under some circumstances children can suffocate by getting trapped in the cribs’ drop-down latching mechanisms.

A client of Montlick & Associates, Attorneys at Law was severely injured at work while unclogging a water line with a sewer machine. Our client bent over to pick up the machine to put it back in the truck and felt a distinct “pop” in his back. Doctors determined that the worker had L4-5 disc bulging at two levels, requiring surgery. Following the surgery, physical therapy was required, but the insurance company withheld approval for the therapy as well as doctor-prescribed pain medication. Additionally, the insurance company withheld approval for a post-operative MRI that would determine whether or not our client’s surgery was successful, or if a second surgery would be required.

Montlick & Associates, Attorneys at Law was retained by a client who was struck by an inattentive driver changing lanes. The negligent driver freely admitted that she did not see our client’s vehicle. She was subsequently cited for improper lane change. Our client was seen at Henry Medical and treated for injuries to her right knee, neck and back. She subsequently suffered from severe headaches, knee pain, wrist pain and ankle pain. Our client had to endure physical therapy for several months; she eventually had to have knee surgery.

The driver of a Party Bus made a right turn from the Reserve at Ivy Creek Apts. The driver realized that he had made a wrong turn and began looking for a place to turn around. After driving for ¼ mile the driver found an opening in the median and performed a u-turn. While negotiating the turn, the driver misjudged the turning radius of the bus and was forced to stop. The driver then backed up into our client.

A carnival worker was operating the Rollo-plane when he tried to secure two passengers. The ride kept moving and as he hung on to secure the passenger, he was thrown from the top of the ride at 40+ feet to concrete ground. The accident was caused by the failure of the ride's brake system.

Montlick & Associates, Attorneys at Law, was contacted by a claimant who was involved in a vehicle roll over accident. The driver lost control of her vehicle and hit a dirt shoulder which caused the vehicle to rotate in a counter clockwise manner. The vehicle then rolled over and collided with the guardrail. One person was killed and eight other passengers seriously injured. Our client sustained a fractured cervical spine, at C5 and C6, a spinal cord injury and a fractured hand.

Montlick & Associates, Attorneys at Law, received a call from a woman regarding an auto accident involving her son. Her son had been a passenger in the at fault vehicle, and sustained multiple broken bones in both of his legs. He also sustained a slightly fractured vertebrae in his neck along with some broken ribs. Our client had no health insurance and was unemployed. He had few assets and came from an impoverished background. His medical expenses from his initial hospital visit alone were over $98,000.

Montlick & Associates, Attorneys at Law, represented a woman and her uncle who were in the at fault vehicle that was being driven by the woman’s mother. The defendant had pulled out of a parking lot and they were t-boned by another vehicle. The defendant was ticketed for failing to yield. The uncle had the most serious injuries. The client suffered from rib fractures on the left and right rib cage. A thoracotomy tube had to be inserted into his left rib cage to drain fluid. Our client spent 4 days in the hospital.

Montlick & Associates, Attorneys at Law, received a call from an injured worker who had fallen directly onto concrete pavement from a height of over twenty feet. He had lost the use of his lower extremities. Some of our client's treatment recommendations were being denied (pain management, psychologist, rehabilitation specialist and neurologist) and the Employer / Insurer started questioning his citizenship. Our client lost the use of his lower extremities. He did not know how to deal with this horrible loss. Our client needed guidance, had unpaid medical bills and was receiving less in income benefits than what he was legally entitled to.

Montlick & Associates, Attorneys at Law, received a call from a woman who was a passenger in a vehicle that had been stuck head on. Another driver had swerved into oncoming traffic and collided with the car our client was in. Since our client was taking blood thinners at the time of the accident, her body swelled up and bruised so much that doctors were amazed that she survived. Our client also sustained broken ribs due to the accident and was in the hospital for four days.

A client of Montlick & Associates, Attorneys at Law, visited a Shell service station to purchase some coffee. The door on her right would not open so she entered the establishment through the left door. As she entered the establishment, she made eye contact with the clerk and that is when she tripped over two 24-packs of Sprite that were left in front of the door. She suffered a serious knee injury. She had to undergo a 4-hour surgery to place a cadaver bone in her tibia and had 17 screws inserted into her leg.

The father-in-law of a victim of a motor vehicle accident called Montlick & Associates, Attorneys at Law two days after the accident had occurred. The injured person was initially involved in a minor accident where very little injury or damage had occurred. Our client called her fiancée who is the father of her child to tell him about the accident, and he was on his way to help her. When she got out of her vehicle to assess the damage and to exchange information with the other driver, a tow truck lost control and struck our client. She survived the initial impact but died a few hours later at Grady Hospital. Our client had received multiple orthopedic injuries and half of her lung had to be resected in emergency surgery. Sadly, she ultimately succumbed to her injuries at the Hospital.

Montlick & Associates, Attorneys at Law, received a call from a woman that had been involved in a traffic accident. She was rear ended by an 18 wheeler and the force of that impact pushed her vehicle into the car in front of her. The accident occurred on Georgia 400, which is a toll highway.