Missouri is in the middle of the dog days of summer, along with much of the surrounding Midwestern states.  There is no better way to spend a hot summer day than submerged in a refreshing swimming pool, having fun while staying cool.  However, swimming pools - both public and  private - set the stage for danger and potentially fatal outcomes including heat exhaustion, drowning, slips and falls, and injury while entering a pool such as jumping or diving. As a Missouri swimming pool injury lawyer, I can tell you that we have seen many tragic cases involving preventable swimming pool fatalities, primarily involving young children.  Drowning in a pool surrounding is an unfortunately common reason for accidental death in children.  Many young children are not strong swimmers, therefore unable to get themselves out of a dangerous water situation.  Adult supervision is crucial at all times when a child is in or around the water, as it truly only takes a split second for something to go terribly wrong. 

A swimming pool environment breeds ideal conditions for a slip and fall accident.  Surfaces are wet, patrons are running, jumping, and playing, easily distracted by what is happening around them.  Swimming pools are typically crowded, with lots of commotion and noise, also contributing to the factor of distraction.  Demonstrate safe practices around a swimming pool for children to follow as well - always walk around the water, limit roughhousing in and around the water, and always have an adult within earshot of a child playing in or around the water. Critical injury can occur as a result of improper diving or jumping in to the water.  A swimmer needs to be sure that the water he is about to leap in to is deep enough that they will not hit the concrete bottom of the pool with any part of his body.  Failure to do so can result in serious spinal cord, back, neck, or head injury.

Though swimming pools are an ideal way to beat the heat in the summer, the potential for serious accidents and injuries is present at any pool.  By maintaining a safe environment and strong supervision, pool accidents can be easily avoided.  If you or someone you know has been injured at a swimming pool, it can be safely assumed that it was unintentional, and a true 'accident'.  However, swimming pool owners inherit a high level of responsibility for those in and around their pool. 

Consult with our Missouri personal injury lawyers to discuss proper legal action against an injury claim occurring at a swimming pool.

Many people are hesitant to involve a personal injury attorney in their claim due to the fear of the unknown.  Though no two injury claims are exactly the same, most follow the same timeline of events.  After being involved in a situation that causes injury, it is in your best interest to seek immediate medical attention.  Documentation of your injuries through medical records and reports provides uncontested proof that you were injured as a result of an accident and were in enough pain to seek medical attention.  Once we have a better understanding of your exact injuries, we are able to refer you to a specialist who can use their expertise to further treat you. 

Most Missouri injury lawyers have close working relationships with many of Missouri's best doctors - all of which have the same goal: to help YOU. During the first phase of your claim, you are given a main focus and we (as your attorney) are given a main focus.  Yours is to obtain all recommended medical treatment.  The duration of your Missouri injury claim is the only time you will be able to receive medical treatment at the at-fault party's expense.  All charges for treatment incurred during this time is treated as addition to your final compensation amount. 

The focus of any experienced accident lawyer is concentrated on investigative work, gathering all details we can revolving around your case.  During this time, we are also able to assist you in finding, scheduling, and getting to your crucial medical appointments. Once your medical treatment is complete, we are able to move forward with establishing your claim's worth.  Together, we consider every aspect in which this injury has affected you and your lifestyle.  Some clients are able to fully recover physically and return to their lifestyle as it was prior to an accident.  Unfortunately, this is not always the case and clients are faced with a future of uncertainty.  Combining your physical, emotional, economical, and social losses, we fight hard to obtain a fair monetary amount to compensate you for this.  Our fight for this does not end until we (including YOU) are satisfied with a settlement. 

If a reasonable settlement offer is not agreed upon in a fair amount of time, a lawsuit is filed on your behalf in which we continue your legal battle for fair settlement.  Again, nothing is accepted without the knowledge and approval of a client. Upon settlement of your claim, we handle all remaining medical bills and account balances to ensure that nothing is lingering after a final settlement.  After reaching a settlement both the attorney and client are pleased with, all parties are able to continue with their lives as an injury claim being part of their past. A good lawyer prides himself on the ability to maintain open communication.  Clients always have access to attorney and staff office phones, email addresses, attorney cell phones, and office visits.  

Your injury claim is just that - yours.  You should never be left out of any communications regarding your case and should never be wondering the status of your case.  A compassionate St. Louis personal injury lawyer is available to discuss your case 24/7 and will come to you to address your concerns about the case.

Investigations continue after a bad accident in Springfield, MO, involving a dump truck and an ambulance.  Initial theories of what took place centered around the dump truck running almost directly into the ambulance as other motorists attempted to yield to the emergency vehicle.  Witnesses did confirm that the ambulance had its emergency flashing lights illuminated and sirens (whaler) on.  67 year-old James Pettibone of Greenfield was being transported to the hospital when the collision took place.  Mr. Pettibone did not survive the impact.  Also injured were ambulance personnel and the dump truck driver.  All in all, this was a severe truck vs. vehicle accident. 

Missouri law requires motorists and other vehicles to yield for emergency vehicles such as ambulances and firetrucks.  The penalty for failure to yield to these vehicles ranges from a traffic ticket to a civil lawsuit.  Failing to obey the Missouri Rules of the Road, and causing an accident resulting in personal injury or wrongful death, is actionable under the doctrine of negligence per se.  The legal theory is that if you disregard a statute that is intended to protect people from injury, that the defendant is "presumed" to be "negligent."  There are exceptions to this general rule, as well as applicable defenses.

Both vehicles involved in this crash were commercial motor vehicles.  They both have an electronic control module which can be retrieved and studied to discover what both vehicles were doing just prior to impact.  Forensic evidence such as this can assist a Missouri car accident lawyer in piecing together what happened. 

When you are involved in an accident with a tractor-trailer, the damage to your vehicle and injuries to your body can be overwhelming.  As an 18-wheeler truck accident lawyer, I can tell you that the road to recovery, both physically and economically, can take a long, long time.  Insurance companies that insure large commercial trucking companies now that time is on their side, not the injury victim or surviving family members.  The longer they make someone hold out for compensation, the more likely the victim is to accept a grossly unfair amount of money.  Its extremely unfair and people in this situation are definitely taken advantage of. 

A Missouri truck accident lawyer can even the playing field.  Lawyers are familiar with the complexity of the laws that govern the commercial trucking industry.  They know what to look for when investigating a case and prosecuting it to a successful outcome.  Insurance companies have high-paid legal defense teams on retainer that work behind the scenes from the start to undermine the credibility of any tractor-trailer accident claim.  Its only fair that the victim have an attorney on their side to balance the scales.

Stephen Schultz has been representing trucking accident victims for years.  He is a member of APITLA, a highly respected organization dedicated to protecting the rights of persons injured in truck accidents.  Mr. Schultz only represents plaintiffs, and does so with the same conviction he wish he had when he was seriously injured in an automobile collision prior to enrolling in law school.  He knows, from personal experience, what it feels like to be badly injured in a crash and not knowing who to turn to for compassionate legal representation and what to expect from a lawsuit or settlement.

For more information, truck accident lawyer Stephen Schultz can be reached by visiting his website, SchultzLegalGroup.com, or by calling toll-free (866) 840-3636.