It’s not a fair fight. A commercial truck is eight times larger and as much as ten times heavier than a passenger vehicle. The car loses.

If you’ve been involved in an trucking accident, you may already know the tactics businesses and their insurance companies use to dodge responsibility. But even if the truck driver is only partially at fault, you may have a valid claim.

We see them almost every day, traffic slowed to a crawl, an ambulance speeding along the shoulder… but until it happens to us or a loved one, we never really think about how an auto accident can completely shake up our lives.

What we don’t see are the very reason automobile accident lawyers exist. The paperwork, the offers and counter offers. The whole mix of frustrations that comes with an auto accident settlement.

There’s the loss of income and the medical bills. The worry about whether you can trust the insurance agent to take care of your interests when clearly, they get are paid to keep payouts as low as possible.

An insurance dispute arises when an insurance company unreasonably denies or delays payments on valid claims, they have failed to meet their obligations. The practice only adds to the misery and tragedy of the original claim.

Unfortunately, the behavior is fairly common. Insurance companies are business entities. Their profit is directly affected by how much they pay out in claims. Reducing payouts is a main objective and their agents will sometimes bend the rules to accomplish a better rating with the parent company.

Malpractice claims arise when a physician or other medically trained person doesn’t perform to the standards of their profession. In many cases, harm may be concealed, even when a patient suspects there has been a mistake. Patients may not want to get their doctor in trouble. Or they may think the matter can’t be proven with certainty. They may even assume there is no legal remedy.   

First, understand that medical errors are far more common than is commonly known. About half occur in Emergency Medicine situations and half in other types of care.

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is a benefit all working Americans will qualify for. Even those who have not worked long enough for the main policy are still eligible for Supplemental Security Income (SSI). The difference between the two is whether or not you have contributed enough into the Social Security system for SSDI. All U.S. citizens are eligible to apply for SSI, which is not based on work contributions, but solely on need. Spouses and family members may also qualify.

Filing a Social Security Disability claim will involve completing the necessary paperwork from the Social Security Administration.

According to the Council for Disability Awareness, one out of three workers entering the employment market will become disabled before they retire. That’s a stunning statistic. It will be ignored by almost everyone. Why? Because, “It won’t happen to me, that kind of thing happens to the other guy.”

Only after there is a serious injury do employees look around in a panic to see what’s available to cover the bills.

Modern medical treatments for serious burn injuries have increased the chances of survival after an accident. Victims can now receive extensive skin grafts, physical therapy to restore movement, and even major reconstructive surgery. Unfortunately, this comes at much higher costs.

With 2.5 million burn injuries in the U.S. a year (half requiring hospitalization), this is an active area of law. Clients are concerned about recovering money for immediate and continuing medical treatments and getting compensation for scarring that will never heal.

Wrongful death law is based on negligence. Although all deaths are tragic, not all are the direct or indirect result of another’s actions. A wrongful death lawsuit will hinge on proving full or partial fault.

In almost all cases, the manner of death is determined by the civil authorities who issue a death certificate. However, who is at fault is usually much harder to determine. A wrongful death attorney will look closely at the circumstances surrounding the death to see what evidence is available and whether or not someone other than the deceased was partly at fault.

Poor drivers are protected in their steel cars with safety belts, air bags and crumple zones. Without these protections, motorcycle riders must rely on their wits. The freedom and pleasure we get from riding makes sharing the road with idiots bearable, but only just. Anyone who rides has seen drivers on cell phones with a coffee cup in one hand and the other busy adjusting the radio -- maybe even putting on their makeup or changing clothes.

Even the most careful motorcyclist is vulnerable to these folks. And we always lose any accident we get into – that’s just a fact of physics.

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is internal damage from a blow or violent movement of the head. These injuries occur in falls, automobile/motorcycle accidents, assaults, and in what are called – “struck by” accidents. A struck by accident is when anything hits the head, like falling construction debris.

Concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury that is also on the rise, especially in sports.

Montana has some wonderfully snowy winters. Along with the ice and snow comes a yearly increase in slip and fall cases. A "slip and fall injury" is a used to describe a situation where someone slips, trips or falls due to the hazardous or dangerous conditions on another’s property. Many times the owner of the property is liable for any injuries.

The general rule is whether or not you were aware of the adverse conditions and whose responsibility it was to keep the walkway safe.

Even the tamest dog can sometimes act violently when it feels its territory is threatened. In fact, many owners rely on this aggressive tendency to protect their property. But an animal that is improperly restrained or confined can represent a danger to the public. Dog owners who allow their pets to roam or otherwise act irresponsibly will be found at fault.

Most animal bite injuries result in claims against an individual or a homeowner’s policy. Either can result in a lawsuit.

One of the more tragic types of cases seen at Neuhardt Law is when an elderly person is being mistreated while under the care of nursing home staff. These are the respected parents and grandparents who rely on professional care to meet their daily nutritional, emotional and health care needs. When frail and vulnerable seniors are trapped in a situation where they are being neglected or outright abused, something has to be done.

In the quest for faster, better, and more powerful medications, companies may sometimes be pressured by profits to overlook or underestimate the harm medications can cause. Modern pharmaceutical marketing is partially about getting a product to consumers as quickly as possible. This is important because there are limits on how long a company can hold patent rights – eventually, their product will “go generic” and profits will fall precipitously.

Generally, our protection lies with a knowledgeable physician who understands the possible consequences of the drugs they prescribe.