The Cochran Firm Legal Blog

When your brain is injured by a sudden impact to your head, the consequences can be catastrophic and irreversible. A traumatic brain injury (TBI) often results in permanent physical, mental and emotional damage.

The symptoms of a traumatic brain injury can be immediate or develop slowly and may include seizures, persistent vomiting, debilitating headache, blurred vision, amnesia, paralysis, personality changes and even death. Victims of a traumatic brain injury often need a lifetime of constant medical care and treatment if they survive the injury.

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), half of all traumatic brain injuries result from traffic accidents. Whiplash, a sudden distortion of the neck most commonly seen in car accidents, can cause a traumatic brain injury. Other incidents that can cause traumatic brain injuries are falls, swimming and diving accidents, construction site accidents and criminal assaults.

When a traumatic brain injury occurs due to someone else's negligence or willful actions, the traumatic brain injury attorneys at The Cochran Firm have the experience and knowledge to understand and present medical issues and the legal skills to represent our clients interests effectively and successfully.

If you or someone you love has suffered a traumatic brain injury due to someone else's negligence in the Minneapolis, Minnesota area, please contact the traumatic brain injury attorneys at The Cochran Firm today to schedule a confidential consultation to discuss what options are available to you to ensure you receive the financial compensation you need and deserve.

Labels: Minneapolis

Allegations of nursing home abuse and neglect address residents of nursing homes and other long term care facilities who have been victims of physical, emotional, verbal or sexual abuse because of the intentional or negligent acts of their trusted caregivers.

The nursing home abuse and neglect attorneys at The Cochran Firm are determined to protect the legal rights and dignity of our elderly population in Minnesota. By working diligently to assist victims of nursing home abuse and their families, our attorneys intend to hold those responsible for the abuse and neglect legally and financially accountable.

Nursing home and long term care facility abuse and neglect can take many forms. Some examples of that abuse and neglect include withholding food and water and giving inadequate personal hygiene care, the use of physical and pharmaceutical restraints when unnecessary, poor medical care that leads to bedsores or chronic infections and uncaring and reckless treatment of the most vulnerable population. The consequences of these types of abuse and neglect are severe and can lead to serious injuries and wrongful death.

Please contact the nursing home abuse and neglect attorneys at The Cochran Firm in Minneapolis, Minnesota today if you believe your family member has suffered abuse at the hands of a caregiver and hold those responsible legally liable for their actions.

Labels: Minneapolis

Product liability laws are in place to compensate consumers who have been injured or killed by the use of a defective product while holding the manufacturer and distributor of the defective product legally responsible.

Defective or dangerous consumer products have a history of causing devastating injuries and deaths to thousands of innocent people each year, including infants and children. Defective products have caused severe burns, brain and spinal cord injuries, amputations, debilitating illnesses and fatalities.

Some common defective consumer products have included toys, cribs, strollers, seatbelts, tires, smoke detectors, pet foods, medical devices, cars, drugs and household appliances. The list of defective consumer products includes thousands of items we use in our everyday lives that put us all at risk for injury and death.

Damages for injuries suffered by consumers while using a defective product include payment for your pain and suffering, lost income, medical expenses, disability and disfigurement, rehabilitation costs and in the event of a wrongful death, funeral and burial expenses and damages to the survivors and beneficiaries of the deceased.

If you or someone you love has been injured or killed because of a defective product, you should know the product liability attorneys at The Cochran Firm have years of experience working together as a team so you can benefit from their expertise while they work to protect your legal rights and ensure you obtain the financial compensation you deserve for your losses.

If you have been victimized by a defective consumer product, please contact the Minneapolis, Minnesota office of The Cochran Firm today.

Labels: Minneapolis

All property owners have a legal obligation to provide a reasonably safe environment for people who access their property.

An injury or wrongful death that is caused by the negligent design, maintenance or functioning of a property presents the injured party with the legal right to financial compensation from the property owner, landlord or those responsible for the functioning of the property.

Injuries may result from falls on wet, slippery or icy surfaces, an elevator or escalator malfunctioning, improper lighting, or a failure to provide adequate security in malls, hotels or parking garages that result in physical assaults causing injuries and fatalities.

The Minneapolis premises liability attorneys at The Cochran Firm have assisted clients throughout Minnesota in filing negligence claims for injuries and have been very successful in litigating for fair and just financial compensation for them. A premises liability claim asserts that the property owner created the dangerous condition that caused your injury or knew about the dangerous condition that led to your injury and did nothing to correct it.

Minnesota premises liability laws are complex so if you have been injured on someone else's property, please contact The Cochran Firm today to schedule a confidential consultation where our highly skilled attorneys and investigators will work as a team to protect your legal rights and make sure those responsible are held legally accountable.

Labels: Minneapolis

Massive, heavy trucks are a danger to cars that share the road with them. A truck has blind spots and a high center of gravity which makes it prone to rollover accidents. Truck's brakes fail, their loads shift or can spill, leaving hazardous substances or debris on the roadways causing dangerous driving conditions. Drowsy or alcohol and drug impaired truck drivers' raises the danger to other drivers to an even higher level.

A truck accident in Minnesota is not just another motor vehicle accident from a legal point of view. Truck companies and their drivers must follow strict state and federal regulations based on log books, time sheets and other criteria that can be crucial to a claim based on fatigue or alertness problems.

If you are ever involved in an accident with a truck, never take it upon yourself to negotiate a settlement with the trucking company because they do not have your best interests in mind. They employ highly skilled adjusters trained in claims negotiations to gently coerce and manipulate a victim of a truck accident into signing a statement or accepting a much lower financial settlement than you would actually receive if you had your own legal representation looking out for your interests.

Truck accidents often result in catastrophic injuries or death, usually to the other driver and the occupants of the other vehicle involved. The truck driver and truck company should be held accountable when the fault is theirs in an accident.

If you live in the Minneapolis, Minnesota area and you have been the victim of a truck accident, please contact The Cochran Firm today to get proper legal representation to protect your rights and get a fair and just settlement for the injuries you have suffered.

Labels: Minneapolis

The term "wrongful death" is a legal term used to describe the death of an individual caused by the negligence or misconduct of another, and that the death entitles the survivors and beneficiaries to financial compensation for their loss.

The legal justice system allows the assessment of monetary damages in the case of a wrongful death as a means of holding the responsible party accountable for the wrongful death of another.

Some common examples of a wrongful death are a death caused by a motor vehicle accident, a death as the result of medical malpractice, the use of a defective product or a death caused by a criminal assault.

The survivors of the victim of a wrongful death are entitled to financial compensation for the medical, funeral and burial expenses of the deceased, payment for the pain and suffering of the deceased prior to death, loss of financial support for the survivors and loss of future earning potential of the deceased as well as the pain and suffering of the survivors due to the death of their loved one.

If you have lost someone you love because of the negligence or misconduct of another, please contact the Minneapolis, Minnesota office of The Cochran Firm today to schedule a private consultation with the experienced wrongful death attorneys there to discuss what course of action you should take to make sure your legal rights are protected.

Labels: Minneapolis

Yaz and Yasmin, oral contraceptives manufactured by Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals, are the subject of multiple lawsuits that allege these two oral contraceptives are responsible for life-threatening side effects. Defective drugs cause serious injury and death every year in this country.

Allegations have arisen that Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals failed to warn women that they could face an increased risk of serious side effects from taking Yaz and Yasmin that may include heart attack, stroke, cardiac arrhythmia, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, gallbladder disease and sudden death. The health and lives of women across this country have been put at risk because of this failure.

If you or someone you know has taken Yaz or Yasmin and have suffered from blood clots, pulmonary embolisms, hypertension, seizures or kidney problems, the first thing you should do after seeking medical advice is to seek the counsel of an experienced defective drug attorney like those at The Cochran Firm to investigate if there is a connection between your medical problems and these two oral contraceptives. It is important to act immediately as there are legal time limits involved in filing a claim for damages against a drug company.

If you are a resident of Minneapolis, Minnesota or the surrounding area, please contact The Cochran Firm today and speak with a defective drug attorney to learn what your legal rights are and if you are entitled to financial compensation for the damage these defective drugs have caused.

Labels: Minneapolis

When a physician is found responsible in a medical malpractice lawsuit, the patient is financially compensated for the harm they have suffered. These payments are referred to as damages.

Money paid for medical bills, rehabilitation expenses, prescription drugs, nursing home care, domestic services, loss of current and future income and living expenses is called compensatory damages. Under this guideline you can also recover damages for physical pain and suffering, mental and emotional suffering, disfigurement and the loss of enjoyment of life.

It is difficult to assess a monetary value on pain and suffering, but experienced medical malpractice attorneys are trained to investigate the circumstances of your case and come to terms with a just calculation.

A second type of damages assessed in a medical malpractice judgment is called punitive damages. This is money awarded to the patient in order to actually punish the physician for their negligent actions.

Medical malpractice lawsuits have deadlines for filing. Those deadlines are called statutes of limitations and may be as short as one year. It is vitally important to consult an experienced medical malpractice attorney to be certain you are within the time limit required to file your case.

If you or someone you love was the victim of medical malpractice, please contact a medical malpractice attorney at the Minneapolis, Minnesota office of The Cochran Firm today.

Labels: Minneapolis

Motorcyclists have special concerns about sharing the roadways with automobiles and trucks because the motorcyclist is more physically exposed than the occupants of the other vehicles and, therefore more susceptible to injury.

Safety precautions such as wearing helmets and other personal protective gear, and improving your riding techniques and motorcycle maintenance routines will lessen your risk of accidents and injuries. Safety tips such as being aware of blind spots on cars and trucks, flashing your brake lights when slowing or stopping, may seem obvious to you, but if you practice these simple strategies you may avoid an accident.

Even motorcyclists who take every safety precaution and are knowledgeable operators, can be involved in an accident. Other drivers who fail to see a motorcycle in traffic are a major cause of collisions, especially at intersections. Adverse weather conditions, road hazards and driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs also contribute to the number of motorcycle accidents.

A motorcycle accident can result in devastating injuries and loss of life. These injuries and fatalities cause enormous emotional, physical and financial burdens for the injured and surviving family members.

If you live in Minneapolis, Minnesota or the surrounding area and you or a loved one had the misfortune to be injured or killed in a motorcycle accident, please contact the experienced motorcycle accident attorneys at the Minneapolis, Minnesota office of The Cochran Firm today to learn about your legal rights and whether or not you are entitled to financial compensation for your injuries and losses.

Labels: Minneapolis

Defective tires are responsible for thousands of motor vehicle accidents, injuries and fatalities each year in this country. Many Americans are unaware of the magnitude of the defective tire problem in this country. Tens of millions of tires have been recalled because of defects in the past decade. Several million of these recalled tires are still in use on cars, SUVs and light trucks Americans drive in every day.

Defective tires are those that are over six years old, tires with tread separation, blowouts and tire or rim explosions. Tires that were manufactured or processed in China have also been involved in massive recalls in recent years. The quality control in China is not nearly as strictly monitored as in this country. However, many tire recalls are for American-make tires from well-known tire companies such as Firestone, Cooper, Dunlop and B.F. Goodrich.

If a defective tire caused an accident resulting in property damage, injuries or fatalities, the consumer has a legal right to take action against the tire’s manufacturer and/or distributor.

If you live in Minneapolis, Minnesota or the surrounding area and you or someone you care about was injured or killed in a motor vehicle accident that was caused by a defective tire, please contact an experienced defective tire attorney at The Cochran Firm's Minneapolis, Minnesota office today to schedule a confidential consultation at no cost to you to protect your legal rights and obtain the compensation you deserve.

Labels: Minneapolis

Exposure to asbestos fiber is a major recognized factor in acquiring a diagnosis of mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that strikes the mesothelium, a thin layer of cells that line the internal organs of the body.

The most common form of mesothelioma is pleural mesothelioma, which affects the lining of the lungs. Over 70% of mesothelioma diagnoses affect the lungs. Peritoneal mesothelioma affects the lining of the abdomen and pericardial mesothelioma affects the lining of the heart.

Exposure to asbestos fibers has been ongoing for decades, even though some employers were aware of the hazards involved. Millions of Americans have been exposed to asbestos fibers because it can be found anywhere. Unsuspecting workers have brought it home on their clothes and shoes to family members for years, causing secondary contamination and exposure.

If you have been employed as a miner, factory worker, insulation manufacturer, railroad or shipyard worker, an automobile mechanic, oil refiner worker, a steel mill employee or chemical plant worker and have experienced chest pain, back pain, coughing, unexplained weight loss, fatigue, shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting or difficulty breathing, you may have been affected by exposure to asbestos.

If you live in Minneapolis, Minnesota or the surrounding area and you suspect you or someone you love has been exposed to asbestos fiber, please contact the Minneapolis office of The Cochran Firm today to schedule a confidential consultation, with an experienced mesothelioma lawyer, at no cost to you to protect your legal rights.

Labels: Minneapolis

There are commonly three reasons why automobiles crash, driver error, mechanical failure and poor road conditions.

Driver error alone accounts for a staggering ninety-five percent of all automobile accidents. Driver error includes, but is not limited to, speeding, aggressive driving, cell phone use, driving while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, and ignoring traffic signs.
There are over six million automobile accidents in this country annually. Over three million people are injured in these accidents and over forty-five thousand are killed. Driving after dark increases your chances of being involved in an accident by fifty percent.

The time immediately following an accident is emotionally charged. Try to stay calm and check everyone for injuries if you are able to. Call 911 and do not leave the scene until police or emergency assistance arrives. Be sure to notify your insurance company and obtain as much information from the other people involved in the accident as you can. This is the one time you should use your cell phone to take pictures of the accident and to call for assistance.

It is interesting to note that eighty percent of drivers involved in an automobile accident deny any responsibility for the accident. An automobile accident can leave you or someone you care about seriously injured with a financial burden of medical expenses.

If you are a resident of Minneapolis, Minnesota or the surrounding area, and you or someone you love has been injured in an automobile accident through no fault of your own, you should contact the Minneapolis, Minnesota office of The Cochran Firm today to schedule a confidential consultation at no cost to you to learn about your legal rights.

Labels: Minneapolis

Minnesota is the worst state when it comes to disciplinary action of doctors in medical malpractice cases. A doctor that engages in substandard medicine practices is subject to disciplinary actions under the law. The rate of disciplinary actions has fallen since 2004 and the worst percentage of doctors disciplined is in Minnesota.

Disciplinary actions for a doctor involved in medical malpractice include:

• Suspension or revocation of medical license
• Probation from practicing medicine
• Restriction of a license

There is no reason for the lack of disciplinary action. Any doctor that is negligent in his practice of medicine or who causes the wrongful death of a patient must be held responsible for those actions. A doctor should not be allowed to continue practicing medicine after harming a patient. Every doctor takes the oath to first do no harm.

Medical Malpractice can be the result of:

• Surgical errors
• Misdiagnoses
• Emergency room errors
• Hospital workers' negligence
• Discharging a patient too early

Medical malpractice may leave you or a loved one seriously injured and in some cases, may cause wrongful death. Please take the time to contact the experienced Medical Malpractice Attorneys at the Cochran Firm's Minneapolis office for help. We will hold the responsible parties accountable and get you the compensation you deserve.

Labels: Minneapolis

Spinal cord injuries result from a trauma that damages the cells in the spinal cord or severs the nerve tracts that relay signals up and down the spinal cord.

Spinal cord injuries occur in about 15,000 people every year in this country. Almost 10,000 are permanently paralyzed and many of the remaining die as a result of their injuries. Males between 15 and 35 years of age are most commonly involved.

Motor vehicle accidents are the major cause of spinal cord injury in the United States. Falls are another common cause in people 45 years of age or older. Sports injuries cause many incidents of spinal cord injury with the sport of diving being the most often involved.

A spinal cord injury invokes feelings of depression, fear and hopelessness. Discussions between the physician, patient and family members may bring some emotional relief and focus the attention of those involved on the treatment and goals ahead, and the very real prospect of recovery that rehabilitation offers.

If you live in Minneapolis, Minnesota or the surrounding area and you or a loved one has suffered a spinal cord injury, please contact an experienced spinal cord injury attorney at The Cochran Firm's Minneapolis office today to schedule a confidential consultation at no cost to you to learn about your legal rights and whether you are entitled to compensation for your injury.

Labels: Minneapolis

Labels: Minneapolis

Labels: Minneapolis

Labels: Louisiana, Minneapolis, Norfolk, Raleigh, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Jose, Shreveport, St Louis, Tuskegee