The Cochran Firm Legal Blog

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Most babies are born healthy during an uneventful labor and delivery. Sadly, birth complications occur in a small number, and if not handled appropriately, this leads to severe birth defects and birth injuries. Birth injuries may include, but not be limited to, cerebral palsy, Erb's palsy, shoulder dystocia, brachial plexus injury and brain damage causing developmental delays.

A birth injury can be caused by the failure to treat the mother's high blood pressure, the failure to respond to fetal distress, failure to perform an emergency C-section, oxygen deprivation, and injuries caused by vacuum extraction or forceps deliveries.

A birth injury not only injures the child, but hurts the parents, siblings and extended family as well. The physical, emotional and financial toll for families include the cost of providing specialized medical care, rehabilitation services, physical and occupational therapy, special education and nursing care for a special needs child, while adjusting their expectations and dreams for that child.
The birth injury attorneys at The Cochran Firm work with medical experts to investigate every aspect of birth injury cases to identify the causes of the injury, including medical or nursing errors.

If your child was harmed during the birthing process in Mobile, Alabama or the surrounding area, please contact The Cochran Firm today so our experienced birth injury attorneys can recover financial compensation for the losses suffered as a result of your child’s birth injury.

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If you or a loved one was injured or killed in an accident with a truck, you know how one family’s life can change in an instant. When an 80,000 pound truck crashes into a passenger vehicle, the injuries are always catastrophic and often fatal.

Our expert truck accident attorneys at The Cochran Firm have extensive experience in handling truck accident cases and have a proven record of success for our clients. Our truck accident attorneys have the knowledge and expertise to evaluate and investigate your accident and determine who is responsible and who should be held legally liable for your injuries or the wrongful death of a loved one.

A tired truck driver, a truck driver operating under the influence of drugs or alcohol, a poorly trained truck driver, overweight trucks or shifting loads, high speeds, poorly maintained equipment and other contributing factors are commonly involved in a horrific truck accident. Our truck accident attorneys understand the many variables that can be involved in a truck accident and will conduct an aggressive and in depth investigation into the circumstances of the crash.

If you live in the Mobile, Alabama area and you or someone you love has been the victim of an accident with a truck, please contact The Cochran Firm today and learn how we can help you obtain financial compensation to aid in your recovery and make your future secure for you and your family.

Labels: Mobile

A death in the family is a heartbreaking event. A death in the family caused by someone else’s negligence or recklessness is heartbreaking and difficult to comprehend and deal with. A wrongful death is a legal term that defines a death due to the negligence or recklessness of another.

A wrongful death claim does not seek to punish the individual responsible for the wrongful death, but seeks financial compensation for the family of the deceased for their losses. Financial compensation for a wrongful death is meant to recover damages for funeral and burial expenses, medical and hospital costs, pain and suffering, loss of income and anticipated earnings, loss of inheritance and benefits and loss of companionship.

A wrongful death can result from a motor vehicle accident, medical malpractice, a surgical error, a defective consumer product, nursing home abuse and neglect, a criminal assault or a construction accident.

The wrongful death attorneys at The Cochran Firm will evaluate your claim and make certain you have the best legal representation possible to ensure a successful and just outcome so you can face the challenges ahead with a secure financial future.

If you have lost a family member to a wrongful death, please contact the Mobile, Alabama area office of The Cochran Firm today to schedule a no cost to your confidential consultation to learn how to proceed with your wrongful death claim.

Labels: Mobile

It is difficult to determine how many cases of elder abuse occurs in Alabama nursing homes because there is a lack of a uniform system for reporting nursing home abuse and nursing home residents are unable or unwilling to report their abuse.

Alabama nursing home abuses cover injuries that result from falls, dehydration or malnutrition, medication errors, bedsores, physical, emotion and sexual abuse, and general neglect. Residents of nursing homes are also being financially exploited by caretakers who prey on their vulnerabilities.

Alabama's nursing care facilities are among the worst nationwide. Perpetrators of Alabama nursing home abuse must answer to federal and state laws that are supposed to protect the elderly and defenseless nursing home residents.

Signs of nursing home abuse and neglect include bruising, chronic infections, broken bones, increased anxiety and depression, heavy sedation medication and unnecessary physical restraints. The attorneys at The Cochran Firm will work as a unified, highly trained team to investigate allegations of nursing home abuse and bring those responsible to justice and hold them legally responsible for the damage they have done.

If you suspect that your elderly loved one has suffered nursing home abuse, you should take immediate action and contact The Cochran Firm in Mobile, Alabama. Our experienced nursing home abuse and neglect attorneys are dedicated to aggressively pursuing all instances of nursing home abuse and neglect for our clients.

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A high number of automobile accidents happen at intersections, causing serious injuries and deaths. Collisions at intersections involving cars, motorcycles, trucks, buses, bicycles and pedestrians are caused by many factors including speeding, drunk driving, distractions like cell phone use and texting, failure to obey traffic laws and poor road maintenance.

Many motor vehicle accidents at intersections involve left-turning vehicles attempting to cross on-coming traffic, the failure to yield the right of way and ignoring stop signs. Over 40% of fatal automobile accidents involve driving through a stop sign or ignoring a traffic light at intersections. A collision at an intersection can result in devastating injuries like traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, broken bones or amputations, severe burns and death.

Missing, faded or obscured stop signs are also responsible for many accidents at intersections. The experienced automobile accident attorneys at The Cochran Firm have design engineers, accident investigators and experts in the dynamics of car accidents available to expose negligence on the part of municipalities responsible for a dangerous intersection and will hold them legally responsible for the injuries and fatalities caused by poorly designed or maintained intersections.

If you or someone you love was injured or killed at a dangerous intersection in the Mobile, Alabama area, please contact The Cochran Firm today to protect your legal rights and learn how to proceed with your case during a confidential consultation at no cost to you.

Labels: Mobile

Medical malpractice laws are in place to protect a patients’ right to receive financial compensation for medical negligence and malpractice caused by a healthcare provider.

Medical malpractice and negligence claims include the failure to diagnose an illness or disease, the failure to treat an illness properly, the failure to perform a correct surgical procedure, the failure to administer anesthesia correctly, inflicting birth injuries and any other medical errors resulting in injury or death.

Medical treatment in itself does not guarantee a good outcome if you have a serious illness or disease. A bad outcome or death does not always mean your healthcare provider was guilty of medical malpractice. However, some warning signs that you may be a victim of medical malpractice include the treatment you are receiving has not improved your condition because you may have been misdiagnosed, you develop an infection after surgery, or you have an unexpected reaction to a medication.

If you are injured as a result of medical malpractice and negligence you have a legal right to be financially compensated for current and future medical expenses, the pain and suffering the medical malpractice has caused you, lost wages and other costs related to your injury.

Medical malpractice lawsuits are complex and require the expertise of a skilled and knowledgeable legal team that will work diligently to get you the financial compensation you deserve.

Please contact the Mobile, Alabama office of The Cochran Firm today if you have been a victim of medical malpractice and negligence to protect your legal rights and to learn how to proceed with your medical malpractice claim.

Labels: Mobile

If you are a renter dealing with issues of broken plumbing or heating and cooling systems, and unsafe conditions in your apartment building or rented house being ignored by your landlord, you are not alone in your efforts to be heard.

Problems like these are the responsibility of the landlord who must make the necessary repairs to meet local housing codes and to ensure the premises are safe. If you feel you are being ignored you can take action. For instance, did you know you have the legal right to put your rent money into an escrow account instead of handing it over to the landlord, until that time your problem is addressed? This is just one course of action available to you in a landlord-tenant dispute.

Many tenants do not know they have certain legal rights that protect them from being exploited by landlords. It is important that you know what your legal rights are. If you have tried to resolve your problems with your landlord with no results, consulting an attorney may be the best course of action for you to take in settling your dispute.

If you live in the Mobile, Alabama area and you are frustrated because you have tried to solve a dispute with your landlord and cannot seem to find a resolution, please contact the experienced landlord-tenant dispute attorneys at the Mobile, Alabama office of The Cochran Firm today to schedule a confidential consultation at no cost to you to learn just what can be done to help you solve your problems.

Labels: Mobile

Premises liability is a legal term used to describe the legal liability an owner of a property has for accidents and injuries that occur there.

Some examples of premises liability accidents or injuries include falls, equipment failures that cause injury, criminal assaults due to lack of security provided and being struck by a falling object.

A factor in determining legal responsibility for an injury is whether or not the owner of the property made a reasonable effort to correct the dangerous or hazardous condition or if they even knew it existed or should have known the dangerous condition existed.

An example of this would be, if you tripped and fell on a cracked sidewalk that has be in disrepair for many months, the owner most likely can be held responsible. However, if you spill a drink in a restaurant and slip and fall on the spill before anyone has the time to wipe it up, responsibility for your fall may not be the owner's.

If you live in Mobile, Alabama or the surrounding area and you believe negligence contributed to you being injured on someone else's property, please contact an experienced premises liability attorney at the Mobile, Alabama office of The Cochran Firm today to schedule a confidential consultation at no cost to you to determine if you are entitled to financial compensation for your injury.

Labels: Mobile

Boating accidents are commonplace events in this area due to the abundance of waterways and the many opportunities to enjoy the boating lifestyle.

Recreational boating is very popular in Alabama. Unfortunately, this leisurely activity can and often does result in property damage, injuries and death because of accidents. The main causes of boating accidents are carelessness and recklessness, an inexperienced or inattentive operator, and excessive speed.

The most common accidents are those involving a collision between two vessels, but capsizing and falling overboard cause over 50% of the fatalities reported in boating accidents.

If a boating accident results in injuries or fatalities or property damage, it is in your best interests to consult an experienced boating accident attorney to be made aware of your legal rights under the law. A boating accident attorney who is an expert in maritime law and knowledgeable in the complicated legal issues involving boating accidents will be able to assist you in protecting your legal rights.

If you live in Mobile, Alabama or the surrounding area and you or someone you care about has been involved in a boating accident, please contact an experienced boating accident attorney at the Mobile, Alabama office of The Cochran Firm today to schedule a consultation at no cost to you to ensure you are represented competently and efficiently.

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Defective automobiles result in over 42,000 deaths each year. Automobile defects that have prompted lawsuits recently include, but are not limited to, sports utility vehicles that rollover, tire failures, seat belt failures, airbag malfunctions, accelerator controls that stick, fuel pump system defects and wiring defects that result in catastrophic fires.

Vehicle rollovers and roofs that collapse are typical automobile defects along with failed seat belts and tires. The injuries caused in these defective automobile crashes are very often devastating.

Those legally responsible for your injuries can include the manufacturer of the automobile, the manufacturer of the failed part, the automobile dealership or the distributor of the defective part.

There are complicated legal issues involved in the liability responsibility involving a defective automobile or automobile part. An experienced defective automobile accident lawyer will ensure you are properly represented and obtain all the compensation you deserve. One of the first things your attorney will do is secure the automobile involved as it is evidence and without it your case will be difficult to prove.

If you live in Mobile, Alabama or the surrounding area and you or someone you love was injured or killed in an accident involving a defective automobile or defective automobile part, please contact the Mobile, Alabama office of The Cochran Firm today to schedule a confidential consultation at no cost to you to protect your legal rights.

Labels: Mobile

An auto accident in Mobile involving three vehicles resulted in the injury of two and the death of one. Two relatives were traveling in separate cars one after the other along Interstate 65 when the first vehicle swerved off the road for unknown reasons. The second man stopped his vehicle to help. A woman in another vehicle struck the second man's vehicle, which in turn struck the first man's vehicle. All three suffered serious personal injuries and were taken to the University of South Alabama Medical Center where the first man died.

The cause of the first man driving off the road is unknown. There are, however, several reasons for a vehicle to unexpectedly swerve resulting in an auto accident:

• Defective Tires
• Defective Automobile Parts
• Defective Roads
• Inattention of the Driver
• Intoxication of the Driver
• Extreme Fatigue of the Driver

Accidents happen and sometimes these accidents result in the serious personal injury of another or the wrongful death of a loved one. When a loved one is lost or seriously injured, you want the responsible party to be held accountable no matter what the reason was for the accident. You are entitled to compensation for:

• Medical Expenses
• Loss of Wages
• Mental Anguish
• Pain and Suffering
• Loss of Companionship of the Deceased

If you or a loved one has been injured in an auto accident, please contact the Cochran Firm's auto accident lawyers at the Mobile office for a confidential consultation about your case.

Labels: Mobile

Defective pharmaceuticals or drugs have dangerous side effects that totally outweigh any benefits they may have for consumers. Defective pharmaceuticals are often released for consumption to the general public with the companies that manufacture them being well aware there are problems. Drug companies only have to add a warning label to allow the drug to be sold to an unsuspecting consumer.

The Food and Drug Administration adds to the problem in its failure to conduct timely research and screening of drugs. This lack of intervention often leads to the approval of defective drugs. Defective pharmaceutical consumption results in much pain and suffering and many lawsuits against pharmaceutical manufacturers with damages in the hundreds of millions of dollars paid to the victims.

The most common types of drugs found in the defective category are arthritis medications, cholesterol lowering medications, diet drugs, antidepressants and some vaccines. These defective drugs can cause liver and kidney damage, heart attack or stroke, depression and suicide.

If you are a resident of Mobile, Alabama or the surrounding area and you suspect you have been harmed by a defective drug, you should contact the Mobile, Alabama office of The Cochran Firm today to schedule a confidential consultation at no cost to you to learn about your legal rights.

Labels: Mobile

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer in the mesothelium, a thin layer of tissue that covers the internal organs of the body. Pleural mesothelioma affects the tissue surrounding the lungs and is the most common form of this disease. Peritoneal mesothelioma affects the tissue around the abdomen and pericardial mesothelioma affects the tissue surrounding the heart.

Exposure to asbestos is the major risk factor in contracting mesothelioma. Asbestos fibers are found in insulation, shingles, flooring, cement, brakes and many other commonly used products. Asbestos fibers are widely used because they are strong and resistant to heat. Workers who handled asbestos fibers on a daily basis are at a great risk for mesothelioma. Some people who may have encountered asbestos on the job include miners, ship builders, railroad workers, automobile mechanics, steel mill workers, construction workers, people who work in oil refineries and power plants.

Symptoms of mesothelioma include, but are not limited to shortness of breath, pleurisy (painful breathing), painful cough, chest pain, unexplained weight loss, dry cough, abdominal pain, lumps in abdomen, abdominal swelling and constipation and/or diarrhea.

If you live in Mobile, Alabama or the surrounding area and you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, please contact an experienced mesothelioma attorney at The Cochran Firm's Mobile office today to schedule a confidential consultation at no cost to you to learn about your legal rights and whether you are entitled to receive compensation.

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