Posted on July 28, 2022 in Uncategorized

Losing a loved one to a drunk driver is devastating. Drunk driving accidents are easily avoidable and completely senseless. It can be extremely painful to have a close family member taken from you because someone else made the choice to drink or use drugs and then get behind the wheel. Generally, the drunk driver (or their insurance company) is liable for the irreparable damage they have done. They are also likely going to be criminally prosecuted. Bringing a wrongful death action is another way that you can hold the drunk driver accountable for your family member’s death. An attorney can help you by taking control of your claim so that you can grieve in relative peace. 

Do I Have to Prove That the Drunk Driver Was Negligent in Causing a Death?

If you can prove that the driver was drunk, then no. Illinois uses the “negligence per se” system. This means that if a person breaks a law that is in place to keep the public safe and causes the type of harm the law sought to prevent, they are automatically liable for the damage they did. Because the law against intoxicated driving is meant to prevent accidents that can hurt or kill people, the diver’s intoxication is likely to make him or her automatically liable. 

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 Posted on July 21, 2022 in Uncategorized

Being involved in a serious car accident that leaves you injured can be a traumatic experience. The injuries you experienced can take a lot of time and energy - and money - to manage appropriately. You may need to be very patient with your healing. You will need to put the effort into physical therapy to help your injury heal correctly. If you suffered a brain injury, the recovery process may be very difficult on multiple levels. The psychological effects of a major accident can also be harmful. You may experience panic attacks or PTSD symptoms, like having nightmares about the accident or being fixated on it. A lot of people are inclined to rush back into their normal daily activities. However, going back to your usual routine too early can be damaging. An attorney may be able to help ensure that you receive the compensation you need so that you can take this time to focus on your healing. 

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 Posted on June 30, 2022 in Personal Injury

No one likes sitting in Los Angeles traffic. The city is infamous nationwide for slow-moving, congested traffic. Many residents and tourists alike find that riding a bicycle can help them move around the city with greater ease. While cyclists must obey traffic laws and can get stuck at red lights too, they are less likely to experience hours-long slowdowns. Our generally pleasant local weather is also conducive to bicycle use. While traveling around by bicycle can be very convenient, it can also be very dangerous. When you are riding a bike, you have nothing but your helmet to protect you in the event that you get hit by a car. Collisions involving a cyclist can be deadly. If you were injured after being hit by a car while riding your bike, an attorney may be able to help you recover compensation. 

Why Careless Drivers Cause Bicycle Accidents

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 Posted on June 16, 2022 in Car Accidents

Using a rideshare service like Uber or Lyft can be a great way to get around. It is easier and less expensive than a cab and safer than walking alone or driving drunk. However, rideshare drivers can and do cause accidents just like any other driver on the road. Uber and Lyft drivers are not professional drivers and they do not have any additional training or hold any special licenses. It can be particularly frustrating to get hurt in a rideshare accident, as there is nothing you can do to avoid the crash from the back seat. People often use rideshare services for safety reasons and certainly do not expect rideshare drivers to put them in harm’s way by driving carelessly. If you were injured due to your rideshare driver’s carelessness, you may be entitled to compensation. Our law office can help you take the next steps. 

Careless Mistakes That Cause Rideshare Accidents

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 Posted on May 23, 2022 in Personal Injury

Nursing home residents are among the most vulnerable. People who live in nursing homes are typically unable to care for themselves. They may depend on staff for their hygiene, meals, toileting, and all other activities of daily living. Unfortunately, these individuals are often affected by age-related mental incapacity like dementia, which can make it impossible for them to effectively communicate to loved ones that they are being neglected. It is up to the nursing home resident’s visitors to notice the signs of neglect and take action. The harms associated with nursing home neglect can be devastating for already-vulnerable older adults. If you suspect that your loved one is being neglected in their nursing home, it is important to take action right away. Tahmazian Law Firm, P.C. is dedicated to holding negligent nursing homes responsible and to keeping vulnerable seniors safe and protected. 

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 Posted on May 09, 2022 in Uncategorized

When you have been injured in a serious car accident, handling the legal side of the aftermath may be the furthest thing from your mind. Especially if your injuries are severe and you must remain in the hospital or stay in a rehabilitation facility for some time, you may not quite feel up to going to court. Paperwork might not seem so important when you are in pain and unsure whether your injuries will fully heal. Ideally, you would have plenty of time to physically and emotionally recover before needing to race down to the courthouse to file a lawsuit. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. California, like every other state, imposes rather strict time limits for filing a lawsuit related to a car accident. These time limits are referred to as “statutes of limitation.” These limits are one of the reasons that it is best to reach out to an attorney as quickly as you are reasonably able to after a crash. 

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 Posted on April 26, 2022 in Wrongful Death

Losing a loved one because someone else was careless about their safety can be a devastating blow to any family. Under California state law, certain surviving family members can file a wrongful death lawsuit and demand compensation for the loss of their loved one. Our state statutes place limits on which relatives have standing to file this type of case. Generally, the purpose of this law is to make sure that the family members who were closest to the decedent will be the ones to receive compensation. While more distant relatives may also have cared deeply for the individual who lost their life, they may not be legally entitled to sue over their death. If one of your immediate family members was killed due to the negligence of another, contacting an attorney is the first step toward recovering damages. 

Which Family Members Can Sue for Wrongful Death?

The goal of allowing wrongful death suits is to ensure that those who were most likely to depend on the decedent in some way - whether financially, emotionally, or otherwise - can be made whole to the extent possible. While there is no doubt that others may have suffered as a result of the needless death, the right to compensation is reserved for the closest relatives. 

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 Posted on April 12, 2022 in Personal Injury

If you are like many adults who take pride in their car, truck, or SUV, you probably make vehicle maintenance a top priority.  Checking the oil and other fluid levels, ensuring that your tires are aired up and the tread is not too worn, and taking your vehicle in for regular tune ups may be a standard part of your routine. However, when defective design or manufacture of an auto part is to blame for a malfunctioning vehicle, there may be nothing the driver could have done to prevent it. If you or a loved one were injured in an accident, and you believe that defective tires were to blame, you may have a valid product liability case.  

History of Faulty Auto Parts

Many people still remember when the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company was forced to conduct one of the largest recalls in U.S. history. Defective tires installed on Ford pickup trucks and SUVs were associated with accidents causing over 800 injuries and 270 deaths. Firestone eventually recalled a staggering 6.5 million tires and the Ford Motor Company recalled and replaced approximately 13 million of the defective tires. Ford faced over $600 million in lawsuits as a result. Unfortunately, tire recalls are not limited to just these companies. Just recently, Alliance Tire Americas issued a tire recall after it was discovered that the tread may separate from the casing during use. Flaws in the design and manufacture of tires can cause the tires to malfunction and put the lives of drivers, passengers, and pedestrians at risk.  

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 Posted on March 29, 2022 in Car Accidents

Serious car accidents are typically associated with high speeds. When cars are driving at normal highway speeds, it is easy to see how crashing could result in serious harm. Of course, everyone who has spent any time in L.A. traffic knows that “normal highway speeds” are about one mile per hour most of the time. However, even in bumper-to-bumper traffic, car accidents can still lead to serious injuries. Injuries in this type of traffic can be dangerous - ambulances cannot always get through as quickly as they could if traffic was less congested. If you were injured in a car accident that occurred in heavy traffic, a lawyer may be able to help you recover compensation. 

What Types of Serious Accidents Occur in Congested Traffic?

Cars do not need to be moving very fast at all to cause serious harm to a person. Common types of dangerous crashes that occur in heavy, slow-moving, traffic include: 

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 Posted on March 16, 2022 in Premises Liability

 Dog attacks - even a single bite - can cause serious bodily harm. The puncture wounds can easily get infected and send you to the hospital. Tendons, ligaments, nerves, and even bones can be severed or damaged, requiring surgery. It is important to seek urgent medical attention after any dog bite to help mitigate these risks. Of course, medical care and the time you spend seeking it are valuable. A dog’s owner can be held liable for injuries caused by the dog. In California, we have what is called the strict liability rule when it comes to dog and other animal bites. This term is easily misunderstood. In order to recover the compensation you deserve after being attacked or bitten by a dog, you may need to enlist a skilled attorney. 

Does “Strict Liability” Mean the Dog Owner is Liable No Matter What?

Not quite. What “strict liability” actually means is that the dog owner cannot defend themselves by arguing that they had no idea their dog was aggressive and would bite. Even if the dog that bit you had never so much as growled at anyone before, let alone bitten someone in the past, the owner can be held liable to a bite victim. 

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