When a person buys a product, the purchaser expects it to perform in a manner that does not cause injury. If the product is defective, the product will fail and the user may be seriously injured or even killed. If a person buys a product and suffers an injury in the course of its proper use, that person may be entitled to money damages for the injuries suffered by filing a claim for product liability against the manufacturer and other parties along the chain of commerce. A product is said to be faulty or defective if it causes some injury or damage to a person as a result of a defect in the product, or its labeling, or the way the product was used. The manufacturer, the distributor, the supplier, the retailer and others involved in the selling the product are often liable for injuries caused and the resulting damages.

You have paid your insurance coverage premiums for years without a claim. Now you have a claim, and are confident the insurance company will pay you the value of your claim immediately. The insurance company agent assured you that the policy fully covered you when you purchased it.

Richard P. Hastings, a partner with the law firm of Hastings, Cohan & Walsh, LLP was recently named a Connecticut Super Lawyer, 2011, Personal Injury – Plaintiff. Super Lawyers Magazine names attorneys in each state who receive the highest point totals, as chosen by their peers, and through independent research. The list represents the top 5% of the lawyers in the state.

The construction industry has one of the highest worker injury rates in the country. The causes of most construction accidents are:

Leading 5 Causes of Childhood Injuries or Death

An alarming number of people who are the victims of doctor malpractice, hospital malpractice or medical malpractice do nothing about seeking compensation for their injuries and damages, many of whom suffer quite significant injuries that are of a permanent nature.

With the current economic state, many families are camping rather than taking more expensive vacations this summer. An estimated 11,000,000 Americans camp yearly. Camping has a special appeal with natural vistas and outdoor activities.

Millions of people each year suffer some type of significant burn injury and hundreds more die as a result of their injuries. Burn injuries can have very serious, long lasting medical effects which can affect a person’s appearance, their psychological well being and can cost the injured party tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills.

Blood clots form when blood cells joint together or coagulate. Blood clots can form anywhere in your circulatory system. Depending upon the location of the clots, they can block blood flow to vital parts of your body including your heart and brain and can cause serous conditions which can result in heart attacks and strokes.

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral consisting of strong, flexible fibers, which can be partitioned and woven into insulation material. Mining of asbestos began late in the 19th century and the use of asbestos escalated in the 1940’s. Asbestos exposure is the primary cause of mesothelioma. Tiny particles of asbestos invade the body through inhalation or ingestion and become embedded in the linings of body cavities. Asbestos limits and stricter protocols for workers handling asbestos were instituted in the 1970’s, when the health risks started to become apparent

When a patient approaches a doctor or hospital or any other health care provider, the doctor owes certain duties to the patient. The doctor owes a primary duty of reasonable care. Medical practitioners despite their good intentions, skill and training, may commit mistakes. They are humans after all. But the medical profession demands the medical practitioners to be attentive, competent, and careful in administering their services. The lives of people are at stake. Failure to exercise the required minimum care can result in negligence. Anesthesia malpractice is a type of medical malpractice. Anesthesia (or anaesthesia) generally refers to the use of an anesthetic drug to reduce or prevent pain during surgery or other medical procedures. Anesthesia malpractice is not restricted to the operating room or anesthesiologists. It can happen during pre-operative preparation, post-operatively in the recovery room and in any procedure room in a medical facility or doctor’s office.

In 2006, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reported that about 146,000 people were treated at hospitals for All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) related injuries. The industry likes to say that it is not the ATV that is causing the accidents and it is, in fact, the fault of the driver. 666 deaths from ATV accidents were reported in 2005 and the CPSC believes this number could reach well over 800. 95,000 Polaris ATVs were recalled because of problems in their control panels which could cause them to catch fire. Out of 33 sports, ATV riding has the largest risk of hospitalization.

Find out the reasons for and causes of misdiagnosis of appendicitis and how it might present a medical malpractice case and what you can do about it.

Our Connecticut dog bite injury lawyers have decades of experience in representing dog bite victims and their family members. The injuries sustained by the people that contact us are quite varied and range from puncture wounds, to ripping or tearing wounds, to facial lacerations, to a variety of musculature and bone injuries, to psychological injuries and even an amputation. There is also the very real risk of getting some type of serious infection as a result of the bacteria present in a dog’s mouth after the dogs teeth or claws penetrate a person’s skin. It is very important that you get immediate medical care if your skin has been broken at all by a dog attack.

Many times our Connecticut accident attorneys and injury lawyers are contacted by people who have been injured through the fault of another and are looking to get answers to the great many questions which they have before them. The bulk of these people have never been injured in an accident and experience a number of negative emotions that run the gamut from being angry to being very anxious to being confused and very scared. Our Connecticut accident attorneys and injury lawyers have decades of experience in helping to guide accident and injury victims through the jungle of uncertainty which faces individuals and their families that are injured to the fault of another.

Why should I hire the Connecticut injury lawyers at Hastings, Cohan & Walsh, LLP?

Our Connecticut accident lawyers have been contacted by people who have been injured in some type of an accident, or as a result of medical malpractice, because they are not happy with their current lawyer and want to know if they can fire that individual and hire another attorney. One of the biggest complaints that we hear about a client’s unhappiness with their current lawyer is the fact that they are not able to get in touch with that individual, their calls go unanswered, and they have important questions that they need to get answers to but are unable to do so. Still other people feel that their attorney is not properly representing them, has not sufficiently answered all of their questions or appears to be too busy to properly handle their file.  Some of these people just hired their accident attorney while others have had this injury lawyer representing them for many, many months.

Attorney Richard P. Hastings, a personal injury lawyer with the Connecticut law firm of Hastings, Cohan & Walsh, LLP and Attorney Timothy Hollister, a land-use lawyer with Shipman and Goodwin in Hartford were interviewed by Kim Lucey of Channel 3 WFSB on teen driver safety.

How Parents Can Prevent Connecticut Teen Driving Accidents!

When you place your child on the school bus you expect that they will be safe and will arrive at their destination unharmed. Unfortunately, sometimes children are injured as a result of the negligent conduct of others while riding on a school bus. Sometimes children are hit by a school bus and suffered significant injuries and tragically some children die. It is important when your child starts riding the school bus to have a detailed conversation about the importance of exercising extreme caution while getting onto, riding and exiting from the bus. These safety tips should be reviewed on a regular basis with your child because by doing so it might prevent an accident or save a life.

Attorney Hastings Testifies Before Connecticut General Assembly Insurance and Real Estate Committee

Attorney Hastings is Called to Testify as an Expert in Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Law

Avoiding Winter Driving Accidents in Connecticut on Snow and Ice

Almost 5,000,000 people, each year, are bitten by dogs in this country. It has been estimated that dog bite injury cases account for over one third of all home insurance liability claims made in any given year. Because insurance companies have had to pay out significant amounts of money in dog bite injury claims, some insurance companies have banned covering particularly aggressive dog breeds from coverage. If you have been bitten by a dog in Connecticut, then you need the assistance of an experienced Connecticut dog bite injury lawyer at the earliest possible moment to explain your rights to you so you can better understand what you should be doing and what you should not be doing.

Unfortunately, we are contacted on a regular basis by people who have been bitten by a dog in Connecticut. One of the questions that they need answered immediately is what should they be doing first. It is important to understand that there are a number of things that you should be doing and there are also a number of things you should not be doing after you’ve been involved in a dog bite incident. Because of our experience in dealing with Connecticut dog bite injury victims, we have written the book on dog bite injury law in the state of Connecticut and are happy to answer questions that dog bite injury victims have.