Tips For New Drivers

Turning sixteen and getting a driver’s license is a very exciting time for any teenager, but some take this privilege for granted. Many teenagers think they are invincible once they get their driver’s license, so they take unnecessary risks (i.e. excessive speeding and texting while driving). Educating young drivers before they hit the road is of the utmost importance, thus here are ten essential tips to guide new drivers of Auto Accident Injury Milwaukee:

1. Be careful. Try to be the best driver you can be, regardless of everyone else on the road.
2. Be prepared. Always keep these items in your car: battery charger or jumper cables, a first-aid kit, a flashlight, Fix-a-Flat, energy or granola bars, bottled water, rags, a multi-purpose tool, a pocketknife, a spare tire, and a jack. Also, learn how to safely fix a flat tire.
3. Be aware. Don’t just rely on your rear-view and side-view mirrors. Look all around you and try to locate cars behind you and in your blind spot. Be aware of what others are doing on the road, and of your surroundings, and you will be better prepared to avoid a collision.
4. Maintain your vehicle. Get routine preventative maintenance and wash your car. These actions will help reduce surprises on the road.
5. Check your tire pressure. Properly inflated tires improve fuel economy as well as safety. Driving over or under inflated tires is dangerous and can cause accidents.
6. Don’t offend - and if you do, apologize. Give courtesy waves when other drivers help you out and don’t try to escalate other drivers’ road rage by making obscene gestures.
7. Give yourself enough time. Plan ahead and give yourself enough time to get where you’re going safely, without speeding.
8. Wear you safety belt. Wearing a safety belt helps reduce your likelihood of death or serious injury if and when you are involved in an accident.

9. Don’t text while driving. Anything that takes a driver’s attention off the road is a distraction, and distractions can be dangerous. At the top of the list of dangerous distractions are cell phones. Put the phone away while driving, it’s not worth the risk.
10. Don’t drink and drive. More than a third of teen driving deaths involve alcohol. Drinking and driving is never a good move; new drivers, and actually all drivers, should avoid driving drunk at all costs.

If new drivers adhere to the ten tips listed above, they will undoubtedly be better prepared to hit the open road when the time comes. Auto Accident Law Firm Milwaukee drivers will also be less of a risk to other drivers on the road if they take these ten tips into account while driving.

If you or a loved one has suffered an injury due to the negligence or fault of another person, call Gruber Law Offices, LLC today for your free consultation. There is no fee unless we win and we can meet you at a place that is convenient for you such as your place of work, hospital, home, or our conveniently located downtown Milwaukee office.

Speak with one of our lawyers right now by calling 414-276-6666 for a free initial consultation. “ONE CALL… THAT’S ALL!”

The Four Elements of A Personal Injury Claim

Personal injury law can be confusing at times, but most cases revolve around four basic elements. Indeed, a duty must exist; the duty, which is expected of a person, must be breached; an injury must result from the breach of that duty; and there must be a causal link between the breach of the duty and the Personal Injury Lawyer Milwaukee sustained. If you were involved in an incident and can establish these four elements then you may have a valid personal injury claim. As an example, below are the four elements illustrated in a car accident case.

1. Duty: the duty is an obligation that a person—the at-fault driver—owes to everyone. In the case of a car accident, this is a duty to drive safely.
2. Breach: the at-fault driver breaches the duty owed to everyone when they act improperly and fail to meet that obligation. Again, in the case of a car accident, a breach occurs when the at-fault driver fails to drive safely.
3. Injury: an injury must occur in order to have a valid claim. In a car accident, a person may suffer some sort of physical injury such as a broken bone, but non-physical injuries such as emotional distress may also result from a car accident.
4. Cause: the injury must be caused by the at-fault driver’s breach of the duty they owe to everyone.In the case of a car accident, it must be established that the at-fault driver’s failure to drive safely caused the injury that resulted from the accident.

There is a good chance you have a valid Personal Injury Milwaukee claim if these elements can be established. However, establishing these four elements does not guarantee that you will prevail in a personal injury claim. Give Gruber Law Offices a call at 414.276.6666 to discuss your potential claim.

If you or a loved one has suffered an injury due to the negligence or fault of another person, call Gruber Law Offices, LLC today for your free consultation. There is no fee unless we win and we can meet you at a place that is convenient for you such as your place of work, hospital, home, or our conveniently located downtown Milwaukee office.

Speak with one of our lawyers right now by calling 414-276-6666 for a free initial consultation. “ONE CALL… THAT’S ALL!”

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder In Car Accidents

Each year more than 3 million people are involved in car accidents. Ten to forty five percent of those involved in car accidents will later suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).While car accidents are the most frequent type of trauma for American men and second most frequent type of trauma for American women, women are more likely to develop PTSD. A recent study conducted by the American Psychological Association (APA) found that over ten percent of women and five percent of men suffered from PTSD after an accident. In addition, people involved in Car Accident Attorney Milwaukee suffer from non-symptomatic signs such as having difficulty in school and at work, and even problems maintaining friendships and enjoying pastimes.Because driving or being a passenger in a car is so crucial to many Americans, having mental health services available after an accident is essential.

Doctors and emergency room professionals, who focus on physical injuries after an accident, become gatekeepers to other health professionals, such as mental health professionals.In fact, Dr. Blanchard, a psychiatrist who recently published a book on his research of PTSD in car accident victims for the APA, said “Knowing about PTSD symptoms would be very important in making an appropriate referral. This is similar to what primary care physicians went through 15 years ago when they were being sensitized to symptoms of depression.”In a recent study conducted by Dr. Blanchard, he found that at least 15.3 percent of people involved in a Accident Injury Attorney Milwaukee developed a driving phobia and 93.2 percent of the survivors developed driving reluctance.

According to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, if you have had a traumatic experience, such as a car accident, and answer yes to three of the four questions below, you may be suffering from PTSD: In the past month, you:

1. Have had nightmares about it or thought about it when you did not want to?
2. Tried hard not to think about it or went out of your way to avoid situations that reminded you of it?
3. Were constantly on guard, watchful, or easily startled?
4. Felt numb or detached from others, activities, or your surroundings?

Remember, only a licensed health care professional can diagnose and properly treat PTSD.

If you or a loved one has suffered an injury due to the negligence or fault of another person, call Gruber Law Offices, LLC today for your free consultation. There is no fee unless we win and we can meet you at a place that is convenient for you such as your place of work, hospital, home, or our conveniently located downtown Milwaukee office.

Speak with one of our lawyers right now by calling 414-276-6666 for a free initial consultation. “ONE CALL… THAT’S ALL!”

Lawn Mower Injuries – Prevention

The sight of a freshly mowed lawn hardly makes you instantly think of injuries; however, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reported that 253,000 people were treated for lawn-mower related injuries in 2010. Injuries are caused mostly by contact with blades, heated components of the mechanism, or projectiles shot from the mower.Also, the most common injuries are cuts, burns, broken bones and, in extreme cases, damage requiring amputation.

There are many guidelines and tips that can be followed to prevent lawn mower-related Injury Attorney Milwaukee. First and foremost, before cutting the grass, you should always remove stones, toys and debris from the grass to prevent injury from flying objects.Second, sturdy shoes, not sandals or sneakers, should always be worn while mowing the lawn.Third, only mowers that have protection over hot and sharp parts, and have a control that stops the mower blade from moving if the handle is let go, should be used.Fourth, mowers should only be driven, or pushed, up and down slopes to prevent rollovers.Fifth, protective eyewear should be worn at all times.Lastly, children should not be in the yard while the grass is being cut, but if they are, then they should stay at least twenty feet away from the mower.Moreover, if children happen to be operating a lawn mower, they should be given instructions so they understand how to correctly operate a lawn mower. Thus, if these tips are followed the amount of lawn mower-related Injury Lawyer Milwaukee should drop significantly.

Mowing the lawn can be fun, relaxing and a good form of exercise, but the proper safety precautions must be taken to ensure the operator’s safety, as well as others in the vicinity that are expecting operators to use their mowers in a reasonable manner.

Is Leasing Right For You?

When it comes to deciding whether to lease or buy a car, there are a number of factors that must be taken into consideration. Essentially, in a lease, you never "own" the car. You make payments for 2-3 years and, then return the car. Let’s look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of leasing a car.

If you are a person who routinely switches Automobile Accident Lawyer Milwaukee every two to three years, it might be right for you to lease. A lease is similar to a long term rental, with a contract for a fixed amount of time. The contract will establish your monthly payment and the term of the lease. At the end of the term, your car has a residual value. That value is established by the leasing company based on factors such as mileage, seasonality, and disposal performance. You are then given the option to buy the car at the end of the lease for the residual value. If you are in love with the car, or it is worth well above the residual value, you may want to consider it. However, in most cases, you simply hand over the keys and walk away.

Leasing typically allows a person to get a nicer car for the same amount as purchasing a lower-end car through a loan. You are only "financing" the difference between sales price and the residual value. In a loan, you are financing the entire purchase price.

Lastly, in a lease you pay less sales tax. For example, in a conventional purchase on a $25k car, you pay tax on the entire purchase price. In a lease, you solely pay sales tax on your monthly payment. In other words, if your payment is $300/month then your only taxed based on that monthly payment.

In summary, lower out of pocket expenses, lower monthly payments, and the option to purchase the car at lease end are some of the major advantages to leasing. Furthermore, the purchaser gets the satisfaction of a car that is almost always under warranty, and a new car every two to three years. However, there are several drawbacks to leasing a car.

One potential drawback is the amount of miles you drive on average. In a lease, there is a specified amount of acceptable mileage. Most Automobile Personal Injury Milwaukee leases are constructed around twelve thousand or fifteen thousand miles per year. If you go over the mileage, there will be a per-mile penalty at the end of the lease.

You are not able to just lease any car, as they are limited to what the dealership offers. There are also several turn in fees and your insurance will be higher because leases have a higher minimum insurance requirement then most people typically insure their cars for. Lastly, and one of the biggest disadvantages, is that after two or three years you walk away car-less and with no equity.

There are many potential reasons and factors for leasing but one must balance the positives and negatives to come to a sensible conclusion. Hopefully, we have been able to assist you in making this important decision.

If you or a loved one has suffered an injury due to the negligence or fault of another person, call Gruber Law Offices, LLC today for your free consultation. There is no fee unless we win and we can meet you at a place that is convenient for you such as your place of work, hospital, home, or our conveniently located downtown Milwaukee office.

Speak with one of our lawyers right now by calling 414-276-6666 for a free initial consultation. “ONE CALL… THAT’S ALL!”

Driving In The Rain

Inclement weather conditions, such as rain, make driving more dangerous. In fact, thousands of accidents each year are attributable to rain and the failure of drivers to change their fair weather driving habits while they are driving in rainy conditions.

When it is raining, the rain causes a film of water on the roadway to develop.The film that develops on the roadway causes tires to lose traction more easily than when the road is free of condensation.Additionally, Car Accident Injury Milwaukee rain reduces driver perception as often times rain decreases the effectiveness of a vehicle’s headlights and windshields.As such, rainy conditions make it more difficult to see other vehicles, road signs, and the road itself.Drivers who take the following simple precautions while driving in the rain will decrease the likelihood of being involved in an accident that is, in part, attributable to rain:

Slow down. Not only does it take longer to stop in wet weather, but also hydroplaning is more likely to occur.Hydroplaning occurs when water on the roadway accumulates in front of your vehicle’s tires faster than your car can push the water out of the way.The water pressure can cause your car to rise up and slide on a thin layer of water between the road and your tires. Hydroplaning usually occurs at speeds over 40 miles per hour and can put you in immediate danger as a result of your vehicle sliding out of control. However, Car Accident Lawyer Milwaukee do find yourself hydroplaning, don’t brake suddenly or turn the wheel as this may cause a skid. Instead, slowly release your foot from the gas pedal and maintain a straight course until your vehicle regains traction.

Apply the brakes earlier and with less force. Following this tip will give the driver driving behind you warning that you are slowing down,thus, decreasing the likelihood the driver behind you will have to abruptly react to avoid an accident.

Be more cautious when rain occurs after a long period without rain. Engine oil and grease often build up on a roadway during long periods without rain.When the rain mixes with the oil and grease accumulation that has occurred on the roadway, the road becomes very slick.This increases the likelihood of losing control of your vehicle. As such, make sure to be extra cautious while driving after a long dry spell.

By following the above-mentioned precautions, along with a number of other precautions, you will decrease the likelihood of being in an accident due to rainy weather conditions.

If you or a loved one has suffered an injury due to the negligence or fault of another person, call Gruber Law Offices, LLC today for your free consultation. There is no fee unless we win and we can meet you at a place that is convenient for you such as your place of work, hospital, home, or our conveniently located downtown Milwaukee office.

Speak with one of our lawyers right now by calling 414-276-6666 for a free initial consultation. “ONE CALL… THAT’S ALL!”

Car Driver Safety Tips For Driving on Roadways With Motorcycles

Summertime means more motorcycles on the roadways, which means that drivers need to be extra cautious while hitting the open road. Motorcycles present many more challenges than other vehicles, so cars need to take extra steps to prevent accidents from occurring with Motorcycle Accident Attorney Milwaukee. Most of the time when a car and a motorcycle get in an accident it’s the car’s fault.

Motorcycles can easily be hidden in a car’s blind spot because they are very small, so drivers should take an extra moment to search for motorcycles before changing lanes or turning at an intersection. Motorcycles may also appear farther away than they actually are because of their small size, thus drivers should always predict that motorcycles are closer than they appear. Sometimes motorcycles even slow down by downshifting or letting off the throttle, as opposed to using the brake, therefore; drivers should allow more following distance, about four seconds, behind motorcycles and expect that a motorcycle will slow down without a visual warning.

Motorcycles move a lot quicker than cars, as a result drivers should put on their signals early to inform motorcycles drivers of their intentions to turn or change lanes. Drivers must always respect a motorcycle as a full-size vehicle with the same rights and privileges as any vehicle on the roadway, and allow a Motorcycle Accident Injury Milwaukee a full lane width because the motorcyclist needs the room to maneuver safely in all types of road conditions.Also, just because motorcycles have great maneuverability does not mean that drivers should always expect motorcyclist’s to be able to dodge out of the way to avoid their car. Instead, drivers should always stay alert while driving so motorcyclists don’t have to worry about dodging out of the way of their car.

As long as drivers follow these tips, the roads should be a safer place for motorcyclists all summer long.