Northeast Wisconsin Personal Injury And Social Security Disability Blog

4 reasons 18-wheeler accidents occur in rural areas

On behalf of Alpert & Fellows, L.L.P. on Friday, April 19, 2019.

You love living in the country. After all, life away from the grind of the big city is both calm and enjoyable. While you likely do not have to worry about many of the hazards that accompany big-city living, you may face some risks that city dwellers often avoid. An accident with a semi-truck is one such risk.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, the five-year average for large truck collisions is roughly 6,700 per year. That number is alarmingly high, especially when you consider the injuries and fatalities a semi-truck collision can cause. By understanding why 18-wheeler accidents tend to occur in rural areas, you can plan for staying safe on the road. Here are four common reasons for semi-truck accidents:

Wisconsin vets may get their Social Security claims expedited

On behalf of Alpert & Fellows, L.L.P. posted in social security disability on Thursday, April 18, 2019.

Many residents of Northeast Wisconsin either have served in one of the branches of the Armed Forces. Even when not in combat, soldiers and sailors put their lives and health at risk simply as part of their jobs.

When Wisconsin residents do get injured or fall ill in connection with their duty, the fallout can last for a lifetime. Because of their injuries or illnesses, they may never again be able to work in their chosen profession, or even in any gainful employment. They will need all the financial help they can get.

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month

On behalf of Alpert & Fellows, L.L.P. posted in car accident injuries on Friday, April 5, 2019.

Each year, April is commemorated as Distracted Driving Awareness Month. This month is thus a very good time for drivers in Northeast Wisconsin to educate themselves about the dangers of distracted driving. It is also a good time for them to promise not to engage in risky behaviors like texting and driving, playing with the radio and the like.

A few statistics may help reinforce the seriousness of the country's ongoing distracted driving epidemic. Experts estimate that 9 people die across the country daily in crashes that happened because of distracted driving. Additionally, 100 people get significantly hurt in car accidents related to distracted driving.

Number of deadly truck accidents is on the decline

On behalf of Alpert & Fellows, L.L.P. posted in semitruck accident injuries on Thursday, March 21, 2019.

At least according to some reports, the number of deadly truck accidents has declined over the past decades. In 1980, for instance, there were just over 5,000 crashes involving both a semitruck and at least one fatality. In 2015, this number was basically 3,600. This represents a decrease of over 30 percent between 1980 and 2015.

According to the report, there has also been a pronounced drop in the rate of deadly crashes per 100 million miles driven by truckers. This rate was 4.65 in 1980 but had fallen to 1.29 by just a few years ago.

If I sue, will that hurt my chances at getting Social Security?

On behalf of Alpert & Fellows, L.L.P. posted in social security disability on Thursday, March 7, 2019.

When a resident of Northeast Wisconsin gets hurt in an accident, he will likely want or even need to pursue every available option for compensation. This is particularly true if his injuries have left him unable to return to the workforce anytime soon.

One avenue for receiving compensation is through Social Security Disability benefits. Available through the federal Social Security Administration, these benefits provide a steady monthly income for people who are legally considered disabled under the relevant federal laws.

Why people drink and drive may surprise you

On behalf of Alpert & Fellows, L.L.P. on Friday, February 22, 2019.

Like most of your friends and family members in the Green Bay area, you know drinking and driving is a bad idea. After all, Wisconsin law sets stiff penalties for driving while impaired. Of course, life sometimes gets in the way. Unless you wholeheartedly commit to never driving after consuming alcohol, you may find yourself both behind the wheel and over the legal limit.

Clearly, motorists who drive drunk do so because they drive after drinking. Research, however, reveals a significantly more complicated story. A budget car insurance provider conducted a study to see why DWIs occur. The study's findings may surprise you.

What do we mean by a catastrophic injury?

On behalf of Alpert & Fellows, L.L.P. posted in catastrophic injuries on Friday, February 22, 2019.

Previous posts on this blog have talked about the enormous personal and financial cost of spinal cord injuries. These sorts of injuries often leave their victims paralyzed, sometimes even from the neck down.

Spinal cord injuries happen for a number of reasons, such as car accidents, work-related or other falls from heights and even on account of sports and recreational activities that are popular in the Green Bay area and throughout Northeast Wisconsin.

Wisconsin's basic speed law illustrates important point

On behalf of Alpert & Fellows, L.L.P. posted in car accident injuries on Friday, February 8, 2019.

Like other states, Wisconsin has what is called a basic speed law. While many residents of Northeast Wisconsin might not think of it, the posted speed limits they see are actually limits for ideal road conditions. In other words, the speed on the sign is the speed one can legally travel when the weather is clear, the surface is flat, paved and level and there is relatively light traffic.

Wisconsin motorists have a separate legal obligation to observe what is commonly called the basic speed limit. The basic speed limit requires all drivers to use what is called a reasonable and prudent speed. This means that when the weather is bad or there is a particular hazard on the road, like snow or ice, for example, then drivers must slow down enough to account for the conditions.

Rising to the challenge in slip-and-fall cases

On behalf of Alpert & Fellows, L.L.P. posted in slip-and-fall accident injuries on Friday, January 25, 2019.

Proving a slip-and-fall accident is the fault of another person, or business, can be challenging.

For one, even generally honest and upstanding people are going to be reluctant, for a lot of reasons, to admit that they are at fault when someone falls on their property. After all, they may just not want the headache of the liability involved. Likewise, the owner's insurance companies may be reluctant to a pay a person's slip-and-fall claim.

Wisconsin bicyclist killed in hit-and-run accident

On behalf of Alpert & Fellows, L.L.P. posted in car accident injuries on Friday, January 11, 2019.

An 18-year-old bicyclist died shortly after being run down by a driver of a motor vehicle. The driver of the motor vehicle, a 71-year-old man, left the scene of the accident after hitting the young man and leaving him in a ditch and unresponsive.

Fortunately, police were later able to track down the driver involved in this fatal car accident. Police arrested the man and plan to work with area prosecutors to formally charge him with a crime in connection with his leaving the scene.