FAQ: Can I Still Receive Compensation for My Injuries?

Q: I was recently hurt in a car accident that was caused by the other driver.  Unfortunately, my auto insurance lapsed before the accident.  Can I still receive compensation for my injuries?

A: While it is unlawful in West Virginia to drive without it, not having insurance does not impact your ability to recover damages (money) from the person who caused the crash.  If the accident was the fault of the other driver, you can still file a claim with his or her insurance company.  You may be able to obtain compensation for your medical expenses, lost income, and other damages associated with the collision.  Rest assured, though, that it is not going to be easy to work with the insurance company.

Taking a Trip This Holiday Season Beware of Scams!

The holiday season is a great time to spend time with family and friends, many Family’s travel long distances to spend that time with their loved ones. With the up coming holiday season an estimated 41 million people expected to be travelling. Unfortunately, it’s also a busy time for holiday travel scams. The best way to keep yourself from being duped is to be aware of some of the common tactics and “special offers” that crooks use to take advantage of you.

According to a recent CBS News report, here are some scams you might encounter:

• You make plans to travel to Europe and track down a travel website that offers you an unbelievable rate on a hotel room. For payment, though, the site wants a bank or wire transfer and won’t let you pay with a credit card – definite signs of scam.
• You receive an e-mail that indicates you’ve won a free stay at a Caribbean hotel. Once you call the number to get your prize, you find that you have to book your airfare through the agency which is handling the “winners,” which may cost you a couple thousand dollars. If you actually go through with the trip, you may find that the hotel is not even close to the beach or that you are subjected to high-pressure timeshare presentations.
• An e-mail arrives that supposedly is from one of your friends who is travelling to Europe. The “friend” says that his wallet was stolen and that he can’t pay his hotel bill. Guess what happens next? You’re asked to wire money. Don’t do it.
• Your favorite college football teams lands a spot in a big bowl game. You find a great package deal to the game, pay your money and then make the trip. One small problem – your travel package included airfare and a hotel, but it didn’t have any tickets to the game and you now end up watching the big game in your hotel room!

Travel scams continue to happen for one reason – they work sometimes. Don’t let yourself or your loved ones become a victim.

FAQ: What of I am in an Accident and the Other Driver Doesn’t Have Insurance.

A: Don’t be shocked if this happens to you.  The reality is that many people, especially in an economic downturn, do drive without insurance.  If you have an accident with an uninsured driver, you should be able to collect compensation for your injuries and the damage to your vehicle from your own underinsured motorist (UM) coverage.  That is why you have UM coverage and why the State of West Virginia requires every registered vehicle to have bodily injury UM coverage of at least $20,000 per person and $40,000 per occurrence as well as property damage coverage of at least $10,000 per event.  Most people do not carry nearly enough UM coverage, though, to protect themselves and their loved ones in the event of a serious accident.  If you have questions about your UM coverage, or any other coverage, please call our office and we’ll be glad to help.

School Bus Safety

With the start of school just around the corner it is time to review school bus safety with your children. Not only is it vital your child abides by the school bus rules while riding on the bus, the rules they should follow outside of a bus could save their life.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA) , school buses are the safest way for kids to get to school (nearly 8 times safer than passenger vehicles), but there are still dangers for children, especially when getting on or off the bus.

The NHTSA has the following tips to help parents teach their kids how to be safe around buses:

● When getting on the bus, stay away from the danger zone and wait for the driver’s signal. Board the bus one at a time.

●When getting off the bus, look before stepping off the bus to be sure no cars are passing on the shoulder (side of the road). Move away from the bus.

●Before crossing the street, take five “giant steps” out from the front of the bus, or until the driver’s face can be seen (A). Wait for the driver to signal that it’s safe to cross.

●Look left-right-left when coming to the edge of the bus to make sure traffic is stopped. Keep watching traffic when crossing.

Laughter is the Best Medicine

We’ve all heard the phrase “laughter is the best medicine.”  Now, researchers at Loma Linda University’s Schools of Allied Health and Medicine are proving that there’s a whole lot of truth to that adage.

Though the notion that laughter can have health benefits is not a new one – Norman Cousins first suggested it during the 1970s – recent studies are indicating more and more positive effects of laughter.  According to the latest research, repetitious joyous laughter actually causes the body to respond as much as it would to moderate physical exercise.

Laughter has now been shown to enhance a person’s mood, decrease the amount of stress hormones, enhance the body’s immune activity, lower bad cholesterol and systolic blood pressure, and raise the level of HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol).  Researchers point out that laughter may even be able to play a role in the treatment of elderly patients suffering from a lack of appetite.

So, next time you find yourself scuffling a little bit or feeling down, try some laughter…your body will thank you for it.

“…in cases where no contrary opinion

“…in cases where no contrary opinion of a lawyer can be had, we should never act.” -Thomas Jefferson

Clarksburg’s Native Son Jimbo Fisher to Replace Bowden at FSU

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Jimbo Fisher Shares a laugh with Bobby Bowden

The Gator Bowl on January 1,2010 will be Coach Bobby Bowden final game with Florida State University. Bowen’s replacement will be Jimbo Fisher a Clarksburg native and Liberty High School graduate, Class of 1984. Fisher started as quarterback for the Mountaineers. He played his freshman year of college at Salem College and then transfused to Samford University In Birmingham, Alabama, for the remainder of his college career. While in college he was named Division II National Player of the Year, and throwing a ,Division II, record breaking 34 touchdown passes.

Fisher was the quarterback coach for six years at Auburn University (1993-98). Four of those he served under coach Tommy Bowden, who was Aubrun’s offensive coordinator (1991-96). From 2000 to 2006 Fisher was the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach for LSU. In 2003, while at LSU, he helped coach his team to victory winning the national championships. The year before being hired by Bobby Bowden he worked for The University of Cincinnati.

The Gator Bowel festivities and announcers will be focused on Bobby Bowlen, Fisher has already assumed the head coaching position. He has spent time on the recruiting trail and scouting for new assistant coaches for the 2010 season

Call The Miley Legal Group at 304-326-1800

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Veteran Workers Killed While Doing Their Job

A friend of ours wrote about a sad story concerning two men that were killed while on the job at a DC Metro Railway.  Jeff Garrard, 49, and Sung Duk Oh, 68 were crushed beneath a maintenance truck at around 1:45am on January 26, 2010.  The maintenance truck had four employees inside it when it hit the victims.

Garrard and Oh had over 10,000 hours of experience between them with impeccable track records.  The three-ton truck backing down the tracks in the middle of the night must have come out of nowhere.   While the investigation is still underway as to what happened, one thing is certain:  this accident could have been avoided.

Hopefully, if people read what happened here, they will be a little more cognizant of what is going on around them.  Tragedies like these happen in an instant yet change the path of life forever.

Our hearts go out to the families of the victims.  I want to thank Ross for bringing this article to my attention.

You are the First!!

The FIRST NEWSLETTER from The Miley Legal Group has been mailed. We want to make sure our clients, family and friends are up to date on current events that could affect their lives.

In this issue:

Tim Miley

Introduction of newsletter from Tim Miley, lawyer and owner of The Miley Legal Group.

When health insurance is not insurance at all?

Should you bank your own blood?

Helpful hints for health insurance: why benefits are denied.

Read our first newsletter and give us a call at 1.304.326.1800 to get your name added so you can begin receiving your free subscription!!!

Miley Legal News: The Group with the Scoop June 2009 Edition

The Miley Legal Group takes clients from all over North Central West Virginia including but not limited to:

Clarksburg, Bridgeport, Lumberport, Shinnston, Nutter Fort, Lost Creek, Stonewood, Fairmont, White Hall, Mannington, White Oaks, Farmington, Morgantown, Westover, Star City, Granville, Kingwood, Bruceton Mills, Masontown, Newburg, Tunnelton, Terra Alta, Albright, Brandonville, Grafton, Flemington, Weston, Roanoke, Jane Lew, Buckhannon, French Creek, Rock Cave, Hodgesville, Elkins, Beverly, Valley Bend, Mill Creek, Coalton, Jimtown, Helvetia, Selbysville, Huttonsville, Glenville, Sutton, Flatwoods, Philippi, Belington, Junior, Parsons, Thomas, Canaan, Davis, and all surrounding locations.

The Miley Legal Group takes cases in the following:

Car accidents, motorcycle accidents, tractor trailer accidents, truck wrecks, wrongful death accidents, fatal wrecks, defective product injuries, dog bites, animal attacks, serious burns, hunting accidents, personal injury claims