Handcuffed woman schocked twice by cop

Associated Press- Police cruiser and city administrators said that the latest Taser incident shows a male police officer jolting a 38-year-old woman at least twice: both before and after she was handcuffed. The video shows her falling face-first onto the pavement and being knocked unconscious.
The officer's report said the woman had kicked out a rear window in his cruiser and had tried to crawl into the front seat. She was being transferred to another police car when she was shot with a Taser. The woman said she was left with bruises and impaired vision. The police officer was suspended.
42 USC § 1983 comes to mind with incidents like this one. It does not have to be Rodney King style beating for a citizen to qualify for it. The statute is clear, "every person who, under color of any statute, ordinance, regulation, custom, or usage, of any State or Territory or the District of Columbia, subjects, or causes to be subjected, any citizen of the United States or other person within the jurisdiction thereof to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution and laws, shall be liable to the party injured in an action at law, suit in equity, or other proper proceeding..."
There is unknown whether the woman will seek compensation from the police department.

Why insurance companies don't want to pay on your client's personal injuries

San Antonio Personal Injury Trial Lawyers will compare some practices, financial strategies and mottoes of three of the major insurance carriers to see how they do it. No wonder your client is not looked at by insurance companies as a person, but as a potential loss on their huge earnings. For example:

American International Group, AIG, already owns more than 60% of 21st Century Insurance Group, which is one of California?s largest auto insurance companies. They are now looking to take the auto insurance company over altogether. They are purchasing the company for $813 million in a cash deal, and will pay $22 a share for it.They had previously offered the auto insurance company $19.75 per share, so obviously the new price was much more desirable. 21st will now be a wholly owned subsidiary of AIG when the deal is completed. After the deal, Bruce Marlow, who is 21st Century?s President and CEO, will head AIG?s direct private passenger auto insurance operations, which will be both companies combined.The Board of Directors of 21st Century has unanimously approved the merger, and AIG says that this is a win for both companies. They say that it allows them to combine the ?expertise and resources? of both of the companies to come up with a better product together. This ends up being good for their shareholders, good for their employees, and good for their customers. 21st Century has been around since 1958, and is a direct to consumer auto insurance company for personal auto insurance. They have more than $1.4 billion in revenue for last year, and this merger should be completed by the end of the third quarter of this year. Yet, every single time an attorney tries to settle with AIG adjusters, they are rude, condescending, and just impolite. Just remember that they have been hired and trained to keep profits for the company, not to properly compensate injured people. If you have ever dealt with AIG adjusters, you know exactly what we are saying.

State Farm Insurance's chairman and CEO received an 82 percent raise after the company posted a record profit last year, a statement from the Bloomington-Ill.-based insurer said this week. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ed Rust Jr. got a $5.26 million raise. He earned $11.66 million in 2006 with a base salary of $1.77 million and results-based bonus of $9.89 million, the statement said. Rust made $6.4 million in 2005 and $5.5 million in 2004.
The absence of a major catastrophe helped the insurer generate a record $5.32 billion profit last year, compared to $3.24 billion in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina hit the Mississippi Gulf Coast, release said. Now, to settle a claim with this company, an attorney has to be very patient and explain to the client that insurance companies really don't care about their injuries, they only care about their profits, since it takes them so long to really negotiate a claim.

GEICO's strong operating results reflect a considerable underwriting expense advantage, driven by its direct distribution business model and improved loss experience in recent years. Overall returns also benefit from its consistent and stable stream of investment income. When combined with its capital gains, GEICO has generated significant capital over the last five years, which has supported steady growth in net premium written and enabled it to declare substantial dividends. This company's adjusters are far better than any others in that they would be more efficient with the claims; however, still all they care about is to keep their profits.

As you can see, insurance companies are there to make a profit, not to pay an injured person when they are hurt. Most policies for auto insurance are 20/40. That means that $20, 0000 is for personal property, or to pay the car, and $40,0000 is to pay for the injuries, yet, you will never hear the insurance companies to offer an attorney policy limits on any claims, even the ones that deserve it. So, as a personal injury attorneys, you have the obligation to sue the insurance company to obtain the justice that your client deserves. That is why consumers need law firms that are willing to go all the way to trial with this insurance companies.

Come visit us at our website http://www.thebaezlawfirm.com or call us (210) 979-9777. Because, "we care about your legal needs."

Effect of aspirin consumption and alcohol in traumatic brain injury patients

Associated Press- Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is the ultimate cause of death in 40 percent of all fatal trauma cases. TBI may result from a direct blow to the brain or from the secondary effects of head trauma such as bleeding, swelling, decreased oxygen, or increased pressure on the brain. Intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) or bleeding inside the head is the cause of death in 70-80 percent of patients presenting with TBI.

ICH increases the risk of brain damage, which can lead to serious residual neurological disabilities in surviving patients. Every year, 80,000 to 90,000 people experience the onset of long-term or lifelong disabilities associated with TBI. In the United States today, there are currently as many as 5.3 million TBI survivors living with these disabilities.

There have been many studies dedicated to predicting overall clinical outcome in TBI patients. The factors which have been identified thus far are age, level of consciousness on first admission to the hospital, and degree of injury on computed tomography (CT) scanning. It is known that up to 50 percent all cases of ICH can increase with time, resulting in worsening neurological status and appearance on CT scan.

More than half of the patients brought to the hospital with TBI are intoxicated and many have cardiovascular disease requiring them to be on blood-thinners such as aspirin. Yet no prior studies have examined the potential effects of alcohol and aspirin consumption on worsening ICH in patients with TBI. Aspirin thins the blood, and reduces the risk of clots forming in key blood vessels, yet can cause bleeding problems in people with certain conditions Theoretically, TBI patients who are aspirin users could be prime candidates at risk for increased hemorrhaging associated with aspirin consumption.

When used in excess, alcohol damages brain structure and function. Besides the acute effects of alcohol consumption on the neurological function of the brain, there are physical changes that may result from moderate to heavy drinking of long duration. One concern is brain atrophy, which leaves more room inside the cranium for blood to collect during a brain injury. Alcohol weakens the walls of blood vessels and makes them more susceptible to rupture and bleeding. It is theorized that the combination of these factors can lead to an increase of ICH.