Be Prepared. Always carry a mobile phone with you when you’re driving, as well as a pen and paper to take notes with, a disposable camera to take pictures of the vehicle with, and a card that contains any information that a doctor would need if he or she were to treat you.

Know Your Insurance Policy. If you get in an accident, the insurance process will be much easier if you know exactly what’s covered in your policy and what’s not. You don’t want to wait until after the accident to find out that your policy doesn’t cover the cost of towing or the cost of a rental car.

Stay Safe. If you get in an accident, move the cars to the side of the road out of the way of any oncoming traffic, as long as there are no serious injuries. Turn on your hazard lights to alert other drives, and if you have warning triangles or cones, make use of them!

Report the Accident. Even if it’s a minor car accident, you should still call the police and have them come and file an accident report.

Trade Information. Get the other person’s name, address, phone number, insurance information, license plate number, and driver’s license number. Also take down a description of each car, including its year, make, model and color, in addition to the location of the collision, how it happened, and the extent of the damage. Be polite, but don’t admit fault to the other person or the police officer, even if you think the accident may have been your fault.

Document the Evidence. Write down a description of the damage to each of the vehicles, and take photos of the damage that occurred. This will be very useful for your claims adjuster and if there’s any sort of dispute.

Contact Your Insurance Company. Within one business day of the accident, you should have called your insurance company and informed them about the accident. They’ll undoubtedly have questions and will provide you details of the process required to take care of your claim.

Getting in a car accident can be an emotionally frightening experience, but keep a cool head, and follow these steps to take care of things. It might even be a good idea to print a copy of this article and throw it in your glove compartment.

Christian is an author of several articles pertaining to No Win No Fee, Compensation Claims, Accident Claims, Personal Injury Claims and other legal articles.

The latest figures released by the Health and Safety Commission for 2004/2005 indicate that there were 150,559 non fatal injuries sustained by employees. This equates to 587 injuries per 100,000 employees. The number of actual compensation claims made for injury bears no resemblance to these statistics because most employees dare not or simply will not claim against an employer.

Only 2 out of every f5 people will usually make a claim. The number of claimants runs into tens of thousands every year. Here are some basic points on health & safety at work and how an individual / employee should react to an injury sustained at work.

What should the employer do to ensure that accidents are reduced?

The general rule is that an employer must take “reasonable care” to ensure adequate health and safety measures are in place and that the risk of an injury being sustained by any worker is reduced as much as possible.

This is usually done by by providing a safe system of work where any potential risks are assessed and if possible reduced as much as is reasonably possible. This could be by something as simple as altering the layout of the premises or providing training and instruction on how best to carry out tasks in the safest manner.

Or by providing adequate plant, this may range from the provision of heavy machinery down to even the most basic of office equipment such as tables and chairs

Finally the employer must ensure that fellow employees are competent to reduce the risk of human error causing accidents at work whether through ignorance, negligence or malice. So even if a fellow employee causes you to sustain an injury then as long as they are acting in the course of their work it is possible that your employer may be liable for their actions.

Employers Liability Insurance

Once you are in a position to make an informed decision you may decide to make a claim against your employer. Any claims should be covered by the employers insurance.

Most employers are required by law to have Employers Liability Insurance, failure to have this can mean that sanctions are imposed against the employer. Taking such a policy out ensures that funds are available to meet the costs of compensation and legal fees where an employee is injured or becomes ill as a result of the fault of the employer. This also means that an employee can seek compensation even if that business goes into liquidation or receivership.

The claims themselves are dealt with via the employer’s insurance company and not the actual employer themselves. The employer only becomes involved in a claim where they have to provide details to the insurers when they are investigating the claim to prove where fault lies for the accident.

A copy of the Certificate of Insurance itself should be displayed where any employee could easily read it.

What should the employer do when an employee has an accident at work?

In any case regardless of the severity of the injury caused to an employee a report of this should be made in the company accident book. The employer is obliged to keep an accident book on the premises. This should give details such as the accident circumstances, dates, identity of the injured party and details of what caused the accident if at all possible. It is very important that any accident is reported just in case the injury gets worse and this also serves as proof that the accident actually occurred in the manner described.

RIDDOR

Your employer has an obligation to comply with the Reporting of Injuries Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 otherwise known as RIDDOR. These require that any deaths, major injuries, injuries that result in an absence of more than three days, injuries to members of the public and dangerous occurrences or near misses be reported.

The Health & Safety Executive will usually intervene in a case referred to RIDDOR. More information on RIDDOR may be found on the HSE website.

What you should do if you have an accident at work

Most people tend to be in a state of shock when an accident occurs. Irrespective of whether this is through the pain caused, or just disbelief that the accident happened. Most people have the mentality that it will “Never happen to them”. Also as you reach adulthood people tend to think that only the young and elderly have accidents. Therefore, it is often it is a bigger shock to the system when an adult has an accident.

There are some very simple steps to follow which people often forget in the aftermath of an accident at work, and so when they decide to make a claim they find it very difficult to prove that the accident occurred in the manner described.

Report the accident in the accident book as soon as possible;

When the accident report is made ensure that it is factually correct before you sign it. Do not let the employer or senior management pressurise you into signing a document that is untrue;

If there were any witnesses to the incident then take their details. If there were no witnesses to the actual event it may be possible to get witnesses to system of work which may have caused the injury. This could also be of assistance to you should you wish to make a claim and the system of work employed was an unsafe one;

Go and see your own doctor or attend the hospital if the injury warrants it. This is so that there is a record in your medical history that you were injured and what the diagnosis was and whether you had to have treatment and medication;

Get some legal advice from a reputable law firm;

Christian is an author of several articles pertaining to No Win No Fee, Compensation Claims, Accident Claims, Personal Injury Claims and other legal articles.

Accidents happen every day and result in thousands of people suffering personal injury every year. An accident injury can occur on the roads and footpaths, at work, in public places, at home, at school, during medical treatment and in many other situations but whatever the location, if the accident was caused wholly or partly by someone else, a right to compensation is likely to exist.

In many cases the accident and consequent injury is through no fault of the injured person but is caused by someone else. Some common types of accident claims which may occur are:

1. Road traffic accidents - injuries to vehicle occupants, pedestrians, cyclists
2. Accidents at work including industrial diseases
3. Accidents in public places
4. Injuries caused by defective goods or products
5. Medical or dental negligence

“Special Damages” is the term used to describe the compensation which can be recovered from the negligent party in respect of expenses or financial losses suffered as a result of an accident and which can be reasonably easily quantified. Examples of the types of items which may be involved are :

1. Loss of past earnings and assessed future earnings
2. Medical Expenses - past and future
3. Cost of nursing or other professional care - past and future
4. Gratuitous assistance eg unpaid help from family and friends
5. Prescription charges
6. Travelling expenses for attending hospital, doctor etc for treatment resulting from the accident
7. Costs of gardening, decorating, housework etc if you have to pay for this to be done because you are no longer able to do it yourself
8. Loss of or damage to your property

Obviously not all of the above will apply in every case and there may be other items depending on the individual circumstances of each claim.

In order to claim successfully it will be necessary to prove that the person was negligent and that the negligence caused the accident resulting in the injury. Where a claim is being pursued for specific items of financial loss or expense, satisfactory evidence will be required to support the amount being claimed.

Certain areas of claim such as pain and suffering, loss of future earnings, loss of amenity will normally be assessed by the court.

With certain exceptions a claim for personal injury compensation must be brought within three years of the accident. The main statute governing time limits is the Limitation Act 1980. The issue is complex however and there are situations where a shorter period may apply. Despite the three year period therefore you should contact a solicitor as soon as possible if you wish to pursue a claim.

Accident claims are complex, sometimes exceedingly so, and to pursue a claim you will need the services of a solicitor with particular expertise in this area. Making the right choice of solicitor is a matter you should take careful consideration over to make sure your compensation claim is handled effectively whether it is settled in or out of court.

Doing your homework will not only save you time but potential stress as well.

Christian is an author of several articles pertaining to No Win No Fee, Compensation Claims, Accident Claims, Personal Injury Claims and other legal articles.

In today’s society there are many things that we are on the lookout for. Gas prices, the credit crisis, and medical malpractice. What these three things have in common is more than you might suspect. For starters, let’s begin with the credit crisis. Banks were giving out loans like candy and offering them at low starting rates that intended to increase after a couple of years. People thought great, I can get into this great big home and afford the monthly payments. What these people did not realize, or chose not to realize was that after a few years the monthly mortgage payment significantly increased as the rate increased, common sense right? So the people that were living in these great houses could no longer afford them. Homes started foreclosing left and right. In turn banks were left the deeds to all of these houses that people couldn’t afford. The thing is the banks didn’t have enough as well to back these homes. Once this happened investment banks and other investors started to worry. Since the bank that is financing them cannot afford their assets, the liquidity of their equity is very minimal.

Investors and firms alike started to get out of different types of bonds and investment funds that are backed by the banks so that they don’t get burned in the process as well. At the same time that this was all going on, investment firms knew what was going on and started to do some shady dealings to get their investors to keep their accounts running, so that the investment firms would keep commissions going. When Bear Sterns and other funds fell in early 2008, there was no turning back. All stockholders that held these types of stock saw a decrease of almost 20%. Pharmaceutical companies are an example of a company holding a lot of stock. Also, since the credit crisis emerged less people are investing which is hurting pharmaceutical companies.

This crunch on the pharmaceutical companies is forcing them to push out drugs that may have not been through the proper testing. It is also compelling them to convince doctors and other medical professionals to recommend their products to patients through the use of incentives. A pharmaceutical company may promise doctors residuals for the sale of a certain drug that is going to make a lot of money for the pharmaceutical company. This is where medical malpractice comes about. When doctors prescribe medications linked to incentives from the pharmaceutical companies, the prescription may do more harm then good to patients. Writing prescriptions to patients just to earn residuals from the pharmaceutical companies is an occurrence of medical malpractice that is very prevalent today. Medical malpractice can cause serious injuries and death if committed by the wrong doctor or medical professional. Whether the medical malpractice is an accident, or a committed act, neither action is acceptable.

Paul Justice gives advice to clients who are looking for attorneys to handle injury related cases such as medical malpractice, automobile accidents. To know more about malpractice lawyer, medical malpractice NYC, malpractice attorney and medical malpractice Brooklyn visit www.nbrlawfirm.com

When in law school a student is very much aware that at some point they are going to have to determine what type of law they are going to pursue. Seeing that there are so many different sectors, planning the rest of their life is something that must be on top of their priority list in their minds. When searching through the different areas of law, what makes someone pick medical malpractice? Maybe they have had a relative or friend experience serious complications or death due to the practice of a medical practitioner. Or maybe the thought of someone seeking help and treatment could end up dead because of the ill practices of a so called doctor are committed. Whatever the reason it may be medical malpractice is prevalent in our society. Therefore we need the best medical malpractice attorneys to defend our rights and gain back our confidence in the medical industry.

When entering a medical institution in seek of treatment, it should be a relief that the pain is going to stop and we can continue to go on with our lives. We put our trust and lives in the hands of medical professionals such as doctors, nurses, surgeons, and practitioners. However, instances of malpractice occur frequently in which we need to start asking questions. What is it that we are not providing to our medical professionals to get the right training necessary to be able to treat the public effectively and safely. Occurrences of medical tools such as clamps, knives, and other procedural utensils are being left in the bodies of their patients during surgery. Misdiagnoses are resulting in the prescription of medications that have nothing to do with a patient’s condition resulting in ill complications. These types of medical malpractices are causing harm to the lives of innocent people. Consequences of medical malpractice are warranted in the court of law.

If you or a loved one has experienced any form of medical malpractice that has left you with a large amount of medical bills and pain and suffering, contact a medical malpractice attorney that can help you to recover losses. In many cases of medical malpractice there have been serious complications including death that have arisen from this horrible epidemic. More attention needs to be paid towards medical malpractice to give light to this problem. A medical malpractice attorney can provide you with the support and help needed to fight pharmaceutical giants and medical institutions.

Medical malpractice cases are quite complex, so it is necessary to get help from a medical malpractice attorney. We will also help you make a difference for future patients. Medical Malpractice takes the lives of many in which we need to take action to curtail this crisis.

Paul Justice gives advice to clients who are looking for attorneys to handle injury related cases such as medical malpractice, automobile accidents. To know more about the services of malpractice lawyer,Malpractice attorney, personal injury lawyer and New York attorneys visit www.nbrlawfirm.com

New York Insurance fraud is a broad term that includes numerous acts the law considers illegal. And yes, all of them are related to stealing from insurance companies.

Insurance fraud in New York and virtually all other states are probably the most commonly prosecuted white collar crime. Recent legislation and general policy of insurance fraud crackdown changes released state and local prosecutors and investigators after unexpecting (and expecting) insurance fraudsters. Insurance fraud prosecutions and indictments statewide have dramatically increased as the result.

Unfortunately, many individuals accused of insurance fraud in New York are not even aware what it is they’ve done wrong. This article provides some basic information on what is New York insurance fraud.

New York insurance fraud lawyers are busy defending people against charges of health insurance fraud, auto insurance fraud, Medicaid fraud, unemployment benefits fraud, and welfare fraud. So, what is fraud? In short, under section 176.05 of the New York Penal Code, a fraudulent insurance act is intentional and deliberate submission of an insurance application to an insurance carrier or its agents. Fraudulent means either submitting false information or concealing, for the purpose of misleading, information concerning any material fact.

There are several degrees of New York Insurance fraud. A default New York insurance fraud charge is insurance fraud in the fifth degree, a class A misdemeanor. All subsequent degrees vary as following. If in addition to the generic act of insurance fraud the person wrongfully obtains property with a value of more than $1,000, it is insurance fraud in the fourth degree is a class E felony. $3,000 makes it insurance fraud in the third degree is a class D felony. $50,000 means insurance fraud in the second degree is a class C felony, and, finally, stealing a million dollars will make one guilty of insurance fraud in the first degree, a class B felony. A person who commits a fraudulent insurance act, and has been previously convicted within the preceding five years of any insurance fraud crime is automatically guilty of aggravated insurance fraud in the fourth degree is a class D felony.

Insurance fraud investigation normally takes time. Police rarely arrest people suspected of insurance fraud without warrant and some investigation. When an investigation is underway, the suspect will receive a letter or a telephone call from an investigator. The person’s actions at that point may determine the outcome of the case. The worst that can be done is voluntary submission of any information to the investigators who are trained in gathering incriminating information and building cases against suspects. The better way is to talk to an attorney immediately and protect your rights. Investigators will not question persons who wish to consult an attorney. An experienced New York insurance fraud lawyer, if timely retained, may mitigate future damages and in some cases even convince prosecutors not to proceed with the case.

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This article discusses New York Insurance Fraud criminal statutes and liabilities. It is written by Joseph Potashnik, New York City criminal defense attorney who represents persons accused of white collar and fraud crimes. Visit his websites at www.jpdefense.com (NY) and www.jpcriminaldefense.com (NJ)

Under Florida law, when someone makes an election not to have uninsured motorist coverage (UM) on their policy, a specifically worded form must be signed. The insured also has the right to accept or reject stacked uninsured motorist coverage. The effect of stacking such coverage would be to double the effective coverage, for instance, if there were two cars on the policy. The question of whether such coverage has been validly rejected often comes into question when the insured is involved in an accident, long after the insurance papers have been executed. The insured, at that point, is typically looking for additional coverage on their policy and challenging whether the rejection of such coverage had been validly executed. One of Florida’s District Courts of Appeal recently considered the question of whether someone, other than the named insured on an auto policy, had the ability to make a binding rejection of such coverage.

The case, which came before the court, involved a husband and wife. The wife was made the “named insured” on the policy and the husband listed as an “additional insured”. At the time that the policy application was completed it was done by the husband. He rejected stacked UM coverage which would have effectively quadrupled their coverage due to four cars being on the policy. Of course, years later they were in a serious accident and challenged the rejection of stacked coverage by the husband who is only listed as an additional insured on the policy.

They lost. The Court discussed the well established case law in Florida on this subject and recently issued a written opinion. Under the principles of agency law, the wife clearly gave her husband the apparent authority to obtain the insurance and waive the stacked coverage. The signature of an insured’s agent on an insurance application binds the insured to the coverage selected. The insured’s agent could be a spouse or even a broker. In that regard, there is case law which says that the insured is bound even if their broker applied for the wrong insurance coverage. The risk of such error lies with the insured who allowed the agent to act on their behalf.

It is not my intention, nor am I allowed, to give legal advice regarding any specific coverage question. However, this case raises an issue which is commonly encountered and one that consumer’s need to specifically consider when they allow someone to act on their behalf in arranging insurance coverage.

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Attorney James W. Dodson is a Clearwater, Florida personal injury trial lawyer with over 20 years experience representing clients in all types of injury claims including vehicle accidents, fall cases and wrongful death. He is the author of three books offered FREE to consumers as a guide to dealing with accidents and insurance. Visit his website at JWDodsonLaw.com for FREE copies of these books, other articles, videos, news and commentary.

If you can’t have enough of the hot babes, make money on the web, and start an adult website and rake in oodles of cash. To have a website for adult content is far different from the mainstream sites on the Net, and it carries more responsibilities for the web host. Caution: you’ll have to make it legit, or else you’ll find yourself behind bars.

Enjoy Hot Babes? Know the Laws

To be blunt, adult entertainment reeks with pornography and is fraught with legal restrictions, but it’s where the money is - in the billions in rentals and sales. It’s not a surprise that the revenues from porn businesses exceed the ticket sales of the NBA playoffs. People pay more for porn than popcorn. It’s a smart guy who can swing it and knows how to make more money in the web and offline.

Still interested? Then it is important to comply with all the requirements of 18 U.S.C. 2257, meaning you must present proof that your babes are over 18 years old. They must give their IDs and photos, and keep those documents ready in case there’s that dreaded knock on the door. Extremely lewd photos and videos and hard core porn can also land you in jail; hence, moderation is the rule if you want to stay long in business and make money on the web.

Take a hard look at the existing laws on obscenity, the law of adult entertainment, and of adult websites to help you make the right decisions before you grab your camcorder and film sweet babies in steaming scenes. Ignorance of these laws will put an abrupt end to your efforts to make money on the web.

Make Money on the Web

If you review the websites of porn moguls, you’ll discover a variety of porn genres - college porn, geriatric porn, gay and lesbian porn, multi-racial porn, and kinky sex. You may focus on one genre, or decide to diversify your videos to cater to different tastes. The more your genre offerings, the more money you’ll make.

To start this career path, you may find adult content sponsors. Check these out first for their 2257 compliance. On their homepage, you’ll find the 2257 statement stating that they have complied with Federal requirements and all models were 18 years old or older at the time of the photography. Proof of the models’ ages are on record and available for perusal.

The sponsors will provide content that you can put on your site. Every time a sale is made, a check is mailed to you. However, you cannot advertise your site using regular channels. You’ll have to be creative about the advertising aspect of your business to make money on the web.

Make money on the web from your adult website aided with the experts’ advice. You can find them on the Net. A few more dollars for paid advice and a review of the existing porn laws in the locality can set you up legitimately. Once you’ve started, there’s no turning back.

Want to make money on the web and learn how to make more money? You can make money on Internet ventures. Visit BestIncomeAlternatives.com and get a free report on Seven Strategies That Could Make You Millions.

Your decision to start a home business must take into consideration the need to secure a business license. Of course, not all home businesses require registration. However, if you want your home business to grow, then you need to protect your business name, register with the appropriate agencies, and pay your taxes.

Advantages of Business Registration

As a legitimate home business entity, you have access to government programs and private projects that help small businesses. Banks and government agencies require registration documents, and your readiness in presenting these documentary requirements will expedite the process of releasing funds and technical support for your business.

As a legitimate home business, you can fully expand your business. You can advertise your services, avail of loans, hire more people, deal with more suppliers and get more customers, pay your taxes, and expand geographically. You can do all these without the niggling fear that, one of these days, the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Labor, among other government agencies, will uncover your covert operations and confiscate your assets.

Business Registration Using Your Name

When you use your name to bill customers and pay suppliers, you are not required by law to register your business. However, taking your legitimate home business to the next level of partnership and incorporation is definitely easier when you have sole proprietorship records.

The first basic step in home business registration is to visit your County Clerk’s Office. There are zoning ordinances and documentary requirements that you need to comply with, particularly the zoning laws. Otherwise, you have to find another legitimate home business opportunity.

In registering, you can use your social security identification as tax identification. However, it is highly recommended that you secure a separate tax ID for business purposes. You need to avoid giving out sensitive personal information like your social security number to clients and suppliers; the opportunities for fraud at your expense increase the more people know your social security details.

Business Registration under an Assumed Name

When you choose to operate under an assumed name, you should visit the County Clerk’s Office and file for a “Doing Business As” (DBA) registration. You can download the form (X-201) from the Internet or buy from stores. You have to accomplish the form in 3 copies, one each for the County Clerk’s Office, for the bank where you will open your account, and for your office.

The County Clerk’s Office should notify you about the availability of your assumed name; once you stake your claim to it, nobody else can. This process enables you to operate your legitimate home business with a unique name, which is very important in establishing name recall and association.

You also need to put a valid address (no P.O. Boxes allowed) and all the required documents should be notarized. Again, secure separate tax identification and an Employer Identification Number (EIN), especially if you plan to buy goods at wholesale prices, hire employees, and file taxes. These are very essential requirements to make your business grow in the near future.

You can then open a business bank account, which will require your business registration, tax ID, and EIN. After that, you also need to secure a Retail tax Authorization and other licenses and permits required by law.

The process and the documentary requirements might seem circuitous and daunting to a novice like you. However, the advantages of owning a legal and legitimate home business will be well worth the trouble and the effort.
Resource Information:

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Nanny cams have become so much a part of our culture. It will not come as a surprise to you if almost every parent you know who has a nanny, or who have hired nannies in the past 2 years, have installed nanny cams. Before you purchase and install your own hidden cameras (another term for nanny cameras), educate yourself on the disclosure issues, legality and ethics regarding the use of these spy gears.

Disclosure Decisions

There are no hard and fast rules on disclosures of the presence of nanny cams. You can choose to either keep mum about them or you can inform your prospective nanny about them.

However, it is highly recommended that you inform your prospective nanny about plans for installing hidden cameras around the house. A professional discussion about your reasons for the spy cameras - burglar security, special needs child, and peace of mind - can pave the way for understanding and empathy.

Your disclosure can even help you decide on the choice of nanny. Often, the refusal of a prospective nanny towards having the house monitored is a clear warning signal for hidden agenda. However, in the interest of fairness, you still have to ask the prospective nanny her reasons for refusal of nanny cams. You can weigh them against your need for surveillance.

If the nanny agrees to nanny cameras and you decide to hire her, then a written and signed agreement regarding videotapes must be drawn up. This will help to avoid sticky situations in the future.

Legality Issues

There are also no common laws for the use of hidden cameras to spy on your nanny. You have to consult your lawyer about the legality of using surveillance equipment around the house, especially when other people are videotaped.

However, one general rule does apply. You can videotape your nanny without running into legal trouble for as long as there is no audio involved. There is a federal law banning the taping of conversations without the knowledge and consent of the person being taped.

There is also a Supreme Court decision stating that videotaping the nanny in your own home, even without her knowledge, does not constitute invasion of privacy. However, be very sure that you keep off private bedrooms (especially her bedroom for a live-in nanny) and bathrooms.

Also remember that video footages from nanny cams are admissible evidence in litigation for child abuse. However, you need to diligently guard against your child being subjected to abuse or neglect; if you suspect that the nanny is abusing your child, then immediately terminate her services. The hassles of hiring a new nanny will be peanuts compared to seeing your child suffer at the hands of the old nanny should you fail to act as soon as possible.

Ethics Concerns

No argument about it, hidden cameras pose ethical questions. Even with spy gears in place, a bad nanny will only behave for a while, after which she can revert to her abusive and negligent ways. Surveillance cameras are not deterrent to criminal behavior and might even inspire criminal exhibitionists!

There is also the concern of living in a Big Brother type of environment. Would you really like to live in a house full of mistrust for the individual you entrust your precious child with?

Ultimately, your diligence in carefully choosing your nanny - from seeking only reputable agencies, checking references, background checks, and interviews - can help you avoid the thorny issues of nanny cams.

For further information on issues about spy equipment like wireless nanny cams and where to buy a nanny spy camera visit Video-Surveillance-Guide.com now! Nanny cams have never looked better with them!