Articles Posted in Uncategorized

A couple in New Hampshire has learned a lesson that many others have come to understand: drones, though cool, aren’t always fun and games. As the popularity of drones have increased dramatically in recent years, so much so that the FAA now requires those with large versions of the machines to register them with the government, so have accidents and injuries associated with their use. What starts as an attempt to buy a fancy new toy or a way of capturing cool videos can end with a trip to the emergency room if the person operating the drone isn’t careful.

The incident in New Hampshire started innocently enough. A couple was getting married at a castle and decided to employ a drone to capture some special footage of their special day. Something went wrong while the drone was being operated and the device came crashing down on the heads of several guests. In fact, news reports indicate that the drone slammed into the faces of two women on its way down to the ground.

The women are now filing suit against the groom and a man that runs events at the castle where the wedding was held. They claim that they suffered concussions after the drone hit them in the head. They also claim that they experienced permanent physical and emotional injury and deserve financial compensation as a result.

As the headlines continue to blare new details of the Volkswagen emissions recall, it can be confusing if you’re a VW owner to know what to make of all the details. VW owners likely have a million questions running through their heads: What exactly happened? How are you impacted? What does the recall mean for you? What do you do next? To get some answers and learn more about the VW emissions recall, keep reading.

First, what models are included in the potential recall?

Globally, experts believe as many as 11 million vehicles have been sold with the deceptive emissions control system. In the U.S., that number totals just under 500,000. The cars were sold since 2008 and come with a 2.0-liter diesel engine. The impacted models are:

According to a recent report by CNN, Mississippi has successfully passed a law that could make it more difficult for women to receive abortions in the state. Governor Phil Bryant signed a bill into law that requires that doctors who perform abortions be licensed and board-certified obstetrician-gynecologists and that those doctors have admitting privileges at a local hospital.

While these new requirements may seem at first glance to be minimal, it could potentially put the state’s only abortion facility out of business. The facility is the Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The owner of the facility, Diane Derzis, says that all of her physicians are board-certified obstetrician-gynecologists, but only one of the abortion providers in her office has admitting privileges. She said that she did not want to let her patients down and that she would do everything in her power to make sure that the clinic remained open.

Felicia Brown-Williams, policy director at Planned Parenthood in Hattiesburg, Mississippi does not believe that there is any medically necessary reason why an abortion provider has to have admitting privileges or be a board-certified OB/GYN. She believes that the bill is an attempt to ban abortions without directly challenging the 1973 United States Supreme Court decision of Roe v. Wade. She said that the bill “puts in place requirements that intentionally try to make it impossible for physicians to provide abortion services.” If the only provider in the state is required to close because it cannot find doctors who meet the bill new qualifications, then the state of Mississippi would have, even if only temporarily, banned abortion in the state.

The law firm of Kilpatrick & Philley is happy to announce another successful resolution for the Plaintiffs in a case filed in Simpson County Circuit Court. In this case, Plaintiff was operating his 18 wheeler on highway 49 when a delivery truck abruptly and without warning merged into Plaintiff’s lane of traffic. Because Plaintiff did not have sufficient time to react, Plaintiff’s 18 wheeler struck the back of the delivery truck driven by Defendants. The day after the automobile accident, Plaintiff visited his treating physician where he was diagnosed with an aggravation to a pre-existing disc bulge at the L4-5 level. Plaintiff received conservative treatment for several months, which did not provide much relief. Eventually, Plaintiff became a candidate for surgery.

As a result of Plaintiff’s injuries suffered in the automobile accident in Simpson County, Plaintiff was forced to file a lawsuit. Defendant aggressively defended the action by arguing that Defendant driver had the right of way once he merged lanes. Defendant relied on the accident report that had placed fault on Plaintiff. In response, Kilpatrick & Philley hired an accident reconstructionist who determined that Plaintiff did not have sufficient time to react in order to avoid the collision. In depositions, Defendant driver conceded Plaintiff’s expert’s conclusion that Defendant failed to provide Plaintiff with sufficient time to react to Defendant’s lane change. Defendant testified that almost immediately after merging lanes, he attempted to make a left hand turn. Because it was raining at the time of the accident and because Plaintiff’s 18 wheeler was loaded to capacity, Plaintiff did not have sufficient time to react to avoid the collision. Further, the Mississippi Highway Patrolman who investigated the accident admitted that the conclusions on the accident report were made in error. As a result of Defendant’s concession and after a hard fought litigation, Kilpatrick & Philley, PLLC, were able to negotiate a settlement on the Plaintiff’s behalf for over $160,000.00. The settlement included Plaintiff’s claims against his employer for worker’s compensation benefits.

If you have any questions or concerns about an automobile accident or accident involving a 18 wheeler or for any other legal issues you may have, please call the personal injury lawyers at Kilpatrick & Philley, PLLC, at (601) 856-7800. Also, please see the Auto Accident Q&A section of our webpage for further information on car wrecks

It has to be one of the biggest historical tornado outbreaks in the Deep South, MS and AL! On April, 27, 2011, a huge EF5 tornado touched down in Smithville, MS and in AL, and the death toll has been confirmed thus far at 315. Preliminary reports are that Tuscaloosa, AL was the hardest hit by the storm causing millions-if not billions- of dollars in property damage to people’s homes, cars and land.

It is expected that many of the affected residents will have substantial homeowner’s claims or rental insurance claims, and needless to say, may get the run-around by their insurance company. For a more detailed discussion of your rights, please click here to visit our Insurance Bad Faith/Denial section on our web site.

This tornado has impacted Mississippi and Alabama residents. The firm of Kilpatrick & Philley, PLLC, is staffed with an experienced litigation attorney, Benjamin N. Philley. Ben sympathizes with people