While injuries like lacerations and fractures are often visible after an accident, the symptoms of others take time to manifest. This is especially true for a traumatic brain injury (TBI), where symptoms can take days, weeks, or years to become apparent. Not only that, the long-term effects of a head injury can last a lifetime. Delayed treatment can worsen the prognosis for accident victims, so it’s critical to seek medical care immediately after an accident. Don’t underestimate the potential outcomes of even a minor head bump. Understanding the signs and symptoms of a head injury can protect ..read more

If you have been injured in an accident caused by someone else in West Virginia, you need a good lawyer to help you understand your legal options for seeking compensation for your medical expenses and other losses. Having the right personal injury lawyers on your side can make all the difference. But how do you make a good choice? You can start your search for the right attorney by asking friends for referrals and doing some research: Asking for referrals: Ask your friends, family, and co-workers if they know any personal injury lawyers. They know you best and could have valuable in ..read more

When police respond to a car accident in West Virginia, they conduct a preliminary investigation and file a report that serves as an objective record of what happened. Afterward, if you want to pursue an insurance claim or a legal claim against the driver who caused a car accident, your case would start with the police report. It is important to be able to know how to read an accident report because a properly completed State of West Virginia Uniform Traffic Crash Report contains a wealth of information. If anything on it is incorrect, you should have it corrected. At Jividen Law Offices, our ..read more

In West Virginia, state law requires drivers to immediately report a car accident if it causes anyone’s injury or death or $1,000 worth of property damages. When an accident is reported, responding police officers are to conduct a preliminary investigation and file a report within 24 hours that serves as an objective record of what happened. Afterward, if you need to substantiate an insurance claim or a legal claim against the driver at fault for the car accident, the police report would be an important part of evidence you would provide. If you have been injured in a car accident that was not ..read more

If you were injured in an accident someone else caused, filing a personal injury lawsuit might be your best option to recover compensation. However, you should not pursue legal action against another person without understanding the process and what it entails. Knowing what to do during every stage is crucial to the outcome of your case – especially mediation and deposition. What Happens After Depositions Conclude? A deposition is an out-of-court process during which lawyers ask a witness, called a deponent, questions relevant to the case. As the plaintiff in a personal injury lawsuit, you wil ..read more

When someone comes into our law office after being injured in an accident, one of their first questions is, “How much is my case worth?” There is no simple answer to this question because every personal injury case is unique. One major factor that can influence the value of a case is whether the injured party may be eligible to demand punitive damages. Punitive damages are extra compensation that may be awarded accident victims if the at-fault party’s conduct was especially negligent or reckless. The personal injury lawyers at the Jividen Law Offices, PLLC, have spent more than 35 years helpin ..read more

How do you put a price on the physical and emotional pain of an accident? From a personal perspective, you can’t. Your pain and suffering are real, yet they are also intangible and specific to your situation. But to win a personal injury claim in West Virginia, you must place a dollar amount on pain and suffering. Otherwise, it’s all too easy for insurance companies to downplay or deny your claim. An experienced attorney can protect your rights to maximum compensation if you’ve been hurt. The dedicated attorneys at Jividen Law Offices, PLLC have more than 50 years of combined experience helpin ..read more

Federal law authorizes the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to enforce workplace safety standards to ensure that working men and women have safe workplaces. OSHA conducts on-site inspections of worksites to enforce federal laws that are intended to prevent workplace accidents and protect workers. Inspections occur without advance notice, and violations of standards may lead to citations and fines. Each year, OSHA publishes a list of the top 10 most frequently violated safety standards based on federal OSHA worksite inspections. OSHA says the list is meant to alert employers about ..read more

West Virginia adopted its seatbelt law in 1983. Under this law, the driver and any occupant younger than 18 years old must wear a seatbelt in a vehicle designed for 15 or fewer passengers. There are exceptions for Postal Service workers making rural deliveries and people with physically disabling conditions that prevent appropriate restraint. West Virginia’s child safety seat and booster seat law requires that a child younger than 8 years old in a passenger automobile, van, or pickup truck must be secured in a car seat or booster seat while the motor vehicle is operated on a street or highway ..read more

If you live or travel in West Virginia, you probably know that state law prohibits texting or using handheld phones while driving. But do you know whether the state’s distracted driving laws prohibit eating behind the wheel, too? No, it’s not illegal to eat or drink while driving in West Virginia. But eating while driving does create a distraction. Juggling food or a soft drink requires taking one hand off the steering wheel. Eating also may take a driver’s focus off the road. To minimize driving distractions, it’s best to eat before setting out on a trip or stopping at a restaurant for a few ..read more