How Connecticut Neighbors Can Help Each Other During The COVID-19 Outbreak

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The coronavirus pandemic has created serious disruptions in virtually every sphere of life across the country. But these are also the times when communities come together as a united force to defeat the crisis and emerge stronger. Connecticut neighbors can help each other in a number of ways during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Donate Blood

The coronavirus outbreak has caused shortages of blood, and the American Red Cross is encouraging people who are healthy and fit to donate blood. If you are a Connecticut resident, you can visit the Red Cross website to know where to donate blood near your home. To learn more about the procedures and requirements for blood donation during Covid-19, you can check out the FAQ section at the Red Cross website. You can also contact your local Red Cross office to schedule a time to donate.

Support a Local Food Bank

You can make a monetary donation to Foodshare.org to enable them to continue the supply of food to needy families and individuals in certain areas in Connecticut.

Foodshare is also seeking volunteers to coordinate with the local grocery stores for the collection of rescued food and its delivery to nearby food banks. You may join their volunteer program called MealConnect if you are able to use your own automobile. You can sign up here to participate as a volunteer.

Alternatively, you may make monetary donations to the Connecticut Food Bank to help them continue food distributions through Litchfield, Fairfax, New Haven, Middlesex, Windham, and New London counties.

Donate Medical Supplies

Medical supplies in Connecticut are falling short because of the coronavirus crisis. If possible, you can donate key medical supplies to the state of Connecticut by completing this online form. The state has partnered with United Way 2-1-1 of Connecticut (a nonprofit) to collect this information. They will make sure that all donations reach the appropriate medical and long-term care facilities.

UConn Foundation and UConn Health are accepting donations of the following medical supplies for their healthcare staff:

  • Disposable face masks
  • N95 respirator masks
  • Goggles and face shields
  • Disinfectant liquids and wipes
  • General-purpose hand cleansers

If you are in a position to donate, you can contact their staff by emailing at: COVID19Donations@uchc.edu and coordinate the time for a drop off. You can also make monetary donations to UConn Health that will be used to provide vital medical supplies and support frontline medical workers for treating Covid-19 patients. Visit here to make a donation.

Hartford HealthCare is accepted donations for PPE (personal protective equipment), including gowns, masks, wipes and hand sanitizers. To make a PPE donation, you can email at: COVIDDonations@HHCHealth.org.

Organizations in Need of Volunteers

  • Healthcare professionals as well as other volunteers can sign up online at the state’s volunteer registry called CTResponds.
  • You can register here to volunteer as a part of the Community Emergency Response Team in your area. You will need to complete an introductory training course before you are sworn in as a new volunteer.
  • Connecticut Food Bank is seeking volunteers to handle the work at its Wallingford warehouse. The work will involve sorting and packing of food. You may also make monetary donations to them here.
  • Join as a volunteer for pantries at Foodshare’s pantries and Mobile Foodshare sites as well as MealConnect, which is coordinating food donations to shelters and pantries.
  • A number of schools are providing meals to students at a time when the schools are closed. Check for volunteering opportunities in your school district. You could get in touch directly with your local school district or contact the state Department of Education to get more information.
  • CT Mutual Aid is seeking volunteers who have previous experience in providing Peer Support. You will be helping with their web-based support program called Life in My Days.

In your neighborhood, you can support those in need by offering to run errands or go shopping for essential goods for people who are more vulnerable to infections. You may purchase gift cards for local businesses that you wish to support. If you visit a local restaurant, try to leave a larger tip than usual to express your gratitude and appreciation for the workers – you can leave a tip to a delivery professional as well.

Help Fight Discrimination and Racism in these Times

Professor Jason Oliver Chang at the University of Connecticut has launched a crowdsourced document that provides resources to help in the fight against racism and discrimination surrounding Covid-19 pandemic. Learn how you can have meaningful conversations about xenophobia and racism that coronavirus issue may bring up.

Consult with an Experienced Attorney for Your Legal Concerns

If you or someone you love is faced with legal issues related to personal injury or family law in Connecticut, speak to the knowledgeable attorneys at APEX Law Firm, LLC. Call us today at (860) 900-0900 for a free consultation.

Interstate Trucking Accidents

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trucking-accidentsThe trucking industry is one of the largest and fastest growing industries in the United States, with much of our commerce and trade dependent on the transport that these oversized trucks provide.  In the United States alone there are just under 9 million people who are employed in some sort of trucking related job. A lot of those employees are truck drivers, operating any one of the 15.5 million registered trucks in the United States. The trucking industry logs more than 430 billion miles annually—yes, hundreds of billions of miles. Most of those miles are logged on the interstate highways where truckers can transport large quantities of goods from one end of the country to the other in just a matter of days.

The trucking industry has changed the face of the commerce industry in our country by making globalization possible at the level we expect it. Goods and materials are available almost everywhere, at any time. However, this doesn’t come without a cost. Trucking incidents account for almost 20% of accidents on the highway, and these incidents are the cause of about 10% of all highway accident fatalities. In fact, in the United States a person will be injured or killed in a trucking-related incident every 16 minutes.

When the facts are spelled out like this, it is evident that trucking incidents are a serious issue. Getting into any sort of accident is frightening, but when the accident involves a truck shipping potentially dangerous materials, the experience can be especially traumatizing.

If you are involved in a trucking accident of any sort, it is imperative that you contact a  to seek the help you deserve and plan a course of action. It is possible to experience whip-lash like injuries from an accident with speeds as low as 5 mph. Most interstate accidents happen at much faster speeds. If you are hurt, it is possible that the trucking company is at fault and you could be entitled to medical bill support or other rewards. Contact us to schedule a consultation and to discuss your options.

Remember, accidents happen everywhere. Stay safe on the road and be cautious. And when an accident does happen, do what it takes to protect yourself.

Legal Resources Help after Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

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A traumatic brain injury will change your life forever, but the right legal team can offer you the support you need to make life bearable and help put you at ease.

A traumatic brain injury is one of the most life-changing types of accident that can happen to you. Breaking a bone or any other sort of physical injury will impact your ability to go about life the way you did before, but a traumatic brain injury changes everything. Memories, emotions, ability to think straight, ability to communicate, bodily functions, etc. — all of this could be at risk with a TBI.

One potential effect following a TBI is that it is often difficult to understand the best course of action. Just knowing what to do next can be challenging. An experienced personal injury lawyer and legal support team can help make this time much easier to navigate. While an attorney won’t be able to help eliminate the harm caused, a strong legal team can find you the financial support you need to get with the best doctors and find financial security through this difficult time. Reducing this stressor alone may give you the much needed piece of mind required as you learn to find your new normal.

Life after a Traumatic Brain Injury

It could happen as a result of just about anything. TBIs are increasingly common among military service members sent to the battlefield. TBIs can happen at the workplace or on the football field after a major concussion. TBIs many times occur as a result of a car accident, or after a violent altercation that involved a bullet or strong blow to the head. Almost any traumatic experience can result in a TBI.

Sometimes brain injuries are mild; the loss of memory or brain dysfunction is only temporary. Other times, the changes that happen after a TBI can be permanent. Learning how to manage those symptoms takes time. It is extremely important, as you focus on recovery and health, to ensure your personal matters and lifestyle choices are accommodated. These are areas where your legal team can be valuable to you.

Accidents do happen, but too often accidents are the result of someone else’s negligence or mistake. The consequences of being the victim of someone else’s negligence or mistake can be devastating. Taking care of yourself and your family should be your priority. An experienced personal injury attorney can review your case, determine the cause, and will fight hard to restore some justice to you in the form of financial compensation.

If you’ve been in a serious accident, contact us to schedule a free consultation at your convenience. Meeting with an experienced attorney is the first step to regaining normalcy in your life.

Walk the Line

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Why field sobriety tests are inconclusive, and how you might be paying for it in the end

Even if you’ve never been in a DUI situation before, chances are you have seen it on TV or in the movies – A police officer pulls over a young man or a frazzled business woman and asks the driver about where he or she was heading or coming from; the response in return, isn’t what the officer was looking for. The driver is asked to step out of the car and to perform a series of strange tasks in an effort to determine if they are sober or not. The problem here: a lot of those tasks are things that the average person has never tried before.

You don’t have to be drunk to stumble when attempting to walk in a straight line—especially in a moment of stress, or while wearing heels. Putting your finger on your nose might seem simple enough, until you try it with a police officer watching you, in the dark, with flashing lights all around you. Stress can cause people to act in ways they normally wouldn’t have and being pulled over by the police creates an environment that is designed for you to fail. Field sobriety tests are not a fair assessment of whether you are intoxicated.

Stress Test

Being charged with a DUI is very serious. You will rarely, if ever, successfully pass a field sobriety test because they so not count the things you do correctly, only the things you do incorrectly. You need to contact a DUI attorney immediately.

If you are pulled over for a field sobriety test, there are a few things you should keep in mind:

  1. Never explain to the officer that you “only had” a couple of drinks. This hands the officer evidence that you were drinking, and even if you are to maintain that you are under the legal limit, you are providing evidence against your case.
  2. Take a deep breath and calm down. The worst thing you can do in a field sobriety test is panic. This will make everything more difficult to handle and will likely prevent you from properly completing the tasks.
  3. Call a DUI attorney right away. Make sure that you log everything that happened when you were taking the field sobriety test and that you partner with an attorney as quickly as possible. The sooner you have an attorney on your side, the faster your case can be made in your favor.

Getting pulled over for any reason is a stressful experience, but being charged with a DUI is potentially life-changing. If you were recently pulled over and put through a field sobriety test, only to be charged with a DUI, then contact The APEX Law Firm to schedule a free-consultation. Having a DUI attorney on your side can make all the difference.

Experience Matters

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Why partnering with a DUI Lawyer is the Smartest Choice You’ll Make

A DUI is a serious charge—one that can make some significant changes to your life. Aside from a hefty fine, a DUI can result in loss of license and the requirement to attend classes or complete community service hours. Depending on the circumstances of your arrest, a DUI could mean time in jail, termination of employment, etc.

The best way to avoid a DUI and staying safe on the road is to always designate a driver or to use public transportation when you know you will be drinking, but, sometimes things don’t happen as planned. DUIs can and do happen to absolutely anyone—of any age, of any race, of any income level.

Being charged with a DUI is just the start of a long, hard road. If you are charged with DUI, the first phone call you make should be to an experienced DUI attorney.

What a DUI Attorney can do for you

Many people accept traffic violations as part of driving, and do not attempt to dispute them. When it comes to something as serious as a DUI, even those who are likely to contest a speeding ticket may not think they have a way out of the issue. However, there are a lot of different elements that go into a successful DUI prosecution. Proper evidence is of huge importance here, and police officers don’t always collect it properly. An experienced DUI attorney can guide you through the process of disputing the charges and ensure the prosecutor is held accountable to prove that you violated the law beyond a reasonable doubt. If they can’t prove each and every element of the charge, you cannot be found guilty.

There may be evidentiary issues that must be questioned properly and could potentially get the charges dismissed. Procedural issues are often overlooked by the general public because they don’t know the law and many people don’t question the police. The only way to truly know what the evidence reveals is to hire an experienced DUI attorney to review the circumstances of your arrest.

If you’ve been charged with DUI, do not hesitate to contact a DUI attorney. Partnering with an attorney quickly can make all the difference in your case. Your attorney will review the law and the evidence with you and advise you about potential options. Connecticut offers pretrial programs for people who qualify. Successful completion of a pretrial program will ultimately dismiss the charges after a determined amount of time.

Don’t let a DUI derail your entire life. Call The APEX Law Firm today to schedule a free consultation with an experienced DUI attorney.

Slip and Falls

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We have a strong history of successfully representing slip and fall victims

Are you a victim of an untreated walkway that in any way caused you to fall and injure yourself? If so, depending on the location and other factors, you may be entitled to a reward. During the harsh winter months, outside surfaces can become treacherous if left untreated, potentially causing great injury if walked on. Let our experienced slip and fall attorneys evaluate your injury and get you the help you deserve. Our firm has worked on numerous slip & fall cases over the years and has received favorable verdicts on each one. Our investigation procedures involve a number of complex steps which lead to successful verdicts for our clients. Let our experience work for you in your slip and fall case, call us today.

A guide to discrimination and harassment claims

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What constitutes employment discrimination and harassment? There is a fine line between what is legal and illegal in an employment discrimination claim and it is often more difficult to navigate and prove than a harassment claim. If you feel like you are a victim of employment discrimination because of certain protected characteristics you may have a claim. However, If you want to pursue an employment discrimination claim against an employer, it must be clear and provable that certain discrimination has occurred. For instance, if you are a woman and feel your employer is giving you less pay than a comparable employee- a man-and you perform twice as much work as they do, you have to make certain that there are not other external factors leading to the discrepancy as opposed to just a gender difference. An employer will often bring up many defenses to a claim of this nature, such as the employee has tenure, works on external projects that others do not know about, etc.

With regards a harassment claim, it is more often the case than not that you may not be the only aggrieved individual in the workplace. In most cases, a colleague will have participated in or attempted acts of harassment to more than just one other individual in the workplace. Coupled with the various other methods of obtaining conclusive evidence, This fact makes the investigative process in a harassment claim easier to navigate. If you feel you are a victim of harrassment, be sure to try and record and document an instance if you can. Given the state of technology, this can be very easy to do through email or recording on a cellphone. Also,once you have documented evidence, make every effort to try and resolve the conflict with a superior, assuming of course the perpetrator is not your superior. Trying to resolve an issue outside of involving lawyers can be beneficial to both yourself and the employer. Often an employee making such a claim will undergo heavy scrutiny from colleagues and the employer for “defaming the company”. If the issue cannot be resolved, then it is time to escalate the issue into the hiring of an Attorney and the filing of a claim.

Technology helps veterans with PTSD return to normal lives

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Technology turns to be a “Good Samaritan” for those war veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD). Hi- tech therapies are being prescribed to treat patient with such disorders which can be categorized under PTSD.

As US military developments develop across the globe, Servicepeople taking part in ongoing conflicts commonly return with various symptoms of traumatic stress disorder. Some of these symptoms include tell-tale signs like anxiety, a tendency to dither between high energy and alertness, being emotionally impalpable, and a detachment with the present world. Researchers have come up with the idea of using hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) – or the use of greater than atmospheric pressure oxygen in an enclosed chamber for such treatment. Proponents of this technology state that HBOT, which was used certain cases to heal manifested scars on skins, can also expedite recovery from invisible ailments like traumatic brain injury or TBI-which can also be a root cause of PTSD. Volunteers who were chosen from those combat troops who went through certain extreme situations including near to death incidents, were a part of the research. Those that used HBOT said that the pumping of 100% oxygen gave them a feel good experience and helped them to recover.

Another different and unorthodox therapy which is being introduced to treat PTSD is Virtual Realty. This new technique used in research centers is producing promising results. Here, a patient is asked to verbally recreate their traumatic experiences over and over again so that they eventually become desensitized to them. The traumatic memories are recreated using advanced graphics and audio visuals. The visuals depict the actual complete story, taking into consideration all of the details of the incident. The soldier is asked to see the visual through a device fitted on his head and the digital hitch sound system creates almost the same noise and pandemonium to portray a real life experience.

Although a complete cure for PTSD might not be possible at this present juncture, what is heartening is that doctors, scientists, and military experts are collaborating to explore ways to find a solution to this once ignored, yet ubiquitous and devastating problem in the military community.

Veterans Neglected for years in the Department of Veteran Affairs

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“……. To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan.” – President Abraham Lincoln

Over the past few years, the government has turned a blind eye to the issues affecting the Department of Veteran Affairs. The apathy of the technologically challenged administration, the increase in backlog of compensation claims, and the slow progress on the expensive joint health record system has added more woes and worries to those who have “borne the battle” for this country. The mistreatment of veterans in need of medical care has recently caught the attention of our nation. In some instances, veterans have been left waiting for up to eight years for proper evaluations or treatment! One such veteran in a Massachusetts facility had only one psychiatric note to his file in his seven-year stay as a patient. Other complaints have reflected not only scandals and lengthy waits, but the use of unsterile equipment for surgeries, falsification of recorded health information, and lack of care and attention for elderly veterans residing in geriatric facilities.

When the troops return home after fighting a war for the nation, they should be served by the Department of Veterans Affairs with the finest facilities in the world and treated within a reasonable time. Instead of healing, America’s Military Veterans are coming home and fighting some of the toughest battles day by day alone. This battle is not being fought with trained military support units, but being fought on papers through claims against the bureaucracy of the Department of VA which is the second largest bureaucracy in the federal government. Even though the soldiers are highly trained to combat enemy forces in the world, they are the weakling when it comes to this “David against Goliath” war.

Although President Obama has expressed outrage about allegations of misconduct at veteran’s hospitals and vowed a forceful response to veteran care issues, much needs to be seen as to what is actually going to be achieved. The newest generation of combat veterans who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan say that the biggest challenge facing their peers is suicide, and the reports reflect the truth in that statement. Some soldiers are reluctant to seek mental health care for fear of being perceived as weak, and if they are entitled to benefits it may be years before they get their disability benefits and compensation.

To date, the VA compensation claims remains a grouse. The issues affecting the lives of all these veterans who served our country need to be taken better care of by the Department of Veteran Affairs.

Victim of a Stolen Vehicle? Here are the things you need to know

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Despite being a huge inconvenience, being the victim of a stolen vehicle can also lead to important legal related aspects.  The first thing to do is contact your insurance company and an attorney to protect yourself.

In all cases, the owner of a stolen vehicle is not responsible for the negligence of the driver using the vehicle without permission. However, the stolen car defense can be a difficult one when the driver flees the scene and leaves the car behind. Police reports are very important, as they verify when the car was reported stolen. Evidence of whether the car was hot-wired, jump-started or driven with a key also is significant. The owner of a stolen car can be held responsible for damages caused by the driver if the owner left the keys in a vehicle parked in a publicly accessible area.

Negligence is determined by foreseeability. Leaving the key in the ignition of an automobile in violation of statute renders the owner liable for subsequent injuries and property damage to a third party caused by a thief if it was foreseeable that a thief would steal the vehicle and cause such damage. Statutes intend, in part, to provide third parties with a basis of liability against an owner whose negligence creates the opportunity for a thief to steal a vehicle.

It is also important to understand that an insurer has a duty to defend the owner and driver of the vehicle in personal injury actions even though the insurer reasonably concludes that the driver did not have proper permission, as long as the complaint alleges that the driver had owner’s permission, and the issue is not resolved prior to trial.

These issues can be complex and each case is heavily reliant on the evidence surrounding the incident. Contact our experienced attorneys if you are the victim of a stolen vehicle and need assistance in the next steps.