San Francisco Injury Lawyer Blog

Back to the Basics – California Bed Bug Litigation

March 25, 2016 | Gregory J. Brod

Nothing can ruin a holiday vacation more than staying at a hotel infested by bed bugs. It is a nightmare that can last for weeks and affect your entire family. Rashes and illness are a common consequence. If you have come into contact with bed bugs you should know your legal rights.

Basic Facts

Bed bugs are tiny insects that live by feeding off the blood of warm blooded animals-with a strong preference for humans. They feed and are mostly active at night and prefer living in tight confined spaces and make their homes on wood, paper and fabric. They stick to clothes, luggage and can spread from person to person. Bed bugs can survive almost 12 months without feeding, and females lay up to 5 eggs per day. Their bites often result in red marks on the host. However, not all victims have a reaction to bed bug bites. Abhorrent as they are bed bugs are not thought to spread disease.

California Settlements Pursuant to the Fair Claims Act

March 21, 2016 | Gregory J. Brod

Settlements with insurance companies are controlled by several legal factors. These are: the terms of the particular insurance policy at issue, case law that controls in this area and California State Insurance Statutes. Generally, these laws detail what constitutes unfair treatment and set standards for how insurance carriers should treat claims and claimants.

Fair Claims Act Standards

California Code of Regulations Title 10, Chapter 5, Subchapter 7.5 Article1 section 2695 sets forth the standards for prompt, fair, and equitable settlements. According to the California Code it is unlawful for an insurer to discriminate in its claim settlement practices against a claimant’s age, race, income, religion, sexual orientation, ancestry, national origin, or physical disability.

Oakland Injury Lawyer on Compensation for Northern California Hit-and-Run Accident Victims

March 18, 2016 | Gregory J. Brod

Sometimes moments go from bad to worse. This can certainly feel like the case when you or someone you love is the victim of a hit-and-run driver. We truly believe that most people, even if they knew they were at fault, would stop check on the individuals involved in an accident, and take responsibility. Sadly, however, hit-and-run accidents remain a reality. Our Oakland hit-and-run injury lawyer works with police and with private investigators to find the perpetrators of Bay Area hit-and-run crashes. In addition to claims against the perpetrator, we can also pursue compensation via the victim’s own insurance policy. We are committed to ensuring the injured and/or grieving receive the compensation they need and deserve following hit-and-run incidents.

Castro Valley Hit-and-Run Driver Found, Accused of Striking Two Boys with Stolen Car

CBS SF reports that authorities have located the man they believe stole a vehicle before striking two young pedestrians and fleeing the scene. On the morning of March 7, two brothers were walking to school with their grandmother in Castro Valley. Police say that the trio was on Meadowview Drive and heading towards Marshall Street when a black Ford Fusion veered onto the sidewalk and hit the brothers. The crash caused severe injuries to the leg of the 6 year-old and his 8-year-old brother sustained minor injuries.

Bay Area Wrongful Death Attorney on the Untimely Death of a Parent with Minor Children

March 16, 2016 | Gregory J. Brod

childhands' Working in accident law means we often see people at the very worst moments of their lives. This is difficult, but it is also a privilege and it motivates our team to do our very best work for every single client. As an Oakland wrongful death lawyer, Attorney Greg Brod has experience helping people move forward after tragedy and understands that compensation helps, even though no money can never bring back a lost loved one. Nowhere is this more true than in cases involving the wrongful death of a parent who leaves behind one or more minor children.

Discovery Bay Crash Leaves Parents Dead, Children Injured

A car crash near Discovery Bay last weekend claimed the life of a mother and father, orphaning three children, according to a report from the San Francisco Chronicle. At 11:22 P.M. on Sunday, the family was in a Dodge van travelling east on Highway 4 and approaching Old River Bridge when an on-coming Chevrolet swerved into their lane. The Chevrolet crashed into the van, forcing it off the road and causing it to overturn in a drainage canal.

Understanding Bed Bug Infestations and a New (Four-Legged!) Partner in the Fight Against Bed Bugs in California Rental Properties

March 15, 2016 | Gregory J. Brod

At The Brod Law Firm, we believe in partnering with experts in everything from accident reconstruction to physical rehabilitation in order to help our clients. It appears that we have a new set of partners in our work as your San Francisco bed bug infestation law firm – and they have four legs. Given the ever-rising number of bed bug infestations in our region, we’ll take the help!

Pest Control Company Uses Trained Dogs to Sniff Out Bed Bugs in the Bay Area

KRON reports that one local pest control company has turned to specially trained dogs to help sniff out bed bug infestations in the Bay Area. A representative from Round-the-Clock Pest Control told reporters that they are using bed bug sniffing beagles to find the troublesome pests. The dogs are specially trained to smell live bed bugs and then scratch to alert their handlers when they find them.

San Francisco Rail Accident Lawyer Looks at Train Derailments Following ACE Train Accident in Sunol

March 11, 2016 | Gregory J. Brod

As residents of Northern and Central California, the team at the Brod Law Firm understands the importance of the wide variety of transportation options available in our region. Having access to rail systems in particular, traintrack including both commuter rails and metro rails, allows people to travel for both work and play without the stress, environmental impact, and cost of commuting by car. However, as we were reminded this week, train derailments are a very real danger. Our San Francisco train accident lawyer helps hold transit authorities and others accountable when people are injured or killed in rail accidents, allowing the victims to recover compensation and encouraging a safety-oriented mindset that can prevent accidents from occurring in the first place.

Train Derailment in Sunol Injures Nine, Responders Call it a Miracle No Lives Lost

According to CBS SF, railway officials are blaming a mudslide for the derailment of a commuter rail train in Niles Canyon near Sunol. At approximately 7:30 PM Monday, the Altamont Commuter Express (“ACE”) train travelling from San Jose to Stockton went off the tracks with the first car sliding down an embankment and ending up in Alameda Creek. Officials say that the train hit debris from a mudslide that was likely the result of the heavy rains in the area last weekend.

Star Athlete’s Pledge Calls Attention to Brain Injuries in Women’s and Girls’ Soccer

March 9, 2016 | Gregory J. Brod

At the Brod Law Firm, we are not only sports fans, we are fans of athletes themselves. Athletes make an impressive commitment to their sport, a commitment that can come with great peril. Far too many athletes off all ages, from the youngest tots dotting the fields on a sunny Saturday to the professionals playing in major arenas, face brain injury. When brain injury occurs because league rules put players at unnecessary risk or because coaches and other officials ignored danger signs, we are here to support players as a Northern California sports injury law firm in San Francisco, Oakland, and Santa Rosa. This week, we look at a subset of head injuries that is receiving much-needed attention thanks to one big star: head injuries in girls’ soccer and women’s soccer.

Chastain Pledges to Donate Brain to CTE Research

Remembered for her iconic celebration after scoring the winning goal in the 1999 Women’s World Cup, Brandi Chastain has inspired countless women and girls to explore the world of sports. Last week, CNN announced that Chastain has pledged to donate her brain to Boston University’s ongoing research project into Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (“CTE”) upon her passing. CTE is believed to result from repeated blows to the head which can cause the buildup of an abnormal protein in the brain. It is a degenerative brain disease that can lead to symptoms similar to Alzheimer’s Disease including memory loss, mood swings, and rage. According to USA Today, only 7 of the 307 brains pledged to the project looking at CTE in athletes and military personnel come from women, making Chastain’s promise particularly important.

Remembering a Pioneer Who Fought to Prevent Medication-Related Birth Defects

March 8, 2016 | Gregory J. Brod

We don’t often comment on the passing of well-known individuals on this blog site, but a recently reported loss made our team take a moment and think about all the individual did to help the injured and prevent countless more tragedies. His crusade reminds us that medications are not without their dangers, even if they’ve made it through the rigorous FDA approval process. Our San Francisco drug injury law firm would like to take a moment to remember Bay Area medical geneticist Dr. Edward Lammer for his pioneering work into birth defects and prescription medications.

Dr. Edward Lammer’s Crusade to Prevent Accutane-Related Birth Defects

Last Friday, the San Francisco Chronicle announced Dr. Lammer’s unexpected death on February 20 at the age of 62. Before relocating to the Bay Area to work on the California Birth Defects Monitoring Program, Dr. Lammer became known as of the first scientists to establish a link between Accutane, a popular acne drug, in pregnant women and severe birth defects. He was the principal investigator in a 1985 study that found that women who used Accutane in the first trimester had nearly a 25 times greater risk of having a child with malformations.

The All-Too-Common Tie Between Pedal Confusion and Storefront Crashes

March 4, 2016 | Gregory J. Brod

Pedal confusion and storefront crashes are two problems that may sound unusual but are unfortunately quite common and often go hand-in-hand. As an Oakland car accident lawyer, Attorney Greg Brod helps people injured in these accidents. As a concerned and safety-conscious member of this community, he is also dedicated to helping raise awareness about the dangers of pedal confusion, the relationship to storefront/building crashes, and ways to prevent these tragedies.

Pedal Error Eyed as Cause After Car Careens into Storefront in Third Vehicle-Into-Building Crash in Walnut Creek This Month

ABC7 reports that a vehicle plowed into the Walnut Creek Panda Express located on Oak Grove Road just before 5 PM on Tuesday. A Contra Costa County Fire official told reporters that it appears the elderly driver hit the gas instead of the brake while attempting to park in front of the restaurant, causing the car to accelerate into the storefront. The driver was taken to the hospital as a precaution but thankfully there were no serious injuries reported.

Propane Fires: Statistics and Prevention Tips from Your Santa Rosa Fire Injury Law Firm

March 2, 2016 | Gregory J. Brod

Fire is truly one of the most powerful forces on Earth. When controlled, fire can provide heat, light the darkness, and cook our food. When out of control, fire can do extensive damage to property, cause life-altering injuries, and claim lives in a matter of moments. As a Sonoma fire injury law firm, we believe in helping fire victims and also in providing information that can help prevent fires in the first place. Today, we look at the danger of propane fires and propane fire injuries as investigators consider whether propane caused a Petaluma trailer fire that caused both minor injuries and substantial financial loss.

Investigators Eye Propane as Potential Source of Petaluma Fire

According to The Press Democrat, fire struck a travel trailer on Skillman Lane in Petaluma, just west of Petaluma Boulevard North, on Monday night. Officials from the Rancho Adobe Fire Department told reporters that a man was watching television inside the trailer when he realized the structure was on fire. He attempted to extinguish the fire himself and suffered minor facial burns. The blaze caused approximately $8,000 in property damage.