It’s impossible to overlook it. New construction is going up everywhere in the Triangle. Whether it’s the newest set of apartments around the corner or the new shopping center that’s expanding down the street, it’s inescapable. Have you seen the Catholic Cathedral that’s going up off Centennial Parkway near the NC State campus? It’s massive! And it’s not even at the top of the list of the most expensive construction projects happening in the Triangle this year.
I’ve heard a lot of different opinions about all the construction: Some people are really excited about all of the growth and the opportunities for new jobs. Others are annoyed with the noise and traffic that comes with construction and the congestion that comes with an increase in visitors or overall population.
Whether you love it or hate it, the fact is that this growth doesn’t seem to be going anywhere — which is great for the construction industry who falls firmly on the “love it” side of things. But with all of this new construction comes construction-related dangers. When more people are working, the chance of injury is going to be higher. So it’s important to keep proper safety guidelines in mind.
If you are injured at work, be sure to file a workers’ compensation claim. Most work-related injuries are covered by workman’s comp. Workers’ comp claims can be a long process, so it never hurts to have a workers’ comp attorney on your side who can help guide you through your claim.
We know that with a lot of big law firms, it can be hard to get a hold of an actual attorney — especially if you’re trying to get in touch before you’re taken on as a client. At Oxner + Permar, we’ve never been fans of extensive intake interviews being handled by staff who are not attorneys. For one, how can you know for sure you want to hire a certain attorney that you’ve never spoken to? What if the law firm’s intake personnel over-promised and didn’t reflect the reality of your case to you? Maybe the actual attorney isn’t confident that you have a good case at all.
That’s why when you call Oxner + Permar, you’ll be speaking with one of our attorneys directly. Our intake department consists of actual attorneys. So if you have a question about a new claim, it will be reviewed by an attorney TODAY. What’s more, if you have any questions or concerns about your claim, you can ask and the attorney you’re speaking to can give you an answer on the spot.
This takes away the stress of waiting around for someone to answer your questions. You won’t have to wait for the attorney to get back with you at Oxner + Permar. You’ll have them on the phone and they’ll be able to answer your questions right away.
North Carolina winters can be pretty unpredictable. It can be 70 and sunny one day, and then snowing and freezing a few days later. Because of this, we’ve developed a reputation for being a state that doesn’t handle the snow well, and to some extent, it’s true. As infrequently as it snows here, it’s usually easier to close everything down until the snow clears up and it’s safe for us to leave our homes again. Unfortunately, this isn’t possible for everyone, and with the snow comes an uptick in accidents and injuries.
When it comes to workers’ compensation and winter weather, there are a few important things to take into consideration. First, you are not covered by workers’ compensation on your commute. So if you come into work on a snowy day and get injured in a car accident on your way to your job, that injury won’t be covered by workers’ comp. When dealing with winter weather, we recommend that you don’t risk it. If you can work from home or take time off, you definitely should!
This is a little different for those who have to drive for their jobs. Whether you’re running deliveries or on a business trip, if you get into a car accident while driving for your work, your injuries should be covered by workers’ compensation regardless of whether or not the accident was technically your fault. And of course this doesn’t apply to just wintery weather conditions. Whatever the circumstance, you’ll be able to seek compensation if an accident occurs while you’re driving on-the-job.
When we visit the doctor, we’re putting our trust in them…counting on them to know what they’re doing and that they’re doing what’s best for us. After all, they’ve been to medical school and are trained to understand how the human body works and what we need when we’re sick or injured. However, doctors are human and as the saying goes: to err is human. So what happens when a doctor or other medical professional makes a mistake and you find yourself more injured in the process? Will an attorney take on your case?
This is one of those tricky situations in which I have to say “it depends.” Unfortunately, medical malpractice suits are often very complex and difficult. In 2014 of all the medical malpractice cases in North Carolina, only 147 of them received settlements. This means many attorneys can be very wary of these kinds of cases, and some won’t take them on at all.
It’s good to know that at Oxner + Permar we do take on medical malpractice cases. If you’ve been the victim of medical malpractice, we invite you to give us a call. That way we can assess whether or not your case will likely hold up in court. We have a lot of experience dealing with these kinds of cases, which means we know what we’re looking for. We won’t take on a case we know doesn’t stand a chance, but we can at least advise you on how to proceed. And in the case that you do have a court-worthy claim, we’re ready to stand up for you.
At Oxner + Permar, we’re always excited to support a good cause. We like to do our part to give back to the community when we have a chance. I want to take this opportunity to tell you about one of the groups we work with, to try to get the word out, and bring some attention to a good cause.
Rock and Wrap It Up is a very impressive organization that we partner with. They take unused food from schools and distribute it to the hungry.
More than 50% of children in Guilford County are on free or reduced-cost lunch programs. This means all too often these children can’t afford to bring snacks for later on in their day. Rock and Wrap It Up saves unused packaged items from school breakfast so that these children can have them later in the day. Food that would otherwise be thrown away gets eaten, and children who would otherwise go hungry get to eat. It’s a win-win!
As part of a 25-year-old nonprofit, Rock and Wrap It Up works hard to discover and vet agencies who are able to recover wholesale food and redirect it to those in need rather than sending it to landfills.
They are diligent about following the USDA and Health Department of North Carolina’s guidelines to ensure that the food is safe and stored under the correct conditions in order for it to be passed along to those in need. The organization also hosts the School Wrap program, which encourages students to get involved with saving food and sending it to those in need. This program has served more than 100,000 meals.
