Practice Areas

Latest News:

Three Million Dollar Lawsuit filed against a Caroline County Nursing Home
Posted on 9/2/2009
Super Lawyers selects John Harris to be a member
Posted on 7/13/2009
Fredericksburg accident attorney, John P. Harris, III, is selected to be profiled by Super Lawyers
Posted on 7/13/2009
THE SMART CONSUMER'S GUIDE TO YOUR PERSONAL INJURY CASE is published by John Harris
Posted on 1/24/2009
John Harris, III has been selected for national membership in The 2008-2009 Top 100 Trial Lawyers for the state of Virginia.
Posted on 11/17/2008

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Library

Car Accident Injuries & Deaths

Drunk Driving Injuries & Deaths

Brief Regarding the Liability of a 911 Dispatcher Who Fails to Send Help

Truck Accident Injuries & Deaths

Nursing Home - Abuse & Neglect

Medical Malpractice Claims

FELA Claims: Don’t Let Your Employer Railroad Your Rights!

General

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Document Library

On the page below you can find links to documents, reports, publications and discussions provided by John P. Harris III.

The documents below are available to the public so that they can gain a better understanding of the legal challenges facing them, and why an experienced attorney is so important for success.

Car Accident Injuries & Deaths

Do you really need a lawyer?
Do I really need a lawyer?
What is the most important automobile insurance coverage?
The most important automobile insurance coverage is uninsured motorist coverage. This article explains things you should know about the uninsured motorist coverage in your policy. It is most important when you are injured in automobile accident. Or when the driver of the car that hit you, hits and runs.
3 Things To Do BEFORE Talking to an Insurance Adjuster [PDF]
When you have been injured in an accident, your life changes immediately. Instead of going to work, school or spending time with your family, now you are forced to deal with the police, doctors and insurance companies. As time progresses, you are going to face many questions that
you may not have the answers for, such as: "Who will pay my medical bills?" "What happens if I cannot work?" "How will I get my car fixed?" "What will my claim against the other driver be worth?" "Should I talk to the other driver’s insurance company?" "Should I hire a lawyer?"
10 Things you must do after an auto accident [PDF]
Learn what ten things to do and NOT to do after an automobile accident. The article makes suggestions regarding what to do at the scene of the accident, medical treatment, dealing with insurance, damage to your care, documenting your treatment, and establishing your wage loss. I would like to help you with your claim. Email me at John@JohnHarrisLaw.com or call 540-371-4941.
Several Minivans Fare Poorly in Safety Tests
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released crash test ratings for seven different minivans. A rear impact test showed that several models have inadequate head restraints, which can cause neck injuries during a crash. The institute's chief operating officer is concerned about the results because "mothers frequently drive minivans, and women tend to be more vulnerable to whiplash injuries, which account for about 2 million in insurance claims annually."
HOW TO FIND THE "RIGHT LAWYER" [PDF]
How to find the right lawyer when you have a personal injury case regardless of whether it is, medical malpractice, boating accident, automobile accident, truck accident, motorcycle accident, construction site accident, nursing home abuse and neglect, unsafe product, property damage, wrongful death, surgeons liability, tourists injury, dental malpractice, podiatric malpractice, obstetric, gynecology, orthopedic malpractice, legal malpractice or even a wrongful death case

Drunk Driving Injuries & Deaths

Brief Regarding the Liability of a 911 Dispatcher Who Fails to Send Help [PDF]
In this wrongful death case, the 911 dispatcher did not send help to a man who had been struck by a drunk driver and left to die on the side of the road. If the 911 dispatcher had done what he was supposed to do, the rescue team would have found either that the victim of the drunk driver was dead, or that the victim of the drunk driver was alive. If the victim of the drunk driver was already dead when rescue arrived, there would be no case against the 911 dispatcher. If the victim of the drunk driver was still alive, he would have been rescued and there would be no wrongful death case. It is only because Mr. Broschinski did not do what he was supposed to do, that we are here on this case.

The defense incorrectly claims that it is the plaintiff’s burden to prove exactly how long the victim of the drunk driver lived following the accident. Their position is that since Dr. Jason cannot specify the exact time of death, his testimony should be excluded. This position is not supported by the law and policy applicable where the defendant has created the specific circumstance presented in this case.

Truck Accident Injuries & Deaths

Cross-Examination of the Defense Doctor [PDF]
An article published in the Journal of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association which uses an actual trial transcript to demonstrate techniques to use in cross-examining the defense’s medical expert. The article explores bias, lack of knowledge of pertinent information, explanation of or clarification of medical terms and procedures, bolstering the testimony of the treating physician, and obtaining concessions.
Fatal accident
A Fredericksburg man remains hospitalized after being hit by a tractor-trailer when he stumbled onto Interstate 95 following a car accident.

Nursing Home - Abuse & Neglect

Cross-Examination of a Defense Doctor in A Nursing Home Case [PDF]
This article uses a transcript from an actual nursing home abuse case. The article was published in the Journal of Virginia Trial Lawyers Association this nursing home neglect dealt with pressure sores, or bedsores, from neglect of a nursing home. A pressure sore, a bedsore, and a decubitus ulcer are all the same thing. A pressure sore, or bedsore, can not occur without pressure. Pressure sores or bedsores come in four stages. Pressure sores or bedsores are decubitus ulcers are the result of nursing home neglect. Nursing home neglect or abuse, is usually as a result of a shortage of nursing home staff. Cross examination was created by using a computer to run a MEDLINE search. The expert referred to as the hired gun is Lawrence Charles Parrish, M.D.
Abuse by a Warsaw nursing home is alleged to be malpractice. Among other things, the nursing home failed to give prescribed medicine. The result -- a serious fall caused head trauma.
Nursing home abuse is malpractice.
Elder Abuse and Neglect: In Search of Solutions
Elder abuse, like other forms of violence, is never an acceptable response to any problem or situation, however stressful. Effective interventions can prevent or stop elder abuse. By increasing awareness among physicians, mental health professionals, home health care workers, and others who provide services to the elderly and family members, patterns of abuse or neglect can be broken, and both the abused person and the abuser can receive needed help.

Elder abuse is the infliction of physical, emotional, or psychological harm on an older adult. Elder abuse also can take the form of financial exploitation or intentional or unintentional neglect of an older adult by the caregiver.
Things that indicate nursing home abuse.
Don’t let yourself be victimized. Recognizable signs of nursing home abuse include:

Sudden death
Over or under medication
Unexplained injuries or bruises
Visible cuts, bruises, or welts
Rapid weight loss or weight gain
Dehydration, malnutrition, and bedsores
Unsanitary living conditions
Infections
Broken bones
Class-action lawsuit against Beverly Enterprises Inc.
The state of Florida has joined a $25 million class-action lawsuit against Beverly Enterprises Inc., the nation's largest nursing home chain. The lawsuit alleges the care provided to the nursing home residents was so poor that the state should get back the Medicaid money it paid on behalf of the patients.

Medical Malpractice Claims

A MOTHER CAN SUE FOR A DEFECTIVE CHILD [PDF]
The Virginia Supreme Court reconsiders and reaffirms its prior rulings that "a mother can recover, as an element of her own cause of action, damages for her mental suffering resulting from the birth of an impaired child.
Paxil Linked to Birth Defects
The Food and Drug Administration is warning that a study has suggested that the antidepressant Paxil may be associated with birth defects. Failure of doctors "to carefully weigh the potential risks and benefits of using paroxetine therapy in women during pregnancy may be malpractice. Doctors should also discuss these latest findings as well as treatment alternatives, with their patients. Failure to do so may be malpractice.
More Experienced Physicians More Likely to Commit Malpractice
Conventional wisdom about physician expertise generally holds that the longer a physician has been in practice, the better honed his or her clinical skills become. But a new study turns that adage on its head with its conclusion that physicians who have been in practice longer may, in fact, provide lower quality of care.

FELA Claims: Don’t Let Your Employer Railroad Your Rights!

Railroad Accidents and Train Derailments
Each year thousands of railroad workers suffer injuries and death while engaged in work-related duties. Railroad passengers also continue to be injured and killed while traveling by train, though declining usage has resulted in an overall decrease in the number of passengers injured. The most shocking number of non-work-related train accidents and injuries occur at railroad/highway crossings. According to the Federal Highway Administration, a train strikes a vehicle or a pedestrian at a rail crossing approximately every 2 hours in the United States. These 12 daily incidents have the potential of producing catastrophic injuries and deaths
Motor Vehicle Safety at Railrod Crossings
In the United States there are more than 250,000 highway-rail grade crossings. With as many as 96% of train accidents and injuries occurring at highway rail crossings, drivers, pedestrians and the railroad industry all benefit from steps that produce increased safety on and around crossings. These tips may help you prevent a train accident and the catastrophic injuries that often result from them. They may also help you determine a potential means of recovery if you or someone you know has been hurt or killed in a railroad/roadway crossing accident.
Pedestrian Safety
Since 1990, more than 5,000 people have been killed while walking on railroad rights-of-way and at railroad crossings. Thousands more have suffered serious injuries. Operations Lifesaver, an organization dedicated to reducing railroad crossing accidents, recommends that pedestrians take the following advice.

General

Consumer's Guide to Auto Insurance [PDF]
Virginia's Bureau of Insurance prepare this guide to help you understand insurance and get the coverage that best suits your needs. This guide explains basic auto insurance coverages and will help you decide how much insurance coverage you need.
Consumer's Guide to Homeowner's Insurance [PDF]
Virginia's Bureau of Insurance has prepare this guide to help you understand homeowner's insurance and get the coverage that best suits your needs. This guide explains the basic coverages that are included in homeowner's policies and the types of homeowner's policies that are available.
In a letter to the editor of the Free Lance-Star, John Harris explains why a lawsuit helps limit suffering in an airplane crash.
plane, crash, airplane crash, plane crash, people killed, wrongful death, plane crash
Senior Citizens Handbook [PDF]
This handbook provides information on the following: financial assistance, social security, pensions, veterans benefits, medicaid, medicare, long-term care, alzheimer's, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, adult day care, elder abuse, elderly, disabled, mother, father, senior, citizen, handbook
Code of the City of Fredericksburg
Stafford County Code
Spotsylvania County Code
ATTORNEY SUES INSURANCE ADJUSTER FOR DEFAMATION [PDF]
This case is about a lawyer who represents personal injury plaintiffs. When one injured person met privately with a Nationwide insurance adjuster to discuss settlement of a claim, the topic turned to the claimant’s possible retention of an attorney. He mentioned that he was thinking of hiring the lawyer. The insurance adjuster told the claimant that the lawyer "just takes people’s money," and that claimants would get more for their claims if they dealt directly with the adjuster. The lawyer found out about the statement, and sued for defamation.
2006 Medicare Drug Plan Has Adverse Effect on Maintenance Medications & the Elderly
The Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit - What it means.
GEODECK DECKING AND RAILING MATERIALS - UNSAFE
The CPSC and Kadant Composites Inc., of Bedford, Massachusetts, are recalling about 11,000 constructed decks GeoDeck Decking and Railing Materials. When the decking or railing material is exposed to hot temperatures and sunlight, it can prematurely degrade. The degraded material could break, posing a fall hazard to consumers.