What do you do when you've experienced a wrong-site, wrong-patient or wrong-procedure surgical error?

Injury - Property Defect-Animals

Whistleblowers / Financially Ripped Off?

Client Trial-Deposition Preparation

Deforming Civil Rights through Tort Reform

Civil damage lawsuits and criminal law deaths, OWI and drunk driving

Criminal Law Commentary - Todd Miler

General - Rants - Raves and Housekeeping

Nerve, Brain and Spinal Cord Injuries

Boating & Water Injuries and Accidents

Trial Practice - Mostly for lawyers

Trial Practice - Mostly for non-lawyers

Client Toolbox

I-35 I-80 I-235 I-380 Collisions/Accidents

New Mexico Crash Classification And Analysis Code Sheet

Car and Tractor Trailer Accidents

Large Damage, Major-Serious Injury and Death Cases

Cheerleading Safety and the Law of Cheerleading

Groundskeeper and Maintenance Workers

What do you do when you've experienced a wrong-site, wrong-patient or wrong-procedure surgical error?

Injury - Property Defect-Animals

Whistleblowers / Financially Ripped Off?

Royal Links, USA Victim Impact Statement and Claim Form

Client Trial-Deposition Preparation

Do you wonder how you should prepare for answering questions in your deposition? In this segment Attorney Steve Lombardi will tell you how to think about answering questions in a deposition. These are Lombardi's 8 Simple Rules for Answering Deposition Questions.

Civil damage lawsuits and criminal law deaths, OWI and drunk driving

Des Moines Accident Attorney Serving Central Iowa

For good advice see a lawyer and if you have questions about this blog, the law or your case write or call me directly. Steve Lombardi, sdlombardi@aol.com and 515-222-1110.

Straight talk when you need it most.

Exploring Recent Personal Injury News From Around the State of Iowa

I believe that's enough personal injury news for today's blog. I try weekly to give a summary of those stories having to do with personal injury and the law. The news summary will be posted Fridays for the previous week.

This week is Iowa Crime Victims' Rights Week. Personal injury compensation for criminal activity can be obtained in some instances by victims through Iowa's Crime Victims' Reparation Fund run by the Attorney General's Office. Go to 321 East 12^th Street, Des Moines, Iowa 50319-1002 or call 515-281-5044.

http://www.lawguru.com

We pride ourselves telling you what you need to hear not what you want to hear.

Accidents. They happen anywhere, anytime. You cut your finger with a knife in the kitchen. You spill your morning cup of coffee. You slip on a patch of ice and fall. Accidents at home are painful and perhaps embarrassing but certainly manageable. When they happen on the road or on the job, however, they become devastating.

Whether you’re involved in a serious car wreck, an accident with a truck, or hurt on the job, you’ll find yourself potentially out of work and out of money. What if you lose your eyesight or a limb? Your bills will pile up, especially those never ending medical bills that can result in your insurance company raising rates or worse yet, refusing to cover you.

Even though you’re the victim, it seems as if nobody wants to help you and everyone who is supposed to be helping you, wants to blame you. Trying to handle the situation without professional assistance can be just as terrifying as the injury itself.

At these times, personal injury attorney Steve Lombardi can help. With over twenty-six years of experience representing civil trial clients in central Iowa, he knows the law and can achieve results for you. His practice includes personal injury cases; car, truck, motorcycle, and boat accidents; major injury cases including brain damage, loss of limbs, loss of eyesight, death and surgical cases; workers’ compensation; professional malpractice; and a limited number of divorce cases in which significant and valuable property must be divided.

Lombardi Law Firm is located in West Des Moines, Iowa, and serves clients from Polk, Dallas, Madison, Warren, Clarke, Cerro Gordo, Jasper, Linn, Wapello, Clinton, Scott, Pottawattamie, Muscatine, Lee, and Johnson counties, including accidents occurring along the interstate highways I-80, I-35, I-235, and I-380.

Steve Lombardi is the kind of lawyer who cares deeply about his clients. Just like many of his clients, he too has experienced the breakdown of the health-care system. When he was thirteen, his father died of lung cancer. The doctors gave his father no real help. For two years before his father’s death, they diagnosed a pulled muscle. Before going to law school he had never been in a lawyer’s office, because his family couldn’t afford legal services.

From those experiences, he draws a great desire to help his clients win their cases involving any type of malpractice, and serious injury, a desire to help his clients find some justice in an imperfect world. He prides himself on always telling clients what they need to hear not just what they want to hear.

In the pursuit of justice, Steve Lombardi believes his clients are necessary partners in building the evidence that will be used in court: active, responsive clients with some understanding of the process have the best chance of success. He is passionate about the work he does and enjoys working closely with his clients to collect the evidence supported by the legal theory. He believes there are no small issues in a case because every detail could turn a case in the client’s favor.

Steve Lombardi works very hard to positively impact his clients’ lives. And while he recognizes that not every case can be won, he just hates to lose. Justice delayed is justice denied. You can be sure Steve Lombardi will use all of the legal tools available to fight for you, and to win your case.

This week I'm stressing highway safety. With the cold wintry weather there have been a lot of accidents, injuries and deaths on Interstate 80, 35, 235 and all the other highways in Iowa. I've been posting on some of them.

There are snow plows out there and when you see one get over to the side, giving them plenty of room, stop and let them go by. Don’t challenge them or be impatient with the driver. They have a job to do and you challenging them for the road is going to get you no where fast. So back off and let those guys do their job.

Adventure Travel

The adventure travel business is big in the United States and for that matter all over the world. In the year 2000 the estimated worldwide revenue was $154 billion and was growing at a 20% annual growth rate. See Adventure Travel Industry Growth Statistics, Christina Heyniger, Xola Consulting. This industry is unregulated and the certifications the guides obtain are of limited comfort because the associations regulating those guiding services have no enforcement mechanism. The release documents the adventure travel customers sign completely relieves the guiding service of any wrongdoing these Generation X "kid" guides do on the trip. I've travelled all over the world and have some observations from my experience. I invite others to join in with comments and if you write to me I'll respect your privacy, if you want me to, and will use your experiences, both good and bad to make everyone aware of the pitfalls. So come join us with Adventure Travel.

Workers' Compensation

If an individual is injured while on the job, he or she is entitled to worker’s compensation to pay the medical expenses and help cover a percentage of lost pay from mandatory time off. Although the process is relatively simple, getting the full value of your claim is a time-consuming and potentially complicated issue.

Life on Campus

<p style="text-align: justify;">Going to college is an exciting time in a young adult's life. But the college life is one where freedom causes those not yet ready for responsibility to experiment with the bounds of reason leading to unique ways people are injured. Join us at Lombardi Law Firm as we catalogue the university milieu and personal injury in America.</p>

I-35 I-80 I-235 I-380 Collisions/Accidents

Interstate 35 personal injury lawyers teaming up from Minnesota, Iowa, Oklahoma and Texas to provide information to those injured or the families of those killed by accidents and crashes with semi-trucks, motorcycles, cars, SUV's, mini-vans and those working on the highways (State Troopers, highway workers, DOT maintenance workers and others. ) Contact any of these firms for assistance. Steve Lombardi, 4200 Corporate Drive, Suite 112, West Des Moines, Iowa 50266 (515)222-1110.

Wrong-way Interstate and Highway Collisions in Iowa

Wrong-way drivers are causing deaths in America’s interstate highway system all across the United States. Wrong-way collisions can have several causes and there are things we can do to educate ourselves from being involved in one. With two vehicles traveling towards one another at 70 mph death is almost certain. So what can you do to avoid being in one? For several months I’ve collected news items on wrong-way collisions and have analyzed where, when and how they occurred. There have been so many that I can only cover the month of July for 2009 and that is enough to provide us with 70 separate wrong-way collisions from hundreds of news stories. From these news reported collisions that here are the general causes and how we can avoid being one of those who die from a wrong-way driver coming towards us at 50 to 70 mph.

Pedestrian Collisions Causing Injury and Death

Pedestrian accidents can have many causes. Inattentive drivers, crossing in the wrong place, listening to an iPod or other MP3 device, the weather or a whole assortment of other facts. Lombardi Law Firm explores the many facets of pedestrian accidents. Come join us.

Car and Tractor Trailer Accidents

Although tractor trailers are a vital part of the American economy, their presence on the roads presents a significant problem while car drivers fail to respect them. The accidents are often severe, resulting in spilled products, bad wrecks, and possible death. If you are injured in an accident involving a tractor trailer along the highways of central Iowa, Steve Lombardi of the Lombardi Law Firm in Des Moines can help you handle these troubling times. Call 515.222.1110 for a free consultation.

Large Damage, Major-Serious Injury and Death Cases

Damage cases involing death, brain injury, traumatic head injury, spinal injuries, loss of a limb or eyesight or hearing. Most law firms shoe every horse that comes into the barn. We won't and don't. We say no to most cases. We say "yes" to large damage cases so we can focus on getting you the best result.

Cheerleading Safety and the Law of Cheerleading

On this page I’m going to develop information devoted to keeping you safe and informed about developments in Cheerleading. It will cover high school and college or university cheerleading programs. If you find an interesting article send me the name, author and/or link. I’ll add as many as I can and link to those organizations that promote cheerleading and cheer safety. Let’s work together to keep you safe, happy and moving onto the next stage of your young lives.

Work-Comp For Doctors!

If you practice in the area of workers' compensation then you know what goes on is often times not in the patient's best interest. Insurance adjusters believe the right to choose who treats the injured worker means they can micromanage the medical decisions. From MRI, X-Rays, EMG's and NCS's the yes-no decisions border on the illegal practice of medicine.

Well we are creating a section just for work-comp docs. So send us your questions, concerns and comments.

Groundskeeper and Maintenance Workers

Groundskeeper and maintenance workers are a great part of the American work force. Their work is varied and provides for special attention to safety. At Lombardi Law Firm we discuss safety issues, post news items and will carry references to rules and regulations attendant to the work they perform. Our object is to be a tool box for groundskeeper and maintenance worker safety.

What do you do when you've experienced a wrong-site, wrong-patient or wrong-procedure surgical error?

Wrong-site, wrong-patient or wrong-procedure cases are a failure on the part of the entire medical surgical team to carefully read the chart and as a part of the pre-surgical preparations during a time-out procedure to use active communication to confirm the basic facts of a pending procedure the patient is to undergo. These failures can include clearly marking the site and talking to the patient. You may believe the surgical team asks too many times what side, what procedure or who you are, but they are doing their job properly. If that’s happening be secure they are doing the job you hired them to do. If not and an error occurs, call us, at Lombardi Law Firm.

Motorcycle & Bike Accidents

With the risks that motorcyclists face on the roads, as seen in an increased number of fatalities and injuries, it’s imperative to seek out the help of an experienced motorcycle accident attorney who knows how to work within the court system to get you the best possible result.

Construction Site Accidents

Despite attempts to improve safety at construction sites by updating the regulations about equipment and producing detailed safety information, construction sites remain one of the most dangerous workplaces. If you are injured while working on a construction site, contact personal injury attorney Steve Lombardi as soon as possible to help with getting the relief you’re owed.

Injury - Property Defect-Animals

Personal injury that occurs because of a defect in the property is covered under premise liability law. The event can be a slip, a trip or a fall. It can be something falling onto a person. Or an electrocution or gas explosion. It might be a person being injured by a moving object.

An injury caused by an animal is in America considered a property-type of injury because animals are the property of their owners. So if you (or your child) are injured by an attacking dog, a bucking horse or a cow in the middle of the road you are at the right place for answers. Snakes, Burmese Pythons seem to be a very popular pet in the southern United States. I'm not sure what pet's would be popular and considered exotic to Midwesterners.

Dogs that seem to be in the news and involve personal injury include pit bulls, Rottweilers, Bullmastiffs, Boxers and Doberman Pinschers. Wikipedia has a list of the people killed by dogs in the United States along with a description of the dates of death, the type of dog breed and the circumstances leading up to the death.

What is running at large? The law talks in terms of animals running-at-large and that simply means the animal isn't under the immediate control of the owner, not properly restrained, penned in or caged.

Boating Accidents

Boating safety is a major concern for those who own or operate a boat on Iowa's lakes and rivers. On this site we focus on boating safety and how boaters get themselves in "hot water" with liability. If you're hurt while on the water you should immediately contact a quallified attorney and seek legal advice about how to gather and preserve the evidence you may later need to protect your rights.

Whistleblowers / Financially Ripped Off?

Financial crime has increased in America. The amount of retirement funds saved along with government fostering a gambling mentality has creating an environment where greed seems acceptable. Working people, honest people, young adults and the elderly need to be on the lookout to save their hard earned savings and to protect their futures. Join us with the Lombardi Law Firm as we create depository of blog posts that are all about financial rip-off stories that are in the news.

Client Trial-Deposition Preparation

Lombardi Law Firm believes in trial preparation. We don't rely on luck to win your case. Instead we prepare you from the first moment we talk with you. What we do is listen to how you talk, think and most importantly answer questions. You can be successful if you are prepared correctly. Not all attorneys take the time to properly prepare their clients. We do.

Tenant-Landlord Relations

Iowa's Residential Landlord and Tenant Act governs the rights and responsibilities between landlords and tenants leasing space in Iowa. When time permits I attempt to answer questions and provide guidance to those with simple questions.

Deforming Civil Rights through Tort Reform

Tort reform is a misnomer for deformation of the common man and woman's rights to seek civil compensation in court. If we are all honest no one wants to be responsible for wrongs they commit. It goes against human preservation instincts but we have to be responsible or the entire system shuts down. What has made America different then most other countries is our willingness to be responsible irrespective of how much money we may have. Wealth has nothing nto do with being responsible. The order of the American system is upset when wealthy corporations use their wealth to influence members of Congress for a free pass from tort liability.

Civil damage lawsuits and criminal law deaths, OWI and drunk driving

Criminal law often intersects with personal injury work, workers' compensation and other areas where injury and unemployment happen. As a guest blogger, Todd Miler is experienced in this area, cares about his clients and doing the best job for the person who has been arrested. If you have been arrested or charged with OWI, DWI or drunk driving and need direction or advice visit this webpage.

Call for a consultation and a referral. Steve Lombardi 515-222-1110 or 800-383-0331. Use email if easier: sdlombardi@aol.com

Here is what I can do for you. I have asked several attorneys who handle problems for clients in the area of criminal law to design a plan of action, forms and an outline of what you can expect when charged with OWI in Iowa. I've asked them to tell me what's involved with their handling criminal cases in central Iowa with an emphasis on OWI cases. With the economy in a recession I've clients who are under a great deal of stress and have been arrested for driving while under the influence of alcohol. These people, people just like you, need help after OWI or OMVUI charges are filed by the County Attorney's office. So give me a call and I'll refer you to one of several attorneys who can handle your OWI case. We will concentrate on cases in Polk, Warren, Jasper, Story, Boone, Dallas, Madison, Guthrie, Adair and Marion; but they will take other counties if a higher fee can be worked out.

In these cases the attorneys do a lot of the same things but every case is different and some present a greater degree of difficulty than others do. But we are here to help and talk to you about a flat fee.

Call for a consultation and a referral. Steve Lombardi 515-222-1110 or 800-383-0331. Use email if easier: sdlombardi@aol.com

We are adding forms and other Iowa OWI forms and information to assist you in understanding the process so that when we represent a client they have some things to review that will make your experience in the criminal law system as painless as is possible.

Criminal Law Commentary - Todd Miler

Criminal law in Iowa is an interesting exercise in police power and the State of Iowa flexing it's muscle to collect fines and police the state. Join Todd Miler as he discusses news and law about crimes.

Welcome to the Lombardi Law Firm website. Knowing your rights and how to protect yourself is important. Always be alert to risks that can cause you injury or get you killed. Steve Lombardi provides commentary and insight on this blog, The Verdict and also writes for the Des Moines market of the InjuryBoard.com and on occasion on the Des Moines Register web site. Steve Lombardi has more than 30 years in civil litigation including death and injury cases for workers and their spouses for all types of accidents and injuries. Attorney Steve Lombardi is a personal injury lawyer. Join us in making the world a safer place. (515-222-1110 or sdlombardi@aol.com )