Archive for April, 2010

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AB2555 Would Help Prevent Nursing Home Neglect in California

Thursday, April 29th, 2010

California’s senior citizens living in nursing homes are extraordinarily vulnerable to many different types of nursing home neglect. Nursing home neglect can manifest itself in many ways, but one California lawmaker is hoping that the state’s Long Term Care Ombudsman program receives the funding it needs to keep protecting seniors living in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. The program trains state-certified volunteers who visit the state’s 1,300 nursing homes and over 8,000 assisted living facilities to look for signs of abuse and neglect.

Citing California’s notorious budget problems, Governor Schwarzenegger cut the program’s funding in half in 2008, which hampered efforts to help those who are not in a position to help themselves. The passing of AB 392 restored partial funding cuts that appropriated $1.6 million in funding from an account holding nursing home fines. However, that was a short-term solution, and if funding is not re-established, many of California’s seniors will be exposed to nursing home neglect. AB2555 is scheduled for a vote by lawmakers in the near future.

If a senior has friends and family who suspect that their loved one is suffering from neglect, Southern California nursing home neglect attorneys like Mr. Habbas may be able to help recover damages to help pay for relocation costs and other expenses. Samer Habbas is a California nursing home neglect lawyer who fiercely protects the rights of his clients. If you think that someone is suffering nursing home neglect, call his law offices today at 888.848.5084.

Resource link: AB2555 Would Help Prevent Nursing Home Neglect in California

Man Faces Possible Life Sentence for Elder Abuse and Torture

Wednesday, April 28th, 2010

A 21-year-old nursing home employee faces a possible life sentence in connection with several egregious cases of alleged elder abuse. The man faces seven counts of elder abuse and one count of torture in a trial that began recently. If convicted on all counts, he could be sentenced to life in prison. He is accused of mistreating patients under his care in unimaginable ways. Prosecutors in the case cited several examples of alleged abuse including jumping on a mute woman’s chest and slamming her into a bed when she struggled, encouraging wheelchair-bound residents to fight, jumping from a dresser and planting both knees into the stomach of a man suffering from dementia and others.

Investigators claim that the man deliberately chose people who suffered from dementia because their condition would prevent them from alerting anyone to the abuse.

“He attacked the most vulnerable people you can possibly find,” Deputy Dist. Atty. Robin Allen told a Van Nuys jury. “He hit them and he laughed. This was sport.”

The alleged abuses occurred at Silverado Senior Living in Calabasas, a facility where residents and their families spend $70,000 or more each year for ongoing care. California elder abuse lawyer Samer Habbas has many years of experience helping abuse victims and their families recover damages from individuals and facilities where abuse has occurred. Elder abuse is unconscionable, and Southern California elder abuse attorneys such as Mr. Habbas are dedicated to protecting seniors. If you have reason to believe that someone you know is being abused, call Long Beach elder abuse lawyer Samer Habbas today at 888.848.5084.

Resource link: Man Faces Possible Life Sentence for Elder Abuse and Torture

Dog Bites Maim 6-Month-Old Baby in Attack

Tuesday, April 27th, 2010

A six-month-old baby boy’s testicles were severed recently when two dogs attacked him as he lay unattended in a baby carrier on the floor in a Murrieta apartment. The boy and his mother were at a friend’s apartment when a five-year-old pit bull and an eight-month-old pit bull mix attacked. According to the mother, the baby had been in the carrier for ten minutes. She said she had checked on him once, and he was fine, but approximately three minutes later, she heard the baby screaming and ran to the room to find that her friend’s dogs had ripped off the boy’s diaper and bitten the baby in the groin area.

The baby went to Rancho Springs Medical Center in Murrieta for treatment, and the dogs were euthanized. Pit bulls have been banned in some cities, but the State of California has taken a different approach. Instead of banning pit bulls and other breeds of dogs with reputations for aggressiveness, the state penalizes the owners of dangerous dogs. Unlike many states, in California, owners can be held liable when their dogs attack another person without evidence of negligence.

Los Angeles dog bite lawyers like Samer Habbas witness firsthand the terrible injuries that aggressive dogs can cause. He is an advocate for victims of vicious dog attacks and helps families recover the compensation they are entitled to under the law for injuries caused by dog bites. If you would like to speak with an experienced Southern California dog bite attorney, call 888.848.5084 to schedule a free initial consultation with Samer Habbas.

Resource link: Dog Bites Maim 6-Month-Old Baby in Attack

Two People Extracted from Wreckage of California Boating Accident

Monday, April 26th, 2010

A watercraft accident at Lake Havasu resulted in all aboard being injured and the extraction of two Chino men from the wreckage. Accident investigators say the accident occurred near California Cove in Needles late in the evening on April 16. San Bernardino County Sheriff’s personnel responding to the accident found the wreckage of the large ski boat around 10:30 p.m. that evening in the desert nearly 50 feet from the shoreline.

The Chino men were found trapped inside the wreckage and had to be pulled from under the boat’s steering wheel and passenger side glove compartment by firefighters. One of the men and two other passengers were airlifted to area trauma centers. Deputies believe that one of the trapped men was driving the 21-foot Shockwave ski boat at about 50 mph around 10 p.m. that evening toward a launch ramp when it struck the shoreline. The investigation is ongoing, but deputies believe that alcohol was a contributing factor in the accident.

California watercraft and boating accident lawyer Samer Habbas would like to remind boaters that boat operators with blood-alcohol concentrations above the legal limit are more than ten times more likely to be fatally injured in an accident than sober boaters. He and other Southern California watercraft and boating accident attorneys would also like to remind boating enthusiasts that more than one-third of all boating and watercraft accidents involve alcohol. In alcohol-related boating accidents, roughly two-thirds of fatalities are passengers.

People who operate watercrafts from jet skis to aircraft carriers have an obligation to operate their vessels in a safe and responsible manner. If negligence is found to be a contributing factor in an accident, operators can be held liable for damages. If you or someone you care for has been injured or killed in an accident caused by a negligent operator, call 888.848.5084 to schedule a free consultation with Long Beach watercraft and boating accident lawyer Samer Habbas.

Resource link:  Two People Extracted from Wreckage of California Boating Accident

California Court Rejects Premises Liability Lawsuit Filed by Guest at Party

Thursday, April 22nd, 2010

The California Sixth District Court of Appeal recently issued a ruling that said that a homeowner who advertises a party on a social networking site “does not thereby assume a heightened duty to provide security.” The court affirmed the dismissal of a suit by three individuals who claimed that they were beaten and stabbed at the home of a person who had advertised the party on popular social networking site, MySpace.com.

The plaintiffs claimed that the defendant had subjected them “to an unreasonable risk of bodily harm.” The risk of bodily harm arose from “(1) an unregulated publicly advertised event involving the consumption of alcohol, dancing, live music and DJ services; (2) without restriction on the number or identity of persons attending; and (3) with no attempt to control admission or provide security or protection for attendees.”

The plaintiffs also claimed that the defendant “knew or should have known that such actions were highly likely and substantially certain to attract gang members to defendant’s property, to attract violent youths to defendant’s property, to create a dangerous condition on defendant’s property and to result in injuries to persons attending the party and others.”

In his March 12 opinion, Justice Richard McAdams said that the defendant’s use of MySpace to raise awareness about the party did not increase the risk of harm to the plaintiffs. In his decision, the judge cited Sakiyama v. AMF Bowling Centers, Inc., 110 Cal.App.4th 398 (2003), in which the owner of a property where a rave party took place was not liable for injuries caused by a driver who attended the party.

The Law Offices of Samer Habbas watched the developments in this case with great interest. Southern California premises liability attorneys like Mr. Habbas represent clients in premises liability every day, and each situation is unique. Generally, when an injury occurs due to hazardous conditions on someone’s property, the property owner holds liability for the injuries. Under the circumstances of this particular case, the court did not agree with the theory of liability that the plaintiff set forth. If you’d like to discuss your case with Southern California premises liability lawyer Samer Habbas, call his law offices today at 888.848.5084.

Resource link: California Court Rejects Premises Liability Lawsuit Filed by Guest at Party

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