San Diego Personal Injury Lawyers Blog

Have you or a loved one been seriously injured in an accident in Encinitas? If so, you should consult with an experienced, aggressive attorney to find out what your legal rights are and what your next step should be.

Choosing An Encinitas Serious Injury Lawyer
After an automobile crash, dog bite attack, slip/trip-and-fall incident, bicycle injury, motorcycle injury, or any other event involving serious injury or the wrongful death of a loved one, it is very important to work with a law firm that specializes in personal injury.

The types of skills required to successfully handle a serious accident or wrongful death case are very specific. Don't be fooled by choosing a lawyer who dabbles in these types of cases, rather than one who handles them exclusively, as we do. Making a bad choice in getting the wrong attorney can be one of the most regrettable decisions you can make, and may significantly reduce the outcome you might otherwise be able to achieve.

Our Encinitas personal injury lawyers are experienced trial lawyers and have in excess of fifty years combined experience providing legal representation to serious accident victims in southern California, including San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange, and Imperial Counties.

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A Connecticut smoker who developed larynx cancer was just awarded $8 million by a federal jury in Bridgeport. This was the first smoker's case to go to trial in Connecticut, and the first jury verdict against a tobacco company in New England.

Barbara Izzarelli (49), who smoked Salem cigarettes for over 25 years, underwent surgery at age 36 that resulted in the removal of her larynx. She now breathes through a hole in her throat, has no sense of smell, and can only eat soft foods.

The award against R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company came after a two-week trial. Sometime in June, the trial judge will decide whether or not to award additional punitive damages, which could bring the award to $24 million.

The Connecticut jury held that the Salem cigarettes made by R.J. Reynolds were unreasonably dangerous and defectively designed, that the company acted with reckless disregard for the safety of consumers, and it should be required to pay punitive damages. Evidence in the trial established that R.J. Reynolds had undertaken a campaign in the early 1970s to market Salems to minors in order to establish a long-term customer base. It designed the cigarettes with enough nicotine above the threshold for addiction. David Howard, a spokesperson for R.J. Reynolds, denied that his company targeted youths and said that the cigarettes came with warnings since the 1960s. He said the company is disappointed and plans to appeal.

According to one of the experts who testified at the trial (Dr. K. Michael Cummings, senior research scientist at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo), tobacco companies have downplayed the significance of verdicts against them in recent years as an aberration. The Connecticut verdict shows tobacco firms will be held liable around the country. He also testified as an expert in the Florida tobacco lawsuits.

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