What is Insurance?
Insurance is, “a contract whereby, for a stipulated consideration, one party undertakes to compensate the other for loss on a specified subject by specified perils. The party agreeing to make the compensation is usually called the “insurer” or “underwriter;” the other, the “insured” or “assured;” the agreed consideration, the “premium;” the written contract, a “policy;” the events insured against, “risks” or “perils;” and the subject, right, or interest to be protected, the “insurable interest.” (Black’s Law Dictionary 946. 4th Ed. Rev. 1968)
An insurance policy is a contract in which an individual or entity (the policyholder) pays an insurance company (the insurer) in regular payments in exchange for financial protection over specific risks or losses. For example, medical insurance helps to cover medical costs, such as hospital visits, hospital stays, and medications. Similarly, auto insurance helps to cover damages incurred from car accidents. Insurance payments are known as premiums. Insurance contracts typically limit the amount of costs that an insurance provider may be required to pay.
The McCarran-Ferguson Act (15 U.S.C. § 1011) grants many aspects of insurance regulation to individual state governments. However, federal laws like federal taxes do apply to insurance, and must be acknowledged. Insurance is important to the legal system, as it helps protect individuals, those who cause harm to individuals through negligence, and any third party that is faced with the burden of compensating for an injury.
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What To Do In A Car Accident
9 Steps To Take When You Are In An Accident
Every year there are over 10 million auto accidents in which 2 million people are injured and 37,000 are killed. With over 253 million vehicles on the roads today, the chances of someone being involved in a car accident are incredibly high. Not all accidents involve serious injury or death, but that does not limit the stress that a car crash can cause. After a car accident, it is often difficult to make sure you handle the accident properly. The car accident lawyers at Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys have put together a 9-step list of what you should do immediately following an accident. You should:
1.) STAY CALM, KEEP THE ACCIDENT FROM GETTING WORSE
• Turn off the vehicle’s ignition
• Turn on four-way flashers
2.) RENDER AID
If anyone has been injured in the accident:
• Render first aid but only do so if you are first aid qualified
• Stop any bleeding
• Call an ambulance
• Do not move an injured person in any way that could possibly add to the injury
3.) PROTECT THE SCENE FROM FURTHER DAMAGE
• Make sure motorists approaching the accident are warned
4.) CALL POLICE
• Always call the police so that there is an accident report on file
• Think before you speak. […]
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OSHA tightens standards on workplace injury reporting
Last month, the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) strengthened the rules that required businesses to report serious workplace injuries and fatalities. Their goal is to uncover workplace hazards faster and fix problems sooner by requiring companies to report more on-the-job injuries to federal regulators.
According to OSHAs revised safety rule, effective January 1, 2015, companies will be required to report all work-related in-patient hospitalizations, amputations, and eye losses within 24 hours. Current laws only require employers to report in-patient hospitalizations if three or more employees are affected, and amputations and eye losses do not have to be reported. Remaining unchanged is the requirement that employers report work-related fatalities within eight hours.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) preliminary 2013 workplace fatality data found that 4,405 workers were killed on the job in the US in 2013. That translates to an average of 85 deaths per week or 12 deaths every day. […]
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PA personal injury lawyer warns of dangerous driving days
August is the most dangerous driving month of the year, seeing more crashes than any other month. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) believes that more drivers tend to be out during the month of August, as well as for longer periods of time. The summer overall sees a high number of accidents, with more teens on the road over summer break, motorists traveling to family vacations and weekend getaways. This is also combined with more drivers on the road who have consumed alcohol. The summer is the time when everyone should be very cautious when hitting the road.
There are over 33,000 people killed in traffic crashes in the U.S. each year, and nearly 2.5 million injured. According to the NHTSA, Saturday is the most dangerous day of the week to be driving. There are several reasons that we see so many accidents on Saturdays, […]
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Potential PA speed limit increase could increase fatal crashes
Sections of the Pennsylvania turnpike and Interstate 380 will be part of a pilot program next month in which the speed limit will be raised to 70 mph. On I-380, a 21-mile stretch was selected for the experimental pilot, which will extend from the Interstate 84 junction in Lackawanna County to the Pocono Pines/Mount Pocono exit in Monroe County. On the Pennsylvania turnpike, the speed limit will be increased on a 100-mile stretch in south central Pennsylvania.
In response to the increased PA speed limit, the Hazleton Standard Speaker reported that a truck and its cargo totaling 80,000 pounds cannot stop for hundreds of feet at 65 mph, and driving faster means it will take even longer to stop. The paper also reported that most of Pennsylvania’s interstates were built during the 1960s and 1970s and designed to accommodate vehicles traveling at maximum speeds of 65 mph. […]
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“What Should I Do If I Get Hit By a Car While Walking?”
In effort to live healthier lives, many people are opting to institute activities, such as walking, running, and jogging into their daily fitness routines. It’s an easily accessible form of exercise, as it can be done just about anywhere—from your neighborhood cul-de-sac to your local park to the bustling streets of your city. But getting around on foot can open pedestrians up to traffic risks.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Traffic Safety Facts report, there were 4,743 pedestrian fatalities and 76,000 pedestrian injuries involving motor vehicles in 2012. The same report states that those stats equal out to about one death every two hours and one injury every seven minutes. Of course, there are plenty of things you can do to ensure your safety while traversing your town on foot:
1) Use designated crosswalks. If the intersection has a walk/don’t walk sign, […]
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