DiBartolomeo Law Offices - August 2018

Makin’ It Better NEWSLETTER

August 2018

Oregon Workers’ Compensation | Personal Injury | Social Security Disability

1139 Exchange St., Astoria, OR 97103 • 503-325-8600 • JoeDiBartolomeo.com

HOW TO BALANCE TECHNOLOGY USE IN YOUR FAMILY

MANAGE YOUR DEVICES; DON’T LET THEM MANAGE YOU

really want to take a break from your device, take a full day away from it, then reflect on how you felt afterward.

Trim Your Apps

When you open up your phone, does your busy screen overwhelm you? Do you really need that MLB app that you last used two years ago? Start by deleting apps that you no longer use. Then organize your remaining apps into folders. You might also try the same process with contacts, music, photos, and anything taking up space. In his article, “Tips to Declutter Your Phone,” Ryan Reed includes the automation app he swears by, If This Then That. It can link all your apps and services to streamline your life. This is a question that’s kept many parents awake at night. When is the right age for an adolescent to have their own mobile device? There’s a lot to take in. Yes, it can offer some security; you’ll (theoretically) be able to reach your teen at any time, and they can reach out if they are in danger. But there are drawbacks. Phones cause distraction, which doesn’t pan out well for driving or sleep, not to mention homework. Talk with your teen to find out what’s right for them and your family — and not just via text. Keep the conversation going, and you’ll build a stronger relationship, whether you choose to give them a digital device or not. When Is the Right Age?

Anxiety, concern, conflict — parents and teens agree that digital devices are a source of all three of these, according to a study from the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. The comprehensive study compared digital device usage in the United States and Japan and how they have an impact on family relationships in both countries. “The patterns of daily life have been forever altered by the ubiquity of digital devices,” says Willow Bay, co-author of the study and dean of USC Annenberg College. “Clearly, our always-on media environment is presenting challenges.” So why do we still have these devices on us at all times, and how can we use them more responsibly? USC Annenberg’s study demonstrates that technology isn’t going away any time soon, and learning how to manage its usage is critical. Here are some tips that both parents and teens can learn from.

how they perceive ours. It found that most parents think their teens are addicted to their mobile devices. Most parents also felt addicted themselves. Their teens are aware of this — 1 in 3 teens also believes their parents are addicted. Your kids learn from how you spend your time. As the parent, you are the No. 1 example your child has for any behavior. If they see you looking at your phone most of the time they’re with you, they’ll likely start to do the same. One way to set an example is to limit screen time. This could take the form of an after- school “technology free” hour. It’s time that your family spends together without phones, only interacting with each other. Sound hard? Set the timer. Ask your kids how their days were. Try cooking together. If you feel that you really are addicted and can’t quit your device on your own, set up firewalls for yourself. Turn on your “do not disturb” signal during the nights and mornings. If you Set Boundaries

Be the Example

The study gave interesting insight into how we perceive our kids’ technology usage and

The Di Bartolomeo Law Office, P.C. 1139 Exchange Street | Astoria, Oregon | 503-325-8600 | www.JoeDiBartolomeo.com

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BECOME A ‘DOG WHISPERER’ Train as a Pack for Better Results

Discipline

Your whole family adores your dog — but not the barking. This issue can lead to feelings of frustration, and the more frustrated you get, the more your dog barks. It’s their only way of communicating, and they’re telling you, “My needs are not being met.” As Cesar Millan, the original “dog whisperer,” explains, “A barking dog needs exercise, discipline, and affection, in that order.” Part of the barking issue may be due to pent- up energy. According to the humane society, “A tired dog is a good dog and one who is less likely to bark from boredom or frustration.” If you already take your pup on a morning walk, try adding in an evening walk. You could add it to your child’s chore list and help get out some of the kid’s pent-up energy, too. It may also be beneficial to practice obedience exercises and games that challenge your dog. Exercise

attention,” Cesar Millan reminds us. “Allowing her to do that and to see your happiness is, to your dog, the biggest reward of all.” To make your training program successful, consistency is key. Enlist the help of the whole family to stick to the principles. Together, you can foster a calm, peaceful home where you and your dog happily coexist.

To put a stop to the behavior, you’ll first need to change any of your behavior that’s reinforcing it. Any attention your dog gets when he’s barking — even yelling, “Rover, stop!” — teaches him to keep going, because you’re rewarding him with attention. Wait until your dog has stopped barking to give him any sort of attention, including looking at them. “To be successful with this method, you must wait as long as it takes for him to stop barking,” advises the Humane Society.

Affection

Of course, your dog needs love and attention to thrive — a lack of it could contribute to barking behavior. Reinforce silence by giving your dog a treat and an encouraging pat when she demonstrates good behavior, like not barking. “Our pups want to work for our

THE IMPORTANCE OF UNINSURED MOTORIST COVERAGE

Our client, a heavy-equipment operator, was struck by another vehicle while on the Astoria- Meglar Bridge. This collision involved several vehicles, and the at-fault driver had minimal liability insurance coverage. “Minimal” means that the at-fault driver had a bare-bones policy, not even enough to pay our client’s medical expenses.

Our client’s orthopedic surgeon reviewed the case with us and explained how the high- speed collision caused our client’s injury. The physician also outlined how this injury limited our client’s ability to work. From there, we worked with an occupational therapist to get more specific measurements of the actual limitations this injury caused. That led us to a vocational expert who described the actual physical requirements of our client’s job, again confirming our client could no longer pursue his lifelong career. Finally, our economist calculated how much our client would have earned up to retirement age had he not suffered this life-changing injury. As the evidence mounted, the insurance company could see that this was a case about a life-changing injury. We resolved the case through settlement for several times more than the original offer. While pursuing the injury claim, we also helped our client apply for and obtain Social Security Disability benefits to provide some form of income with eventual Medicare coverage.

We resolved our claim against the at-fault driver’s insurance carrier for the policy limits, then made an underinsured motorist claim with the auto insurance carrier that insured our client’s work vehicle.

This is a real problem because Oregon only requires its motorists to carry $25,000 in liability coverage. This minimum coverage requirement has existed for decades, but the cost of medical care has skyrocketed. Our research also shows that up to 25 percent of motorists involved in collisions do not have any insurance at all. We constantly remind our friends and clients of the need to have adequate uninsured motorist coverage because we have seen several cases where people were seriously injured and unable to recover even a fraction of their losses. Recouping Losses Caused by an Underinsured Driver Our client was a heavy equipment operator, and this high- impact collision caused a severe career- ending injury. To tell our client’s story, we worked with several experts to document the losses incurred.

What Is Underinsured Motorist Coverage? When we talk about

underinsured motorist coverage, we use the terms “uninsured” and “underinsured” interchangeably. Uninsured motorist coverage is essentially insurance against the uninsured, or those who don’t have enough insurance to cover the harm they cause. An uninsured motorist claim occurs when an at-fault driver with no insurance causes an injury in a car collision, and underinsured motorist claims occur when the at-fault driver has insufficient coverage to cover an injured party’s claim.

The Di Bartolomeo Law Office, P.C. 1139 Exchange Street | Astoria, Oregon | 503-325-8600 | www.JoeDiBartolomeo.com

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Oregon has taken some serious measures to eliminate distracted driving in recent years. According to the Oregon Department of Transportation (DOT), the state had 31,520 convictions for distracted driving in 2013. Fast forward to 2014, and that number fell to 17,723. What was behind the rapid decline? Well, one significant reason was recognizing the main culprit: cellphones. People have sustained serious injuries or even been killed by distracted drivers using electronic devices. Here’s what the >Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4

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