Dickerson Oxton - August 2021

816-268-1960 | 913-428-8220 www.dickersonoxton.com

AUG 2021

ANIMAL BITES

CAR ACCIDENTS

MEDICAL MALPRACTICE

Sleeping in the Car and Fishing for Bluegill Chelsea and Tom’s Very Different Camping Memories

BICYCLE/ MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENTS

BRAIN & SPINAL CORD INJURIES

August is peak camping season in the U.S., and the month kicks off with National Campfire Day. Tom and I are really looking forward to taking our kids camping as they get a little older. There are so many great outdoor places to explore nearby, and Tom has especially fond memories of camping when he was young. Tom’s grandparents lived in Piedmont, Missouri, near the Black River, and a lot of Tom’s summertime memories revolve around catching bluegill in the river. While Tom wasn’t sleeping in a tent, he did enjoy the rustic nature of his grandparents’ home and the many outdoor activities they filled their days with. My camping memories from my younger years are quite different. I remember spending a night or weekend with my friends in high school at Two Rivers campground near where I grew up in Nebraska. It was a huge campground with lots of trails and ponds near the river, and camping there was my first taste of independence. I have some great memories of those trips, though it’s funny to look back and see that most of the time my friends and I opted to sleep in our cars rather than on the ground in a tent.

bugs and bad weather. But the truth is that it wasn’t that comfortable to sleep in the car! Nevertheless, walking those trails and enjoying the water nearby with my friends was always a good time. I think by next summer Heidi and Ian will be old enough to enjoy at least an overnight camping trip. If you have any recommendations for great family camping spots, let me and Tom know! The kids’ grandparents have been working to get them acclimated to enjoying an evening outdoors by setting up a tent in their big backyard. The last time they tried it, though, Ian didn’t quite make it through the night outside in the tent, but it was a great start. Even today, I still prefer to have running water at the ready and a comfortable bed to sleep on, but I do really value the simplicity of camping and how it allows us to immerse ourselves in the outdoors. And there’s truly nothing like sitting around a warm campfire on a cool night, roasting marshmallows for s’mores, and looking up at the night sky. I hope you have some fun outdoor plans in these waning days of summer. Even if you can’t get away for a big camping trip, you can always celebrate National Campfire Day by building a small fire in your backyard, roasting marshmallows, and telling stories. If you’re lucky, you might also see a shooting star or catch a glimpse of the Perseid meteor shower, which will be visible until late August.

BURN INJURIES

CONSTRUCTION INJURIES

NURSING HOME ABUSE

SLIP & FALL ACCIDENTS

BOATING ACCIDENTS

My girlfriends and I were a bit on the high-maintenance side and thought sleeping in the car would protect us from

“I do really value the simplicity of camping and how it allows us to immerse ourselves in the outdoors.”

TRUCK ACCIDENTS

–Chelsea Dickerson

PHARMACEUTICAL & DRUG INJURIES

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There are many amazing fruits and vegetables grown in and around Kansas City, which makes August a particularly great month to harvest and enjoy them. WHAT’S IN SEASON RIGHT NOW? In addition to tomatoes, corn, peppers, summer squash, and eggplant, there are plenty of fruits at peak harvest right now, including: Harvest Days

• • • • • •

Apples

Blackberries Blueberries

Peaches

Pears

As is the case with many self-care trends like yoga and meditation, what’s old is new again. The latest relaxation practice with ancient roots to make waves in modern times is sound baths. Celebs from Charlize Theron to Laurence Fishburne say they help promote relaxation and reduce stress. Kendall Jenner, who’s been public about her struggles with anxiety and sleep paralysis, also swears by the practice’s healing powers and has even started creating her own sound baths and sharing them on Instagram. While you can create a sound bath experience at home, most practitioners “bathe” at in-person sessions with “sounders” — those who create the soundscape. These sessions typically last 45–60 minutes. The idea behind the sonic experience is that bathers sit or lay in a relaxing position while gently focusing on the sounds they are immersed in. Sounders commonly use singing bowls, chimes, gongs, and other instruments to create a meditative and relaxing vibe. In fact, sounders say the vibrations of some instruments facilitate relaxation by literally changing the brainwaves. Health practitioners put it differently, saying that the practice promotes a parasympathetic autonomic nervous system response, aka a stress reduction response. Either way, the practice is a nice alternative to standard sitting meditation, which often focuses on the breath and can be difficult, especially for new practitioners. While there hasn’t been a lot of medical research done to test the efficacy of the practice, it is becoming a more widely used supplemental treatment for stress, anxiety, addiction, and post- traumatic stress disorder. If you get the chance to experience one yourself, try to approach it with an open mind and open ears. You just might be surprised. TRY A SOUND BATH Meditation Not Working for You?

Raspberries

• Grapes

WHERE CAN I GET THESE DELICIOUS FRUITS AND VEGETABLES?

While some supermarkets sell locally grown vegetables — and you can always make a trip to your local farmers market — we are big proponents of U-pick farms, which allows you to pay a small fee to harvest to your heart’s delight. Pack a picnic, take plenty of water, and be sure to bring your camera to take photos of your little one’s farm experience.

AndWhat Do PI Settlements Cover? WHAT’S MY CASE WORTH?

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U-PICK FARMS THAT ARE FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY

Here are some great U-pick options:

Happy Valley Farm While Happy Valley Farm grows gooseberries, blueberries, cherries, grapes, and more, the sweetest pick for August is peaches! You can visit them each day until 6 p.m. at 29080 W. 95th, De Soto, Kansas or call 913-706-0370 to learn more about current availability. Cider Hill Family Orchard More than just a great place to pick apples, Cider Hill is a great place to spend the day fishing in the on-site ponds, eating cider donuts, or cooling off with their famous fresh-pressed apple cider slushes! If you can’t make it this summer, stay tuned for their pumpkin patch this fall. The orchard is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays in August. You can learn more about U-pick and other upcoming events on their website at CiderHillFamilyOrchard.com. Fahrmeier Farms This farm has been in operation since 1947! With over 40 acres in production, there is no shortage of amazing fruits and vegetables to be had here. The farmers welcome guests to do U-pick, shop their on-site produce market, or schedule a family-friendly farm tour to learn more about local agriculture and how food is grown. To see what’s ripe for the picking, visit them on the web at OurFamilyFarmer.com. Our clients come to us during a time of great stress. On top of dealing with a personal injury, they’re often worried about how they’ll pay their medical bills or make up for lost wages if they can’t work because of the injury and recovery period. While every case is different, some things are fundamental to every personal injury claim. The first thing to understand is that state law — for both Missouri and Kansas — determines what types of damages you can claim. So, what’s covered under state law? The first major thing is your medical bills. If you’ve been injured due to someone else’s negligence, you’re entitled to fight for compensation for past and future medical bills. Secondly, if your injury precluded you from working, your claim can include a request for compensation of lost wages, again both past and future. The third common component people seek compensation for is pain and suffering. This is harder to determine than medical bills and lost wages. It’s hard to put a price on the mental anguish you’ve experienced due to an injury. Oftentimes, injuries are life-changing, and while no amount of money can undo what’s happened to you, we will fight to get you compensation to help address the pain and suffering related to your injury claim. There is no simple formula for calculating what your case is worth. The attorneys at Dickerson Oxton Law Firm are here to collect information about your case in order to help you get the compensation you deserve. If you aren’t sure how to move forward with your personal injury claim, give us a call or visit us online at DickersonOxton.com/contact to request a free consultation today.

TAKE A BREAK

Easy Foil-Grilled Sausage and Vegetables

Inspired by NutmegNanny.com

Dinner is ready in 30 minutes with this easy, seasonal August sausage and vegetable bake.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 sausage links of your choice • 1 lb green beans • 1 red bell pepper, diced • 1 yellow bell pepper, diced

• 3 tbsp olive oil • 2 cloves garlic, grated

• 1 tbsp thyme • 1 tsp oregano

• 1 red onion, diced • 1 zucchini, diced • 1 yellow summer squash, diced

• 1 tsp basil • 1 tsp salt • 1 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat your grill to medium heat or your oven to 425 F. 2. In a large bowl, add all of the ingredients and mix well. Divide into four equal portions. 3. Prepare four 16-inch pieces of foil and place a portion in the middle of each section. Wrap each foil piece tightly and avoid holes. 4. Grill each foil packet for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through. You can also bake each packet for 20 minutes at 425 F.

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INSIDE

THIS ISSUE

Chelsea and Tom’s Camping Memories The Benefits of Sound Baths It’s Harvest Season! What’s My Case Worth? Take a Break Easy Foil-Grilled Sausage and Vegetables The Rookie: 3 Oldest Rookies in Sports History

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The Rookie Have you ever felt that fate meant for you to take a different path than the one you took? In some fields, making that change is possible, or even common — as any law student can tell you, where the “average” age of students is in their 30s. But other worlds, like the world of professional sports, are less welcoming to those over 25.

the name of entertainment, consider the case of another similar story that was turned into a movie, that of Vince Papale — played by Mark Wahlberg in “Invincible.” Of course, Papale — whose flag football prowess in his late 20s overrode his lack of college ball experience — signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1970s. Modern football has come a long way, critics will argue. But there’s no denying the old-school toughness and tenacity Papale showed in making it to the NFL. NBA player Pablo Prigioni’s career was twice as long as either Morris’ or Papale’s was, with four years in the big leagues starting in 2012 at age 35. But basketball is arguably less demanding on the body than football and even baseball if we look at the potential damage major league pitchers can do to their throwing arm. Their careers may not have been the stuff of dreams, but these three men showed something we all like to see: tough players hanging on long past their “prime.” And they lived the dream — if only for a while. We all love that! 3 OLDEST ROOKIES IN SPORTS HISTORY

Which only makes for a better story when it does happen, of course.

That’s what Jim Morris discovered when he signed with a Major League Baseball team in 1999 after his 35th birthday. Morris’ life became the subject of the 2002 Dennis Quaid movie “The Rookie,” filmed just after Morris’ major league career had ended. You might think that two years is a short time in the majors, but hey, you try throwing 98-mph fastballs for hours a week, 104 weeks in a row! Besides, the careers of pro athletes aren’t nearly as long as icons like Tom Brady or Peyton Manning would have you believe. The average MLB career may be a few years longer than Morris stuck it out, but in the NFL? Most players make it less than three years and quit, depending on the position. While you’re meditating on the ethics of chewing up football players for three years and spitting them out, all in

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