Dudley DeBosier - February 2022

Dudley DeBosier - February 2022

FEB 2022

Baton Rouge 225-444-4444 1075 Government St. Baton Rouge, LA 70802

The 7 Biggest Myths About Personal Injury Lawsuits

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For decades, insurance companies have spread myths about personal injury claims. They want to paint people who file injury claims as greedy, when the reality is that insurance companies only care about their profits. Sadly, many of these myths have become accepted by the public. You need to know the truth about personal injury claims: They’re a much-needed tool used by injured people who have been denied what they’re entitled to by law. Personal injury claims aren’t about cash grabs. They’re about fairness. At Dudley DeBosier, we’re incredibly proud of the work we do for our clients, and we promise not to stop fighting the good fight.

better chance of getting the compensation you truly deserve by working with an experienced personal injury lawyer.

Myth No. 3: You can’t sue your own insurance company.

In many cases, it’s a policyholder’s own insurance company that is denying them the compensation they’re entitled to. You have every right to push back and take legal action against your insurer. Myth No. 4: Most lawsuits are frivolous. This is one of the most persistent myths about personal injury claims, and it’s a favorite of insurance companies. We can tell you from experience that most people who file personal injury lawsuits only do so because they’ve been denied what they’re legally entitled to — the compensation they deserve. Myth No. 5: You can’t afford to hire an injury attorney. Many personal injury lawyers, including those at Dudley DeBosier, work on a contingency fee basis. That means your attorney only gets paid if they win your compensation. In many cases, injured people stand to lose more by not hiring a lawyer. Myth No. 6: Any lawyer can handle any lawsuit. Personal injury law is a specialty. You wouldn’t want your tax attorney or divorce lawyer handling an injury claim. If you’re thinking about filing a personal injury claim, contact an experienced, dedicated personal injury lawyer. Myth No. 7: Lawsuits just punish other people. The party named as the defendant in a lawsuit (the person who is technically being sued) is rarely the party who ends up paying the damages of the injured person. The insurance company is very likely the party who owes you compensation, even if they’re not named as a defendant. 1

Let’s break down common personal injury myths.

Myth No. 1: Courts are clogged with lawsuits. There’s no personal injury-induced bottleneck in our courts. The truth is that most personal injury claims are settled without ever proceeding to a courtroom.

Myth No. 2: You can handle an injury claim yourself.

If you’ve suffered serious injuries and the damages you’ve experienced are significant, you stand a much

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3 WAYS TO REDUCE YOUR SODIUM INTAKE More Than a Pinch of Salt The average American adult eats 1,000 milligrams (mg) more than the recommended amount of sodium each day. Salt enhances flavor, is easy to add to food, and tastes pretty delicious. Unfortunately, too much of it is unhealthy and can cause high blood pressure or kidney damage. Here are some steps you can take to reduce your sodium intake without sacrificing flavor. Read food labels. Processed foods tend to contain a lot of sodium, so it’s best to shop for fresh meat, fruits, vegetables, and dairy. In particular, avoid premade sauces whenever possible. If you need to buy prepared meals, always read the label and look for items with less than 600 mg of sodium — the highest amount a meal can contain and still be labeled “healthy” by the FDA. Check serving sizes as well; 400 mg of sodium in one meal sounds good until you realize there are 2–3 servings in the package. Try other flavors. We have easy access to more types of salt than ever, but unfortunately, sea salt, Himalayan salt, and kosher salt don’t contain any less sodium than the table variety. Luckily, there are plenty of other seasonings available to liven up your food. Experiment with new spices; the bolder the flavor, the less you’ll notice the reduced salt. Garlic is a popular choice, but check the nutrition information — salt is included in many spice blends. Keep the shaker out of sight. If you want to reduce the amount of salt you use, try putting it away. Keeping salt on the table increases the temptation to sprinkle a little bit more on your meal. You can still get up and get the salt out of the cupboard if it’s really needed, but you’ll have the opportunity to reflect on your actions and make a more conscious decision. It will also help kids, who may instinctively reach for the salt or copy their parents. Cutting salt takes time, but the preference for salt is an acquired taste, and it can be unlearned. It may take several weeks or even a couple months to get used to the flavor of reduced salt, but those who successfully do often find salty foods they used to eat unpalatable. Once the extra sodium is gone from your diet, you probably won’t miss it — and your body will be a lot healthier for it.

February is host to a sports tradition that dates back more than half a century: Super Bowl Sunday! Whether your team is playing or not, the Super Bowl is the NFL’s biggest stage, and it’s arguably one of the most-watched events on the sports calendar. For impressionable kids, watching players on the world’s biggest stage can be like watching their heroes duke it out, inspiring many to join their own peewee leagues. But is that safe? In recent years, increased reports of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) among retired players have some parents questioning if this great American tradition is worth it. Here’s what you need to know. Physical activity always comes with risks. It’s important to remember that all forms of sports can induce injury. Your child can sprain their ankle running in track and field, just as they can while running down the football field. Proper technique, great coaching, up-to- date equipment, and clean play can all deter potential injuries. But fear of injury is not reason enough to keep a child out of a sport that can teach discipline, teamwork, and sportsmanship. However, prolonged exposure is the issue. This is where football deviates. While any sport increases the risk of injury, football’s consistent exposure to contact is what makes it more dangerous. A 2017 Boston University study first exposed this, citing that more than 99% of the 202 former NFL players had CTE, often categorized as a complex brain injury. That’s terrifying news for any parent. But knowing the risk can reduce the exposure. Since these findings have been made public, the NFL and youth football leagues have made changes to their concussion protocols, equipment, and tackling techniques. In fact, concussion reports in the NFL dropped by 24% in 2018. Furthermore, parents can arm themselves with this information not to discourage their children from playing football but to instead encourage safer play styles. For example, flag football can be a safer, healthier alternative for young players. Should Your Children Play Football?

If you’re concerned about your little footballer hitting the field, talk to your child’s physician about risks and preventive measures.

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Gratitude

How an Inventor Made the World Safer in 1872 THE AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY OF THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER

At Dudley DeBosier, it’s crucial to our mission to help prevent accidents and injury by educating the public about free resources — but one of the hardest ways to encourage safety is to invent reliable devices that protect people. That can be especially difficult to do for fires, which can grow and destroy rapidly at unpredictable rates. The entire world’s history of injury and death from fires wouldn’t be the same without the invention of the fire extinguisher. Its practical use was made possible by its fire extinguishing suppressing apparatus, invented by Thomas Martin, an African American who was granted a patent for his innovation in 1872. He’s a perfect hero to celebrate, this being Black History Month. Martin was born on May 29, 1842, in Harpersville, Alabama. His parents were natives of South Carolina but relocated to Alabama where they reared 11 children, including Martin. He grew up on a wealthier, well-to-do farm and was given a fairly common school education. Martin didn’t become an inventor right away; instead, he enlisted for the Civil War and became a private of Company I of the Eighteenth Alabama infantry.

Martin served honorably, but he was wounded at the Battle of Shiloh and became incapacitated from further service. Little else is known about Martin’s life, which is surprising given his local influence. In 1866, he began a mercantile business, which he continued with success for decades until 1897. At one point, he invested greatly in real estate and became one of the largest landowners in the county. Somewhere in that time, during or before 1872, he created a wet piping system capable of channeling pressurized water to several nozzles inside a building, and the patent included the fire extinguishing suppressing apparatus. According to the patent, the system would be attached to a water reservoir and was intended to “prevent or extinguish” fires in homes, “mills, factories, towns, and cities.” It could also be used for “warning, ventilating, and washing buildings, and for washing pavements and sprinkling streets.” Although British captain George William Manby is known to have created the modern style of the fire extinguisher in 1818, Thomas Martin’s improved version is considered the first practical use of this technology by some historians. Martin’s patent, entitled “Fire extinguisher,” was issued to him on March 26, 1872.

HAVE A Laugh Valentine’s Day Giveaway

With all that’s been going on between what seems to be a never-ending pandemic and back-to-back hurricanes, we decided it’s time to SPREAD THE LOVE! And we want you to be our Valentine. No matter how you feel about this holiday, we know one thing for sure — we LOVE our community, and you help make it a better place. This year, love is in the air and we’re giving away FOURTEEN (14) $100 gift cards! Visit DudleyDeBosier.com/valentine and register before Feb. 14 for your chance to win.

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1075 Government St. Baton Rouge, LA 70802

Inside THIS ISSUE

The 7 Biggest Myths About Personal Injury Lawsuits

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Reduce Your Sodium Intake With These 3 Tips

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Should Your Children Play Football?

The African American History of the Fire Extinguisher

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Attention Nonprofit Organizations!

Dudley DeBosier’s Leadership Academy

As you probably know by now, we feel strongly about giving back to our community. As local nonprofit organizations and their leaders are at the forefront of that mission, we consider our relationships with nonprofits to be extremely important. In August 2018, we held our first Leadership Academy with 10 nonprofit organizations. Our vision was to offer completely free advice and training for nonprofit leaders, employees, board members, and volunteers. Since then, Dudley DeBosier’s Leadership Academy has grown tremendously. In our January 2020 event on leadership and operations, we were joined by 170 attendees representing over 80 organizations!

If you or someone you know works with a nonprofit organization or charity, then you’re invited!

When you attend Leadership Academy, you’ll learn ways to boost your organization’s community outreach and increase the efficiency of your operations to reach your goals more effectively. Leadership Academy is a biannual event. The first session of the year usually focuses on operations and the second session on marketing. Our next Leadership Academy will be held in Baton Rouge this July. If you’ve never attended Dudley DeBosier’s Leadership Academy and would like to attend our next one, please visit DudleyDeBosier.com/Leadership to register. You don’t want to miss out!

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