Family Justice Center

Archive for July 20th, 2010

So you’re ready to file a court action in the Family Law courts.  Congratulations on taking the first step to legal and financial freedom from your ex-wife!  Although you may feel overwhelmed and somewhat intimidated by the process of filing a legal action against your soon-to-be ex-wife, it’s a pretty harmless process in most states and can easily be done without the assistance or guidance of an attorney.

First, you’ll want to be sure you look on the state and county websites or ask the family law courts for the correct forms needed to file your action.  If you can’t find samples or fill-in forms online, you can always obtain some from the local family law courts.  Be sure to read through them thoroughly, as many of these are already drafted for women, and may include information that needs to be changed or personalized for your particular situation.  Read through them and make any necessary changes.  You can also obtain forms and sample actions through the Father’s Rights Protection System, and you can also find court documents and filings from other individuals online and can use these to make your own form to the standards the courts require.

When filing the civil action, be prepared to pay court costs and fees.  Each state is different in what they charge and IF they charge, so be sure to do a little research on your county’s websites to be prepared for the filing fees.  You could also contact the local family law court by phone to verify amounts if necessary. 

Be sure to keep track of all your fees in pursuing your case, in the event you are looking to be reimbursed down the road for your court costs.

1. Your name on an all points bulletin.

2. Your company going out of business.

3. The last major purchase you made being sold much cheaper.

4. The latest economic news.

5. The stock market crashing.

6. Your company having more lay-offs.

7. Your favorite store going out of business.

8. A warning that an out of control tanker is headed your way.

9. A police warning that a person fitting your description and driving a vehicle like yours is armed and dangerous.

10. Your ex-spouse trashing you.

Here are ten useful tips of advice from a California truck accident lawyer to follow if you have been in an accident. You can also learn more about how to handle a truck accident in California, or any city in CA, by calling the Law Offices of R. Sebastian Gibson at any of the numbers which can be found on our website at http://www.SebastianGibsonLaw.com  and learning how we can assist you.

Obviously, if you have had an accident, and you are reading all of this advice, it’s probably been at least a few days since the accident. However, if it’s only been a few hours or if you ever have another accident, here’s what you should do the next time from the start.

First, take a look around and determine if you or anyone, are hurt. If so, taking steps like trying to prevent further injury or loss of blood are the most important thing you can do. Even if some other driver caused you to be injured, it’s just good manners to help the other driver if they are hurt. They may even be so thankful that they admit their fault to you. The worst thing you can do is get angry or start a fight.

Second, make sure everyone is safe from being injured further. If you are in the middle of traffic, and you are dizzy, sit down away from traffic. If your vehicle is a traffic hazard and you have accident warning devices like flares or triangles, put them out on the road to warn other drivers and get away from the car. Let the police an other emergency personnel investigate the scene with the vehicles in place and move them more safely at a later point.

Third, call the police. Accident reports are extremely helpful if the police will do such a report. Let the police know you are injured immediately. Answer the police questions honestly. But if you are dazed or confused, let them know you need medical treatment and answer only what you feel sure about. Remember, your statements can and will be used against you if you admit fault, and it will be too late and too fishy to later say you didn’t know what you were saying at the scene. Police know that your best recollection is immediately after an accident.

Fourth, get the other driver’s information including their names, addresses, driver’s license numbers, make and model of their vehicles, license plate numbers, and their insurance company name and policy number. If there are witnesses, get their names, addresses and telephone numbers as well. If the other driver makes any admissions of fault, write those down as well.

Fifth, if you have a camera on your cell phone or in the car and you aren’t too injured, take some photos of the vehicles and the scene. If you can’t do it right away, do it after you are released from the hospital.

Sixth, if you are hurt, obtain medical treatment. Don’t decline the ambulance or hospital examination to save your insurance company money or to be stoic. Take your valuables out of your car if you can and get checked out at the hospital. If you are not hurt, don’t get treatment you don’t need. However, remember, after an accident, you may feel a rush of adrenaline that causes you to only start feeling symptoms of pain a few hours later. If you have a health plan that requires you to obtain permission first, call them and find out where you are allowed to seek treatment.

Seventh, call a good California truck accident lawyer as soon as you have had your initial treatment, so the California attorney can gather other important evidence and prevent the insurance company from taking advantage of you and obtaining such things as recorded statements that you feel fine, when many of your symptoms have yet to manifest themselves. A good California truck accident lawyer can save you from making a great deal of mistakes and can shoulder much of the hassle of knowing what to do about car repairs, car rentals, medical treatment, witness statements and the like. If you think you will save money by not having a California attorney, think again. A good California truck accident lawyer can almost always obtain much higher settlements, obtain reductions of medical bills and insurance liens and prevent you from making costly mistakes. Also, most California truck accident attorneys advance costs of obtaining police reports, medical records and the like and are paid and reimbursed for these costs only out of any settlement.

Eight, you will need to report the accident to your insurance company, but since they will want to take a recorded statement from you, just like any other driver’s insurance company, it’s good advice to retain a California attorney first. And if the other driver did not have insurance, remember that it is your own insurance company that will be your adversary. You will also need to report the accident to the Department of Motor Vehicles and your California lawyer can give you the form for this.

Ninth, do not agree to settle your claim privately with the person at fault for the accident. This almost never works out to your advantage. Don’t agree not to call the police. Police reports that determine the fault for an accident are golden. Your agreement to not involve the police only affords an opportunity for the other driver to change his story and blame you when the police will no longer investigate the accident.

Tenth, don’t pay a traffic ticket without a fight if you weren’t at fault or agree to accept a small payment for your vehicle repairs without knowing that the amount will in fact cover the cost of all the repairs.

If you’ve had a truck accident anywhere in California, in San Diego, Orange County, Palm Springs, Rancho Cucamonga, Santa Barbara, Yorba Linda, Tustin, Lake Forest, Fountain Valley, Rancho Santa Margarita, Newport Beach, Anaheim, Irvine, Huntington Beach, Corona del Mar, Laguna Beach, Santa Ana, Orange, Fullerton, Costa Mesa, or anywhere in Southern CA, we have the knowledge and resources to be your California Truck Accident Lawyer and your CA Truck Accident Attorney. Be sure to hire a California law firm with auto, motorcycle, truck, bicycle, pedestrian, car, bus, train, boat and airplane accident experience, wrongful death experience and insurance law expertise who can ensure you are properly represented and get the compensation you deserve.

If you have a personal injury legal matter, a dog bite or if you’ve lost a loved one in a wrongful death accident, call the Law Offices of R. Sebastian Gibson, or visit our website at http://www.SebastianGibsonLaw.com  and learn how we can assist you.