The Yost Legal Group

If you have lost a loved one recently in an accident, you may have important questions about whether or not the situation is a wrongful death case. Here are just a few Frequently Asked Questions to help you.

What makes a fatal accident a "wrongful death?"

The difference is that a wrongful death can be directly tied to another third party's negligence or inaction. In other words, someone else's behavior caused the death to occur.

Wrongful death claims are often seen after automobile accidents, construction accidents, medical malpractice situations, environmental injury incidents and use of defective drugs.

Can I file a wrongful death claim on behalf of a friend or distant family member?

Probably not. State laws vary on who can file a wrongful death claim, but it is usually only allowed for surviving spouses, children or parents of the deceased.

Can a wrongful death claim be filed even if the deceased is a child or elderly person?

Absolutely. However, there will be a difference in how compensation is calculated (versus a head of household death, for instance) should you win the case.

If you need to discuss a specific situation, please contact us at 1-800-967-8529 as soon as possible. The experienced wrongful death attorneys at The Yost Legal Group (located in Baltimore, Maryland) are ready to help.

After being bitten by a dog, you may experience some confusion over who is to be held responsible and what your options are. At The Yost Legal Group, we make it our priority to keep our clients as educated and informed as possible about their legal situation. Here are a few common questions concerning dog bites.

Can the police be held responsible if a police dog bit me?

This depends on the circumstances surrounding the bite. Police officers are not allowed to use unreasonable force in performing their duties. This holds true for their dogs as well. The improper use of a police dog can constitute unreasonable force. If a police dog has bitten you, speak with an attorney right away to see what your rights are.

What are dangerous breeds laws?

Some cities have ordinances that restrict the ownership of certain breeds. This makes owners of more "dangerous" breeds get their pets registered by the city.

If a stray dog bites me is there someone who should be held liable?

Generally, unless there is an owner to hold responsible, there is no one to be held liable if a stray dog bites you. There are circumstances, however, in which a kennel or pound owner may be found negligent if a dog has escaped from their facility or has bitten an innocent person while in custody.

If you have been a victim of a dog bite and live in the Baltimore, Maryland area, please contact The Yost Legal Group and schedule a no-obligation consultation with one of our specialists in dog bite injuries to answer any more questions you might have.

After being approved by the FDA for sale in the United States in May 2006, Chantix immediately became a very effective method for helping people quit smoking. After its expedited release, however, the drug was found to have some extremely dangerous psychological side effects that have since resulted in 55 acts of suicide around the country. If you are currently taking Chantix and are experiencing any negative psychological side effects in depression and suicidal ideation, please seek immediate medical attention and contact a qualified defective drug attorney at the Yost Legal Group as soon as possible.

Side Effects Beyond Suicide and Depression

In May 2008 a study showed that, above and beyond the serious psychological side effects of Chantix, the drug also has the potential to cause major physical side effects including:

• Heart trouble
• Seizures
• Diabetes

Although this drug has been shown to be a more effective way for people to quit smoking, the potential harm it can cause should be a deterrent for those thinking about starting taking Chantix.

If you or a loved one has been harmed by this powerful drug and you live in Baltimore, Maryland or surrounding areas, please contact The Yost Legal Group to schedule a no-obligation consultation with one of our uniquely qualified Chantix lawyers as soon as possible.

One of the leading causes of preventable death in the hospital is a pulmonary embolism, or blood clot in the lungs. The symptoms of a pulmonary embolism are very clear and if a doctor or nurse fails to recognize these symptoms in time it is possible that a patient can suffer severe brain injury or even death. If you have a loved one that has died because of a preventable pulmonary embolism in the hospital, please contact an experienced wrongful death attorney as soon as possible. Thousands of people die from medical malpractice in our country each year.

Birth Control and Pulmonary Embolism

If you take birth control pills, especially Yaz or Yasmin, your risk of experiencing a pulmonary embolism is highly increased. Birth control pills increase the potassium levels in your bloodstream, making blood clots more common. If these blood clots dislodge they can travel to the heart, lungs, or brain causing severe brain damage, heart attacks, or death. Please consult a qualified medical malpractice or personal injury attorney if you are on birth control and you have experienced any of these side effects.

If you or a loved one has been a victim of medical malpractice in the Baltimore, Maryland area, please contact The Yost Legal Group to discuss your case in confidential, no-obligation consultation that is of no cost to you. We work on a contingency basis, which means we don’t get paid unless we win your case.

Hydroxycut dietary supplements promised to help you lose weight without dieting, boost your energy levels and burn fat. More than 9 million packages of Hydroxycut products were sold based on those promises.

Unfortunately, it now seems those promises did not come without a huge risk. (For more information on Hydroxycut and personal injury ramifications, please contact The Yost Legal Group today.)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in May of this year issued a strong warning to consumers: Stop using Hydroxycut products.

The FDA had received 23 reports of serious liver injury and one death due to liver failure, all of which could be directly linked to Hydroxycut use at the recommended dosages listed on the product's label.

After the FDA statement, the maker of Hydroxycut products, Iovate Health Sciences U.S.A., Inc., issued a voluntary recall. Read the list of recalled products here.

If you have taken Hydroxycut and are having liver injury symptoms, you should see your doctor right away. And consider contacting Baltimore, Maryland's The Yost Legal Group and our personal injury attorneys for a free case evaluation or for information on a possible class action lawsuit. Our phone number is 1-800-967-8529.

Truck accidents occur when large trailers weighing 10,000 pounds or more collide with other vehicles. The injuries and deaths that result from these accidents are almost always taken by the drivers and passengers of the smaller vehicles on the road. Trucking companies will do anything in their power to minimize the compensation they are liable to pay out. If you have been injured in a truck accident it is imperative that you contact a qualified personal injury attorney as soon as possible.

Driver Fatigue and Semi Accidents

A very dangerous symptom to fatigue in truck drivers is the inability to evaluate how fatigued they are. Truck drivers work long hours and are faced with rigorous deadlines that are often impossible to meet without driving for longer than would be considered safe. Because of this, truck driver fatigue plays a leading role in the cause of most trucking accidents. Driver fatigue can severely impair the ability of a person to drive.

If you live in Baltimore, Maryland or surrounding areas and have been injured in a trucking accident, or if you have a loved one that has been killed, please contact The Yost Legal Group to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation as soon as possible.

Since its enactment in 1908, railroad companies have been spending enormous amounts of money and time trying to limit the reach of the Federal Employers' Liability Act, or FELA. Many times the railroad companies will simple refuse to give you the compensation money you deserve even though their liability has been firmly established. This is the time when it may be necessary for you to file a lawsuit against your employer. Hiring an experienced attorney from The Yost Legal Group will have a powerful effect on the outcome of your case against your employer.

Compensation from the FELA

Under the FELA, compensation from injuries that occurred on the job for railroad employees are often many times greater than the compensation given out under regular workman's comp for non-railroad employees. While the act was going through congress in the early part of the 20th century, the act's advocates compared the dangers to the average railroad employee to that of a soldier going off to war. That is how often injuries would occur. To this day, many railroad employees have one of the more dangerous vocations available in America.

If you have been injured on the job due to your employer's negligence and are planning on filing suit because your employer is refusing to pay for compensation, please contact the Yost Legal Group to schedule a free consultation as soon as possible. The Yost Law Firm serves Baltimore, Maryland and surrounding areas.