Areas of Practice

This firm handles virtually all types of injury cases, regardless of cause.

• Automobile Accidents - This firm has handled thousands of automobile accident cases to successful conclusions. These cases have become much more common due to increased traffic volume in Livingston and surrounding parishes.

• 18-Wheeler Accidents - Due to our area's large number of petroleum refineries, chemical plants, large retailers, and interstate highways which dissect Livingston and surrounding parishes, there are may 18-Wheeler's hauling products on the same roadways our residents use. All too frequently some of those 18-wheelers causing accidents, resulting in injury, and sometimes even death to our citizens. Such collisions occur so frequently that extra training concerning these accidents has been had by this firm.

• Motorcycle Accidents - More that 80% of multiple vehicle accidents involving motorcyclists are not the biker's fault. On average, 2,000 motorcyclists are killed each year and 50,000 are injured. These accidents are usually caused by other motorist or defective roadway conditions. This firm can lead you to recover all you are entitle to for your injuries. More than most, motorcyclist should have uninsured and underinsured-motorist coverage as well as large limits of medical payments coverage.

• Medical Malpractice - According to the American Medical Association, as amazing as it seems, medical malpractice results in the deaths of over 225,000 people each year. Many more than that are injured but recover. Medical malpractice is the third leading cause of death in the United States, behind only heart disease and cancer. Studies suggest that 1/2% - 1% of all patients who enter hospitals are injured or killed die to medical malpractice. 5.1% of doctors account for 54.2% of malpractice payouts. Medical costs have increased by 113% since 1987 while the amount spent on medical malpractice has risen only 52% during the same period.
  
  Medical malpractice is defined as a failure of a doctor to exercise the degree of care and skill that a physician or surgeon of the same medical specialty would use under similar circumstances. The same rule applies to other healthcare providers in other areas of medicine and medical treatment.
  
  The first step in pursuing a medical malpractice case is suspecting that one may have been a victim of medical malpractice. While not every bad result is due to medical malpractice, one who develops a "gut feeling" that something was wrong should consult a qualified attorney to review the matter. The process often involves obtaining and reviewing medical records and other pertinent information and consulting with medical professionals. If it is determined that one has a good case, the next step is usually to give written notice to a Louisiana state agency which will notify those suspected of being liable for the malpractice.

• Defective Products - Recovery for injuries which result from defective products may be based on various theories including: (1) the product being unreasonable dangerous in construction or composition, (2) being improperly designed, (3) failure of the manufacturer to warn of a product's dangerous characteristic, (4) the product not living up to the warrantees made by the manufacturer. There special laws governing recovery in this known as the "Louisiana Products Liability Act" (LPLA).

• Falls, Trips and Slips - Most injuries resulting from slipping are due to liquids on the floor or tripping over objects in large grocery stores, such as Albertsons and in retailers such as Wal-Mart. Recognizing this, these types of stores have placed pressure on our legislators to make recovery by those who slip or trip and fall in their stores difficult. This after inviting you there via advertising and then placing products in their stores above the floor in such a manner that they will attract customer attention.
  
  One of the unfair requirements set forth in the statute they had passed, La. R.S. 2800.6, requires the person who fell to prove that "...the merchant either created or had actual or constructive notice of the condition which caused the damage, prior to its occurrence." That is, the person who fell must prove what happened prior to the time they reached the location of the fall, or possibly before they even reached the store. Despite this unfair requirement, sometimes it is provable that the hazard existed long enough that the retailer should have known about in (constructive notice), for example, where a liquid was melting or slowly leaking from a container. Other times you can prove that the merchant's employee place a product in a position such that it would leak.

• Animals - There is one rule applicable to dogs, and another which applies to other animals. The law specifically states that a dog owner is "...strictly liable for damages or injuries to persons or property caused by the dog..." The dog owner is, however, not responsible if the dog is provoked and there is some language that may allow another defense. In order to recover for damages and injuries caused by other animals, one must prove that the owner "...knew or...should have known that his animal's behavior would cause damage..." and that the owner could have prevented the damage by exercising reasonable care, but did not. Owners of wild animals are absolutely liable for damages caused by their animals.

• Drugs - Some of the drugs presently involved in litigation or under investigation are:
  
  Benzene - This is a chemical employed in certain industrial plants effecting workers and nearby residents. It evaporates into the air very quickly.
  
  Bextra - This drug, which has been prescribed widely, has caused problems in patients with higher cardiovascular risks including heart attacks, strokes, and other serious cardiovascular events as well as serious allergic reactions.
  
  Celebrex - This drug acts similarly to Bextra in the body and produces largely the same effects
  
  Hormone Replacement Therapy - A study involving Prempro and a placebo in women showed that women taking the hormone had a 26% increase in breast cancer, 29% increase in heart attacks, 22% increase in cardiovascular disease and a 41% increase in strokes and a doubling rate of blood clots. Other hormone replacement drugs are Premarin and Premphase which appear to cause similar effects.
  
  Serevent - This drug has been used for the treatment of asthma and it is found that it may be associated with an increased risk of asthma-related deaths.
  
  Serzone - This is a prescription drug manufactured by Bristol-Myers for the treatment of depression. Side effects include possible liver necrosis and failure, agitation, dizziness, unsteadiness, difficulty concentrating, memory problems, confusion, severe nausea, gastroenteritis, abdominal pain, urination difficulties, fainting, skin hives, and jaundice effects as well as increased and decreased appetite.
  
  Vioxx - Used widely in patients at higher cardiovascular risks and produces heart attacks, strokes, and serious cardiovascular effects, including serious allergic reactions.
   

Call us regardless of what caused injury to you or someone you know.

The Cascio Law firm can handle your
injury case from beginning to end.

Get 'er done with Don!

J. Donald Cascio
555 S. Range Ave
Denham Springs, LA 70726

(225) 664-7176