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Archive for April, 2009
The Signs of Child Care Abuse
There are signals and subtle signs that a parent should be aware of if they suspect their child is being abused at a day care facility.
While it isn’t always obvious that your child is being abused at a day care facility, there are some things that will tell you something is definitely wrong. “The abuse may be one or more of several types - verbal, physical or sexual abuse, and neglect,” outlined Lance Sharp of The Sharp Firm in Austin, Texas.
Emotional or verbal abuse usually comes in the form of words, meaning the abuser says things to the child that causes emotional or mental harm. Physical abuse is fairly clear, in that it means the abuser is intentionally hurting a child. There are also two forms of sexual abuse, non-contact and contact.
“In situations dealing with non-contact sexual abuse, the perpetrator is showing a child pornographic behavior using videos, pictures, or putting on a live demonstration,” said Sharp. Contact sexual abuse involves the offender forcing the child to perform sex acts alone or with others, or the perpetrator sexually touching the victim.
Neglect is fairly easy to identify and comes in the form of the day care not providing a safe environment for children and not providing proper shelter, food or attention. Of course, any of these situations may cause mental, emotional and physical damage to the victims.
Be aware of these warning signs that show something may be wrong with a child. There will be a change in the child’s behavior and they are suddenly too quiet or are acting out more than they ever did before. They may fight and cry more often, come home with different injuries daily or weekly, insist they don’t want to go to day care and if pushed, pitch a tantrum.
If there is a suspicion of abuse, do not wait to consult with a highly skilled attorney who will assess the case when the full details are provided. Waiting will only prolong a child’s discomfort, pain and fear. An experienced child day care abuse lawyer has the ability to get to the heart of the matter in a way that will comfort both parents and the child involved.
Speaking to Lance and Laura Sharp of The Sharp Firm in Austin, Texas, is one of the smartest moves a person could make. The Sharps have over 40 years combined legal experience and know precisely how to handle these kinds of exceedingly delicate cases.
To learn more about Austin personal injury lawyer, Austin injury lawyer, Austin personal injury, visit Sharpfirm.com.
Sexual Abuse Begins at Home
Statistics have proven time and again that most instances of sexual abuse happen at home, within the family unit. The “stranger” scenario, while possible, does not happen very often.
“The actual facts of the crime of child sexual abuse show that close to 80% of children who do suffer abuse, do so at the hands of a family member,” explained Lance Sharp of the Sharp Firm of Austin, Texas. Further, roughly 19% are abused by peripheral members familiar to the family unit – meaning a good friend, a known and trusted coach, minister, cub or scout leader, etc.
The percentage of children abused by total strangers runs in the area of approximately 1%. While this doesn’t make the numbers any less horrific, it does point out that the myth stating most sexual abuse cases are perpetrated by strangers is just that – a myth. “The problem is that the media makes a huge issue of stranger sexual abuse cases, as it sells papers,” said Sharp, who has, with his partner, Laura Sharp, over 40 years combined legal experience.
Many people also make the mistake of thinking that sexual abuse is something that only happens to smaller children. “This is not the case. It happens at any age and if not stopped, often continues until the child is able to leave the family home,” explained Lance Sharp. If it isn’t bad enough that abuse happens at home, many of today’s youngsters are also exposed to people trolling the Internet for “game,” to abuse. Whether that happens online or offline often depends on if the child is convinced to meet the predator.
Speaking of online stalking for abuse victims, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children discovered during a survey of 13 to 17 year olds, that virtually 4% of them did meet an Internet friend in person. A staggering 30% opined they’d considered meeting someone they only know over the Internet, and over 71% said they got messages from people they didn’t know, who were them asking personal questions. Those kinds of statistics drive cold fear into the heart of any parent with children, and at the Sharp Firm, Lance and Laura Sharp know these issues and how to deal with them professionally and with dignity.
No matter how a child comes to be a victim of sexual abuse, there comes a time when the family needs to consult with a compassionate and skilled attorney. Choose one who has a demonstrated track record in dealing with issues of this nature, an attorney with the sensitivity to deal with the many heart-wrenching issues that cases such as this encompass. One such firm of Austin, Texas attorneys is Lance and Laura Sharp of the Sharp Firm.
To learn more about Austin personal injury lawyer, Austin injury lawyer, Austin personal injury, visit Sharpfirm.com.
How to Handle Car Insurance Disputes
If you’re getting the run around from your car insurance company, you are not alone. This happens far more than you would like to think, but don’t just sit there and take it.
If you are having a tough time with your car insurance company, sit back for a minute and just review all the things that have happened to you before you reached your boiling point of frustration. If calling a highly skilled car insurance dispute attorney was not one of the things you did, it’s still not too late to call an attorney.
If you’re really tired of being ignored, having everything you try to do stalled in neutral, and are sick of disputing with your insurance company, there are some things you may do to help yourself. Just remember, the best insurance is a competent lawyer who will get things moving for you because they understand the system inside out.
We’re going to tell you about some things you are able to do on your own, but will also encourage you to take detailed notes. Your notes will help your lawyer piece together the history of how your claim was handled. You may certainly call the claims department yourself; after all, your insurance premiums pay their salaries. Did they give you a rough time? Get the person’s name and speak to their supervisor.
If you march down to the insurance company and take any documents with you, make sure you have the right ones, and that they prove the point you want to make. Don’t take no for an answer and speak directly to your assigned insurance adjuster. Follow up your “in person appointment” with an email outlining everything you spoke about. Again, remember to keep copies of everything you sent, as well as notes about what was said.
If dealing with your insurance agent is like beating your head against a brick wall, it’s time to head for the complaint department. Repeat the above process and keep notes, complete with times and dates. If there is still no resolution of your complaint, it’s time for the big guns – the local Insurance Department.
Often you may file a complaint with them online, but don’t expect a resolution within a few days, as it often takes longer than 30 days for anything to happen (and not always in your favor). However, having said that, by the time you get this far you are likely realizing your best route to solve your insurance claim dispute would have been to contact a skilled insurance attorney.
While the Insurance Department does pack a lot of power in terms of disciplining insurers, having an attorney represent you is even more effective and more often than not, takes less time.
Lance Sharp of The Sharp Firm is an Austin personal injury lawyer specializing in personal injury and accident law in Austin Texas. The lawyers at The Sharp Firm have a collective 40 years experience in being Austin injury lawyers. To learn more about Austin personal injury lawyer, Austin injury lawyer, Austin personal injury, visit Sharpfirm.com.
Help Yourself in Health Insurance Disputes
If you’ve heard it once, you must have heard it a hundred times – your Mom’s, Dad’s, brother’s, sister’s, neighbor’s, or your own health insurance claim was denied. Either this gets resolved, or you get hung with the bill that has to be paid out-of-pocket.
Is there anything you are able to do to give the system a boot and get it to cough up a decision in your favor? Yes, there are several things you are able to do for yourself, however to cut to the chase and get fast results, hire an experienced insurance attorney. Attorneys who have a track record in dealing with health insurance claims are worth their weight in gold in getting you a satisfactory resolution to your claim dispute.
In the meantime, here are some of the things you may do to get things moving. The first thing on your list should be talk to your health insurance provider and get them to review the denial. It may be just a simple error that can be chalked up to the use of the wrong diagnostic code.
If you are making these kinds of phone calls, make a record of them, including to whom you spoke and what they said, etc. In any event, if the claims review is a bust, you may opt to start the formal claims review process. To do this, if you happen to get health insurance through your workplace, get some advice from them. Also, check back with your doctor and get a letter outlining why you needed a specific treatment.
If none of this works, you do have the option of going higher up the chain of command in the health insurance company and speak to a Claims Manager; however, this might be the point to cut your losses and call an experienced attorney. An insurance attorney will be able to cut through a lot more red tape than you are able to do on your own, and in a lot less time.
If there is one thing that health insurance companies don’t like, it’s pressure to settle up and do right by their customers. If you have a skilled health insurance lawyer on your side, the pressure to settle or be sued is often a deciding factor in your favor.
Lance Sharp of The Sharp Firm is an Austin personal injury lawyer specializing in personal injury and accident law in Austin Texas. The lawyers at The Sharp Firm have a collective 40 years experience in being Austin injury lawyers. To learn more about Austin personal injury lawyer, Austin injury lawyer, Austin personal injury, visit Sharpfirm.com.
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