Indiana Injury Lawyer Blog

I have been a personal injury attorney at the law firm Parr Richey Obremskey Frandsen & Patterson for the past 30 years. Insurance companies and their clients have ignored the facts about personal injury litigation and propagate the myth that frivolous claims threaten society. In fact, insurance companies only pay for harm caused by their insured. Claims that have no substance--if they exist--are dismissed by the court or are lost at trial.

I responded to a recent newspaper editorial written under the headline: "Lawyers, spurious lawsuits threaten a potential civic disaster". Too many newspaper editors have fallen prey to the propaganda campaigns of insurance companies who try to poison the perception of the public--and potential jurors in our community--about the impact of litigation on our society. In fact, our homes, cars, products and lives are safer because personal injury lawyers hold manufacuturers and others accountable for their misconduct.

Attached is my entire letter to the Editor for the Lebanon Reporter:

Continue reading "The myth about frivolous lawsuits--what insurance companies don't tell you" »

The recent multiple vehicle, snowstorm accidents on I-69 near Indianapolis that resulted in two deaths and numerous injuries were a somber reminder for one of our clients. The headline story for the Sunday edition of the Indianapolis Star on Feb.15, describing the accounts, closecalls and ironies of some of the 34 drivers and victims involved in the Feb. 3 catastrophic pileup, was even harder to absorb.

On Feb. 14, 2006, Kevin Minglin was returning home from work on southbound I-69 just south of mile marker 8 when he was struck head-on by an oncoming vehicle. The other vehicle had lost control and crossed the center median. Because of recent heavy snow, the center median was packed up to and over the guardrail, permitting the car to "fly" over the guardrail and into the windshield of the Minglin car. Numerous vehicles were involved, and Kevin was killed instantly, leaving behing his wife and 2 teenage girls.

Over the past 2 years, the Minglin women have been forced to move on with their lives, but Kevin remains in their thoughts daily. Although our firm was able to help them secure a settlement with the insurance company that has made them financially secure, their lives have been filled with events that are constant reminders of their loss.

This past Sunday's story moved us to consider again the "what-ifs" that might have prevented Kevin Minglin's death. What if he had left work at his normal time, instead of helping "one more account" to make the customer happy? What if he hadn't called home on his cell phone moments before the collision--would he have been in a different lane or gone a little faster, and been out of harm's way? What if he hadn't slowed to let a car pass him moments before? If the snow hadn't been packed in the median, would the other car have collided with the guardrail instead of going over it?

Snow and speed killed Kevin Minglin, too. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. But his family's faith has allowed them to accept that it couldn't have been avoided.

The Indianapolis and Lebanon Indiana law firm of Parr Richey Obremskey & Morton has been renamed as of January 1, 2009. The firm's new name will be Parr Richey Obremskey Frandsen & Patterson. While the name has changed, the firm will still offer the same services and continue representing personal injury victims. Pete Obremskey, Paul Kruse and Tony Patterson are the firm's accident and injury lawyers and have combined experience of over 80 years helping accident victims and their families.

This past Friday, September 5th, Indiana Trial Lawyers Association (“ITLA”) presented an all-day seminar entitled “Personal Injury Trials from Start to Finish” at the ISTA Conference Center in downtown Indianapolis.

Tony Patterson (seminar chair) and Paul Kruse, both attorneys from the law firm Parr Richey Obremskey & Morton, as well as six other central Indiana attorneys addressed roughly twenty attendees on a range of topics associated with personal injury trials. Topics included: motions in limine and pre-trial evidentiary issues; presenting compelling opening statements; effective uses of lay witness testimony and dealing with defense and surprise witnesses; trying a personal injury case from the defense perspective; utilizing technology exhibits on a budget at trial; choosing your experts and effectively presenting testimony; dealing with the defenses’ medical examiners; and effective use of testimony, jury instructions and demonstrative evidence during closing argument.

The Indiana Trial Lawyers Association overwhelmingly supported a proposed addition to the Indiana Rules of Professional Conduct which would prevent lawyers from contacting potential injury victims through direct solicitation for at least thirty days following an accident. ITLA Board Members, Peter Obremskey, Paul Kruse and Tony Patterson of PARR RICHEY all voted in favor of the proposed rule.