Houses are adorned with bright, colorful lights, the air bites your nose when you venture outside, and you probably have an ongoing list of gift ideas for family and friends. The holiday season is here and we couldn’t be more excited.

The holidays are a time of celebration and cheer where we spend quality time with loved ones. In this special part of the year, we observe many traditions, including exchanging gifts and eating delicious food. But our local Charleston community will also have fun holiday activities you can participate in. Check out events and shows you can see, great local food, where you can find holiday gifts, and get your perfect Christmas tree. Enjoy our Charleston holiday guide below, and if there’s anything you’d like us to add, get in touch!

Preparing to have a child is often one of the scariest and most exciting times in anyone’s life. When it comes time to bring the baby into the world, many births run smoothly for the mother and infant. But what happens when things go wrong? Who should be held accountable for birth injuries? Our Charleston birth injury lawyers are prepared to find you the much needed answers to those questions.

Why Birth Injuries Occur

Birth injuries can lead to serious, lifelong consequences. According to the National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report, six to eight of every 1,000 infants are born with a birth injury. Women between the ages of 25 and 34 are more likely to sustain a birth injury when they have a birthing tool-assisted delivery.

Recreational vehicles offer a lot for people who want to travel on the road. People can travel to various campgrounds or drive until they get to their desired location or see something interesting. But accidents do occur with these vehicles. Unfortunately, RV accident can cause serious injuries and damages because of the RV’s size and weight. If you were injured in an accident involving an RV, a West Virginia personal injury lawyer from DiPiero Simmons McGinley & Bastress, PLLC can help you.

When a serious accident occurs, you may have piling medical bills while you’re trying to recover. Missing work usually adds to this stressful situation. But you don’t have to go through this alone. DiPiero Simmons McGinley & Bastress, PLLC is ready to help you stand up to negligent drivers and hold them accountable for their actions. We will fight to get you compensation that covers pain and suffering, medical expenses, lost wages, and property damage.

Responsible drivers understand that drinking and driver should never mix; however, there are individuals out there that choose to disregard this knowledge. When they drive drunk, they’re putting their lives and the lives of others at risk. If you’ve been injured in a crash involving an intoxicated driver, our Charleston drunk driving accident lawyers are prepared to provide you with the legal support and guidance you need to aid in your recovery.

While the legal limit of blood alcohol concentration is 0.08 percent, alcohol begins to affect the brain at 0.02 percent. At this point, visual functions and judgment abilities begin to decline. As a person drinks more, their coordination worsens and their reaction times slow. When a person hits the legal limit and decides to get behind the wheel, their ability to concentrate declines, they experience short-term memory loss, they are unable to control their speeds, and their self-control is impaired.

Addiction is a scary and serious thing that can ruin lives or end them. But most people got opioids from legal prescriptions. Without the proper education, they may have taken these drugs and not known about the high risk for developing a dependency. That’s progressed to people having an addiction to these drugs and needing to find more. If you’ve been harmed by opioid abuse, you may have grounds for a claim.

What Factors Led to the Crisis?

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), about 80 percent of heroin users misused prescription opioids before using heroin. Opioid drug overdoses kill about 116 people a day. With frightening numbers like these, one has to wonder how the problem got to this point.

There are many factors that have contributed to the country’s current opioid epidemic. Doctors prescribed opioid drugs more feely in the past to treat pain. But they didn’t have all the information about the risk of prescribing these highly addictive drugs. Patients developed addictions and had to seek to alternatives to feed their addiction when the prescription ran out.

Losing a loved one is never easy; however, the loss can be even harder to cope with if the death was unexpected and preventable. Car accidents injure thousands and take the lives of hundreds in West Virginia each year. In order to deal with the grief and pain associated with the wrongful death, you may benefit from understanding why the accident occurred.

In 2016, there were 250 fatal crashes in West Virginia. As a result, 269 individuals lost their lives. Many of these accidents could have been prevented. As a responsible citizen and driver, it’s important to recognize why these fatal accidents happen, so you can take steps to aid in the prevention of these occurrences.

When dealing with insurance companies, it’s important to remember that they’re not looking out for your rights or best interests. They will make more money when you get less. Your actions and statements can be used against you to lower your compensation. This can be intimidating and make communicating with insurance companies more difficult while you’re already trying to recover from a car accident.

DiPiero Simmons McGinley & Bastress, PLLC has protected the rights of citizens from West Virginia for years. We know how speaking to insurance companies is a tenuous situation. Our lawyers can speak to the insurance companies on your behalf so you don’t have to deal with the hassle. We’ll make sure to fight for your rights and to get you compensation that covers pain and suffering, medical expenses, lost wages or loss of earnings, and more.

West Virginia employees are protected from mistreatment under state and federal employment laws. If you feel as though your employer has violated these laws, contact our West Virginia employment lawyer to find out about holding your employer accountable for their actions.

You may hear discrimination and harassment used interchangeably; however, legally they have their own significant meanings. If you feel as though you’ve been mistreated in the workplace, you’ll need to understand how you’ve been mistreated. We’ll go over the distinctions between discrimination and harassment so that when you’re ready to contact us and file your claim, you’ll have an idea of what to expect.

Whether an accident happens in a parking lot, an intersection, or on a highway, many people get in car collisions every day. While there are situations where it’s clear that you need to call 911, accidents where everyone seems fine may be a bit more confusing. There can be an instance where the collision doesn’t seem that bad, none of the parties involved believe to have any major injuries and are willing to exchange important information so everyone can report back to the insurance companies.

But this decision may make your claims process slower or more difficult to prove that you’re not at fault for the accident. In these cases, you may not know what to do next. It’s important to remember that you’re not alone and there are people who can help you with your claim. A West Virginia car accident injury lawyer from DiPiero Simmons McGinley & Bastress, PLLC will fight for your rights and hold the correct party responsible for their actions.

If you or a loved one have been injured while under the care of a healthcare professional, you may have grounds for a medical malpractice case. While medical errors happen for a variety of reasons, there is never an excuse.

If you find yourself seeking legal guidance after a medical malpractice event, it’s likely you’ll realize just how complex these cases can be. At DiPiero Simmons McGinley & Bastress, PLLC, we’ll make these complicated legal matters easy to understand. Let’s start by going over the why most medical malpractice claims are considered civil cases.