Losing a job is a scary prospect for nearly everyone. You’re worrying about your source of income, finding a new job, and the time it’s going to take to have everything settled again. There are some situations where you may understand why you lost your job, but this isn’t always true. You may wonder what led to your termination, and if it was a legal termination.

If you’re thinking your employer fired you illegally in West Virginia, a Charleston wrongful termination lawyer from DiPiero Simmons McGinley & Bastress, PLLC may be able to help. We understand this situation is difficult and want to make your voice heard. Employers cannot wrongfully terminate their employees and not be held accountable for their actions.

West Virginia has faced the brunt of the opioid epidemic with 261 tri-county overdoses in 2016, and the highest overdose rate in the nation. You may wonder why this particular state was struggling the most with opioid addiction and overdose problems. Recently, a congressional committee found that drug companies have shipped 20.8 million prescription painkillers to two pharmacies to a town in West Virginia with 2,900 people over the past ten years. The pharmacies are a mere four blocks apart.

Williamson in Mingo County received the mass amounts of hydrocodone and oxycodone, far exceeding the amount of people living there and the shipments were never flagged or scrutinized by the drug companies. The House Energy and Commerce Committee is looking at this shipment and past ones to see how many pills were coming in to West Virginia over the past decade. They’re also looking for any correlation to how drug companies may have played a role in the current opioid epidemic.

After a car accident, people often wonder about when they’re going to return to work. This could be because of a financial need or wanting to get back to normalcy. Many people return to work too quickly because they’re worried about their employer or fellow coworkers judging them for taking time off work to recover.

If you’ve been in a car accident in West Virginia, a Charleston car crash lawyer can help you get compensation for your injuries. You won’t have the financial pressure to go back to work too early. The injury attorneys at DiPiero Simmons McGinley & Bastress, PLLC believe in standing up for those who can’t stand up for themselves. We’ll do all we can to get you the justice you deserve.

With 2018 well underway, DiPiero Simmons McGinley & Bastress, PLLC is proud to announce that we’re sponsoring a few events in our community of Charleston, West Virginia. We value uplifting and sponsoring other organizations in our community because it’s important to help those who are providing and supporting others.

Hospice Tennis Tournament

This weekend we are sponsoring the Hospice Tennis Tournament at the Charleston Tennis Center. HospiceCare offers quality hospice and palliative care, and grief and loss programs. Their work is centered around helping our patients live comfortable and with dignity. Sponsoring the tennis tournament helps them hold an event to spread awareness and information about their services.

Recently, nine West Virginia drug treatment programs were set to get $20.8 million that will go to additional treatment beds. State lawmakers set aside this money from lawsuit settlements that stated drug companies influenced the opioid epidemic.

Places receiving funding include Living Free Ohio Valley, Mountaineer Behavioral Health, St. Joseph Recovery Center, Westbrook Health Services, Valley HealthCare System, West Virginia University Research Corp., Marshall University Physicians and Surgeons, WestCare West Virginia, and Southern West Virginia Treatment Through Recovery Continuum.

Since the rise of people taking prescribed opioids, addiction has increased in the U.S. In 2012, it was estimated that 2.1 million people in the country abuse opioids. West Virginia is one of the states the epidemic has hit the hardest.

The opioid epidemic continues to hurt Americans through addiction and overdoses. Drug manufacturing companies are facing scrutiny about withholding information about how opioids work and how easy it is for people to become addicted. As more people are questioning drug companies and thinking they could have provided more information that could have prevented addictions and overdoses, more legal options are opening up and becoming available. If your health has suffered due to a prescription opioid dependence you feel could have been prevented, our Charleston opioid litigation lawyers may be able to help.

Concussions occur when your head is hit or shaken roughly. Traumatic brain injuries like concussions need immediate medical attention and treatment because they affect how your brain functions. People might have issues with cognitive functions and balance. Concussions have a few telling symptoms to look out for, like headaches, confusion, dizziness, fatigue, and nausea.

These injuries can be painful and it’s stressful to think about recovering when it wasn’t your fault. Paying for brain accident injuries shouldn’t fall on you. With the right legal help, you won’t have to worry about medical expenses. At DiPiero Simmons McGinley & Bastress, PLLC, we can pair you with a Charleston brain injury lawyer who has the experience and expertise your case needs. Our personal injury firm understand what you’re going through and want to help you get back on your feet.

Truck drivers are often caught in a predicament: do what their company tells them to and receive work, or comply with the law and risk punishment from their company. They’re caught in an impossible situation. Many choose to keep their heads down and try to fight through the fatigue, but this is easier said than done. As trucking agencies demand their workers to drive past legal regulations, they risk the lives of everyone on the road.

The port trucking companies in Los Angeles put their drivers in dangerous situations and aren’t showing signs of stopping. Some of their truckers’ shifts can run for 20 hours a day in a six-day work week. While some truckers have admitted to breaking fatigue laws in the event of tragic accidents, trucking agencies continue to push their drivers far past their limits.

In an era when our nursing homes and long-term care facilities are already packed to the brim, one risk we must unfortunately consider when we have a loved one in such a facility is the risk of nursing home abuse or neglect. When facilities are understaffed and employees are overworked, abuse and neglect are very real risks—and do happen in West Virginia facilities as well as nationwide.

One of the ways the U.S. government has helped combat instances of abuse and neglect in nursing homes is by putting heavy violations and fines in place that facilities are forced to pay if they fail to pass regular, randomized health and safety inspections. These measures help ensure our loved ones are safe even when we can’t be there for them. Serious consequences like heavy fines make sure facilities do what needs to be done to prioritize resident safety.

In 2014, there were 3,978 crashes that involved trucks and buses. While this is a decrease from 2013, the crash number is still high.

Truck drivers struggle with driving for long periods and unable to find adequate places to stop and rest when they get tired. As a result, many drivers keep going even though they’re exhausted because they need to find a place to pull over. This makes them unsafe drivers and a danger to themselves and others on the road.