San Jose Personal Injury Lawyers
Van Der Walde & Associates In the News
Paul Van Der Walde Lectures at Event Sponsored by the American National Insurance Company
October 15, 2011
Paul Van Der Walde has been handling personal injury cases for two decades and in the process, has acquired substantial expertise in the area of insurance law and insurance claims. In 2011, Mr. Van Der Walde was approached by Lou Copato, a representative of American National Insurance Company, who asked Paul to give a lecture on some current auto insurance issues facing injured parties in their claims with insurance companies. Paul was happy to oblige and on October 15, 2011, he spoke to a crowded room at an event sponsored by American National Insurance Company to help educate consumers and those involved in insurance claims. Topics included insurance limits, the risk of personal exposure to at-fault parties, negligent entrustment, reckless driving, and new developments in the law affecting payment of medical bills. Some highlights of the lecture were Paul explaining why purchasing a minimum auto insurance policy is never a good idea (i.e. an individual may open up personal assets or even home equity to exposure); when uninsured/underinsured or umbrella policies come into play; and what happens to minors and their families when a minor causes a serious accident, among a host of other issues. Paul finished with an informative discussion of two important cases affecting insurance law--Hanif v. Housing Authority and Howell v. Hamilton Meats. He specifically addressed the difficult problem of how medical bills are addressed in an insurance claim when there are several sources or insurance policies responsible for paying the bills. All parties agreed the event was a success and everyone involved hopes to continue these types of lectures in the future.
Lawsuit beginning over broken wheelchair lift
Palo Alto Weekly
Publication Date: Friday, January 09, 2004
News digest
A lawsuit filed by Joe Villareal, a politically active Palo Alto resident, over an allegedly faulty wheelchair lift at Rinconada Pool will go to trial next week.
Villareal's lawsuit alleges the lift broke as he was preparing to enter the pool on May 30, 2001. A bolt broke apart, "flying into the pool," causing the lift's seat to fall to the ground, taking Villareal with it, according to his attorney, Paul Van Der Walde.
Since the incident, Villareal suffered a "series of debilitating consequences," including an endless cycle of spasms and pain, the attorney said.
The city admits it's at fault, and the only remaining question is how much money Villareal will get, Van Der Walde said.
The city attorney's office did not return a call for comment as of press time. Van Der Walde would not say exactly how much they are requesting, but pointed out that Villareal's future related medical expenses will be in the "hundreds of thousands of dollars."
The trial begins Monday in Santa Clara County Superior Court in San Jose. -- Bill D'Agostino
