Serious personal injury can be one of the most traumatic events in a person's life, and often carries the potential for devastating, permanent consequences. In addition to the anguish and loss of the event itself, people are often forced to make important legal, medical, and economic decisions at an extremely vulnerable time.

During such times of crisis, these difficult choices should not be faced alone; the expert advice of a knowledgeable professional is crucial to protecting the rights and future well-being of victims and their families.

As a skilled Memphis Personal Injury Attorney with 14 years of experience, I have established a well-deserved reputation as one of the most effective and highly-respected personal injury lawyers in Memphis and throughout Tennessee. I have a great deal of expertise in a number of different areas of law relating to personal injuries, including:

• Vehicle Accidents
  
• Slip & Fall/Premises Liability 
• Medical Malpractice
• Defective Products/Products Liability
• Wrongful Deaths
• Dog Bites
• Aviation Disasters

 

In the legal community, I am recognized as an aggressive litigator, renowned for my preparation, attention to detail and zealous advocacy for every client. I regularly appear before state and federal courts, at both the trial and appellate levels, striving to enforce significant and important changes in the way municipalities, physicians, commercial landowners, employers, and insurance companies treat personal injury and wrongful death victims throughout Tennessee.

As my clients attest, I constantly strive to provide the quality representation that you deserve by building and maintaining a good relationship; keeping you informed of developments in your matter; ensuring that you understand the legal process and options that become available to you; and by not resolving a case without your approval.

As an experienced Memphis Personal Injury Attorney, I know that hard work, compassion and attention to detail form the foundation of every successful settlement or verdict. While I work hard to negotiate favorable settlements, I am always prepared to take a case to trial in order to protect a client's rights and ensure his or her fair treatment.

If you or someone you know in Tennessee needs the assistance of an experienced Memphis Personal Injury Attorney, please call Richard Rikard today at 866-435-3781, or complete the contact form provided on this site to schedule your free consultation.

Practice Areas and Legal Definitions

Medical Malpractice:
Medical malpractice is the failure of a health care provider to follow the accepted standards of practice of his or her profession in the community where the service is rendered. If a physician was careless, lacked proper skills or disregarded standardized rules resulting in injury to a patient, a jury may find the health care provider liable for negligence. Hospitals can also be held liable for the negligence of their employees, including staff nurses and technicians.

Examples of Medical Malpractice include:

• Failing to diagnose a tumor while reading an x-ray
• Puncturing a nearby organ or tissue during surgery
• Failing to order necessary and appropriate medical tests
• Failing to diagnose a condition in time to treat it properly
• Failing to refer a case to a medical specialist
• Prescribing incorrect medication
• Brain Injury
• Birth Injury
• Cerebral Palsy
• Incorrect diagnosis that results in a failure to treat a medical condition
• Failing to properly administer anesthesia
• Emergency room negligence
• Dental Malpractice
• Cosmetic Surgery Malpractice

• Birth Injury: Birth injury malpractice is the failure of an obstetrician to properly perform his or her duties; i.e. failure to administer blood tests to detect abnormalities that can result in death or serious injury to both the mother and fetus. If you have been injured because of improper medical care you may have a claim against the obstetrician/gynecologist who treated you. However, statutes of limitations bar the filing of claims after a certain period of time following the negligent act.
• Cerebral Palsy: Cerebral palsy is permanent brain injuries that affect an infant in the womb, during birth, or in the months following birth and is one of the most common birth injuries in the United States.  Cerebral palsy patients are subject to limited motor skills, speech difficulties and learning disabilities. When cerebral palsy occurs as the result of medical malpractice, the responsible party inflicting said injuries can be held legally responsible. Examples of medical malpractice during delivery include leaving the baby in the birth canal too long resulting in oxygen deprivation, and/or failing to perform or delaying a necessary C-section.
• Anesthesia Negligence: Medical malpractice injuries can occur when anesthesia is improperly given or not given in a timely manner to a patient during a surgical procedure. If the failure of the anesthesiologist is the cause of injury or death to a patient, damages may be recoverable under the laws of medical malpractice.

Slip and Fall/Premises Liability:
Slip and fall accidents can happen anywhere and can cause serious personal injury. Most slip and falls happen in commercial settings, such as grocery stores, drug stores, office buildings, construction sites, gas stations and malls, but they also happen on private property. Premises Liability accidents can include toxic exposure, animal attacks, swimming pool accidents and amusement park ride accidents. In any event, there exist duties on the part of the property owners to maintain the property responsibly and avoid the existence of hazardous conditions.

Dangerous or defective conditions may be large or small, temporary or permanent. Therefore, investigation of the claim is essential to a successful case. Temporary conditions such as water on the floor of a grocery store, or snow and ice on the stairs of a restaurant need to be investigated quickly.

Insurance Claims:
Insurance claims are a notice for reimbursement from an insurance company when the insured has suffered a loss that is covered under the insurance policy. Insurance companies cannot refuse to pay a customer's claim without "reasonable justification." This means that an insurance company must engage in a reasonable investigation and pay legitimate claims in a timely manner. If an insurance company fails to handle its customer's claim properly, it may be held accountable for resulting economic losses, including lost wages, interest on money the insured borrowed to cover expenses while insurance benefits were wrongfully withheld, and loss due to damaged credit.

Vehicle Accidents:
Legal claims that arise from vehicle accidents are typically governed by the law of negligence. Any individual who negligently operates a motor vehicle may be required to pay damages to an injured victim. A personal injury case involving a vehicle accident may become formalized through civil court proceedings or may be resolved through an informal settlement before a lawsuit is filed. Vehicle accidents can include:

• admiralty and maritime law
• ATV accidents
• automobile accidents
• aviation accidents
• bicycle accidents
• boating accidents
• commercial bus accidents
• cruise ship accidents
• intersection accidents
• motorcycle accidents
• pedestrian accidents
• rear end collisions
• semi-tractor trailer accidents
• school bus accidents
• SUV rollover accidents
• train accidents
• truck accidents
• yacht accidents

The surviving family members of a fatally injured accident victim may be able to bring wrongful death charges against the defendant.

Automobile Accidents:
A car accident is a collision involving an automobile and anything that causes damage to the automobile, including other automobiles, telephone poles, buildings and trees. Sometimes a car accident may also refer to an automobile striking a human or animal. Car accidents — also called traffic collisions, auto accidents, road accidents, personal injury collisions, motor vehicle accidents and crashes — kill an estimated 1.2 million people worldwide each year, and injure about forty times this number.

SUV Rollovers:
Although SUV rollovers do not occur as often as other automobile accidents, when they do occur they have a higher chance of resulting in serious injury or death, and are considered to be the most fatal type of vehicle accident on national roadways. According to the Federal Highway Administration, SUV rollover accidents account for more than side and rear fatal vehicles combined and SUV's are three times more likely than the average passenger car rollover. 

Although SUV's were designed primarily for the purpose of off-roading, manufacturers have since discovered their immense popularity as family vehicles. Manufacturers have begun removing roll bars in current models. SUV seat structures are not designed to keep occupants in place during a rollover regardless if seatbelts are worn. Vehicle roofs, windshields and side windows easily collapse, increasing the risk of occupant head, brain and spinal cord and back injuries. While the body of an SUV remains the same as it would if used for off-roading, the removal of the roll bars, combined with the high center gravity due to multiple passengers, make rollover accidents and occupant ejection that much more likely to prove fatal.

Defective Products:
Products liability refers to a manufacturer or seller being held liable for placing a defective product into the hands of a consumer. Products liability cases may include defective or poorly designed machinery, tools, motor vehicle defects, recreational products, pharmaceuticals and other defective products and equipment. A person injured by a defective or dangerous product may be eligible to file a lawsuit for product liability.  Damages can be recovered under one of the following categories:  strict products liability; negligence or breach of warranty.   

Workers' Compensation:
Workers' compensation is insurance that an employer is required by law to carry in case an employee is injured on the job or becomes ill, temporarily or permanently disabled, or fatally injured due to circumstances surrounding his or her job. Although workers' compensation laws vary from state to state, covered medical care generally includes: medical, surgical and hospital services; dental services; crutches; hearing aids; chiropractic treatment; physical therapy; nursing care and prescribed medications. Additional monetary compensation may be provided if an injured employee is temporarily unable to work for more than a certain number of calendar days set by state law, hospitalized as an in-patient, or becomes permanently disabled due to a job-related injury or illness. The right to receive medical treatment at the employer's expense typically continues as long as treatment is reasonable and necessary to treat the injury.

If you or someone you know in Tennessee needs the assistance of an experienced Memphis Personal Injury Attorney, please call Richard Rikard today at 866-435-3781, or complete the contact form provided on this site to schedule your free consultation.

If you or someone you know in Tennessee needs the assistance of an experienced Memphis Personal Injury Attorney, please call Richard Rikard today at 866-435-3781, or complete the contact form provided on this site to schedule your free consultation.

FIRM ADDRESS:
Rikard & Dobson, P.L.L.C.
7515 Corporate Center Drive
Memphis, TN 38138
Phone: 866-435-3781

MEMBERS OF THE FIRM:
Richard L Rikard

EDUCATION:

• University of Memphis, B.S.,1989
• University of Memphis, J.D. 1992

COURTS ADMITTED:

• Tennessee
• United States Court - Western District of Tennessee - 1992
• United States Court of Appeals, 6th Circuit - 1994
• United States Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit - 1994

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS:

• Memphis Bar Association
• Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association
• The Association of Trial Lawyers of America
• Lawyers Involved For Tennessee