Slip And Fall Attorney

Slip and Fall Accidents Often More Serious for the Elderly

by Slip and Fall

Slip And Fall Attorney

Nobody ever enjoys falling—it can take you by surprise, cause both immediate and long-lasting pain, and bruise both your body and your ego. However, if you’re young and spry, you can heal relatively quickly from a lot of slip and fall injuries. Elderly people, on the other hand, are more likely to encounter complications and require medical treatment after this kind of accident.

 

According to the Center for Disease Control, more than 1 in 3 adults 65 and over fall each year, and between 20% and 30% of those people suffer hip fractures, head lacerations, and head trauma. Those injuries can result in costly medical treatment and, if the elderly adult has been living on their own, sometimes makes it difficult for them to continue doing so.

 

Why Fall Risk Increases as We Age

 

One of the most obvious reasons that fall injuries become increasingly likely as we age is because we become more susceptible to breaking bones and don’t heal as quickly as younger people. As you get older, your bone density decreases, making your bones more prone to fracturing on impact.

 

Of course, that’s not the only reason the elderly are more at risk for slip and fall injuries. There are a wide range of risk factors, including:

 

  • Difficulty balancing. There are a number of different balance disorders, such as vertigo and labyrinthitis, which become more common as you age. Dizziness or difficulty maintaining a center of balance can lead elderly people to fall more easily.
  • Limited physical activity. Although some elderly people do make a conscious effort to exercise on a regular basis, others become more sedentary as they age. A lack of regular physical activity leads to muscle atrophy, decreased strength, and loss of flexibility—all of which puts people at greater risk for falls.
  • Vision problems.If an elderly person has difficulty seeing due to cataracts, glaucoma, or other vision problems, they may have trouble seeing potential tripping or slipping hazards around them.
  • Environmental hazards. Sometimes falls are caused by something as seemingly minor as a folded over corner on a rug, an electrical cord on the floor, or an uneven step. If an elderly person falls due to an environmental hazard, the person or organization responsible for keeping that area safe may be liable.

 

How to Reduce the Risk of Falls for the Elderly

 

Personal Injury Attorney

There are steps that both elderly people and their loved ones can take to reduce the odds of experiencing a serious fall. Elderly people can:

 

  • Practice balance exercises for seniors on a regular basis
  • Maintain physical activity by walking, taking a water aerobics class, or playing a sport like tennis
  • Talk to a doctor if they begin experiencing dizziness, vision problems, or other health issues
  • Understand that they may have limits when it comes to certain activities, such as riding an escalator or climbing a ladder, and seek assistance when necessary

 

Family, friends, and caretakers of seniors can also help by:

 

  • Maintaining homes that are free of tripping hazards: remove clutter from walkways, store electrical cords, and make sure rugs are flush with the floor
  • Carefully supervise seniors with dementia when walking in areas with snow or ice, as they may not know to be careful around potential slipping hazards
  • Make sure all staircases have sturdy handrails
  • Install grab bars on the sides of toilets and bath tubs used by seniors
  • Contact a slip and fall lawyer if an elderly loved one falls due to the recklessness or negligence of another person; while a lawyer can’t heal the injury, they can help you recover the compensation you need to cover medical and care expenses

 

The effort it requires to take a few simple precautions is well worth it in order to protect the people you love from the potentially serious injuries of a slip and fall accident.

 

Motorcycle Accident

Common Motorcycle Accident Injuries

by Auto Accidents

Motorcycle Accident

Motorcycles represent power, freedom, and rebellion. More so than with cars, there’s a feeling that you can just hop on your motorcycle and escape from the world, and the fact that they don’t have things like doors or roofs can make you feel more connected to nature and the road.

 

Unfortunately, many riders end up literally more connected to that road when they’re involved in a crash because of those very things they love. No doors and no roof may mean that you get to feel the wind in your face, but it also means far less protection.

 

Exactly how dangerous are motorcycles? When you compare the number of crashes to cars that travel the same number of miles, someone riding a motorcycle is 30 times more likely to have an accident.

 

That’s an amazing statistic, but perhaps even more telling is the fact that 80 percent of all motorcycle crashes cause injury or death to the operator. If you crash while riding your motorcycle, you’re going to get hurt – and possibly worse.

 

So, what exactly can you expect to be dealing with after your crash? Some of the most common types of injuries include:

 

Road rash

 

This is a rather delicate name for something that can be deadly serious. What is road rash? Well, unlike car drivers and passengers, bikers almost always get thrown from their vehicle in a crash. This tends to mean landing on the road and often skidding or rolling a good distance before coming to a stop. If you aren’t wearing good, strong protective clothing, it’s likely that your skin is going to scrape across that road, and you’re going to have some damage. Mild cases might just mean a few red marks, but some riders have been known to lose entire patches of skin from road rash.

 

Broken bones

 

If you’re getting thrown from a motorcycle doing 60 mph on a highway, it stands to reason that there’s going to be a hard impact and you might suffer a fracture or two. Riders involved in accidents frequently end up with broken legs or arms, hip and pelvic fractures, cracked ribs, and so on. Severe breaks may poke through the skin and cause lasting damage that’s difficult to repair, including nerve damage. According to the CDC, riders are most likely to hurt their legs and feet, followed by the next group of injuries we’ll cover.

 

Motorcycle Accident Lawyer

Head injury

 

Anyone who’s ever ridden a bike knows the mantra: helmets save lives. It may seem cliché or even annoying in its pervasiveness, but the statistics show that it really is true. Roughly a third of all deaths resulting from motorcycle accidents could be prevented if the rider was wearing a helmet. What does that mean in real numbers? Well, in 2008 alone,almost 2,000 riders had their lives saved because they were wearing a helmet. And that doesn’t even factor in the number of people protected from severe injury by helmets, because many riders who sustain head injuries and live end up with brain damage.

 

An experienced motorcycle accident attorney will tell you that in some ways, spine damage may be even worse because there’s little that you can do to protect against it – there’s no “helmet” for your back, and landing on it in the wrong way can lead to serious nerve damage or even paralysis.

 

How Do You Prevent These Injuries?

 

Injury Lawyer

Drive safe. Though there will always be events out of your control, studies show that 43% of all motorcycle accidents involve alcohol. Never, ever get on your ride after drinking, and always follow safe practices on the road, such as obeying speed limits and street signs, using your turning signals, and riding with others so that it’s easier for other drivers to see you.

 

Product Claims

Know Your Case: Types of Defective Product Claims

by Personal Injury Lawyer

Product Claims

Manufacturers are responsible for ensuring that their products are safe for consumers to use, and when an accident due to a defective product or a negligent manufacturer occurs, consumers are well within their rights to file a lawsuit.

 

Defective product lawsuits fall into several distinct categories. If you or a loved one has been harmed by a defective product, it’s important that you talk to an experienced personal injury attorney to determine what kind of case you have on your hands and how you should proceed. This area of personal injury law can be complex and going up against a big corporation or manufacturer can be intimidating, so you need to have a clear idea of what the manufacturer is responsible for in order to make the best possible case.

 

Here’s a brief look at the three general categories of defective product liability claims.

 

Failure to Provide Adequate Instructions or Warnings

 

In this type of case, a product may be dangerous to consumers if used in a certain way, but that danger isn’t apparent to the consumer without instructions or warnings. The clothing chain Ross recently got into hot water with the Consumer Product Safety Commission over this very issue.

 

Ross paid a $3.9 million fine for selling children’s jackets and sweatshirts with drawstrings that were a potential choking hazard. This settlement came about after Ross failed to add a warning or make their children’s clothing safer following an earlier penalty from the commission.

 

Defectively Designed Products

 

This is probably the kind of case we hear about most often. A defectively designed product is one that is inherently dangerous based on the manufacturer’s design specification. Defectively designed products are not just one item on the shelf that has some kind of error— it’s an entire product line. When a manufacturer releases a widely-used product that proves to be dangerous to users, recalls and lawsuits are likely to follow.

 

One recent case that’s been making headlines involves the health care giant Johnson & Johnson. The company recalled 93,000 hip implants after discovering that 12% fail in 5 years or even cause complications. While they have already paid out to insurance companies to cover the cost of removing the implants, they may face more lawsuits in the future if patients who were unable to remove the hip implant discover that the product fails and endangers them.

 

Defectively Manufactured Products

 

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This is somewhat similar to the last category, but there’s an important distinction. Defectively manufactured products may have been designed safely, but somehow made unsafe during the construction process. This means that individual products can be responsible for an accident or injury rather than the entire product line. For example, a manufacturing error in specific lots of some of Plum Organics’ baby food products caused various illnesses among children and a mass recall.

 

While we’d like to think that the products we purchase have been thoroughly tested and couldn’t possibly harm us, injuries due to product defects or manufacturer negligence happen every day.

 

If you or a loved one is harmed because of a defective product, you should first seek the medical attention you need, then contact a personal injury attorney who has ample experience with these types of cases. We need to hold manufacturers accountable in order to prevent unnecessary accidents in the future.

 

Cycling Accidents

Most Common Cycling Accidents and How to Avoid Them

by Auto Accidents

Cycling Accidents
It’s never a pretty site when bicycles get tangled up with cars, but unfortunately these kinds of accidents do happen. Clearly, there is much more inherent danger for the cyclist, so if you enjoy riding your bike on the road, you need to know what kinds of potential problems to watch out for and how to protect yourself.

 

How Common Are Accidents Between Bicycles and Cars?

 

Way too common. According to ROSPA, there are 19,000 cycling road accidents every year and over 100 deaths. Additionally, 2% of all traffic deaths involve bicycles – even though bikes only make up 1% of traffic!

Not surprisingly, the bicycle accidents that are most likely to be fatal are those where a motor vehicle is involved. At least as alarming is the finding of a recent study that cyclists are only responsible for about 10% of all accidents between bikes and cars. Clearly, if you want to stay safe, you really need to pay attention to what others on the road are doing and follow all safety guidelines.

 

What Should Bicyclists Watch Out For?

 

Bicyclists Watch Out For

Some of the most common accidents are, thankfully, things that cyclists can help to prevent if they are careful and paying attention. These include:

 

  • A motor vehicle pulling into the path of a bike

    The simple truth is that much of the time, car drivers just don’t pay attention to cyclists. It’s not intentional, and it’s something that drivers need to get better at, but if you’re not sure whether or not a driver is going to pull out in front of you, slow down and be careful.

  • A motor vehicle turning into a cyclist’s path

    Again, car drivers often forget to look for bicyclists (or just can’t see them) when emerging, turning, or changing lanes. If you see someone trying to turn, take special care to make them aware of your presence and watch out for sudden movements.

  • Cyclist turning right and entering the path of a motorist

    If you are going to turn right when traffic is moving perpendicular to you, it is vital that you wait for a break in the flow of cars. Far too many cyclists think that, because they’re so comparatively small, they can easily turn even when there’s a car and still fit in the lane. These kinds of decisions lead to accidents and injuries.

  • Cyclist riding off of the sidewalk and into the path of a motorist

    This is just Biking 101, but you should never ride into the street without first stopping and taking a close look at the traffic situation to make sure that you can cross safely.

  • Both cyclist and motorist moving straight ahead

    Out of all these potential accidents, this one has to be the scariest for cyclists because most of the time it involves them getting hit from behind by a car. It’s pretty hard to avoid an accident when you can’t see it coming. Still, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t precautions you can take, and some of the simplest ones – using reflectors or flashing lights – are often the most effective.

 

Beyond these measures, cyclists should always – always – wear a helmet. You can’t always prevent an accident, but you can make yourself as safe as possible. Bikers are vulnerable, but that doesn’t mean that you are helpless. Stay safe and fight for your rights.

 

About the Author:
Jeffrey Braxton is a trial lawyer in Fort Lauderdale who has devoted his 22-year career to the practice of personal injury law. As lead trial attorney for The South Florida Injury Law Firm, Jeff has litigated thousands of cases and is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, an exclusive group of attorneys who have resolved cases in excess of one million dollars.

Dont-Text-and-Drive-College-Scholarship

Driven To Distraction: Campaign To End Texting While Driving

by Auto Accidents

 

Creative messaging is all around us, competing for our attention, bombarding our senses with information. Big messages call to us from wall signage, billboards, shop windows, and public transportation. Equally important are the small messages—the ones printed on coffee mugs, t-shirts, team caps, key rings. Even a small item like a wristband can attract ones attention and convey a compelling call to action.

 

One of the most common ways for people to send messages is texting. We love texting! It’s fun and immediate. We feel connected. In a world where we can “get the word out” around the globe in moments, social connectivity has become the norm; we constantly seek ways to reach out to others.

 

However, as a recent AT&T campaign advises, some messages should wait—when our eyes are drawn to texting and away from the road while driving, even if just for a few seconds, we become … distracted.

 

The Dangers of Distraction

 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has taken a focused look at distractions and driving. NHTSA has established http://www.Distraction.gov to define distracted driving, present personal video accounts of the results of distracted driving, and offer creative ideas for getting involved in spreading the word about the dangers of texting behind the wheel.

 

According to the NHTSA, distracted driving is “…any activity that could divert a person’s attention away from the primary task of driving.” The definition goes on to include examples of distractions we may all take for granted, such as consuming food and drink, reading or looking at maps, using a GPS, putting on makeup, even conversation with other people in the car. And the most dangerous driving distraction of all … texting.

 

What makes texting at the wheel so dangerous? It’s a triple threat, due to the demand it makes on 1) cognitive processing, 2) manual coordination, and 3) vision. It’s challenging enough for new drivers just to stay in their own lanes. Texting while driving draws all three of these faculties away from the road ahead and redirects all of your awareness down to the little screen in your hand.

 

A study conducted by NHTSA revealed that texting while driving, whether sending or receiving a text, draws vision away from the road for 4.6 seconds. That seems like just a moment. Perhaps you feel quite confident that you can look away from the road for a mere five seconds and still maintain safe operation of your vehicle.

 

Nevertheless, did you know that if you are driving “blind” at 55 mph, in 4.6 seconds you will travel the full length of a football field?

 

That’s pretty sobering.

 

In 4.6 seconds, a child could run into the road. A biker could lose control and fall into the path of your vehicle. A light could turn red while you keep going. A pedestrian could step off a curb.

 

Your whole life could change. In 4.6 seconds, your life—or someone else’s—could be over.

 

You can find more “Driving While InTEXTicated” statistics in an excellent infographic at this link:

 

http://www.intomobile.com/2012/07/07/texting-and-driving-infographic/

 

Preventive Action

 

Many high schools and other private and federal agencies around the country are seeking ways to educate people about the dangers of texting while driving.

 

Lancaster Online and the Palm Beach Post report the use of driving simulators at Manheim Central High School in Pennsylvania, and West Boca Raton High School in Florida, to demonstrate for students the true difficulty of operating a vehicle while texting. The participants at both schools thought it would be easy but discovered that if those simulated conditions were live, they would have caused serious, if not fatal, accidents.

 

AT&T’s don’t-text-and-drive campaign tagline is: “It Can Wait.” Click the “Videos” link on AT&T’s campaign site (http://www.itcanwait.com) to watch compelling stories from survivors and family members who texted some simple message, a word or two that could have waited, and their lives were changed forever.

 

Get Involved

 

A teacher at NDSU gave each of her interns in the Sanford Respiratory Care Program a task. They were to hand out a number of “Don’t Drive InTXTicated” wristbands to their coworkers to discourage texting while driving.

 

One student gave them out to her PM shift coworkers, along with a card she had typed up with some statistics related to driving incidents. The cards were meant to be carried by the participants in their vehicle, handbag, or wallet, as a constant reminder of their pledge to not “drive & text.” They are proudly sporting their wristbands and carrying their reminder cards!

 

 

Texting while driving is a serious problem. 100,000 crashes each year involve texting at the wheel. Try to think of ways you can start a pledge-based don’t-text-and-drive campaign in your community, among your co-workers, and with your friends. Your “Don’t Drive InTXTicated” campaign could save a life. If just one person makes the pledge, your campaign will be a success!

 

Dick Nelson, CEO of MARCO Promotional Products, has worked in the industry for nearly 30 years. Dick has never thought of his work as work, but rather as an intriguing place to spend his working hours. Away from the workplace, he enjoys playing golf, much of the time with his wife, and spending time with his children and grandchildren when he can.

Dangerous Dog Breeds

The 10 Most Dangerous Dog Breeds

by Uncategorized

Dangerous Dog Breeds

Image: http://pixabay.com/en/dog-man-attacking-canine-training-78117/

 

When Pets Attack, They Can Cause Serious or Even Fatal Injuries

 

Most people like dogs. How can you resist those adoring eyes, the wagging tail, and the warm, fuzzy head that seems to appear in your lap just when you’re feeling your lowest? So many Americans like dogs, in fact, that the Humane Society estimates that 46% of US households own dogs. But not all dogs exude the same warm friendliness that your family’s Golden Retriever displays. Dog attacks are a serious problem, and an aggressive dog can cause brutal injuries that maim, permanently injure, or even kill their victims. And these attacks occur more frequently than we would like to think. According to Dogsbite.org, a site for victims of aggressive dog attacks, every day in the U.S., 1,000 people seek medical treatment for dog bites. In 2001, 42% of these attacks were on children age 14 or younger with the highest rate of attack on boys between the ages of five and nine years old.

 

The 10 Breeds Most Likely to Attack

 

The 10 Breeds Most Likely to Attack Image: http://pixabay.com/en/puppy-pittbull-dog-wide-angle-140306/

 

Now before you start giving Fido the wary eye, keep in mind that certain dog breeds are far more likely to attack than others. Merrit Clifton, the editor of Animal People conducted a 30-year study of all cases of aggressive dog attacks in the U.S. and Canada. Compiling massive amounts of data, Clifton concluded that these 10 breeds are responsible for the majority of aggressive dog attacks:

 

1. Pitt Bull – These dogs, which make up only 4.4% of the canine population, caused bodily harm to 2235 victims, over four times more than any other breed. 233 Pit Bull attacks resulted in death, and 1268 victims were maimed.

2. Rottweiler – In 30 years, Rottweilers caused bodily harm 495 times and caused 81 deaths and 277 maimings.

3. Pitt Bull Mix – Turns out the breed’s aggressive temperament is only slightly cooled by strains of other breeds. Pit bull mixes caused bodily harm to 148 victims, killed 12, and maimed 83.

4. German Shepherd – Though a popular breed, these dogs inflicted 96 cases of bodily harm, killed 14, and maimed another 59.

5. Bullmastiff – These strong, solidly built canines harmed 87 people, killing 14 and maiming 46.

6. Wolf hybrid – Because these dogs are just what they sound like – a mix of a wild wolf and another dog breed – it is not surprising that they are exceedingly aggressive animals. The study found that they caused bodily harm to 84 people, killed 19 and maimed 48.

7. Husky – Since this is another popular breed, it is alarming that Huskies caused injuries 71 times and were responsible for 24 deaths and 20 maimings.

8. Akita – These Japanese dogs with a coat similar to that of a Husky don’t look particularly aggressive, but they inflicted bodily harm 65 times, killing 8 and maiming 47.

9. Chow – Chows are not particularly large, and their fluffy coats mask an aggressive nature. Still, these dogs inflicted bodily harm 55 times, killed 7 and maimed 37.

10. German Shepherd Mix – Even with the blood of other breeds running through their veins, German Shepherd mixes caused 41 cases of bodily harm, killed 7 victims, and maimed 26.

 

As is made clear by the study, the dangers posed by these dogs are significant. In fact, some insurance companies will refuse to insure owners of these dogs when it comes to homeowners or renters insurance. Even more significant, some cities and even states have legislation prohibiting the ownership of certain dangerous breeds. For example, Miami-Dade County bans the ownership of Pit Bulls.

 

Given the significant evidence of the potential dangers of these breeds, ownership of these dogs means that owners should be vigilant in ensuring that the public is protected by keeping their dogs contained and under control. What is especially unconscionable is when dog owners allow these dogs to roam about or to come into contact with small children. Though many will argue that their bully breed or large breed dog is the most gentle, smart, and loyal companion to be found—and we don’t argue that those claims are often true—the fact is that when a large dog does attack, they generate powerful force and create substantial injuries due to their size and build. Dog owners must be held responsible for the behavior of their pets, and victims should receive financial compensation for trauma inflicted by aggressive canines.

 

Truckers Must Follow Strict Federal and State Laws to Maintain Safety on the Roads

by Truck Accidents

Any motor vehicle accident is a serious matter, but when the accident involves a truck, the sheer power and size of the truck tends to cause more severe property damage, personal injury, and even death. This is why federal law requires truck drivers to meet certain requirements, undergo rigorous training, and comply with strict safety guidelines. A truck accident lawyer in West Palm Beach is knowledgeable with regard to these requirements and will prosecute those who ignore them. A lawyer can also prosecute any trucking company that knowingly allows their employees to ignore these requirements or that hires drivers when they have sufficient reason to believe the drivers may not be sufficiently trained, safe, and responsible.

 

First, to qualify as a truck driver, a person must be 18 years old—21 years old to work as an interstate driver. They must have a driver’s license, clean driving record, and excellent vision. They must also be able to pass a drug test and a physical exam before employment. If a truck accident lawyer in West Palm Beach discovers that one of these contingencies was not met, the truck driver and the employer could be held responsible for the accident. In order to get a commercial driver’s license (CDL), a driver must undergo training which includes driving safety regulations, truck inspection, correct driving techniques in different weather conditions, and how to turn, back up, and park a truck. If any one of these things is missing, the company providing the training displays negligence. Finally, a truck accident lawyer in West Palm Beach knows the safety guidelines that truck drivers should follow. These include taking breaks every eight hours, knowing personal limits, keeping the truck in top physical condition, maintaining the proper speed, and keeping enough distance from other vehicles.

 

If you or a loved one has been in an accident involving a truck, you should contact a truck accident lawyer at the West Palm Beach Law Offices of The South Florida Injury Law Firm. Our knowledgeable lawyers are experienced with truck safety requirements and will conduct a thorough investigation into your accident to determine the cause and who was at fault. We understand the stress of an auto accident, and we will fight to get you appropriate compensation so that you can focus on your recovery.

 

When you need a truck accident lawyer in West Palm Beach, the Law Offices of The South Florida Injury Law Firm are located in Fort Lauderdale, FL and handle cases throughout the state, including Broward County, Indian River, Okeechobee, Delray Beach, Martin County, Palm Beach, West Palm Beach, and all other cities and counties. We have years of experience and success in handling cases like yours. Contact us for a free case evaluation at 954.764.7377 on via the web at https://southfloridainjurylawfirm.com.