Georgia Injury Law Blog

Atlanta Workers’ Compensation lawyers are likely to see a spike in the number of claims being filed by older American workers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning in a new study that the number of senior workers being injured in workplace accidents, has increased substantially.  As the CDC noted, the increase in work accidents for seniors is likely due to the fact that we have more senior in the workplace than in the past due to the recession. Therefore, more and more seniors will have workers comp claims to assert. Unfortunately, some insurance companies are likely to take advantage of the fact these seniors have more limited life expectancies to reduce the level of their settlement offers in worker comp cases beyond what is reasonable for that issue.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of injured older workers in the workforce increased from 12 % in 2003 to 17% in the latest estimates. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that much of the reason for this increase has been the fact that there are more older workers in the workforce now than ever before. During these troubled economic times, many seniors who had been looking forward to retirement, have been forced to re-enter the workforce instead. In many cases, these older workers are entering a work environment that has simply not taken their specific safety issues into consideration.

For instance, older workers may be at a high risk of certain types of accidents, like slip and fall accidents. They may also be at a high risk of fall accidents from elevated surfaces, or from ladders and stairways. These falls can leave an older worker with serious injuries, like fractures, hip fractures, broken ribs and other injuries. A hip fracture, for instance, can mean the end of an older worker’s ability to earn a livelihood. In fact, studies show that older persons who suffer a hip fracture, have a much higher risk of dying within a year after suffering the injury, than those who have not suffered a hip injury.

If you have been injured in a workplace accident, contact an Atlanta Workers’ Compensation attorney to understand your rights.

Posted By Robert Katz In Senior Citizens , Workers Compensation | 0 Comments Permalink

As Atlanta pedestrian accident attorneys, we often come across cases involving pedestrians seriously injured in accidents caused by senior motorists. A new study conducted by Israeli researchers suggests that elder drivers may suffer from an inability to see things in their peripheral vision that prevents them from seeing pedestrians on the curb or sidewalk. This increases the likelihood of a pedestrian accident. Of course, auto accidents involving pedestrians often involve the most serious injuries.

The study came out of a spike in pedestrian accidents involving senior motorists in Israel. The researchers were looking at the specific challenges an elderly motorist faces as far as pedestrian safety is concerned. The researchers placed older motorists in a simulator, and measured their responses to vital safety signals. 

They found that drivers above the age of 65 were half as likely to spot a pedestrian as younger drivers. Not only that, they also found that senior motorists were just half as likely to tap the brakes when they spotted a pedestrian on the curb or sidewalk, as younger drivers. This signifies one of two things-either these motorists don't spot a pedestrian in time to react, or they don't consider pedestrians a serious accident hazard. Either of these theories spells danger for any pedestrian in the path of an elderly motorist.

Previous scientific studies have focused on elderly motorists’ diminished ability to focus on objects or persons in their peripheral vision. Scientists believe that this is a natural part of aging, but fortunately, it doesn't have to mean that older motorists are doomed to miss pedestrians or objects that fall outside their peripheral vision. For instance, there are brain games like Lumosity that older motorists can play to develop those areas of the brain that are responsible for focusing on objects in their peripheral vision.

Posted By Robert Katz In Auto Accident Claims , Pedestrian accidents , Senior Citizens | 0 Comments Permalink

As more and more elderly drivers retain their licenses, lowering traffic traffic accident rates among elderly drivers is a growing concern. A San Francisco-based company is now proposing that video games can improve the driving of the elderly.  Posit Science has sponsored studies that show that its driver training software for elderly drivers does help minimize the risk of accidents involving the elderly.

The study divided 908 people into four groups. The average age of the group members was 72 years. One group was given the Posit Science games to play for 10 hours, the second was given training on improving reasoning skills, and the third group was given training on improving memory skills. The fourth group was given no aid at all. After six years, the researchers found that the elderly persons who were given the Posit Science games to play reported a 50% lower rate of accidents, than those who took the memory training and those who had no stimulation at all.

Posit Science claims that it is currently conducting more studies using its video games to help elderly motorists avoid accidents. As Atlanta car accident attorneys, we are not sure how we should take the results of a study that is conducted by the company that markets the products. However, it is good to see that there's a lot of awareness in the market about the specific concerns relating to elderly motorists and their risks of accidents.

Those concerns were very apparent this weekend at a forum sponsored by the National Transportation Safety Board. The forum was targeted specifically at the safety concerns of elderly motorists, and NTSB chairperson Debra Hersman made it clear that her agency takes these issues, very seriously. By 2005, the senior motorist population in our country is expected to swell from 15% currently, to 20%. Right now, there are 32 million drivers above the age of 65 in the US, and those numbers would simply explode when the baby boomer population eases into its 70s. There are more licensed elderly motorists now than there have ever been in the past in our country’s history, and the challenges facing transportation agencies is considerable.

Posted By Lisa Siegel In Senior Citizens | 1 Comments Permalink

The decision to step in and take action when you see an elderly motorist beginning to lose his driving abilities, is never an easy one to make. However, for millions of Americans in the position of caregivers for their parents, it's a moment that presents itself sooner or later. 

Studies estimate that elderly motorist safety is likely to become an even bigger safety concern in the years ahead, as the baby boomer population hits its 70s. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, in 2008, 78% of the senior population in the United States had driving licenses, compared to 73% just a decade earlier. Those numbers are expected to increase over the next decade.

It’s important for families of these motorists to know when to make the decision to suspend or restrict the person's driving privileges. It's also important to gently ease the person into giving up the keys, or at least present him with a set of alternatives to driving. Here are some steps you can take to keep your loved one and others safe.

·        See if you can get someone to accompany the motorist when he/she drives.

·        Restrict driving at night.

·        Restrict driving only to nearby locations.

·        Don't allow senior motorists to drive during rush hour.

If none of this is possible, and you would like your loved one to stop driving altogether, stage an intervention. Get a member of the family who is close to the senior driver, to stage the intervention, so it's less stressful. If that doesn't work and the person continues to be stubborn about driving, you may simply have to take away the keys, or move the car to another location where it cannot be accessed. 

If the person willingly gives up the car keys however, you must have other options in place. For instance, who's going to take over the responsibility of driving him around now that he can't drive himself? Entrust someone in the family with the responsibility of doing this, or establish a schedule rotating the task among family members.

The Atlanta auto accident lawyers at the Katz Law Firm represent injured victims of auto/car accidents in the metro Atlanta region and across Georgia.

Posted By Lisa Siegel In Senior Citizens | 0 Comments Permalink

More Older Drivers Doesn't Necessarily Mean More Accidents

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has, in the past, warned about a growing population of senior motorists and the implications for highway safety. The agency had published a study nine years ago, expressing its concerns over the heightened risk of accidents with more numbers of elderly motorists on the road.

As it turns out, those concerns may have been completely misplaced. An updated report by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety shows that although there are more numbers of elderly motorists on the roads, they are not necessarily being involved in more numbers of accidents. In fact, there has been a decline in the number of serious/fatal accidents involving elderly drivers over the past decade.

There are more elderly drivers on the roads, but crash rates involving senior motorists have declined by approximately 37%. In fact, senior drivers seem to become better motorists as they age. The biggest decline in fatal accident rates among senior motorists was seen in drivers aged above 80 - a staggering drop of 47%.

To arrive at these results, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety compared accident rates for a group of elderly motorists, with a control group of motorists aged between 35 and 54. These motorists were selected because they were experienced drivers, but had not yet reached the age where age-related conditions could impact their driving abilities. The study however found that the elderly motorists did far better than the younger drivers.

So, what has caused this welcome, but puzzling decline, in senior citizen-related accidents and fatalities? Safer cars seem to have had a lot to do with this. In fact, senior citizens seem to benefit more from auto safety technologies. Besides, old motorists now are healthier than they used to be a couple of decades ago. When you see or hear better, you're less likely to be involved in an accident.

The Atlanta car accident lawyers at the Katz Law Firm represent injured victims of auto and truck accidents in the metro Atlanta area and across Georgia.

Posted By Lisa Siegel In Senior Citizens | 1 Comments Permalink

Elderly motorists in Georgia have restrictions imposed on their driving abilities. These are in place to make sure that senior citizens can continue to drive safely in Georgia, without endangering their own safety, as well as the lives and safety of other drivers. Driving for elderly people is not just a convenient way of getting around, but also a major factor in their mental health. Studies have shown that elderly citizens, who have their car keys taken away from them, can fall into a depression. More senior motorists may soon be able to continue with their driving privileges.

The American Academy of Neurology this week said that it would be revising its guidelines allowing patients with mild dementia to continue driving. As of now, the group does not recommend driving privileges for patients diagnosed with even a mild degree of dementia. However under the new guidelines, patients with mild dementia who have a safe accident record and whose families believe they can drive safely, may be able to continue to do so.

According to the group, studies seem to indicate that most persons who suffer from mild dementia pass driving tests successfully. In fact, studies showed that 77 percent of these persons were able to pass these tests, confirming their driving abilities.

As Atlanta car accident lawyers, we believe that families and caregivers of these patients must make the all-important decision of taking away the car keys. If you are a person concerned about your loved one's ability to drive after he or she has been diagnosed with mild dementia, base your decision on this simple question - would you feel safe traveling in a car he or she is driving? If the answer to this question is no, then you must make a firm decision, unpleasant as it may be.

Posted By Lisa Siegel In Senior Citizens | 0 Comments Permalink

Study Indicates Rise in Elevator Injuries Among Senior Citizens

Every year, thousands of elderly persons are injured in elevator accidents. That information comes via a study conducted by researchers at the Department of public health at the Indiana University School of Medicine. According to the researchers, elderly persons are likely to suffer slip and fall accidents, or get caught between elevator doors. Those are two of the most common ways senior citizens suffer injuries in elevators. 

The researchers studied data from the Consumer Product Safety Commission between 1990 and 2006. They found that there were approximately 44,870 elevator injuries involving the elderly, during this period of time. The injuries were serious enough for the person to be admitted to the hospital. Fifty one percent of these injuries were caused by slip and fall accidents. The most frequently seen injuries were sprains, followed by fractures and cuts. Hip fractures were the most common injuries that required admission into a hospital. Most injuries involved women, and the risk of injuries increased with the age of the victim.

The elderly may not be able to avoid using elevators. However, they must exercise great care when using these. Most injuries occur when the person is getting into or out of the elevator. Therefore, avoid rushing to get in. It’s far better to wait for another elevator car. The elderly must also take great care with their walkers and canes as they get into and out of the elevator. Most injuries involve hands, legs and walking aids getting caught in the elevator doors.

The Atlanta slip and fall accident lawyers at the Katz Law Firm represent injured victims of slip and fall accidents in the metro Atlanta area and across the state of Georgia.

Posted By Lisa Siegel In Senior Citizens | 0 Comments Permalink