Personal Injury

Published on: June 24, 2025

Universal Motorcycle Helmet Laws Help Save Lives in Motorcycle Accidents

States like Georgia that have universal motorcycle helmet laws in place see fewer wrongful deaths in motorcycle accidents compared to states that do not have such laws. The findings of a new study seem to confirm this conclusion. Hopefully, studies of this nature will encourage states without mandatory motorcycle helmet laws to make changes to their laws.

The results of the study were published recently in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. The researchers compared motorcycle accident fatality rates in North Carolina, which requires all motorcycle riders and passengers to wear helmets, with the rates in South Carolina which only requires motorcyclists below the age of 21 to wear helmets. The researchers found in their analysis that motorcycle accident wrongful death rates were lower when the state mandated helmets for all, regardless of age or motorcycling experience.

Not only did wearing motorcycle helmets lead to a much lower chance of being killed in motorcycle accidents, but it also reduced the risk of serious personal injuries in a motorcycle accident. The researchers found that when the state mandated universal motorcycle helmet usage, the risk of serious injuries was significantly lower with just about 25% of motorcyclists wearing helmets admitted to the ICU for injuries sustained in the accident. In contrast, close to 40% of non-helmeted motorcyclists required admission into an ICU for treatment after the accident. Not only were they more likely to be admitted into an ICU after suffering an injury in an accident, but they were also more likely to require longer hospitalization, compared to those who were wearing a helmet at the time.

Published on: June 18, 2025

Brain Decoder Test Results Hold Promise for Spinal Injury Patients

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Thousands of people suffer spinal cord injuries in car accidents every year. Technologies and therapies that make use of sensors and impulses in order to trigger movement point to the way forward in spinal cord injury treatment. A recent study also broke new ground in this field.

The experiment was conducted on 17 persons who had no spinal injury. These persons were made to wear special fitting headgear that measured their brain impulses. They were asked to extend their legs or think about extending them. The researchers then recorded brain waves to identify when a subject moved his leg and intended to move his leg.

The researchers found that the brain waves were very similar in both the actual movements as well as the imagined movements. Using these electrodes, the researchers were able to identify when people were thinking about moving their leg even when they were not actually doing so, based on the brain waves recorded. These people were able to move their legs just by thinking about moving it, helped by the triggering of electrical impulses in the spinal cord.

Published on: May 23, 2025

Georgia Invests in Auto Accident Prevention Efforts

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

The state of Georgia recently allocated $2.5 million for personal injury and car accident prevention efforts across the state in the form of several grants.

We definitely need greater investments in the field of auto accident and personal injury prevention in order to help reduce the number of people fatally or seriously injured in auto accidents every year. That means investments in awareness and education campaigns, planning and infrastructure, updating of records and databases, and updates to existing medical and emergency care systems. The recent grants announced in Georgia target several different areas that have long required attention.

The Georgia Department of Public Health has announced an investment of more than $1.7 million in the Injury Prevention Program’s Child Occupant Safety Project. This program promotes the safety of child passengers in automobiles across Georgia, helping provide car seat installation advice and guidance to thousands of parents and caregivers across the state. Child passengers are some of the most vulnerable passengers in any auto accident, and this grant will provide more funds to make sure that training is available not just to parents, but also to medical and health care professionals, emergency responders, firefighters and law enforcement officers. The goal is to make sure personal injuries to these vulnerable passengers are minimized or avoided all together.

Published on: May 19, 2025

Emory Researchers Focus on Seatbelt Usage

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Seatbelts are the single most effective piece of life-saving equipment in modern automobiles, helping protect thousands of motorists against severe personal injuries in car accidents every year. Researchers at Emory are making good use of a grant to study seatbelt usage rates in Georgia and how they can be expanded.

Researchers at the Injury Prevention Research Center at Emory received a grant of more than $300,000 from the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety. The grant has been made to encourage researchers to monitor seatbelt usage rates across Georgia and track the rates of distracted driving. Understanding these issues will provide researchers the information they need to develop strategies to increase seatbelt use thereby preventing auto accidents.

Seatbelt usage rates in Georgia are on the higher side, but could always be better. According to the researchers, seatbelt rates in Georgia increased from 87.6% in 2023 to 88.8% in 2024. Georgia motorists have gotten better at buckling up over the past few decades, thanks to the awareness efforts of transportation authorities and strict enforcement of existing seatbelt laws. However, there is always room for improvement. Seatbelts are the first line of defense against major personal injuries when a person is involved in a car accident. A person who is safely buckled in is less likely to be smashed against the windshield or against the interior of the car, thereby making it less likely that he or she will sustain serious or life-threatening personal injuries.

Published on: April 14, 2025

Your Medications Could Increase Your Car Accident Risks

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

The medications that you are currently taking could increase your risks of being involved in an auto accident. Since car accidents are a major cause of severe personal injuries, it is important to evaluate the medications you are taking to determine if they increase your risk of an accident. If so, you may wish to adjust your driving habits to reduce the risk of being in an accident and suffering injuries.

Most medications come with little or no drowsy driving risks. Many of them, however, do include risks that can affect a persons’ driving abilities, and patients may remain unaware of the dangers of using these medications, especially when they operate a motor vehicle. Some medications are widely known to have drowsiness- inducing properties. For instance, anti-allergy medications or those that are used to treat common colds and coughs may come with ingredients that increase a person’s sleepiness and make him feel lethargic. A person using these drugs is much more likely to cause an accident if he is driving a vehicle while under the influence of the drug. Medications that include codeine and hydrocodone, for example, are strongly linked with drowsiness and fatigue.

Apart from cold medications and antihistamines, many Americans now take a wide range of medications to treat a variety of conditions. There has been an explosion in lifestyle conditions, and millions of Americans now take beta blockers to treat heart disease and cardiovascular conditions. Beta blockers can cause symptoms like giddiness, dizziness and extreme tiredness that could prove dangerous when the person is behind the wheel. Anti-anxiety medications, antipsychotic drugs as well as anti-depressants are also strongly linked to drowsiness.

Published on: April 8, 2025

Concussion Symptoms Can Linger for a Year After Brain Injury

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Symptoms of a mild brain injury, including confusion and memory loss, can continue to linger in a person up to a year after he has suffered a personal injury. The duration of brain injury symptoms may have a significant impact on claims arising out of automobile accidents or other personal injury matters.

Those findings related to lingering symptoms of mild brain injuries came from a recent study that was conducted on a group of young athletes. The findings of the study were published in the journal Neurology. The study found that young athletes who had suffered a concussion continued to show signs of the injury in their brain scans for months after the injury had occurred. Some of those signs continued to linger for up to a year after the injury. While the findings pertained to young athletes, the same can certainly occur for persons who suffered mild brain injuries in a car accident.

These findings specifically pertain to the long -lasting effects of a mild brain injury on young athletes, but we have known for a while that brain injuries – even mild ones – can have long lasting effects. A brain injury can occur whenever there is any kind of significant jolt or blow to the head or skull. A brain injury does not have to result in loss of consciousness or even swelling or bleeding for it to result in impact. Concussions, for example, are some of the mildest brain injuries, and typically occur in an auto accident or slip and fall accident involving a blow to the head. However, they can result in symptoms that include loss of consciousness for a few minutes, memory loss, confusion, and disorientation.

Published on: March 28, 2025

Robotics, Implant Combination Can Help Spinal Cord Injury Victims

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

New research finds that a combination of implants that trigger movements and robotic exoskeleton devices that help the person coordinate those movements can help treat symptoms of paralysis in patients who have suffered a spinal cord injury. These personal injuries often occur as a result of car accidents, trucking accidents and motorcycle accidents.

Robotic exoskeletons have been one of the most exciting developments in the treatment of spinal cord injury. These personal injuries can leave persons with varying degrees of paralysis, and research over the past few years has found significant improvements in mobility and movement in persons using these innovations. However, a combination of a robotic exoskeleton with a muscle implant seems to have even more impressive effects.

A team of researchers has been working on the development of an implant that can trigger muscle impulses in patients who have been paralyzed because of a spinal cord injury. The sensory impulses triggered by these implants are like the nerve signals triggered naturally by the human body. The researchers recently published the findings of their study in the Science Robotics journal.

Published on: March 21, 2025

New Study Confirms Link Between Brain Injury and Dementia

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Persons who have suffered a traumatic brain injury have a much higher risk of developing dementia down the road. A new study not only underscores this fact, but also determines that changes in vascular cells can affect the onset of dementia in persons who have suffered a brain injury. Traumatic brain injuries often occur in car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, pedestrian accidents and slip and falls.

For decades now, scientists have been aware that suffering a brain injury significantly increases the risk that a person will develop dementia or Alzheimer’s disease down the road. However, recent studies have identified the exact molecular mechanism behind the personal injury that can bring about dementia earlier. In this new study, scientists discovered that alterations to the vascular smooth muscle cells lead to an increase in the build-up of proteins called amyloid beta, which are strongly linked to Alzheimer’s disease. What the scientists found even more surprising is that even younger persons who are typically not at risk of dementia suffered a similar increased risk, supported by the vascular muscle cell changes following the brain injury. The researchers concluded that understanding the changes to the vascular cells is crucial to understanding how trauma can impact dementia risks and circumventing or mitigating those risks all together.

Brain injuries can result in a significant number of changes in a person’s mental and physical health. Even a moderate brain injury can result in cognitive challenges, memory problems, difficulties in concentration and attention, impaired motor skills and a number of other challenges that make it difficult for the person to live a normal life. All of these difficulties make it hard for the person to be productive or earn a living. Working even a routine job can become challenging. For example, motor coordination problems can manifest in a large number of brain injury victims, and these can significantly impact the victim’s earning potential if he is working in a manual job, or one that requires dexterity.

Published on: March 13, 2025

Bigger Vehicles May Not Necessarily be Safer

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

It is no secret that American SUVs and pick up trucks are extremely popular on our roads and highways. However, a new study seems to indicate that super-sized vehicles are not necessarily safer for their occupants, while becoming even more dangerous for occupants of other vehicles in car accidents with them.

Americans have long preferred larger vehicles, not just because of their looks and style, but also because they are believed to be safer in auto accidents. To a large extent, this is true. A large Chevrolet Suburban, for instance, packs a greater punch, and offers much greater protection to its occupants in the event of an auto accident, compared to a smaller passenger car like a sedan. The bigger bulk means less damage to the vehicle in the case of an accident, and a lower risk of blunt force trauma to the occupants. This is why these cars are considered ideally suited for high-risk groups like teenage drivers.

Unfortunately, cars on American streets are becoming much bigger and bulkier. Giant cars that are almost double the height of smaller sedans are fairly common now on our roads. A new study by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety finds that while the increasing size of cars makes them more dangerous to the occupants of other vehicles on the road, it does not necessarily mean greater protection for the occupants of the large vehicle. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study, in the case of occupants of vehicles that were lesser than the fleet average in weight, the fatality risk was lower with every 500 pounds of additional weight. In the case of vehicles that were heavier in weight than the fleet average, the protection to occupants was not necessarily higher. In fact, there was barely any drop in the risk of wrongful death for the occupants of these super -sized vehicles.

Published on: March 4, 2025

Enforcement is Key to Preventing Auto Accident Wrongful Deaths

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Enforcement of traffic laws, including those against drunk driving and speeding, need to be a major part of any auto accident prevention program by state and federal governments. These are the types of traffic law violations which lead to very serious car accidents resulting in catastrophic personal injuries and wrongful deaths.

The role that traffic enforcement can play in accident prevention tends to be a controversial topic. However, a recent piece in The Atlantic calls for increasing traffic enforcement in order to help reduce the number of people involved in serious auto accidents. The article refers to experiments in other states that have chosen to decrease traffic enforcement, consequently leading to an increase in the number of car accidents and accident – related catastrophic personal injuries and wrongful deaths in these states.

Many car accident prevention programs these days focus heavily on the role of road design in preventing car accidents. However, there are many types of accidents that are not impacted or hindered by optimum road design. For example, a large part of the spike in auto accident wrongful deaths in recent years is linked to the increase in the number of car accidents occurring at night. Many of these auto accidents are speeding- related car accidents or drunk driving auto accidents that have very little to do with road design. These accidents are often connected to low levels of traffic enforcement. Simply put, if these speeding drivers and drunk motorists are fined for violations and taken off the streets, we are more likely to see a decline in car accident numbers.