Personal Injury

Published on: May 21, 2022

“Risky Behavior” Could Increase Post Traumatic Brain Injury

A traumatic brain injury occurs when there is a jolt or blow to the head, and this can occur in any number of accidents, like an auto accident or a slip and fall accident. A fall does not have to occur from a height for an injury to occur. A fall that occurs when a person is walking or when he trips or slips, could also result in a blow to the head that is serious enough to cause an injury.

We are constantly learning about the many ways in which a traumatic brain injury can continue to impact victims of car accidents, slip and fall accidents or other types of accidents. It goes without saying that a catastrophic brain injury can affect every aspect of a victim’s life and his or her loved ones. Scientists recently analyzed the findings of five different studies on risk-taking behavior in rats, and determined that brain injuries can affect decision- making abilities.

Studies on decision -making abilities in humans after a traumatic brain injury have earlier been conducted through the Iowa Gambling Task. In this experiment involving decks of cards, subjects are made to choose from decks of cards, and understand over a period of time that two out of 4 decks involve high rewards and higher risk of losses, while the remaining two decks involve lower risks and lower rewards. This experiment was the basis for the Rodent Gambling Task in which researchers used sugar pellets to encourage the rodents. The animals were made to choose among four ports, two of which involved a large number of pellets, but also a higher punishment in the form of a timeout.

Published on: April 8, 2022

Traumatic Brain Injury Significantly Increases Long-term Stroke Risk

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

A traumatic brain injury can be caused in car accidents, motorcycle and bicycle accidents, and slip and fall accidents. A fall from a height, for instance, is significantly likely to result in an injury to the brain. Traumatic brain injuries can have long-term consequences that can significantly impair quality of life. The long-term impact of the injury may make it difficult for a person who has suffered the injury to go back to work and earn a living at the level that he was earning before he suffered the accident.

Persons who have suffered a traumatic brain injury may have a risk of stroke that is much higher than previously believed. These findings came from a recent study which found that military veterans who have suffered a brain injury have a higher stroke risk.

The results of the study were presented recently at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology and Prevention, Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health Conference. Researchers looked at data involving veterans who had suffered a brain injury between October 2002 and September 2019 from the Veteran’s Health Administration database. The stroke risk of these people was compared with another group of people who had not suffered a traumatic brain injury.

Published on: March 13, 2022

Depression Takes Heavy Toll on Spinal Injury Patients

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Spinal cord injury patients who are already struggling with reduced movement and mobility may also be hampered by feelings of depression. According to a new study that was published recently in Spinal Cord journal, the chronic pain that spinal cord injury patients suffer is a major factor in the depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions that they often experience.

A spinal cord injury occurs whenever there has been a sudden jolt or blow to the spinal cord. This blow could occur as a result of slip and fall accidents, car accidents, gunshot wounds, violence and other factors.

In the study, researchers analyzed insurance claims of more than 9,000 persons who had suffered spinal cord injury, and compared these with insurance claims of more than a million people who had suffered no spinal cord injury. The analysis found that in the general population that had not suffered a spinal cord injury, mental health conditions like depression were seen in approximately 31% of the population. When it came to spinal cord injury patients, the rate of suffering depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions was as much as 59 percent.

Published on: March 8, 2022

FMCSA’s New Commercial Truck Driver Training Rule Goes into Effect

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Trucking accidents almost always result in serious injuries. Driver error can play a major role in commercial trucking accidents in and around the Atlanta region. A new federal administration’s rule that applies to entry level truck driver training standards went into effect in the month of February. It’s intended effect is to help curb the number of errors made by truck drivers

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s new rule applies to entry level drivers who want to make a profession as a truck driver. The rule is called the Entry Level Driver Training rule, and went into effect on February 7. The rule sets the basic minimum baseline requirements for entry level truck driver training programs.

The new rule will apply to any entry level drivers who want to obtain a class A or class B commercial driver’s license, drivers who wish to upgrade their current license from a B to an A level, or wish to obtain bus and hazardous materials endorsements. The rule requires that entry level drivers who want to operate commercial trucks professionally go through the training providers that are listed on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s website. This listing of providers went online recently. Once a driver selects a provider from the listing, he must undergo the training program before he appears for the CDL skills test. If the driver is applying for an endorsement for hazardous materials for the first time, he needs to undergo the knowledge test.

Published on: February 18, 2022

Multi-Million Dollar GOHS Grant will Help Keep Young Drivers, Children Safer in Georgia

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Georgia highway safety efforts will benefit from a multi-million dollar grant by the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety. The grant will provide more than 2 million dollars in funding to the Georgia Department of Public Safety and Augusta University, and is meant to spent exclusively on highway safety.

According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, the money will be used to enhance the agency’s data analysis processes, provide technical assistance to agencies across the state and enhance support for motor vehicle safety programs. The grant to Augusta University will be used specifically to encourage motor vehicle safety in young motorists. Augusta University will receive more than $16,000 in aid to the Georgia Young Adult Program.

The Georgia Department of Public Safety is taking the safety of child passengers very seriously, and plans to use much of the funding to develop programs that help keep child passengers safe in accidents. More than a million dollars, for instance, is going towards the expansion of child car safety seat use across the state. The money will go to the Injury Protection Program’s Child Occupant Safety Program, and the goal is to enhance the use of child car safety seats across the state by providing child safety seats. The program will also use the funds to increase education across the state about the need to keep children restrained in child car safety seats that are appropriate for their age and weight. The program will also invest the funding in the expansion of training programs not just for healthcare professionals and child care providers, but also emergency personnel and firefighters.

Published on: February 8, 2022

Brain Injuries and Personality Changes

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Often, recovery after a brain injury can focus only on the physical aspects of healing including recovery of mobility, movement and the ability to perform routine tasks and take care of one’s needs. Lost in the treatment plan may be the psychological damage and emotional distress that many brain injury victims continue to face months after the injury.

Brain injuries are severe injuries that seriously impact a person’s ability to lead a normal life. These are catastrophic injuries that can impact a person’s ability to perform even daily routine tasks, like looking after himself, eating or bathing. A brain injury can impact a person’s vision or hearing. These are some of the more commonly known effects of a brain injury. Lesser known or acknowledged is the long-term emotional damage inflicted by these injuries.

We know enough about some of this damage. For instance, we know that brain injury patients tend to have a higher risk of falling into depression in the months after the injury. Other mental health issues like anxiety may also be seen. Did you know that brain injury patients may also suffer from severe anger and rage control issues?

Published on: January 9, 2022

Latest Crash Tests Underscore Role of Rear Seatbelts in Preventing Car Accident Personal Injuries

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

New crash tests clearly highlight the importance of rear seat belts in preventing serious personal injuries in car accidents. The results of these tests are likely to spur efforts towards keeping back seat passengers safe in auto accidents.

Safety experts at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently released the results of new tests specifically focused on the role of seatbelts in preventing personal injuries to passengers riding in the back. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety was specifically looking at whether seatbelt technologies that have been shown to have excellent personal injury protection capabilities for front seat passengers and drivers, can also perform equally well in protecting rear seat passengers. The crash tests resulted in a new set of ratings for rear seatbelts, and this is the first time that ratings for rear seat belts have been released in the US.

These ratings will guide manufacturers as they design better automobiles that protect not just motorists and front seat passengers, but also passengers at risk at the back. The push towards increasing safety for back seat passengers received a further boost this year with Uber announcing that its app will soon require back seat passengers to buckle in as soon as they get in the car.

Published on: January 4, 2022

In-Car Technology, Objects Major Factor in Car Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

New cars have an increasing array of gadgets and accessories. Although some may be designed to help keep a driver safe, in-car technology and objects inside the car may actually be much more likely to distract motorists than objects outside the car.

These new findings are part of recent research into distractions affecting motorists and their impact on safe driving. The study was published in Accident Analysis and Prevention Journal and focused on the types of distractions that motorists are most prone to, as well as the impact of distractions on different types of motorists, including teen as well as senior drivers.

The study found that in-car objects and technology as well as cell phones were a major distraction for motorists. External scenes were also a distraction to a certain extent. Teens and adult drivers were much more likely to be distracted by technology, other passengers as well as other types of distractions, compared to senior drivers. However, senior drivers seemed to suffer a greater impact from distractions. Older drivers may begin to suffer from slower reflexes and delayed response times as they age, and the impact of these can be exacerbated when the senior driver is also distracted by his cell phone or other technology. Both females as well as males were prone to distractions.

Published on: December 24, 2021

Stronger Driver’s License and Child Safety Laws Could Further Reduce Accident Fatalities in Georgia

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

A leading non-profit traffic safety advocacy group says that Georgia could do a much better job of protecting motorists and other people on our roads and preventing accidents by implementing key changes to the existing laws.

According to Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, a non-profit organization, 1,491 persons were killed in traffic accidents on Georgia roads in 2019. Around 13,525 people were killed in traffic accidents in the state over a decade-long period. Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety in its Roadmap for State Highway Safety Laws report says that the total cost of traffic accidents in Georgia has been more than 10 billion dollars. The 2021 roadmaps report identifies the areas in which Georgia has succeeded in keeping motorists safe, and suggests areas of improvement that could further help reduce accident and fatality rates in the state.

The report is very appreciative of Georgia’s seat belt laws that allow for primary enforcement. Primary enforcement means that a police officer can pull a motorist over and cite him for failure to wear a seatbelt even if he does not notice any other violations. However, the primary enforcement law applies to motorists and front seat passengers only, and not to rear seat passengers. The report recommends that Georgia implement primary enforcement seat belt laws even for back seat passengers. Georgia’s motorcycle helmet laws that apply to all riders as well as the state’s booster seat were commended, however the report recommended mandating children remain in rear facing booster seats until the age of two.

Published on: December 15, 2021

Old Age Increases Fall Risk

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Seniors who have had limited access to physical exercise and mobility over the past year are reporting frail health and an increased risk of fall accidents that result in injuries.

A new study by the University of Michigan shows that the health crisis of last year meant lost access to their usual opportunities for exercise for many seniors. Even simple walks outside the home became difficult for many seniors in Georgia, and as a result, their collective health has suffered. The study finds that long periods of staying home with only sedentary activity has resulted in frail musculoskeletal health for seniors, and that this has increased their risk for suffering fall accidents significantly.

The researchers surveyed a group of seniors between the ages of 50 and 80 about their access to physical inactivity during 2020, and found that many reported lower levels of exercise. As many as a third of the survey respondents reported that their health declined in 2020, especially during the first few months of the crisis. As many as a quarter reported that they have worse physical health than before the crisis, and that they now have a serious fear of falling.