Personal Injury

Published on: May 28, 2010

Single Focal Lenses Could Minimize Slip and Fall Accidents in the Elderly

Single Focal Lenses Could Minimize Slip and Fall Accident Risks in Elderly Persons

Wearing eyeglasses with multifocal lenses can actually increase an elderly person’s risk of suffering a fall accident when he or she is outdoors. Therefore, senior citizens, who spend a lot of time outdoors, may be better served if they shift to single focal lenses. Those findings come via a study conducted by Australian researchers at Sydney’s Prince Of Wales Medical Research Institute.

The researchers studied a group of 606 senior citizens with an average age of 80, and gave half of them two pairs of glasses with single focal lenses. The remaining members of the group were asked to continue using their multifocal lenses as usual. Both groups were asked to record the number of fall accidents they suffered over a course of 13 months.

Published on: May 27, 2010

Child Injured in Atlanta Power Window Accident Recovers

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

A 21-month-old toddler, who sustained serious injuries when she was caught in a car power window, is recovering from injuries. The accident occurred last Friday when the child was alone in the family car with her three-year-old brother. The child’s neck became trapped in the power window when it suddenly became activated. She was initially unresponsive, and had to be rushed to the Barrow Regional Medical Center, and later to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. She is now expected to make a full recovery.

Fortunately, this horrible incident is like to have a happy ending. Injuries from activated power windows are not exactly unheard of. According to the NHTSA, every year, approximately 6 children die from power window accidents, and close to 2,000 children are injured.

Last year, Kidsandcars.org had conducted a survey that showed that power window accidents and injuries may be far more common than the NHTSA believes. The surveyors asked participants about whether they had ever caused injuries to anyone by activating a power window. Up to 6% of the participants admitted that they had indeed injured another person by activating a power window. According to Kidsandcars.org, when you translate those statistics into the general population in the United States, it works out to approximately 13.6 million power window-related injuries every year.

Published on: May 26, 2010

New Pool Safety Guidelines Call for Swimming Lesson for Children Below Age 4

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

New Pool Safety Guidelines Call for Swimming Lessons for Children Below 4

The general wisdom, thus far, has held that children may only begin swimming lessons after they complete the age of 4. Pediatrician groups have traditionally believed that children below 4 years of age, may not be developmentally ready for swimming lessons. That attitude is now changing. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, if children below the age of four have swimming classes, it could actually help prevent many pool drowning deaths

Drowning is the second biggest cause of unintentional death among children between the age of one and 19. The risks are dramatically higher for children between the age of one and four. Now, the American Academy of Pediatrics is recommending a series of steps to prevent drowning-related deaths in children of this age group, and swimming lessons is one of those measures.

Published on: May 5, 2010

May is Bike Safety Month

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Education and exposure to bicyclists and safety programs makes for a safer environment for both bikers and motorists. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is promoting the month of May as Bike Safety Month. The League of American Bicyclists is the official sponsor of this campaign, which will run through this month.

Any program that aims to spread the message of safe bicycling and increases awareness among motorists and bicyclists alike, will have the support of Atlanta bicycle accident lawyers. There is a series of events and programs lined up across the month, in the city of Atlanta. Here’s a look at just some of the events lined up for longtime bikers, as well as new bicyclists.

There will be a bike advocacy team meeting on May 10. This will be followed by a bike rally and bike rodeo on May 15. On May 19, bicyclists across the city will take part in the Ride of Silence to commemorate those bicyclists killed in accidents. On May 21 is the high point of the program, Bike to Work Day. On that day, teams of professional bicyclists will ride to work to demonstrate the conveniences and joys of a bike commute. Finally on the 26^th, there is a special workshop on Bike Maintenance for Dummies. The program will cover basics, like how to fix a flat tire and identifying bike parts.

Published on: May 4, 2010

Legislation Proposed to Prevent NHTSA Staff from Becoming Auto Company Lobbyists

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

It’s the kind of golden nexus that has had federal regulators and Atlanta personal injury lawyers very concerned. The trend of employees at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration leaving their jobs to take up cushy positions at prominent auto makers like Toyota, has been popular for a while now. After leaving their positions, these former NHTSA employees would then enjoy a cozy relationship with their former coworkers at the agency.

It has not been confirmed if this kind of relationship impacts auto safety. According to the Department of Transportation, there is no evidence to show that there was an unhealthy relationship between Toyota lobbyists who were former NHTSA officials, and the agency that they used to work for. However that hasn’t convinced some legislators. Sen. Barbara Boxer is working on an auto safety bill that would prohibit ex-NHTSA employees from working as lobbyists or in any other position that would require them to be in contact with their former employer. This restriction would be in place for a period of at least three years after the person quit his job at the NHTSA.

The Toyota crisis has also led to other lawmakers putting on their thinking caps and devising new legislation to keep American motorists safe. One such bill would require automakers to install anti-runaway technology in their vehicles. These technologies will include the override systems that are currently in place in several vehicles, and stop-start technologies. The bill is being drafted by Sen. Jay Rockefeller, chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, and Rep Henry Waxman, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Published on: May 3, 2010

Police Chase-Related Accidents Cause More Than 350 Fatalities Annually

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

More Than 350 Fatalities Annually in Police Chase-Related Accidents

There’s little attention paid to the hundreds of innocent motorists injured or killed every year in accidents caused by high-speed police chases. A new report by USA Today throws more light on this problem.

According to the report, which is based on NHTSA figures, every year, approximately 350 people are killed in accidents caused when police are chasing a suspect in a high-speed pursuit. In about one third of the cases, these fatalities involve the suspect being chased. The remainder, and the majority of the fatalities, involves innocent motorists.

Published on: April 27, 2010

Choking Hazards for Children Analyzed

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Choking Is Still a Real Hazard for Children

In spite of concerted efforts by the Consumer Product Safety Commission to make children’s toys safer and choking-hazard free, thousands of children suffer a choking injury every year. Many of these choking incidents will be serious enough to require treatment in the hospital. According to a study, death is a very real possibility for those children who are admitted to a hospital for choking on a toy part or food.

The study looked at child hospital discharge data in 2003, and specifically noted 2,800 admissions for choking. Researchers found that approximately one in about every 30 kids hospitalized for choking, actually died in the hospital. The study also had one very interesting fact for Atlanta personal injury lawyers– about 25% of all choking-related hospital admissions were caused by toys or other products that were in compliance with Consumer Product Safety Commission regulations for these products.

Published on: April 10, 2010

Children More Likely to Be Injured by Routines During the Holidays

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Children More Likely to Be Injured by Routine Things During Holidays

It’s no secret that children run a much higher risk of being injured during a major holiday like Christmas, than other days. However, contrary to what many parents believe, the risks to children are not so much from performing holiday-specific tasks, as from doing routine everyday things, or so, a new study says.

Researchers compared the five-day period around eight major American holidays – Labor Day, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, Halloween and New Year’s. The study which used data between 1997 and 2006, revealed that most holiday injuries involve sports and recreation activities.That’s not any different from the rest of the year when children hurt themselves the most while playing.

Published on: April 9, 2010

Bicycle Safety Tips for Children

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Bicycle Safety Tips for Children

A tragic bicycle accident last week in south Fulton County killed a nine-year-old boy. The tragedy is a reminder of the risks to Atlanta’s children as summer creeps up on us.

More children can be expected to take to their bicycles as the weather gets warmer, and as Atlanta bicycle accident lawyers, we are concerned at the possibility of accidents involving kids on bicycles. There is much that parents can do to encourage safe bicycling habits in their children.

Published on: March 30, 2010

Elevator Injuries Among Senior Citizens on the Rise

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

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.