In a lawsuit filed by relatives of the two construction workers killed in the May 30th crane collapse in New York City, emails within the NYC Buildings Department were presented. The NYC Buildings Department division head sent emails nine months before the crane collapse informing department experts and outside consultants that the crane should be grounded because it was at risk of “catastrophic failure.” Investigators into the Manhattan construction accident focused on the turntable of the crane which had been damaged and rebuilt prior to the accident. Choosing to ignore the warnings put forth by their own employees should be held as a factor in the two men’s deaths.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 01:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A family has filed a lawsuit against a swimming pool for inadequate lifeguard cover when their 7-year-old son nearly drowned leaving him with a “catastrophic brain injury.” Chad Mole was found lifeless with blue lips on October 18, 2005. He was revived but suffered a severe hypopoxic brain injury that has left him severely disabled. An inquiry was made under a Health and Safety Act that subsequently brought a charge to the owners and operators of the swimming pool. Attorney for the family claim the pool’s owners failed to ensure that Chad was kept safe by the lack of oversight and lifeguard coverage. In an opening statement the attorney told the jury, “The case you are about to hear concerns a very near drowning at Trecco Bay. It was caused, the Crown say, in simple terms by this company not having a proper system of work, not having sufficient lifeguards on duty, not having lifeguards clearly observing these people and not having a system where people would react properly when they saw a young boy in a dangerous part of the pool. As a result of that failure, we say that young Chad Mole, seven years of age, very, very nearly drowned. His life was saved but he will forever have a catastrophic brain injury which has severely disabled him.”

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 08:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Minnesota resident Leticia Harnung led a motivated, successful life as a finance director for a congressman. She thrived on multi-tasking, financial calculations and political networking. That all changed five months ago when she was thrown from a jet ski and hit her head while on vacation in Florida. She flew home the next day, but had a bad headache. As days went by her headache cart wheeled into incoherency. Harnung’s MRI scans were sent to Dr. Gaylan Rockswold who is a chief of Neurosurgery. Rockswold concluded her brain injury was not visible and in fact said that usually is the case in the majority of concussions. Sometimes the only way a brain injury can be diagnosed is by its symptoms: personality changes, cognitive dysfunction, memory loss, loss of balance, dizziness, etc. Pat Maraciniak said the Brain Injury Association of Minnesota offers a host of resources to help brain injury victims and their families get the help and support they need. “They go home not realizing the impact a brain injury has on them and how life-changing and life-altering it is,” said Marciniak. “So they can understand what's going on. Their symptoms are explained, they're identified. They're told what they can expect,” he said. “With family, with work, with school it helps enormously. The patient feeling reassured they are not going crazy.” Rockswold said follow-up care is critical for the best chances of recovery. One of Harnung’s current challenges is constant migraines which her doctor is trying to help control. New research has found that the brain can heal itself and rewire pathways that were lost in the injury. Which gives Leticia Harnung and her family hope, but they wish more people understood how serious a concussion, known as a mild traumatic brain injury, can be.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 09:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Two previous lawsuits that have been filed against the company that employed the engineer in the deadly Metrolink crash near Los Angeles have been combined into one class-action lawsuit. Veolia Transportation is to be sued over labor policies for allegedly not giving employees proper rest breaks, overtime and other benefits. Since the September 12th deadly crash Veolia has been under scrutiny. Federal investigators are reviewing whether fatigue played a role in the collision. The diabetic engineer blamed for the collision was in the midst of a 10.5 hour split shift. Of 222 train passengers, 25 people were killed and 21 remain hospitalized. The Los Angeles Times researchers reported that the crash sent 86 people to hospitals in the San Fernando Valley, Westwood, Hollywood and Ventura County.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 08:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Chances are you or a loved one will be in a car accident unfortunately. When this happens most are unprepared and are sucked along the roller coaster ride of what needs to done when. In the maelstrom people don’t find out what their rights are, what forms of assistance they have access to and what steps they need to take to protect themselves or their loved ones. The first action is to stay calm, call the police and if an ambulance is offered take it. As the shock of the situation may not allow you to feels injuries yet.

Continue reading "Know your Rights: The Auto Insurance Maze" »

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 08:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A young girl and her family recently settled with a group of companies in a lawsuit over a bike accident that left a young girl, Hailey Kramer, now 12, with catastrophic injuries. Her mother, Robin Kramer, filed suit in October on her daughter's behalf, seeking damages from the companies that designed and built Lake Haven Drive, where Hailey was injured on June 24, 2005. Bax Engineering, Bax Development Inc./J.C. Bax Construction Co. and the Forest Lake Estates trustees recently settled with the Kramers for $2 million. There are other defendants in the case that have yet to go to trial or settle. While riding her bike she fell and hit the side of her face on a wooden post alongside the road. The doctors said that wearing a helmet probably would not have prevented her injuries. The family’s attorney said the defendants cut corners to save money and built a road with a 17 percent grade in defiance of a county’s ordinance that says slopes on private roads cannot exceed 12 percent. The family’s attorney says the settlement allows the Kramers to modify their home to allow wheelchair access, install devices which help move Hailey in and out of bed and into the bathroom and pay for experimental medical treatment not covered by insurance.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 06:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A construction accident in San Diego has injured at least 16 people with at least three of them being life-threatening. The injuries occurred when part of some scaffolding collapsed in downtown San Diego. Rescue crews say about 25 people were on the wooden walkway when its walls and roof fell in. The accident happened where a lot of renovation projects were underway. Investigators are determining the cause of the collapse. Closing the walkway or establishing a detour could have been a prohibitive step and kept 16 people from being injured.

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A New York construction accident attorney stressed the importance of strong laws holding owners, developers, contractors and crane operators responsible for construction crane accidents. David Perecman, Secretary of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association and Co-chair of its Labor Law Committee believes the violators need to be disciplined by the one thing that hurts - financial recompense. The arrest of New York City Crane Inspector, James Delayo for taking bribes from crane operators and crane companies, illustrated the monetary hold the construction companies have. “Despite efforts of the government to regulate the construction industry, the task is overwhelming. Inspectors can't keep up with the construction boom and don't have the same incentive as construction accident victim's lawyers to do so. What has to happen is that the laws have to be kept strong by the legislature and the courts. Only by hitting owners, developers and contractors in the pocket will they make sure accidents don't continue to happen, lives and families won't be destroyed and those who are responsible will act responsibly,” explained Mr. Perecman. He further illuminated that the public may be unaware of the multiple bills pending in the New York State Legislature trying to weaken the very laws governing construction accident liabilities. Perecman says, “That is the role trial lawyers fill. When an accident happens we find out why. We take the owners and contractors to court and force them and their insurance companies to own up to their mistakes and compensate the victims and their families for what they have lost. No one can replace a lost life and lost health but the least that can be done is making sure that the victims do not suffer financially.”

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 12:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In a study from the CDC released in the journal Wilderness and Environmental Medicine presented national outdoor recreational injury estimates and is believed to be the first type study of its kind. Between 2004 and 2005 there were approximately 213,000 people treated each year in emergency departments for outdoor recreational injuries. Of those injured, about 109,000 (51.5 percent) were young people between the ages of 10 and 24. For both men and women of all ages an overall, 6.5 percent of outdoor injuries treated were diagnosed as traumatic brain injury (TBI). “Participation in outdoor recreation is increasingly popular in the United States,” said Arlene Greenspan, Dr. PH and co-author of the study. “The good news is that there are ways to help stay safe while having healthy fun outdoors. For example, by wearing the appropriate helmet for snowboarding, snowmobiling, sledding and rock climbing, you can reduce your risk of having a head injury, which could become a traumatic brain injury. Helmets are one piece of equipment that can have a critical, positive impact.” She concluded.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 08:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In a study from the CDC released in the journal Wilderness and Environmental Medicine presented national outdoor recreational injury estimates and is believed to be the first type study of its kind. Between 2004 and 2005 there were approximately 213,000 people treated each year in emergency departments for outdoor recreational injuries. Of those injured, about 109,000 (51.5 percent) were young people between the ages of 10 and 24. For both men and women of all ages an overall, 6.5 percent of outdoor injuries treated were diagnosed as traumatic brain injury (TBI). “Participation in outdoor recreation is increasingly popular in the United States,” said Arlene Greenspan, Dr. PH and co-author of the study. “The good news is that there are ways to help stay safe while having healthy fun outdoors. For example, by wearing the appropriate helmet for snowboarding, snowmobiling, sledding and rock climbing, you can reduce your risk of having a head injury, which could become a traumatic brain injury. Helmets are one piece of equipment that can have a critical, positive impact.” She concluded.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 08:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A jury has awarded a New Jersey man nearly $4.4 million. In December 2000 the man lost his leg in an unfortunate construction accident at his church. When reaching for a telephone junction box, he dislodged a stack of drywall that fell on him, trapping him for 12 hours. He lay there until someone found him the next morning. Doctors had to amputate the left leg above the knee and his right leg was permanently damaged. The jurors decided the construction companies involved were negligent and assigned each business individually 70 percent and 20 percent responsibility. The remaining 10 percent was assigned the amputee. The award will cover the victim’s future medical expenses and life care.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 08:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The recent spat of construction crane collapses in New York is calling into question the safety and well-being of New York’s construction workers and inhabitants. The latest being just one of many in New York City over the past year including the unfortunate fatalities caused by a crane collapse last month and a few weeks ago. The New York County District Attorney’s office launched an investigation into one of the construction firms involved in a collapse, while City Hall stopped all crane construction in Manhattan for a couple of days. Mayor Bloomberg budgeted $4 million to hire 20 new highly specialized safety engineers to monitor the escalating number of construction sites around the city, but will that be enough to safeguard New Yorkers from death and injury?

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 03:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The case against two men accused of running over an 11 year-old boy with their boat and then fleeing the scene is currently hearing testimony in the Fresno County Superior Court. During testimony the father detailed the incident where he was towing his son from a personal watercraft, when the two men ran over his boy causing multiple and horrific injuries, including a gash that spanned his head exposing his brain. The boat's propeller also had cut his son's shoulder and abdomen. The boy survived, but only after multiple surgeries. His parents say he'll never fully recover from brain injuries and his face will always be disfigured. The charges against the two men include hit and run and failure to report an accident or render aid. The driver is also is charged with the enhancements of causing great bodily injury, reckless driving and speeding.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 04:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Steel worker Frank Potter, 40, was awarded $3.8 million in damages for a construction accident that severely injured him. In February 2005, Potter was working on the construction site of a new hotel Four Points by Sheraton. According to court records he was on a temporarily supported platform at the top of the structure. A contractor employee removed the support beam while Potter was working on the platform, creating a trap door through which Potter fell. He fell 26 feet onto concrete, crushing his pelvis, knee and face. The jury originally awarded him $4.75 million, but cut the Contractors verdict by 20 percent because in Potter’s negligence he failed to wear a safety harness. He has undergone hip replacement surgery, has metal pins in his knees and metal plates in his face. He has been suffering from severe and permanent pain to the point of suicidal thoughts. His medication has since been adjusted to lessen the emotional toil of what will be a lifetime spent in chronic pain, the attorney said.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 12:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

About 3,000 residents in Lafayette, Louisiana were told to evacuate their homes after a BNSF Railway train derailed spilling hydrochloric acid from six train cars. Authorities cleared a one-mile radius initially from the accident site. The derailment spread a toxic cloud over the city and five people were sent to the hospital and treated after complaining of skin and eye irritations. State Police could not offer up an estimate for how long the cleanup would take. Hazardous materials specialists have to work cautiously because the acid is so dangerous. Hydrochloric acid can also cause respiratory problems. An estimated 10,000 gallons spilled.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 12:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In an effort to seek answers in the death of their loved one a Pittsburgh, PA family has had to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Charles Aymar, Jr., 63, died after the PennDOT plow truck crossed the center line and hit his van head-on in February. The family has heard nothing from investigator’s regarding their search for answers. The driver of the PennDOT plow truck told investigators he lost control during a snow squall. The Aymar family wants to know why the driver was not cited at the scene and was able to return to work three days after the accident. In an effort to seek answers the victim’s brother Dan Aymar, says, “No results. Nothing's happening. It seems like these people don't have to account for what they did. Where's the fairness at? You know, there's no fairness - let's be fair about the thing. I don't want the guy to get the electric chair, but I want him to pay.” State Police are nearing the end of the investigation and they will submit their final report to the District Attorney's office. At that point, the DA's office will review the case for possible criminal charges.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 08:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Many already know the benefits of wearing a helmet while participating in sporting activities such as bicycling and playing hockey. In fact, legislature has been put in place requiring such preventative measures. The Canadian Standards Association (CSA) is taking it further. They are releasing new national standards for ski and snowboard helmets after results from helmet tests in those areas. Helmet advocate Richard Kinar fears that without a federal law preventing the sale of sub-standard helmets there is a change the new standards will never be used. “I have personally spoken to helmet manufacturers and they have told me that they would refuse to make the helmets unless they were forced to by the federal government by passing a law that would classify helmets as hazardous products,” said Kinar. Classifying the sub-standard helmets as hazardous materials would effectively make it illegal for retailers to sell such helmets. A Bill is underway that would prohibit the sale of non-CSA approved sports helmets under the Hazardous Products Act. In the meantime, helmet manufactures can voluntarily produce helmets that meet the new standard, and stores can voluntarily sell them. “The real shame of it all is that now we have this great new standard that has the ability to save lives and prevent head injury and paralysis, and we may never use it,” Kinar said. “We have no national injury prevention strategy, even when we have studies that show that preventable injuries are a leading killer and disabler of children in Canada.” Preventable injuries are costing the health care system an estimated $15 billion a year according to figures from the Brain Injury Association of Canada.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 12:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

California state investigators are trying to determine why a carnival ride called the Yo-Yo collapsed causing all 24 people aboard injuries the majority of which were children. The Yo-Yo is effectively a giant swing that picks up speed as it goes around causing the seats to swing around horizontally to the ground. A pole collapsed causing the arms attached to the seats to crash back to the center. Most of the riders were hurt when their seats struck the ground and other parts of the ride. Three riders were airlifted to area hospitals. Several other area hospitals reported treating others for injuries. Thankfully, there were no fatalities.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 04:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A hit and run jet ski accident resulted in catastrophic injuries suffered by a 10 year-old boy. A man and a woman ran into the boy’s cousin’s water craft, launching them into the water, severing the boy’s leg and breaking his 19 year-old cousin’s foot. The couple fled the scene. A Good Samaritan and her husband rescued them and called for help while applying pressure to the young boy’s leg. “I was terrified when I saw the kid's wound, it was just too huge,” said Sandra Herrera, one of the boys’ rescuers. “It was incredible and the blood gushing everywhere. I basically put a towel and applied as much pressure as I could to stop the bleeding” The boy was airlifted by the Coast Guard and flown to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. The boy’s father in a fit of anger slammed his fist on a fence in frustration outside the hospital. In disgust he expressed, “I feel really hurt because someone had an accident with my kid and they left and didn't help him.” They just got on their jet ski and they just left.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 08:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Several weeks ago the mother of a 5-year-old daughter was killed instantly when a cement truck landed on her SUV. The accident happened when the driver of the cement truck swerved and lost control, slamming into a barrier and tipping over onto Maria Gamez’s SUV. Maria did not survive, but her five-year-old Angelica was pulled to safety by firefighters. Gamez’s family has filed suit against the Dallas based company TXI Operations and the driver saying they are responsible for the tragedy. “This is not someone you would expect to be operating a 25-ton cement truck,” said Mark Werbner, the attorney representing the Gamez family. He claims the driver was reckless and shouldn’t have been behind the wheel because of his history of driving infractions such as DWI, license suspension and speeding in a commercial vehicle.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 08:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A Forney, Texas man was partially paralyzed when a rented U-Haul moving truck ran over him because of a faulty emergency brake and worn-down gears. A Dallas County jury agreed that U-Haul was at fault and awarded him $87 million. Talmadge Waldrip rented the U-Haul truck in September 2006 to help his daughter move. As he stopped the struck and got out, it started rolling backwards knocking him down and crushing his bladder and pelvis. Two years and more than 14 surgeries later he still cannot walk and requires 24 hour care. Many who have rented moving trucks have experienced the same type of company incompetence when reporting or experiencing problems that are ultimately ignored by the company. The attorney for the Waldrip’s and the jury agreed, “This verdict is a verdict for safety,” attorney Ted Lyon said. “U-Haul trucks are not safe. They don’s fix them.” Waldrip said his lawsuit was not about money. “I want them to know they can't treat people like this and rent a vehicle that is not roadworthy," he said.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 08:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A construction accident that left a man with a serious head injury had a piece of his skull placed in his abdomen until the swelling in his brain went down. Jairo Rodriguez was working in a basement for a construction business that was uninsured at the time of his injury. A piece of brick wall fell on him pinning him against another brick wall causing him to hit his head and lose consciousness. “They had to keep that part of the skull (or bone material) alive,” said his wife, Jessie Rodriguez. “He had suffered a blood clot to his brain and there was so much blood and swelling, he had a drainage tube from inside his brain.” The doctors are ready to remove the piece of bone from his abdomen and reattach it to the rest of his skull. The couple has already amassed $25,000 in hospital bills before the surgery and the surgery will cost an additional $10,000. Jairo has regained the ability to walk and talk, but the far-reaching implications of his injury will cause many financial and emotional difficulties for him, his wife and their 2 year and 3 month old sons.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 02:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Vermeer Central Illinois, a heavy equipment dealer was held accountable in a 2002 highway construction accident that caused the amputation of employee’s leg below the knee. A jury awarded Bobbi Jo Craver, a construction flagger, $14.6 million after a jury found Vermeer and construction company G.M. Sipes, responsible for the construction accident. At the time of the incident G.M. Snipes bypassed safety features by using wire to manually hold open a fuel solenoid because the machine would unpredictably shut down. The manipulation made the emergency stop button inoperable. Workers lost control of a concrete cutter which ran over Craver before entering traffic and striking a tanker truck. Vermeer was found negligent by not removing the wire and not telling G.M. Snipes to stop using the cutter until after the engine problem was fixed. G.M. Snipes has been known to previously bypass safety features on other machines as well. The construction company was also found responsible, but will not have to pay anymore than $200,000 in worker’s compensation because of how the law is structured.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 08:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Many know how dangerous construction work can be. The recent crane collapse in New York is a heinous example. Construction workers may not know they have a legal right to seek compensation for injuries incurred on the jobsite. On a relatively small scale, recently a Newark, N.J. man who fractured his ankle while working for a framing subcontractor was awarded more than $500,000 for his injury by a jury. Jose Gualberto was using a 10-foot ladder to install joist hangar brackets when the ladder slipped. His leg got caught between rungs and severely broke his ankle in three places. He has amassed more than $50,000 in medical bills so far and still needs more surgery. While Gualberto was found 11 percent liable, the subcontractors were also found liable by the jury. Each company is responsible for a portion of the award. It is imperative that construction workers consult legal advice as an accident, through little fault of their own, can change their life forever.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 08:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Four months ago Zach Dunlap was declared brain dead and doctors were about to remove his organs for transplant. Dunlap was injured in an all-terrain vehicle accident. As family members were paying their last respects, he moved his foot and hand and reacted to a pocketknife being scraped across his foot as well as to pressure applied under a fingernail. After 48 days in the hospital, he was allowed to return home, where he continues to work on his recovery. He and his family were in New York, appearing on NBC's "Today." Even though he has no recollection of the accident that sent him into a coma Dunlap said one thing he does remember is hearing the doctors pronounce him dead. Dunlap’s father said he saw the results of the brain scan and observed no activity and no blood flow, thus agreeing to the harvesting of his organs. Since being released from the hospital his mother said her son is doing “amazingly well, but still has problems with his memory as his brain heals from the traumatic injury.” Zach Dunlap and his family are aware of the time it will take to eventually heal and recover functionality, but their just thankful he’s alive.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 08:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Each year rescue workers extricate hundreds of automobile accident victims from wrecks across the nation. Fire officials are saying new care features are making it harder for them to do their jobs. The equipment available to them is old and has not kept up with the newer car features such as airbags and reinforced steel construction now being installed in vehicles. The dangers faced include pressurized gas canisters that inflate air bags exploding when pierced by cutting tools. Rescuers can be launched from vehicles when the air bags suddenly deploy. Hybrid cars have hidden battery cables that deliver a powerful shock. Even the ubiquitous seat belt pre-tensioners, which quickly tighten the seat belts in accidents, can explode when cut. Rescue workers across the nation are scrambling to update their tools and extrication methods. “It's not more difficult to get them out, just more time-consuming and dangerous,” said Chris Whetton, an engineer and heavy rescue technician for a fire district. It is the law of unintended consequences. As car manufacturers improve and increase safety features on vehicles to keep us safe the more risk drivers are put at because of the length of time it takes to rescue them when in a severe accident.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 08:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The latest twist in motor vehicle accidents are people who are driving under the influence of prescription medications. Ann George, 59, spent more than three months in a hospital recovering from catastrophic injuries after Peggy Kouris slammed head-on into her car. The toxicology report showed that Kouris had a large amount of prescription barbiturates in her system at the time of the crash. The prosecution tried to have Kouris charged under operating a vehicle under the influence of drugs, but couldn’t because barbiturates don’t fall under the drug categories allowed.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 02:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Two police cars from separate city police departments caused a civilian motor vehicle accident and a pedestrian accident outside of their jurisdiction in the Denver metro area in the span of four days. The first involved an Aurora patrol car who hit a family of four inside Denver City limits and rolled the SUV they were traveling in. The mother driving the SUV said the patrol car did not have its lights on, was traveling 35 miles per hour in a 25 mph zone and blew through a stop sign, colliding with the family’s SUV. The second involved a Denver Police Officer who hit a civilian inside Centennial city limits. A FOX 31 news investigation ran into a wall and did not get answers from the departments as to why each officer was out of their jurisdiction. The woman driving in the accident is considering taking legal action.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 08:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In San Diego California a mother has filed claims against the San Marcos Fire Department and school district on behalf of her teenage son, Scott Eveland, a football player. The claim alleges both the fire department and school failed to take immediate action after her son suffered a catastrophic head injury during a football game. The mother, Diane Luth, said that her son began staggering and stumbling before losing consciousness, “the coaches, staff and emergency medical personnel present unreasonably delayed securing appropriate treatment and/or transporting claimant to the hospital, resulting in serious and irreparable brain damage to Scott Eveland.” At the time of the injury an ambulance was at the game as required, but did not transport Eveland to the hospital saying it needed to remain near the field in case other injuries occurred among other players. A second ambulance was summoned instead. “When dealing with a head injury when seconds count, to not immediately transport their son really put him at enormous risk,” said Dave Casey, the family's attorney. As for the school district, the claim alleges the coaches and athletic staff were not trained to recognize symptoms of a serious head injury, thus endangering Eveland’s life. The head injury occurred in the fall and Eveland remains hospitalized at a brain injury rehabilitation center in San Diego

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 08:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Construction workers are in a highly dangerous career. There is not a day goes by that reports of a death or injury occurs at construction sites around the country. Just recently, in Colorado Springs, Colorado two men were injured. According to authorities, an employee climbed a ladder that dislodged a steel beam that had not been welded together yet, breaking one mans leg. When another fellow worker climbed down to help him a second beam fell on him causing back and neck injuries. Both were in the employ of Catamount Constructors. They are expected to recover from their injuries. The injuries sustained by the second man could be a career ender and if he has disability that’s great, but what happens when his disability is used up?

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 08:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A small Minnesota town of little more than 1,000 residents was the scene of a horrific school bus crash that killed 4 children between the ages of 9 and 13 and injured 14 additional victims. Thirteen of them were students who were treated for a number of injuries including back and neck injuries and two child victims were in critical condition. The bus was on its regular route carrying 28 students when it was hit by a van driven by a 23 year-old that ran a stop sign. The bus then collided with a pickup and rolled onto the top of it.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 07:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Five months ago, Buffalo Bill’s tight end Kevin Everett suffered a catastrophic spinal injury that doctors thought he would never recover from. Now, he is walking and slowly regaining full use of his hands. “I'm happy people can know me like this,” Everett said in an interview with The Associated Press. “They can look at me and see what I've overcome and I'm still trying to overcome, and just see that life isn't that bad after all. It could be a whole lot worse.” At the time of the injury the orthopedic surgeon said the day following the accident that Everett’s chances of a full neurologic recovery were “bleak, dismal” and that it was unlikely he would ever walk again.

Continue reading "Buffalo Bill’s Kevin Everett walking again " »

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 10:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A nine-year-old boy of Montreal was seriously injured in 2003 during ski school instruction. During the instruction the boy skied across the hill, through a T-bar track and crashed head-first into rock and trees, shattering his helmet. He was in a coma for 13 days and when he awoke it became apparent he had suffered serious neurological damage. The Mont Olympia Ski School used a 17-year-old instructor in a class of nine beginner skiers. The Quebec Superior Court Justice ruled the ski accident was a result of lack of supervision of an instructor so young and awarded the family $3.7 million in damages. The family’s lawyer said the award reflects the extent of the boy’s injuries.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 04:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The PG&E plant in San Francisco is the location of a construction accident during a demolition. Two five-story boiler towers collapsed, causing two workers to suffer life threatening injuries and took the life of another worker. San Francisco emergency crews had to cut through metal and debris to reach one of the injured workers. Another worker’s legs were crushed, but he was able to escape before rescue crews arrived. The third victim’s body could not be reached until later that night and had to be cut free from the unstable steel debris. The construction company responsible for the demolition apparently has a dark history. It has had a number of accidents. The demolition is three months ahead of schedule and crews have been pushed to rush the job. The accident involved death and life-threatening injuries and the power plant has been in the center of controversy for decades, yet very little news coverage was made of the disaster.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 10:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Catherine O’Donnell, 86, underwent hip replacement surgery on Oct 6. and never regained consciousness. After surgery, while still under anesthesia she fell through a gap in an orthopedic surgical table after a nurse removed a safety strap around her torso in preparation of transferring her to a hospital bed. Her head slammed into the floor, fracturing her skull and causing internal bleeding. Hours after O'Donnell fell, she underwent surgery again to relieve the pressure of the bleeding on her brain. Catherine O’Donnell died a week later on Oct. 13. The Boston Medical Center, said the hospital has since changed it’s procedures to prevent further accidents in the future. Paul Dreyer, director of the Health Department's Bureau of Heath Care Safety and Quality, reviews an average of 800 serious injuries and medical errors involving patients at 90 Massachusetts hospitals a year. About 400 to 500 involve patients hurt in falls. A wrongful-death suit has been filed and names four defendants who were allegedly in the operating room at the time: an anesthesiology resident; an orthopedic resident; and two nurses.

Posted by Scott J. Eldredge at 07:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

So far this year, 4 people have died on Colorado slopes. The latest included a doctor from Kansas who fractured his neck after going airborne at Breckenridge’s terrain park and a 22-year-old snowboarder who suffocated to death after falling into a tree well head first at Steamboat. According to recent studies from the 2007 International Symposium on Skiing Trauma and Safety there are a number of factors responsible for the increase in death and injuries. A large-scale study in France showed that 10 percent of injuries on the slope were caused by collisions between people. That is up from the previous steady 6.4 percent. The most common type of collision is “by far” a snowboarder hitting another snowboarder and skier colliding with skier. The rate of snowboard injures are increasing from 3.37 injuries 1990/91 to 7 injuries per 1,000 incidents. The use of helmets has been estimated to be about 40 percent of users and while reducing the number of head injuries by 30 to 50 percent, the number of less serious injuries has remained constant. Surprisingly, over the last nine seasons there has been no significant reduction in fatalities due to head injury. Non-helmet use increased the likely hood of death by head injury to two times more. There are several reasons why fatal head injuries are still a risk. One being that helmets are designed to protect the head up to 12 mph and most collisions involve the skier/boarder traveling twice to three times that speed. Studies have also shown that those wearing helmets ski faster than those without helmets. What may not be so widely known is the increased risk of death by falling into a tree well. A tree well is usually made after heavy snows. Skiers and snowboarders in search of fresh powder off the established trail are at the most likely in danger. The snow in a tree well is like quicksand and the more the victim struggles, the deeper they bury themselves, usually suffocating to death. Colorado accounts for 17 percent of these kinds of fatalities in North America, trailing British Columbia (24 percent) and California (19 percent). Over the past seven years, snowboarders were twice as likely as skiers to be involved in these accidents. That is why it is always encouraged to ski with a partner so they can assist if one happens to find themselves in any of these types of situations.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 10:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Pictures taken of the Monte Carlo Resort & Casino Fire in Las Vegas have given investigators the break they needed to determine the initial point the fire started. They are still trying to determine what started the fire. The casino had to re-locate its estimated 5,000 guests and to find new venues for conventions scheduled for the hotel. It is estimated that the damage to the hotel could be in the tens of millions of dollars. An ambulance company spokeswoman said 17 people were taken to hospitals with minor injuries, mostly from inhaling smoke or from fleeing the building. None of the 120 firefighters were hurt. An ATF fire investigator visited Channel 8 studios to review the tape with the pictures of the fire. While another angle from the ground confirmed what was suspected. The fire made a "V" form on the side of the Monte Carlo. The investigator says that "V" indicates the point of origin. Fire Chief Steve Smith said the fire was an exterior fire fueled by a foam-like building material. Apparently, welders were working on the roof prior to the fire.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 10:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A United Airlines Boeing 757 backed into a SkyWest CRJ-700 jet carrying 60 passengers at San Francisco International Airport. The United plane was being transferred to a hangar for maintenance. The SkyWest passengers were not injured. At the time of the accident there were no “wing walkers” on the ground directing the vehicle pushing the 757. Apparently, there is no airport policy requiring the assistance of “wing walkers” when a plane is being moved for maintenance. This latest incident calls into question the safety procedures in place at the airport and by the airlines. The Federal Aviation Administration will be investigating the incident. In a report from October by the FAA, the airport was declared one of the riskiest in terms of near-collisions or pilot confusion while taxiing. According to the FAA report, the airport had four runway incursions in the previous year. Nationwide, there were 330 reports of near-collisions and other dangerous incidents between October 2006 and September 2007. The totals at San Francisco and San Jose airports each amounted to between 1 and 2 incursions for every 100,000 flights in 2007.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 10:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Officer Brian McAchran of Buckeye, Arizona was responding to a call in March 2005 when a semi-truck operated by Knight Transportation blew through an intersection barreling into him and dragging him and his cruiser more that 200 feet. The former officer is still recovering from a traumatic brain injury and extensive damages to his face and head he incurred at the time of the accident. The former SWAT officer is unable to work as a police officer again. After almost three years of the accident an Arizona jury found the trucking company and their driver liable and awarded McAchran just over $3 million. The verdict will help Brian McAchran, his wife and two daughters cover his past and future medical expenses.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 06:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The deep southeastern part of Utah was the scene of a horrific charter bus accident carrying skiers from Telluride, CO home to Phoenix, AZ. The charter bus operated by Arrow State Lines was southbound on State Route 163 when it was going too fast for a curve and dropped 41 feet off an embankment throwing passenger 100 yards or more, killing 8 and injuring about 20. At the scene of the accident there was a tangle of barbed wire, steel posts, luggage and ski equipment. The roof was split and the tires were gone. Some of the victims were pinned under the bus. The driver suffered only minor injuries. The injured were transported to hospitals in Salt Lake City, UT, Grand Junction, CO and Farmington, N.M. A manifest showed 51 passengers were on board the bus when it crashed in the Four Corners region where Utah meets Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico. Rescue crews from all four states were sent to help. Arrow Stage has had seven bus crashes in the past two years, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration database. Four of those accidents involved injuries.

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A window washer who fell 47 stories from the top of a Manhattan skyscraper is now miraculously awake, talking and expected to walk again. Alcides Moreno, 37, suffered potentially catastrophic injuries when he fell from a scaffolding collapse. The collapse killed his brother. Moreno’s legs, his right arm and wrist were broken in several places. There were severe injuries to his chest, abdomen, spinal column and his brain was bleeding. He may be breathing on his own and able to move his limbs now, but when he arrived at the hospital they were afraid to move him in case it killed him. They performed his first surgery without going to an operating room. He underwent an additional nine orthopedic operations later. For a fall victim Moreno’s injuries were relatively minor and his neurosurgeon said he avoided paralyzing his spinal cord regardless of suffering a shattered vertebra. The hospital where Moreno was treated said that the death rate from just a three-story fall is 50 percent. Those who fall 10 or more stories seldom survive. Alcides Moreno is one of the lucky ones and no one may ever know how he survived. The death rate of falls is concerning and those who do survive will undergo painful and lengthy recoveries. No information is available whether Moreno had insurance or not, but the truth remains that someone will have to pay the bills and it’s doubtful a window washer’s paycheck can cover it.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 06:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Two men are charged with leaving the scene of an accident, failing to render aid, and face an enhancement charge of causing great bodily injury. The driver’s charges include speeding and being under the influence. Labor Day weekend in September 2006, Dallen McIntyre, 11, was hit by a boat while knee-boarding behind his father’s personal watercraft. The father testified that the boat suddenly made a sharp turn and came toward them, knocking Dallen into the lake. The two men fled after hitting him. The impact with the propeller of the boat split the boy’s head and nearly killed him. He suffered catastrophic head injuries and has undergone several surgeries. An expert who manufactures propellers examined the propeller in question and determined that the damage was caused by the collision with the boy’s head. The examination concluded there were no scuff marks, chips or scratches, indications that the man’s boat propeller was responsible for the severe damage to Dallen. "The impact was great," the expert said, noting it was not easy to damage the propeller.

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It seems intuitively obvious that children should not be allowed to drive an ATV. Comparatively, children are not allowed to drive motorcycles. The question remains, why the disparity in the law. The number of injuries children have sustained has more than doubled between 1995 and 2005. Ultimately 40,400 children were treated in emergency rooms in 2005 for accidents related to ATV use. Findings presented by the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) reported the numbers. The 40,400 figure represents nearly one-third of all ATV-related injuries treated in 2005. Reported deaths number 120 in the same year. The fatalities represent only the children who died at the hospital, not those who died at the accident site. While wearing helmets and protective clothing might limit some of the injuries, there still remains the issue of whether children should be riding ATVs at all.

Continue reading "Report Shows ATV Use Not for Children" »

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 02:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Recent Denver natives and bicyclists Bryce Lewis and Caleb Hall were struck by a dump truck on a notoriously dangerous intersection in Seattle in September. Lewis was killed instantly. The families of the two 19 year-old men have filed suit against the driver of the truck and the owners, Nelson & Sons Construction Co. Inc. The corner it happened has hit cyclists four other times and pedestrians twice in the past three years. Lewis and Hall were riding in the bike lane on Sept. 7 when the dump truck turned right and plowed into them, according to the King County Superior Court lawsuit. The attorney for the two families said, “The primary duty is on the vehicle turning right to make sure there aren't people in the bike lane or in the crosswalk.” The dump truck driver could face a citation or criminal charge. Seattle police are still investigating and have not yet forwarded the case to King County prosecutors. Hall and Lewis had moved from Denver to Seattle just two weeks before the accident. Neither was wearing a helmet when they were hit.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 06:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Up and Coming ski racer Richard Long, 15, survived traveling 40 to 50 mph. and slamming into a tree head first at Arapahoe Basin. His survival is attributed to the helmet he was wearing. Long was slalom training at A-Basin when he lost control prior to the ski accident. His doctor, Dr. Stewart Levy, chief of neurosurgery at St. Anthony’s Central, held the dented liner of the helmet in an interview and showed where the helmet shell had shattered at the point of impact behind the left ear. Long is suffering from aphasia, the ability to find and voice words and express thoughts due to bruising of his left temporal lobe, considered a traumatic brain injury. Long’s other injuries included a broken collar bone, shoulder blade and a ruptured spleen. Long was a member of the Ontario Alpine Ski Team which trains skiers for Canada’s national ski team. His father, a ski coach, said his son was perhaps one of the two best skiers in North America in his age group. Dr. Levy said that 10 years of data on ski-related trauma shows that helmets reduce the risk of fatality by 80 percent and reduce the risk of brain injury by 65 to 75 percent. Long’s parents hope that Richard will regain his ability to walk, recover full speech skills and even return to skiing.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 10:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Drive Cam is a device that can be installed in cars to watch any adverse events while someone is driving. This is a boon to parents who are nervous about letting their teens drive unaccompanied. The Drive Cam starts recording if it detects such things as braking too hard, unsafe speeds, loud music or turning a corner too fast. The camera is pointed at the driver and out the window. The video is then sent back to a parent who sees a split screen of the event at teensafedriver.com. A report card is then sent that shows weekly driving grades. If parents use the car, their bad driving habits will also be reported. The camera can also be triggered to record by tapping on the window in the event of a dangerous situation such as car jacking. The Drive Cam gives parents peace of mind and helps their kids be aware of safe driving practices.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 06:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In a blog posted from November 30th, there was a report that the settlement of a class-action lawsuit brought against Ford Motor Co. would end all outstanding rollover-related lawsuits against the corporation. To further define the settlement, it will end the class-action status brought by Ford Explorer owners who believed their vehicles lost value because of their perceived danger. This does not preclude any pending personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits involving the sport utility vehicle.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 12:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In June 2006, John, 65 and Mary, 61, Reutter of Texas were hit from behind by an empty oil tanker. The accident left Mrs. Reutter with a paralyzed left arm and 40 percent mobility in her right arm. Mr Reutter suffered lower back pain. They settled out of court and were awarded $5.5 million. The Oklahoma-based United Petroleum Transports Inc. and the attorney who represented the driver said they were pleased that the case has been resolved. The Reutter’s lawyer commented, “This is one of the largest settlements in Johnson County. My clients have been generously compensated for their injuries but would do anything to have their health back."

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 09:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Volvo Cars recently announced its decision to recall 56,000 cars because of two issues that could cause severe consequences and car accidents. Spokeswoman for Volvo Cars, Maria Bohlin confirmed that 38,000 diesel car 2006 models of S60, V 70, XC 70 and XC 90 have been linked to a material fault in the engine that could cause it to catch fire. Another recall involving 18,000 of the newer V 70 and XC70 models relates to a side air bag weakness. She goes on to explain that the fuel injector bolts, located on top of the motor cylinder are faulty and can potentially cause a diesel fuel leak into the motor, possibly causing an engine fire. It was not made immediately clear how many fire incidents there have been. Bohlin said with the air bag issues, “there’s a risk they don’t launch fast enough.” The faulty cars have been sold mainly in the U.S. Britain and Sweden.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 06:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Saab, the Swedish aviation, defense and car manufacturing company is launching an in-car warning system that uses two tiny infrared cameras linked to a dashboard computer to monitor alertness in drivers. Research shows that 20 percent of accidents are caused by tired drivers falling asleep at the wheel. Saab has dubbed it the driver attention warning system. It is designed to detect the beginnings of drowsiness and inattention. The two miniature infrared cameras are focused on the driver’s eyes and measure the driver’s rate of eye blinking. The images are then analyzed by software that triggers a series of alerts when it recognizes the pattern of eyelid movement that indicates the onset of drowsiness. When the cameras detect a long duration of eye-lid closure, three warnings are initiated. At first, a chime sounds and a text warning message “Tired?” is displayed in the main instrument panel. If no affect, a speech message “You are tired” is then spoken through the audio system. At the last, a stronger warning tone and the message, “you are dangerously tired, stop as soon as it is safe to do so!” will come over the audio system. The system is reset and immediately reactivated only when the driver presses a button in the fascia. If the system detects a constant peripheral vision rather than full eyes on the road it will activate a seat vibration. The infrared cameras can even detect through dark glasses. "Many drivers do not stop and get out of the car if they are feeling drowsy. So we are trying to help drivers to help themselves," Arne Nabo, head of the human vehicle integration team at Saab said. The new system will undergo an eight-month field trial before released to the general public. Such a detection system should be well received and have a positive impact on the driving population, including semi-truck drivers by helping stop preventable car accidents in the future.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 12:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Ohio Democratic State Representative Michael Skindell was in a bicycle accident in August, suffered a broken collarbone and ruptured spleen, but credits his helmet for saving him from a more serious traumatic brain injury. The state lawmaker says he wants Ohio to require bike helmets for all children. Skindell’s proposed bill would fine parents $25 if their children are found to ride without a helmet. Low-income families would benefit by being provided helmets from proceeds of the fine. Twenty other states and Washington D.C. already have similar laws in place requiring children to wear bike helmets.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 06:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A night in August 2005 would change the life of a 29 year-old forever. Ryan Reitmeyer was driving a Sea Ray Jet Ski when he ran into a 35 foot boat cabin. He hit the left side of his head and was in a coma for more than a month. His brain was swollen with a traumatic brain injury. The doctors removed part of his brain after a CT scan revealed the part that controls speech was hemorrhaging. The doctors said that Ryan would probably die, and if not that he would never be able to speak or feed himself again. Even after surviving, the medical professionals warned the Reitmeyers that their son would need anti-seizure medications, intense therapy and probably lifelong supervision. His central nervous system was still damaged so the doctors suggested activities to encourage neuroplasticity (keeping the brain active so it can heal itself).

Continue reading "Importance of Fiscal Resources to Help in TBI Recovery" »

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 07:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The main causes of serious car accidents are usually attributed to the use of alcohol and/or drugs and excessive speed. However, a study from Sweden has found that driver fatigue, slippery surfaces, bad judgment around curves, and over-correcting when panicked are additional scenarios in serious accidents. The Swedish study believes that these latest scenarios should be considered when designing new vehicle safety features. The researches have published their findings in the International Journal of Vehicle Safety. The University of Technology of Sweden researchers used a methodology know as the Driving Reliability and Error Analysis Method (DREAM) to determine the cause of 38 single vehicle crashes.

Continue reading "Study out of Sweden determines additional reasons for car crashes" »

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 12:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

There was a time when truck drivers were considered the “knights of the highway” and could always be depended upon to lend a helping hand to stranded motorists. That time seems to have vanished with the ever time constrained schedule the truckers follow to deliver their goods. The consequences have now left motorists in danger on state highways. Two truck drivers are at the core of a vehicular homicide that occurred on I-80 in Wyoming Wednesday, Oct. 24th and have been charged in connection with a fatal pileup. One has been charged with aggravated homicide by motor vehicle and was held in the Carbon County Jail. He rear-ended a Nissan Xterra pulling a U-Haul trailer as it slowed, the victim later died at the hospital. As the semi-truck was stopped in the lane another truck driver ran into the back of it, eventually causing a seven vehicle chain collision. That driver was cited for reckless driving and having alcohol in the cab of a commercial vehicle. A patrolman did confirm the bottle of wine was still sealed, but according to the federal motor carrier safety regulations, no alcohol is allowed in the cab of a truck.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 10:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The life of a 47 year old Portland, Oregon woman was horribly transformed when she suffered catastrophic injuries to her nearly severed legs after being crushed between two parked cars while loading the trunk of hers. A young man of 25 was driving a pickup truck while under the influence of drugs when he veered off the road and struck the parked cars. Her legs had to be amputated. According to witnesses at the scene, the young man decided to get back in his truck and light a cigarette rather than help his victim. In an instant this woman’s life is terrifyingly altered because of the irresponsibility and heinous lack of judgment of one man.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 10:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A tugboat towing a barge tried to warn the passengers of a 24 foot yacht to halt or change coarse while navigating through the Ambrose Channel the night of Saturday Oct. 20th. The failure of communication eventually caused the yacht to run into the tow line, capsizing it and throwing the passengers in the water. A 61 year old man was rescued by a nearby fishing vessel while a 46 year old man was pulled from under the boat by police scuba divers. The remaining two were pronounced dead at the scene and the hospital. The collision is still under investigation by the Coast Guard. The question remains, were current rules being followed in regards to nautical laws.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 06:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

With the holiday season gearing up so are the numbers of drivers on the road. Every year there are millions of accidents and every year during the holiday season the freeways are full of travelers. The discouraging facts according to car-accidents.com are roughly 115 fatalities a day are a result of traffic accidents in the United States. That is one death every 13 minutes. Experts say driving safely requires constant attention, alertness and defensive activity. “We are inattentive drivers,” said Bob Schaller who is the author of the online defensive driving manual, “Drive Safe with Uncle Bob” and a driving instructor in Phoenix. “Almost all collisions are preventable, if drivers were paying attention to the driving task. We are distracted by dozens of non-driving activities, plus, by nature, we are mental multi-taskers.” He gives some tips. Make sure to be well-rested for long trips. Give your mind a break once in a while. Avoid distractions such as eating, cellphones, and radio and CD adjustments. Be aware of the drivers around you. Never drive under the influence of alcohol. Stay buckled into the car when driving. Drive the speed limit and stay calm and courteous in traffic situations. Before an extended trip, ensure that your car has been serviced. Carry basic supplies just in case the car breaks down, such as water, flashlights, spare tires and blankets. Avoid the heaviest traffic times so the drive is not rushed. Finally, if driving to an unfamiliar destination have maps available and directions on hand.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 02:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A 20-year-old man’s life was changed drastically when his leg was cut off at the knee after a construction accident at a residential construction site. He was installing an irrigation system using a boring unit. The machine was left idling while he worked in front of it when the unit caught hold of his jeans severely cutting his leg. The hospital surgeons unsuccessfully attempted to save his leg.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 10:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In an effort to further educate EMS responders during accidents, the city of Minot hosted Trinity’s 14th annual EMS Trauma Conference. The subjects discussed were mainly sport related injuries, but car accidents were covered as well. Statistics show that around 100,000 people in the United States every year suffer such a trauma, the majority attributed to car accidents. The EMS workers are typically the first to arrive on the scene of an accident and educating them with as much information as possible was the main goal of the conference. The Trauma Program Manager, Karen Zimmerman says "These are the people who are the first responders. These are the people that are going to be first to come up on us on the scene of an accident, a crash, an incident. They're the people climbing down the embankments, climbing in to cars you can barely fit into, stabalizing these people trying to get them boarded safely so that there isn't an aggravation or more injury caused."

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 08:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Children and adolescents injured in bicycle accidents are more of a concern for their health than previously thought. The cost of bicycle related injuries to children and adolescents are nearly $200 million in hospital inpatient charges every year. Researchers estimate that of the 85 million bicycle riders, approximately half of them are children or adolescents under 20 years old. The researches Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital found that more than a third of those children who are hospitalized have received a traumatic brain injury. Bicyclists can usually avoid this type of brain injurie by wearing a bicycle helmet at all times. Researchers want to promote strategies to lessen both the number and the severity of bicycle accidents and deaths. The researches go on to say that helmets could reduce the risk of injuring the brain by as much as 85 percent. Yet, everyday there are children in American who are riding bicycles without wearing any type of helmet or other protective device. Bicycle accidents send more children to hospital emergency rooms than any other recreational sport in the United States. Nearly 10,700 children are hospitalized every year because of the injuries they suffered while riding their bicycles.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 01:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A six-year-old Denton, TX girl injured in a freak bicycle accident returned home after more than two months in a hospital. Alexa Eason was seriously injured on August 6 after she fell off her bicycle and was impaled by a piece of rebar. She was transported by helicopter to Baylor Medical Center where she was listed in critical condition for more than a week. After eight weeks of therapy and treatment, Alexa's mom Peg said her daughter has improved immeasurably. "She went from thumbs up, thumbs down to 8 word sentences in 7 weeks," said Peg. Alexa can now walk on her own, although sometimes she has to use a brace. She's also improving the movement in her right hand. Before heading home Tuesday, Alexa made a special stop at her elementary school. Her classmates lined up outside to welcome her back. Peg says Alexa doesn't remember the accident and doesn't seem to be afraid of riding a bicycle again. "Obviously we're not going to put her on a bike anytime soon because she's not ready for that," said Peg. "But I don't think she's scared of a bike. She'll be wearing a helmet from now on, I guarantee you, every time she rides a bike." Alexa will be in full therapy. She still has one more surgery scheduled later this month to repair her skull.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 10:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

General Motors Corp. and the University of Michigan Medical School are working on a new study that will try to guide emergency workers and doctors who respond to car accidents and develop safer vehicles along the way. Researchers are using crash and injury data from GM's OnStar service to learn more about the links between certain types of crashes and injuries. The in-vehicle system alerts emergency rescue officials when an air bag deploys or the vehicle is involved in a crash. The study could help emergency room doctors know what to expect before the victim of a car accident arrives at the hospital. It also may help rescue workers determine when they need heavy equipment to extricate passengers or should send injured motorists to trauma centers. Additionally, the study will help automaker make safety improvements in future vehicles. One focus of the research will be on rollover crashes, which kill more than 10,000 people annually despite accounting for only a small percentage of accidents.

Continue reading "GM and University of Michigan Medical School team up to study auto crashes" »

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 06:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Idaho State Police are investigating an accident that sent six kids to the hospital after a homecoming float came unhitched from a truck. One freshman student was seriously hurt and flown by Life Flight to a medical center in Boise. Witnesses say the freshman float fell off the pickup that was towing it. Another girl suffered a broken arm and was among five students taken to another medical center. Tim Rosandick, Superintendent of Schools, said some kids are understandably worried about their classmates and this accident put a "touch of somberness" on the homecoming game.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 06:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The men accused of drinking, then driving the boat that crashed into an 11-year old boy and permanently injuring him, may not face trial for several months. Court documents reveal affidavits that led to the arrests of Roger Guzman and Tom Kirby. They include witness accounts from several people, and expert analysis, but defense attorneys say they only recently got all the information and the prosecutor's push for a speedy trial is unfair. Court documents show Guzman admitted to boating a few hours after drinking six beers the day of the accident, despite a 2004 DUI conviction. Roger Guzman and Tom Kirby are facing felony charges in connection with the high-speed collision, but it took investigators nearly a year to get enough evidence to file charges. Now, the suspects' lawyers want a similar time frame to conduct their own investigation. The accident left McEntire blind in one eye and forced him to learn to walk again, however, the prosecutor will have a tough time proving Guzman and Kirby knew they hit him.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 02:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A 62-year-old Arizona woman died in a Tucson hospital from a catastrophic injury sustained in a boating accident in Mexico on Sept. 8. Charlene White had owned and operated a tour company called Tour of the Month for nine years, said her son, Peter White, 39. She and her son were in Puerto Peñasco, the beach town known as Rocky Point, last weekend leading a trip for about 45 people. On Sept. 8, the group went about 25 miles out to sea in a party boat. A crew member went down a slide at the back of the boat and landed on top of Charlene, who was
already in the water. The impact broke her neck and left her unconscious. Peter pulled his mother out of the water and gave her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Charlene was taken to a hospital in Rocky Point where they were for about three hours. It became apparent she would need more help, and they were driven by ambulance to the Lukeville Port of Entry. From the border, they went in another ambulance to Ajo, where a helicopter flew Charlene
to University Medical Center in Tucson. She died Thursday night Sep. 13.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 06:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A plane with 52 people aboard crash landed in Lithuania, but no one was hurt, in the second such accident this week involving a Canada Bombardier turboprop of the Scandinavian SAS airline. The plane ploughed through the ground with its fuselage and right wing and slid off the runway at Vilnius airport when the crew decided to put down there after noticing in flight that landing gear had failed. Following a crash of the same type of SAS plane a few days earlier in Denmark, also due to landing gear problems, the airline said it was grounding the Canadian DHC-8-400 aircraft and canceling 112 flights. Another SAS operated plane of the same type with 73 people on board crashed prior due to landing gear failure in Aalborg in western Denmark, again no one was seriously injured. The twin-engine turboprop is produced by Canada's Bombardier .

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 09:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Andy Zimmer of Birmingham, MI incurred a spinal cord injury two years ago in a bicycle accident. He was one of nine people to help United Way for Southeastern Michigan kick off its 59th annual fund-raising campaign Friday morning. Zimmer's life changed two years ago following a bicycle accident that left him partially paralyzed. He was initially diagnosed with a complete spinal cord break with his spinal cord being severed. He sought rehabilitation assistance from a United Way partner a year ago and attends physical therapy three times a week. Zimmer can now walk using leg braces and can ride a stationary bike. He also plays wheelchair rugby. "Through the strength and agility training I've received, I've gained confidence to live independently," Zimmer said. "Thanks to my rehabilitation, I'm able to put physical ability behind my mental fortitude."

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 06:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Andy Zimmer of Birmingham, MI incurred a spinal cord injury two years ago in a bicycle accident. He was one of nine people to help United Way for Southeastern Michigan kick off its 59th annual fund-raising campaign Friday morning. Zimmer's life changed two years ago following a bicycle accident that left him partially paralyzed. He was initially diagnosed with a complete spinal cord break with his spinal cord being severed. He sought rehabilitation assistance from a United Way partner a year ago and attends physical therapy three times a week. Zimmer can now walk using leg braces and can ride a stationary bike. He also plays wheelchair rugby. "Through the strength and agility training I've received, I've gained confidence to live independently," Zimmer said. "Thanks to my rehabilitation, I'm able to put physical ability behind my mental fortitude."

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A pedestrian was seriously injured trying to run across highway 285 Saturday morning. The accident happened at the intersection of Hampden and Ivan court where the speed limit is 55. Police say a car struck the victim who was trying to cut across the highway to get to his bus stop. The pedestrian was seriously injured but is expected to recover. Residents on the north side of Hampden say people jump the wire fence between the two sides daily because buses don't run on their side of the highway. Neighbors have been working with Denver council woman Jeanne Faatz about getting a bridge across the highway. Police are investigating the accident and have not announced if charges will be filed.

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http://www.burgsimpson.com/personal_injury.htmlNew Mexican Lt. Gov. Diane Denish and State Sen. Linda Lopez were guest writers for the Mountain View Telegraph. Their topic: Announcement of a new helmet law. The following is an excerpt.

Continue reading "Spend $10 to secure your child's life" »

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 06:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A construction accident left Bob Alexander paralyzed from the waist down. He was very active prior to the accident. He went sledding, played football and played baseball. Alexander was determined not to let his disability slow him down, but getting outdoors was a problem. "Once you get into a chair, there are not as many opportunities to get out into the wilderness," said Alexander. That's where Wilderness on Wheels comes in. The program began 21 years ago. More than a mile of boardwalk winds through the Pike National Forest on the north side of Kenosha Pass near Grant, Colorado. The mile of special trail offers freedom to people in wheelchairs. "It's just the independence that you get when you can actually go somewhere without anyone helping you. They don't have to push me, they don't have to get me up a curb cut, they don't have to get me upstairs."

Continue reading "Boardwalk Makes Colorado Mountains Accessible" »

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 06:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Studies on teenage driving have identified teenage passengers as a major reason for automobile accidents. A state lawmaker is interested in limiting the number of teen passengers one can take. Contrary to popular belief, teenage fatalities due to auto accidents are not the result of cell phone use or inexperience alone. Statistics show that the common denominator in teen fatalities is the number of teenage passengers in the car with a teenage driver.

Continue reading "Peers in the backseats may be the problem with teenage driving" »

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 10:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The federal investigation into last summer's Comair Flight 5191 that crashed August 27, 2006 ended Tuesday with a list of published recommendations about how to make air travel safer in the future. The final report, written by National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Mark Rosenker, reiterated that the primary cause was a failure by the two Comair pilots to notice clues they were going down the wrong runway. However, only one of the five safety recommendations addresses steps the pilots should take and two of the recommendations relate to the control tower, run by the Federal Aviation Administration. The NTSB members ultimately voted 3-2 that the controller wasn't to blame in the aviation accident, but Rosenker stressed controllers need to better prioritize their time.

Continue reading "Comair NTSB Crash Report Recommends Safety Rules" »

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 06:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Dear Mayor Newberry and the Lexington Community:

One year has passed since so many lives were forever changed by the accident involving Comair Flight 5191. The many family members and friends of the passengers who lost their lives that day have been left to carry on without them. The entire city of Lexington continues to bear the burden of such a tragedy occurring in your tight-knit community. And finally, Comair employees also mourn the lost members of our family.

Continue reading "Text of Comair president’s letter to city where plane crashed" »

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 06:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A man employed by a subcontractor as part of a two-man rubber removal team on a runway at Denver International Airport was killed earlier this month when he was struck by a giant runway sweeper operated by a DIA employee.

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Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 02:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Cruising down the street in a padded bicycle helmet might not be the look you want, but helmet hair is the least of your problems as compared to what would happen if you were in an accident without head protection. Each year, more than 500,000 people are treated in emergency departments across the United States for bike-related injuries. The most serious and fatal injuries often involve the head, commonly experienced as a traumatic brain injury which has life long implications. Helmets are too often ignored. During the summer months, with the start of school and fall semester at universities and colleges, there are more bikes in use than any other time of the year. Often, bike riders share local roads with vehicles, which can present safety issues. Bikers should always remember to use caution and follow traffic signs and signals. Parents should also remain vigilant in ensuring that their children understand and adhere to basic bike safety rules.

Continue reading "Bicyclists should always put safety first when on the road " »

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 06:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In Virginia, Kathleen Fletcher never thought she might have to divorce her husband, Eric, to get him the health care he needs. She also didn't expect the emotional and financial struggles she's endured the past two years since her husband sustained brain damage from a motorcycle crash. Though he made a surprising physical recovery, learning to walk and talk again, Eric Fletcher's cognitive skills, including reasoning and short-term memory, remain fragile. He has attempted suicide three times this year and is often physically aggressive. As long as she's married, Kathleen Fletcher remains fiscally responsible for her husband. She has already depleted the family's savings and says she doesn't have the thousands of dollars needed monthly for a private neurological or nursing facility. On his own, Eric, 46, would probably enter a mental hospital. From there, he might find permanent placement in a Medicaid-approved, out-of-state neurological center or nursing home. Brain injury advocates say the Fletchers' story is not unlike the experiences of others who face financial challenges caring for loved ones who have severe traumatic head injuries. Eric Fletcher receives $1,500 a month in Social Security money but, his family has spent more than $100,000 on in-home assistance and 11 medications.

Continue reading "Brain trauma often leads to disruptive behavior, hampering care" »

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 06:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Former NFL player Andre Waters, 44, shot himself in the head after struggling with depression. Terry Long drank a bottle of antifreeze at 45. Justin Strzelczyk, 36, heard voices and died in a crash while fleeing police. All dead before their 46th birthday and according to autopsies performed by physician Bennet Omalu, all with signs of brain damage. Omalu, a former neuropathologist at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, believes he's the first to pinpoint forensic evidence of a condition he has dubbed football-induced chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a variation of "boxer's dementia." Symptoms include confusion, mood disorders, slurred speech and memory loss. Now chief medical examiner for San Joaquin County in California, Omalu discovered abnormal proteins in each player's brain similar to those found in 90-year-old dementia patients. He believes that scores of players have analogous damage, but proving it requires postmortem brain sectioning. "These are not the first football players to develop dementia, become destitute, and suffer from depression," he says. "The novelty is that for the first time, we have direct, indisputable tissue evidence."

Continue reading "New Football Helmet May Detect Concussion Hits" »

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 06:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Ill fitting seatbelts raise the risk of serious injury to children involved in car accidents. Seat belt injuries should alert physicians to look for signs of more serious consequences which are not always immediately apparent. In the event of a car accident, injuries such as bruising and tenderness should prompt a search for further injuries to the spinal-cord, vertebral fractures and intra-abdominal injuries. “If spinal-cord injury is missed or not diagnosed early, the consequences can be devastating,” said Harsh Grewal, M.D., in a report published in August issue of the Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine. Grewal, a pediatric surgeon at Temple University School of Medicine and Hospital, and his colleagues reviewed 10 years’ worth of data on motor vehicle accidents involving children. They found that children involved in car accidents who were inappropriately belted were at higher risk for “seat-belt syndrome,” a group of injuries to the spine and abdomen. When healthcare professionals see bruising or seat belt marks in children who are car accident victims, they should highly suspect the possibility of more serious injury. Car accidents are the most common cause of injury and death in children, as well as the most common cause of spinal cord injury in children and adolescents. Boys are more affected than girls, and the incidence increases with age. Children who are 4 to 8 years old are most likely to be using ill-fitting seatbelts or restraints. In general, seat belts and safety restraints should be adjusted according to age and weight.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 06:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

On Aug. 2, 2006, Ryan Hoffman, a Summit County resident, was involved in a construction accident that left him paralyzed below the waist. Since then Ryan looks to the future rather than focusing on the past. While still in recovery in the hospital, Ryan was already researching possible options for a full recovery. When he announced that he was going to China to undergo five umbilical cord blood transfusions, his friends and family realized that the need for finances above and beyond what insurance and workman's comp would provide, would be needed. Summit County rallied to Ryan's side. Restaurants, local businesses and hundreds of individuals came out for a fundraiser held on Nov. 16, 2006 for a party, silent auction and raffle at the Snake River Saloon. More than $11,000 was raised to help send Ryan to China. Some of the big contributors included were: Mathison Custom Builders, The Snake River Saloon, Breckenridge Building Center, Mountain Rose Community Acupuncture, Main Street Wellness, Vail Resorts, Arapahoe Basin, Arkansas Valley Adventures and Wilderness Sports. Ryan leaves for China and the non-FDA approved stem cell transplant therapy Aug. 12.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 06:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Traffic accidents are a daily occurrence, but when they happen how is it determined who pays for the damages? Lately, technology in cars has been getting bad press because of the increasing number of traffic accidents caused by distracted drivers text messaging or talking on mobile phones while driving. Not technology is bad. Japanese drivers are taking extra precautions to ensure they're cleared of any accidents caused by others by mounting a small camera on their windshield called the Clarion DriveEye camera. The camera is constantly recording, but once it senses any forceful emergency braking, 15 seconds of footage is saved before the crash and five seconds after impact. The camera's housing is made of heavy duty magnesium alloy built to survive the deadliest crash. It would be nice if future cars adopt this technology.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 01:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Young drivers between 15 and 24 years old are three times as likely to cause car accidents as senior citizens, U.S. researchers at the Rand Institute for Civil Justice found, noting that the findings contradict policies that make it harder for older drivers to renew their licenses. People over the age of 65 make up 15% of drivers but were responsible for only 7% of the 330,000 fatal two-car crashes in the past 25 years. Drivers up to age 24 represented 13% of drivers, but caused 43% of the accidents across the United States. Senior drivers were only 16% more likely to cause an accident than drivers between the ages of 25 and 64.

Continue reading "Older Drivers Safer on Roads than Younger" »

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 08:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In Canadian provinces that have adopted mandatory helmet legislation for children, bicycle-related head injuries have fallen 45%, compared with a 27% drop in provinces that have not mandated helmet use. More surprising is that among adults cycling-related head injuries continue to increase. In Ontario, which has helmet laws for children but not adults, say injuries have soared 20% over the past three years. A discrepancy that has led to renewed calls for all-ages legislation. To date most legislation has focused on children, for whom cycling is one of the leading causes of traumatic injury. (Only three provinces, British Columbia, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick have all-ages helmet laws.)

Continue reading "Legislation encouraged for Adults wearing bike helmets" »

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 08:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A 60 year old woman and her 20 year old granddaughter were mauled by a pit bull last week when they visited an Aurora home near South Parker Road and East Quincy Avenue. Although the residents of the house weren't home, other visitors at the house tried to stop the attack by stabbing the dog with a large kitchen knife before calling police.

Continue reading "Aurora Pit Bull Injures Woman and Granddaughter" »

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 10:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

54-year-old Joseph Martinez of Aurora, CO, is a cement finisher by trade and an ex-Marine who teaches karate. He was injured in a construction accident two months ago after falling 15-feet off a ladder onto concrete inside a Denver Water pump station under construction. He landed on his feet and broke his femur, heel and a bone in his spine. "The last few feet was like slow motion. When I hit, I heard it go crush." In the past few days he's been learning how to walk again. It took firefighters 45 minutes to rescue him. "They couldn't get to me. They had to climb up 30 feet, then down 30 feet, then walk over to get me," says Martinez. He said the firefighters helped comfort him during a very scary situation. "He kept hearing me go, 'hoowa' because it hurt. And he said, 'You're a Marine aren't you?' I said, 'Yes.' He said, 'Semper Fi,' which means always faithful." Martinez hopes to be out of the care center in two weeks.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 06:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Six-year-old Abigail Taylor was playing in the wading pool at the Minneapolis Golf Club, when she sat on an open drain hole. The powerful suction from the drain tore a two-inch opening in her rectum, then pulled out part of her intestinal tract. Doctors at Children's Hospital had to remove what remained of her intestines. Abigail's family contends that the drain hole was improperly covered, but the golf club's general manager said he didn't think anything was wrong with the pool.

Continue reading "Wading Pool Drain Injures Minnesota Girl" »

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 10:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The incidence of catastrophic head injuries in football is dramatically higher at the high school level than at the college level, according to a study published in the July issue of The American Journal of Sports Medicine. Catastrophic head injuries, which include brain bleeding and swelling, are rare and can be devastating. Athletes with major brain injuries may be left with permanent brain damage. According to lead author, Barry P. Boden, M.D., from the Orthopedic Center in Rockville, Md., high school football players have more than three times the risk of a catastrophic head injury than their college peers. Boden and coauthors also found a high percentage of high school athletes playing with neurologic symptoms from a previous head injury at the time they sustained a catastrophic injury.

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Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 06:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Thirteen construction workers from Beck Construction and Concrete Express were injured today when a section of a wet concrete roof collapsed onto the top floor of a luxury high-rise being built in Greenwood Village. All thirteen workers were taken to area hospitals, and some have been released; but four workers are seriously injured.

Continue reading "Construction Workers Injured in Greenwood Village High-Rise Collapse" »

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 10:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

On the Fourth of July in 2003 an explosive ball of fire shot toward Brandon Kemp from an illegal firework, a Roman candle. It struck him just above the right eye and exploded, burning his face and detaching his retina. Covering his face with his hands, 21 year old Kemp tried to contain the blood as his friends scrambled to call 911. Kemp was rushed to the University of Michigan Health System, where doctors operated several times. Doctors there eventually told him he would lose 95 percent of his vision in his right eye.

Continue reading "Holiday fun and risk of catastrophic injury increases" »

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 07:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

http://www.burgsimpson.com/personal_injury.htmlFireworks-related injuries cause thousands of emergency room visits in the United States, about 40 percent of which involve children age 15 and younger. Of the hundreds of injuries which involve children ages 5 and under, about half come from using seemingly innocent sparklers. Fireworks can inflict burns, eye injuries and even the loss of fingers. The safest way to see fireworks is at a professional display.

Continue reading "Be Safe and Keep Fireworks Fun" »

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 09:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Jeffersontown company where a man lost both arms in a drywall shredder in January willfully violated a "serious" safety rule and will be fined a total of $88,500, a state agency has ruled. The findings of the Kentucky Labor Department should help William "Billy" Parker if he sues his former employer, Six Sigma Inc., a machine manufacturing company, according to attorneys who specialize in workers' compensation law. The lawyers said the finding is extremely rare. And they say it could prompt a reexamination of a state law that says employees can successfully sue employers for a workplace injury only if they can prove the company deliberately intended for them to be harmed. The company has 15 days to contest the citations, which were issued May 31 and June 6. The Courier-Journal reported May 19 that no employee in Kentucky has ever successfully sued an employer for injuries suffered on the job. The department found that Six Sigma committed a "willful serious" violation by failing to have procedures for locking out electricity to the shredder, as well as lathes and mills throughout the shop, while they were under repair. That put 30 employees at risk, including Parker, who was critically injured, the citation said. If the citation stands, the company would pay a $56,000 fine for that violation alone.

Continue reading "Company where man lost arms is cited over safety rule" »

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 07:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It's summer and time for opening the windows, lounging in the sun and embarking on countless outdoor activities. Among health professionals, summertime is also called "trauma season," since the rate of accidental injuries usually spikes. Children are especially at risk during the summer, with unintentional injuries such as drowning, falls and accidents with bikes and other wheeled sports the leading cause of death in children ages 14 and younger, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers extensive advice for reducing the hazards of swimming, noting that survivors who came close to drowning nonetheless may have brain damage resulting in long-term cognitive disabilities such as learning problems, or worse. Most young children who drowned in pools, the CDC noted, were last seen inside a house and had been out of sight for less than five minutes. The CDC also offers safety tips, either online or by calling to request information, on preventing accidents while biking, skateboarding, horseback riding and numerous other outdoor activities. On average, 17 children in the United States died each day from these preventable injuries between May 1 and Aug. 31, 2004, according to a new report from Safe Kids USA citing the most recent year for which figures are available. In total, 2,143 children were killed in accidental injuries in 2004. Lucile Packard's Agarwal, who has worked at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center as well, has a particular interest in preventing the tragedy of children falling from open windows. She explained that most falls from windows occur with younger children who climb on furniture near windows to get a look outside. Or they sit on window sills, leaning against a screen that gives way. Besides accidental injuries, there's the risk of sunburns to contend with during the summer months. Even a few serious sunburns can significantly increase chances of developing skin cancer later in life, warned the CDC. The chief advice for sun protection is familiar. Slather on at least 15 SPF sunscreen and do so every two hours, regardless of promises from sunscreen manufacturers of longer-lasting protection. Children and adults should also try to reduce sun exposure between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when skin-damaging UV rays are at their peak. A moderate amount of sun is healthful, as it generates vitamin D production in the skin, which not only is necessary for building strong bones and teeth, but is increasingly linked to the prevention of cancers and other diseases.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 07:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A speed boat collided with a pontoon boat on Sunday night of Memorial Day weekend on Lake Holcombe in Wisconsin. Nearly a dozen people were injured, several seriously. The driver of the speed boat was arrested for drunk driving. The crash happened when a runabout-type boat carrying eight people collided head-on with a pontoon boat carrying 11 people, according to Department of Natural Resources Conservation Warden Scott Bowe. The runabout, a 19-ft. fiberglass craft with an inboard engine, rode up on the top of the pontoon, then came down on the left side. The out drive became entangled in a railing on the pontoon. The preliminary results of the investigation into the crash indicate that no one on board the runabout was injured, but perhaps everyone on the pontoon suffered some form of injury. Several of the injuries were quite serious, involving head trauma and broken bones. One person was reportedly pinned under the runabout while another one who was seriously injured was in the water. The operator of the runabout was given a field sobriety test and a preliminary breathalyzer and then taken to a hospital for a blood draw. Derek Lee Brost, 22, was booked into the Chippewa County Jail by the DNR for reckless operation of a motor boat and operating a boat while intoxicated. Bowe said the boats were so entangled that a wrecker had to be brought in to lift the runabout off of the pontoon. He said the fact that the runabout rode up so far onto the pontoon is an indication that the boat must have been moving fast.

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A scar remains after Nick Perez, 14, fell off his long board and required emergency brain surgery to remove a blod clot. He was not wearing his helmet when he fell. In late April, Nick, a 14-year-old eighth-grader, was skating home from a friend's house on his long board (an extra long, extra wide skate board) he used for transportation. He was moving fast, listening to his iPod, and the board went out from under him and Nick's head hit the pavement. At most, Nick would have suffered a pounding headache and a lecture from his parents about being late for dinner. Paramedics came and when they put Nick on the stretcher he could not lay his head down because it hurt too badly, he said. A CAT scan taken at San Antonio Community Hospital revealed a blood clot that was pinching his brain. During the ambulance ride from San Antonio to Children's Hospital of Orange County, the clot had almost doubled in size. "It was 2 a.m. and I had to make this snap decision for my son to have brain surgery," Perez said. "At first I said no, not unless they could guarantee me 100 percent that he wouldn't die." Nick's neurosurgeon couldn't make that promise, but she was certain that Nick was getting worse with every second. Perez and wife Mary agreed to the surgery. They waited anxiously as doctors cut a "U"- shaped flap through their son's scalp, removed a piece of his skull, drained the clot, replaced the skull then joined the scalp flap back together with 39 staples. Nick was lucky. He didn't suffer any of the possible side effects associated with the surgery and was back in school just weeks after surgery. "I didn't think anything like this would ever happen to me," he said. "I've taken falls a lot worse and never really got hurt."

Continue reading "After serious accident, teen promotes helmet use" »

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 09:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Four months after William D. "Billy" Parker lost both his arms in a drywall shredder at a Jeffersontown machine manufacturing company, he says the thing he misses most is his sense of touch, the ability to feel his son Cody when he gives him a hug. Parker, 39, has learned to use a prosthetic left arm to feed himself and put on his clothes. He uses his feet to open doors and to change channels on an oversized remote control he keeps on his living room floor. However he must depend on his son Cody, 15, to help him cook his meals. His stoicism hides nagging concerns about how he as a single parent will provide for his son, whom he's had custody of since Cody was 9. Parker also faces a vexing dilemma in deciding what path to pursue for compensation for his catastrophic injuries, money he says he needs to raise Cody and pay for a house adapted to his needs. Should he take the meager benefits available from workers' compensation, as little as $546 a week, or two-thirds of his pay? Those payments would never rise with inflation and would be cut off when he is eligible for Social Security. Or should he risk getting nothing at all by rejecting workers' comp and suing his employer, Six Sigma Inc.? Under Kentucky workers' comp law, an employee can only successfully sue his employer for a workplace injury if he can prove his company deliberately intended for him to be harmed. Experts on workers' compensation say no employee has ever been able to meet that burden, which has been described as harder than proving intentional murder.

Continue reading "Workers' comp rules leave amputee tough choice" »

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 09:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

There was a second construction accident within 24-hours at a construction site in East Valley of Arizona. One construction worker knew the site was dangerous, but no one would listen. After three months on the job with S.J. Lewis construction, Carlos Acosta said he was fired for speaking up about unsafe working conditions. “I never thought it was a safe condition and I'm still saying it's not a safe condition,” Acosta said. Acosta, a former S.J. Lewis employee, was brought to tears one day after his firing when his friend and co-worker was buried alive by 100 tons of dirt. Acosta said it's the second such accident in just two days, where a thin wall wipe caved under pressure. A photo taken by Acosta, showed that while operating the heavy track ho he said he was swallowed by a shallow trench then fired on the spot. “No one ever cared one second if I was safe or not, it was the machine, or the pipe,” he said. Fearing for his co-workers safety, Acosta tried confronting his superiors like he'd done several times before. “And they just said, hey you don't know what you're talking about, kind of shined me off,” he said. Authorities confirm that incident was never reported until now, when 25-year-old Marcos Garcia from Mesa, a husband a father of 3 became trapped. “He loved his family, loved his wife,” Acosta said. “Maybe I feel like if I would have ran my mouth some more I could have prevented this today, ya know.” For wrecking the tractor, Acosta said his boss threatened to garnish $500 bucks from his paycheck to pay the deductible.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 05:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Shannon Malloy’s surgeon calls here a miracle. She was critically injured Jan. 25 when a car crash slammed her into the dashboard. Her skull separated from her spine, although her skin, spinal cord and other internal organs remained intact. The rare condition is known clinically as internal decapitation, and it left her with no control over her head. Her injuries left Malloy with nerve damage that made her eyes cross, and she has difficulty swallowing. She was not paralyzed. She told her story to Denver station KMGH-TV.

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Donald Coit Smith believes that Texas insurance companies profited after his 22-year-old son was electrocuted in an industrial accident, all because of state laws that regulate the payment of death benefits through workers' compensation. For his loss, Smith got $6,000 to bury his son. Additionally, Smith was told that the workers' compensation death benefit, $100,500 would not be paid to grieving family members because his oldest child, Donald W. Smith had no wife or children. Instead, the money, paid by his employer's insurance company, went to a state workers' comp fund. More than $17 million in workers' compensation benefits bypassed the relatives of as many as 140 dead workers from 2003 to 2006. All of that money ended up in a workers' comp fund where $10 million was then funneled back to insurance companies, according to a Houston Chronicle analysis of state data. Coit Smith, who has 20 years of experience as an industrial safety specialist, calls the payments "blood money." "I feel it's immoral, what they did with that money," Smith said.

Continue reading "$17 million in death benefits wasn't paid to Texas families" »

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 10:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A white paneled delivery truck ran over a UW-Madison graduate student's head, except for a concussion, he wasn't hurt. He saw the large delivery truck preparing to make a right turn onto another Street. Ryan Lipscomb, 26, said he was riding his bicycle pretty fast down a bike path and had a green light, so the crosswalk for the bike path showed a white walk sign. Lipscomb said he could tell the truck wasn't going to stop. So Lipscomb slammed on his brakes, flipping his bike and throwing himself into the street. He landed right at the intersection and the truck ran over his head. "I didn't see it coming, but I sure felt it roll over my head. It feels really strange to have a truck run over your head." His helmet, a Giro, was crushed, but Lipscomb's head was fine.

Continue reading "Bike helmet crushed, but head fine" »

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 09:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

According to a new study released, about 60% of car models in a recent crash test did not adequately protect your head and neck in simulated accidents. Most people probably don't consider a car's headrest as part of its safety features. According to The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, it's the one you're most likely to use in a crash. “Neck injury is the most common type of injury in automobile crashes. There are about two million insurance claims for neck injury each year, and they cost at least eight and a half billion dollars,” says Russ Rader says Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The institute recently tested 75 vehicles for head and neck protection in a simulation of a rear-end crash at 20 miles per hour. 22 of the vehicles got 'good' or 'acceptable' ratings. 53 others received ratings of 'marginal' or 'poor'. "They may have a head restraint that is good or acceptable when we measure it, but if it doesn't have a seat that works along with that head restraint to keep your head and body moving together, it's not going to earn a good rating," says Rader.

Continue reading "Crash Test Study" »

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Two men were critically injured in a skydiving accident near the Taft Airport in Taft California. The skydiving instructor and a student were making a tandem jump when their main chute failed to operate and they were apparently unable to deploy their reserve chute fully. Both men were reported in stable condition and expected to recover. Dave Chrouch, owner of Skydive Taft, said the two men were instructor Dave Wessels, 23, of Clovis, and a student whose first name is Alex, who lives in Southern California. Both suffered major head trauma and other injuries. Both were still unconscious in the intensive care unit at Kern Medical Center Monday morning Apr 30th. Wessels suffered a severely broken leg and the student suffered a broken pelvis. Both have concussions, but CAT scans showed no bleeding or other major trauma to their brains.

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A train carrying solid jet propulsion fuel used in the space shuttle derailed early last week injuring six people. The derailment occurred when a trestle bridge over a swampy area collapsed. The Alabama Emergency Management Agency said the four derailed train cars landed on their side on the ground in the woods next to the tracks, none of the cargo spilled, and there appeared to be no fire. Twelve rail cars remained upright because the trestle sank evenly to the ground. The Marengo County Emergency Management Agency coordinated the rescue of six passengers aboard the train. EMA officials said five of the six received only minor injuries mostly consisting of broken bones, cuts and abrasions. Three of the six injured persons were airlifted to hospitals. One was treated and released another was listed in critical condition and the other one as in good condition. The derailment was in a remote stretch of track the Choctaw County line. Marengo County Sheriff’s Deputy Kenneth Collier said he was unaware of any threat posed to the public. “You can’t get any further out in the woods than this,” he said. John Reese, public information officer for the Alabama Highway Patrol, said the derailment took place between 8:30 and 9 a.m. The first 911 call to Marengo County came at approximately 9 a.m.

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Pennsyvania Conemaugh Township area high school students held a fake car accident with local emergency medical services, police and fire departments to inform students about the consequences of drunken driving. Their prom was approaching and Shannon Hahl with Students Against Destructive Decisions or SADD, wanted them to be aware of the choices they make. SADD is a student organization set up to inform students about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse. SADD member Jen Mlaker said the program was free for the school and consists of volunteer workers who want to demonstrate the response effort to a vehicle accident. The demonstration included volunteers from Conemaugh Township's emergency medical services, police and fire departments along with nearby firefighters outside the Township. Approximately 600 students gathered around the school parking lot to watch the demonstration as police cars, ambulances and fire trucks arrived at the scene. The student actors were tended to by firefighters and medical workers and placed into ambulances. During the response, a helicopter arrived and landed in the field next to the high school. Students watched as medical workers placed one student onto a stretcher and carried him to the helicopter.

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A Northwest Airlines pilot's decision to shut down the left engine on a DC-9 was a the probable cause for the jet's ground collision with an Airbus A319 in May 2005 at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, according to a federal investigative report. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) took nearly two years to reach that conclusion about the incident, in which the DC-9 crashed into the Airbus at 16 miles per hour near a gate shortly after the DC-9 landed. Not long after the DC-9 left Columbus, Ohio, for the Twin Cities the pilots were aware they had a problem with the right hydraulic system. Hydraulic systems power the landing gear, steering and braking. The left hydraulic system was operating properly. When the captain shut off the left engine after the plane landed in the Twin Cities, the airplane experienced a loss of steering and brakes. A second accident factor cited by the NTSB was the "fatigue fracture of the rudder shutoff valve which resulted in the loss of right-side hydraulic pressure."

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Mike Scholte begins his training for a national cross country ski team 13 years after he was nearly killed while hiking by a falling boulder that severed his left arm and broke his anklebone. With Canada hosting the Olympics in Vancouver in 2010, the country is hoping for a good showing at the Paralympics, which take place immediately following regular Olympic competition. Scholte said he is one of 12 representing Ontario. Although Scholte said he has always been a sports enthusiast and a recreational cross country skier, he has been seriously training as a competitive cross country skier for one year. He often competes with non-disabled athletes and looks forward to training with other disabled athletes.

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It has been a year of firsts for Scott Rigsby of Coeur D’Alene, Idaho. In October 2006, he became the first double amputee to complete a half Ironman on prosthetics. In March, the 38-year-old Georgia native was the first below-the- knee double amputee in the world to complete a marathon. In April, he got his picture in Sports Illustrated for the first time. Now, he has his sights set on becoming the first double amputee to complete a full Ironman on prosthetics anywhere.

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According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, sleepy drivers are responsible for at least 1,500 deaths every year and cause more than 100,000 accidents. "A drowsy driver on the road can look a lot like a drunk driver," said AAA's Justin McNaull. "They have trouble keeping their car between the lines. Speed will vary." The danger exists long before drivers fall asleep; nodding off even for three seconds at 70 mph equals traveling the length of a football field with your eyes closed.

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Cyclists in Austin are seeing an increase in collisions with cars due to lack of awareness of their riding. It was once hailed as the second-best city in the country in which to ride a bicycle. Austin has a huge cycling community. Al Bastidos of Be Kind to Cyclists was in a serious accident five years ago. Now, he spends his time trying to raise awareness and remind drivers to share Austin's roads. "It is happening all the time because we have more cars and no awareness," Bastidos said. Recently Joe Blakistone was hit by an 18-wheeler on the side of the road while he was training for an MS race. He stopped to change the rear tire of his bicycle and was on the roadside when he was hit by a semi truck that, based on the skid marks, was driving on the shoulder of the road. "There was a lot of bleeding, I lost a lot of blood, got a concussion...pretty much have a headache all the time, but I hear that's supposed to go away in a couple weeks," Blakistone said. Blakistone walked away with his life, which is more than some can say, but his experience has added value. "Motorists need to understand that I'm not just a cyclist, I'm a son, boyfriend, grandson. People out there love us too and people want us to come back from our rides. Everyone can share the road together and be respectful," Blakistone said.

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The Shearer family will always remember Friday, Jan. 27, 2006. That was the day they almost lost their youngest child, Blair, to a snowboarding accident. They believe the 8-year-old owes his life to the helmet he was wearing. The Shearer family has two rules for skiing and snowboarding. One is that each member of the family must wear a helmet and the second rule is that each person must stay with a buddy, either a family member or a friend. "I just don't like them being alone in case something happens to them," Cindy said.

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Crested Butte Mountain Resort may have to pay a fine of $67,500 because of a recent citation from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in the death of a snow-grooming-machine operator in January. The ski company was fined $63,000 for a "willful" violation because safety switches for automatic braking had been altered on the Bombardier BR 350 snow-grooming machine that ran over and killed 23-year-old Christopher Mikesell on Jan. 21. The company was fined an additional $4,500 because it failed to report the fatal accident within eight hours of its occurrence. The maximum penalty for a willful violation is $70,000, but Crested Butte Mountain Resort was given a 10 percent break because it had no previous citations, said John Healy, area director for OSHA. According to the citation signed by Healy, armrest and driver-door safety devices designed to start an automatic braking system "had been bypassed making the safety switches inoperative." If the safety switches had been working properly, Mikesell probably would still be alive, according to OSHA. "If the equipment had been properly maintained, most likely there wouldn't have been an accident," Healy said.

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Sleep-deprived air traffic controllers had a role in at least four nearly fatal incidents on the nation's runways. The controller on duty in the during Comair Flight 5191 crash in Lexington, Ky got only two hours of sleep, federal accident investigators said. "Fatigue decreases aviation safety," the National Transpiration Safety Board (NTSB) said in a letter urging reform in air traffic scheduling and training. The NTSB said the problem of tired controllers is exacerbated by scheduling two eight-hour shifts within 24 hours. The safety board said the Federal Aviation Administration, which employs controllers and regulates aviation, does "not adequately consider the potential impact of work scheduling on fatigue and performance." It also found that controllers interviewed after incidents often admitted that they didn't make it a priority to get enough sleep.

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For decades cheerleaders have been a fixture on America’s sporting sidelines. However, today’s young cheerleaders, who perform tricks once reserved for trapeze artists, may be in more peril than any female athletes in the country. Emergency room visits for cheerleading injuries nationwide have more than doubled since the early 1990s, far outpacing the growth in the number of cheerleaders, and the rate of life-threatening injuries has startled researchers. Of 104 catastrophic injuries sustained by female high school and college athletes from 1982 to 2005, more than half resulted from cheerleading, according to the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research. All sports combined did not surpass cheerleading.

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In Indiana cell phones have been blamed for 2,054 traffic accidents in past 4 years. A ringing cell phone caused an accident that killed a 17-year-old girl and the cell phone wasn't in her car. Jessica Oliver was killed two years ago when the 59-year-old driver of another car looked down at her ringing cell phone. The driver lost control of her car, crossed over the median on Interstate 65 and struck Oliver's car. It is one of 2,054 traffic accidents in Indiana in the past four years, including at least two fatal crashes, in which cell phones were listed as the primary cause. While that number represents only a fraction of 1 percent of the total Indiana crashes since 2003, the fact that cell phone use is now listed on the state crash form is an indication it is a recognizable factor, state police Sgt. Brian Olehy said. "I'm surprised at how many admitted the cell phone distracted them," Olehy said. Police say drivers should never converse on the phone while driving. "When it comes to telephones, I think you will find that even with a hands-free device like a speaker phone, a Bluetooth or On-Star, drivers are still not devoting their full attention to the road," Olehy said. Distracted driving is becoming such a big problem that state Legislatures around the country are looking at the issue.

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The Colorado State Patrol is seriously considering recommending felony charges be filed against the driver of a Colorado Mountain Express van that crashed into a parked snowplow Sunday morning, sending the driver and all eight passengers to the hospital, Capt. Ron Prater said Monday afternoon. Prater said two passengers remained in critical condition on Monday and at least one other person needed surgery for injuries sustained in the crash.

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The snowboarder who broke his pelvis and a vertebra after colliding with a snowmobile at Snowmass could face criminal charges stemming from drinking the day of the accident. The Snowmass Village Police Department completed its investigation of the Feb. 24 accident that sent Largo, Fla., resident Steve Rath to Aspen Valley Hospital, where he underwent treatment for seven broken bones and a splinter fracture to one of his legs. Police Chief Art Smythe said that the department will turn the investigation’s findings over to chief deputy district attorney Gail Nichols, who will decide whether to prosecute 39 year old Rath. Rath’s blood-alcohol content was checked after the accident, but the police chief declined to reveal it. Police reports also say Rath had alcohol on his breath at the time of the collision. Accident reports, both from Snowmass ski patrol and Colorado State Parks, indicate that the snowmobile, which had a trailer attached to it, was stationary when Rath collided with it. The driver, K.C. Steury, wrote in a witness statement that he stopped the snowmobile in order to avoid a collision with Rath. “He was going fast, and he tried to jump the trailer,” Steury wrote. Another report also suggested that Rath’s speed may also have been a factor.

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Subcontractors for Los Alamos National Laboratory did not follow lab safety procedures before a construction accident last year that injured two lab workers, an internal lab investigation found. The June 28 accident could have been prevented, but lab officials failed to correct unsafe working conditions, did not effectively enforce safety requirements and failed to consider the history of one of its subcontractors, Magnum Steel Constructors, the report said. In 2003, a Magnum worker died in a work-related accident in Bernalillo, and the company was cited by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for six serious violations, investigators said.

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A train carrying liquefied propane derailed in the morning of 12Mar, setting off an explosion and fire that forced evacuations from Oneida, a small central New York city and shut down a section of highway. The 7 a.m. blast sent a huge fireball into the dawn sky. Thick smoke continued pouring out hours later as about half a dozen propane tanker cars burned. The explosion followed the derailment of about 15 of the train's 80 cars. Fire crews fought to keep the flames from spreading to other tanker cars, about half of which carried propane. "There is danger of further explosions," said Fire Department Lt. Kevin Salerno. There were no immediate reports of injuries or fatalities.

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The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division has recommended five citations and $15,700 in fines against Mt. Bachelor Inc. for an October chairlift maintenance accident that hurt four people and could have been prevented, according to a report released March 5th. The accident, which seriously injured one of the Mt. Bachelor maintenance employees, occurred while the four were attempting to splice a cable on the Sunshine Accelerator lift. "This accident was an accumulation of a breakdown in the maintenance procedure process over a number of years and Mt. Bachelor taking shortcuts in completing splicing, which finally resulted in an injury accident," the agency, commonly called OR-OSHA, stated in its report. Mt. Bachelor disagrees with some of the findings and has appealed three of the five citations, said Carly Carmichael, marketing director for the ski area located west of Bend.

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Arizona bicyclists are calling for heftier fines for drivers who seriously injure or kill cyclists and pedestrians. It is a response, in part, to two recent accidents in Ahwatukee Foothills. The Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists is pushing for legislation to make hitting a cyclist in the right of way a crime punishable by a minimum fine of $1,000. "We need that, because we're getting killed out there, and it doesn't mean anything," Bill Lazenby, co-president of the group, said of current law. Two Republican legislators said they would support increasing fines for drivers at fault in such accidents. "Absolutely," Rep. John McComish of Ahwatukee said. "One thousand dollars doesn't sound like much of a hit . . . much of a penalty." Rep. Bob Robson, who also represents the area, said he favors increasing penalties but giving judges leeway in sentencing drivers. "I think what should happen is leaving it in the hands of a judge," he said.

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A building contractor is not liable for injuries suffered by a brick mason who is permanently disabled after falling 12 feet from a scaffold a jury decided. Robert E. England, 30, suffered a serious head injury on Nov. 27, 2000, when he fell from a scaffold that did not have a safety railing installed, contrary to safety standards. England was 24 at the time and was building a block wall. In the fall, England struck his head on concrete, suffered a skull fracture, a brain stem injury, brain swelling, along with having his spleen removed. He has incurred more than $700,000 in medical expenses and is unable to live on his own. According to the Englands' attorney, John Daly of Indianapolis, Robert suffers from permanent balance and hearing impairments and walks with the assistance of a cane or walker. Daly said it takes England two hours to get dressed; he wears glasses to correct double vision, and he cannot be left alone for more than a couple of hours. Bob England said the change in his son's demeanor since suffering the injury is most striking. "Robb's changed in personality," Bob England said. "If he walked in a room, he would light up the room. Now, he's quiet. That's what bothers me the most."

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This year has started badly for C-S-X, a Jacksonville-based railway. It's trains have been involved in four accidents. Three are being investigated by the Federal Railroad Administration's main office. An 80-car freight train had come off the track, sending 12 cars filled with hazardous chemicals into front yards in this residential neighborhood in Bullitt County, Kentucky, about half an hour south of Louisville. That crash followed an accident in central Kentucky the day before in which four cars slipped onto the mainline, running for miles before hitting locomotives that the company had put out to stop them. That crash released some 30-thousand gallons of flammable butyl acetate. The fuel floating on the Kentucky River caught fire. On February Sixth there was a crash in West Virginia in which 18 cars, 10 of which were carrying hazardous chemicals, derailed in West Virginia. No chemicals spilled.

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The National Transportation Safety Board today determined that the cause of a fatal bus fire in Texas was insufficient lubrication in the right-side tag axle wheel bearing assembly of the motorcoach resulting in increased temperatures and subsequent failed wheel bearings, which led to ignition of the tire and a catastrophic fire. Global Limo, Inc. failed to conduct proper vehicle maintenance, do pre-trip inspections, and complete post-trip driver vehicle inspection reports, thereby allowing the insufficient wheel bearing lubrication to go undetected. The Board's report revealed that Global did not retain vehicle maintenance and repair records as required by Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs). In addition, there was no maintenance program to properly service the vehicle in place. Therefore the NTSB concluded in the report that the disregard for such a program led to the failure to detect vehicle defects that resulted in a catastrophic fire and loss of life. "We will not cease our efforts to push for change to prevent these kinds of accidents from occurring," said NTSB Chairman Mark V. Rosenker. "However, unless there is adequate oversight, I am afraid we will continue to see motorcoach accidents that contribute to the unacceptable number of deaths on our nation's highway."

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Life changed drastically for a Lubbock teen this past summer. On June 18th, 19 year old Mark Stargel was critically injured in a weekend boating accident at Buffalo Springs Lake. Authorities say 56-year-old James Greg Renegar lost control of his boat and hit Mark who was riding on a jet ski. Mark lost his left leg and broke his right one. Renegar received minor injuries. Mark's outlook on life changed drastically. "I was screaming oh God ya know. But I mean after I let all my shock out on the boat, I just calmed down. I saw my dad. I could hear my mom screaming in the background and something compelled me to tell them that I was going to be okay," says Mark. Mark says it's a moment in time he will never forget.

Continue reading "Teen Proves Life Goes On After Losing Limb in Boating Accident" »

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Every year 50 out of every 100,000 Americans suffers from a concussion. Concussions are often caused by simple accidents such as falling down the stairs or bumping into another person while playing soccer. One woman fell backward onto her head while ice skating and hit her head so hard she could not remember who she was when she regained consciousness.

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Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 09:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Digging through our archives of past stories we noticed an increase in construction-related accidents. So we also checked with the state Labor Commission, and we are right. Utah is growing by leaps and bounds. That means more construction and, for a number of reasons, more accidents. Are resources being stretched too thin?

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Consider the fate of Sean Patrick Armstrong, the driver who struck a bicyclist on Providence Road last February, then fled. Mr. Armstrong will serve up to a year in jail for his crime -- the maximum North Carolina law allows. His victim, Brian Hanley, remains in a wheelchair, re-learning how to speak, eat, breathe and even see. Besides a traumatic brain injury, he suffered a broken pelvis, leg and ribs, and spent weeks in a coma.

Continue reading "Strenghthen N.C.'s Hit-and Run Laws" »

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A series of accidents in the past 15 months, a derailment this month that injured 20 passengers and the deaths of four workers struck by trains, has prompted federal safety officials to take a hard look at the nation's second-busiest urban rail system after the New York City subway. In the most recent accident, on Jan. 7, one car of a six-car train slipped off the track as the train pulled into the Mount Vernon Square station beneath the Washington Convention Center. The derailment sent 20 people to the hospital and forced the evacuation of about 60 passengers from two cars that were stuck in the dark tunnel.

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Two train derailments in Kentucky this week came at the same time that The Dow Chemical Co., the Federal Railroad Administration and the Union Pacific Railroad announced an effort to develop a new generation of puncture-resistant rail tank cars. The new cars would prevent hazardous material release in the case of accidents or terrorist attacks.

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According to the Centers for Disease Control fewer and fewer Americans are perishing on the job due to accidents. They attribute this to a number of factors. There has been an expansion of service industries that are
relatively safe. Tougher worker-safety standards imposed under laws such as the 1970 Occupational Safety and Health Act. A reduction in or export of high-risk mining, metals and manufacturing jobs. An increase in the number
of working women whose accident rate is about a tenth that of men. A decline in the number of small farms where worker fatalities have always been high. Today's workplaces are roughly 40,000 lives a year safer than they were in the 1930s, according to the CDC.

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State troopers say cell phone text messaging is causing more accidents than ever before. The problem is that while it's easy to spot people talking at the wheel, it is much harder to catch people texting at the wheel. Troopers
are convinced cell phone use is causing wrecks, but drivers never admit to it.

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