Avoiding Injury During Hurricane Season
Hurricanes are deadly forces of nature that can cause massive damage when they strike. As you prepare for the next hurricane season, it’s important to know what you need to do to avoid injury when a hurricane or tropical storm strikes. Read on for important hurricane safety tips to help protect your property and your family. Remove Potential Flying Projectiles Even a Category 1 hurricane has winds that range between 74 and 95 mph, which can cause any loose objects around your home to become dangerous flying projectiles. Before the hurricane hits, walk around your property to find and put away anything that can become a flying object. This includes patio furniture, trash cans, and gardening tools. It’s also a good idea to trim back any dead or weak tree branches to prevent them from breaking off and becoming projectiles during the storm. Stock Up on Emergency Supplies If you’ll be riding out the storm in your home, you must make sure your emergency supply kit is fully stocked. You’ll want enough nonperishable food and bottled water for everyone in your house, a battery-powered radio, flashlights, extra batteries, and a first-aid kit. It’s a good idea to put together your emergency supply kit at the start of hurricane season. If a storm is heading your way, stores might start running low on supplies as people try to stock up at the last minute. Know Your Evacuation Route It’s important to make sure you know your evacuation route. As the storm approaches, pay attention to local weather reports, make a plan for where you’ll go if you have to evacuate,...
Facts about Anesthesia Mistakes & Personal Injury
When you’re undergoing surgery, an anesthesiologist will provide sedation or general anesthesia to ensure that you don’t feel the pain of the procedure. However, anesthesiologists are human beings, so they can make mistakes just like anyone else. Hospitals and clinics around the country implement protocols to protect patients, but mistakes can still happen. Frightening Statistics Close to 40 million procedures involving anesthesia are performed every year in the United States. According to a study performed at Johns Hopkins, more than a quarter of a million people die each year due to medical errors, making this the third-leading cause of death in the nation. While not all of these deaths are directly related to errors made by anesthesiologists, some of them are, so it’s certainly cause for concern. Dosing Errors One of the most common mistakes made in the process of administering anesthesia is an error in the dosing. Medications must be dosed carefully based on the age, height, and weight of the patient, along with other critical factors. Errors in dosing are often made by anesthesiologists who don’t have a lot of experience, as well as those who are using different types of equipment or devices than they are used to using. Carelessness, haste, and inattention account for over 5 percent of the dosing errors made, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information. Mistakes in Documentation When it comes to medicine, documentation is critical to ensure proper quality of care and transfer between the various staff members who might attend to a patient. Before, during, and after a surgery, a patient may interact with a number of medical professionals, so...
Tips to Avoid Construction Site Accidents
Construction site accidents are all too common, but they can have serious consequences. Not only can accidents impact the physical and emotional health of the workers, but these mishaps can also delay projects and make it difficult to get crews onsite to handle the critical tasks. By following a few tips, you can reduce the chances of having major incidents and keep your construction site safe. Concerning Statistics It’s no secret that construction sites are some of the most dangerous places to work. In fact, out of nearly 4,700 worker fatalities in 2016, 21.1 percent were in the construction industry, according to statistics from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The highest risks include falls, being struck by objects, electrocutions, and being caught in or between walls or other objects. OSHA Training One of the best ways to protect your construction site is to require every worker who will be on the site at any point to attend an OSHA training session. OSHA provides detailed training manuals and resources designed to help construction companies create their own training for their workers. It’s important to follow their guidelines and topics to ensure that every worker on the site receives training that applies to their job. Some of these topics include fall prevention, hazard communication standards, general requirements in scaffolding, respiratory protection, and ladders. Maintain Proper Signage On a construction site, it’s impossible to communicate updates to every worker when people are coming and going at all hours of the day. You could have the concrete team starting their pours early in the morning, while some crews could come in later...
What Is Cerebral Palsy and How Can It Be Caused by Negligence?
Cerebral palsy is a common motor disorder that occurs in roughly 1 1/2 to four of every 1,000 births. Although cerebral palsy can occur naturally, it may also be the consequence of medical negligence. This situation is usually the case when doctors fail to diagnose or treat a condition or use birthing tools incorrectly. This failure can injure a newborn and lead to the development of cerebral palsy. What Is Cerebral Palsy? Cerebral palsy is a motor disorder that affects muscle control. A person who has this condition may have trouble walking and coordinating movements. At birth, cerebral palsy is usually the result of insufficient oxygen to the brain, abnormal brain development, or an infection during pregnancy. Cerebral palsy may also be a complication due to a difficult or premature birth, or it may be due to restricted intrauterine growth. Side effects associated with the disorder include the following: Trouble swallowing Speech impediment Breathing problems Learning disabilities Seizures Can Cerebral Palsy Be Caused by Negligence? Although cerebral palsy may occur due to natural complications, it may also be the cause of doctor and hospital errors. For example, a medical professional may fail to follow proper medical procedures and injure an unborn child. Failure to deliver the infant correctly and depriving the child of oxygen are the most common causes of cerebral palsy due to negligence. Doctors and hospitals may also fail to react to a complication promptly or may fail to render proper care, thus permanently damaging the child’s brain and leading to the development of cerebral palsy. For example, an infection or similar medical issues may be incorrectly...
What Happens If You Are Injured on a Bus or Hit by a Bus?
Being hit by a bus or injured on one during your daily commute is a terrifying moment. You’ll need to follow a few steps immediately to make sure you’re safe and you receive treatment for any injuries. But you also need to follow a few best practices to protect your rights and hold the responsible party accountable for the accident. If you’re injured on a bus or hit by a bus, follow the steps below. Contact Emergency Services Your safety and other passengers’ safety are the immediate priorities following a bus accident. The driver should contact emergency services immediately, but if the driver doesn’t or can’t, call 911. Since buses are larger than many vehicles on the road and carry several passengers who are either standing during a collision or sitting without seat belts, a high likelihood of injuries can occur with these events. Document the Accident If you can, take notes about the events leading up to the accident. You should also take photos if safe to do so and collect the contact information of any witnesses. An attorney can help you gather other evidence, such as the police report, to help document the accident. Get Medical Attention Regardless of how you feel after a bus accident, seek medical attention. Even if you don’t feel hurt, you may have been injured, and the symptoms may not have presented themselves yet. When you visit a doctor, you’ll also get an official medical report. Documenting the extent of your injuries and demonstrating that you did seek medical attention are vital to securing compensation for injuries you experienced following a bus...Have a question? Give us a call.
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