Avoid Bike Accidents with Cars this Spring
With spring weather comes more bikes on the roads and sidewalks. The reality is that sometimes bike accidents with cars occur and they are particularly common at intersections. This could be because of misunderstandings about the way that cyclists are required to behave in intersections. Laws vary from state to state so it is important for both drivers and cyclists to be aware of the rules of the road in the places they drive. With that said a cyclist is more vulnerable to injury in a car accident with a bike and should take care to behave in expected ways to avoid confusing motorists.
Read MorePrevent a Catastrophic Injury: Power Washing Safety
Spring cleaning project season is here. Many people choose power washing to clean their concrete, brick, decking and siding of winter grime and buildup because of its efficiency over other methods. If you have never used a power washer before or aren’t very familiar with them, you should know that power washers have the potential to cause catastrophic injury when they are not handled properly. The reason that pressure washers are so dangerous is the water pressure that they create: a garden hose delivers water pressure at about 50 pounds per square inch (psi) compared to pressure washers that can generate 1,500 to 4,000 psi. The good news is that most power washer injuries are preventable when good safety measures are followed.
Read MoreSpring Safety Tips
Spring is often the best time to start cleaning the outside of our houses and driveways as people prepare for the warmer, dryer months ahead. It is also a good time to check that our safety devices are functioning properly. Following through on spring safety tips can help to prevent injuries.
Read MoreWho Pays for Medically Unnecessary Services for Injury Victims in WA State?
When a person is injured badly they typically seek medical treatment from a qualified medical care provider. Imagine if you are injured in an accident through no fault of your own and you seek and receive medical care but when you try to recover damages, the defendant’s attorney or insurance company claims that you received unreasonable or medically unnecessary services. What if they are right? Should the injured victim now be responsible to pay for that medical care even though it was not their fault that they were injured and then received unnecessary procedures/services? No they should not but who pays?
Read MoreWhiplash Injuries in Low Speed Impact Crashes
Low speed impact crashes are defined as motor vehicle accidents where the striking vehicle was traveling at speeds under 10 MPH. At-fault insurance companies would like the driver who was hit to believe that low speed impact crashes do not cause any more injuries then might occur in the normal course of one’s day. THIS IS FALSE! While there is usually little to no visible property damage to the vehicles in this type of accident, people who are struck (especially in a rear-end car accident) often have injuries. The reason for this is that car bumpers are designed to withstand some impact without damage but vehicle occupants who are not anticipating being struck cannot force their back and neck against the seat or headrest to avoid being jerked backward. Note that older vehicles often show less property damage but do not do a good job of protecting occupants from injury.
Read MoreUnnecessary Heart Procedures: Medical Malpractice
Along with any medical procedure or surgery comes risk to the patient; heart procedures are no different. In most cases cardiac procedures are performed for legitimate – often life saving – reasons but some doctors and hospitals have been accused of exposing heart patients to unnecessary heart procedures in order to pad their pockets with Medicare reimbursements. For perspective, angioplasties and related procedures are performed on 600,000 patients every year. About half of these patients are on Medicare. In 2011, angioplasties cost to the health care system an estimated $12 billion.
Read MorePreventing Figure Skating Injuries
Figure skating is a challenging but enjoyable sport for many children and adolescents but the element of competition adds to the risk for figure skating injuries. In 1999, figures were eliminated from competition and a new figure skating judging system – put in place in 2003 – emphasizes advanced techniques such as lifts and throws, spinning, jumping and connecting moves. As a result, it is more important than ever for children to be taught by responsible and experienced coaches who will insist on sound technique and other smart practices, proper equipment and reasonable training schedules.
Read MoreWhat you Need to Know About Subrogation
The term “subrogation” is not well known among the general population until you are in a car accident. If you have filed a car accident claim with your insurance company it is useful to know what subrogation is and how insurance companies use it to recover some of their costs.
Read MoreFailure to Treat Heart Failure
February is American Heart Month. American Heart Month is a federally designated event meant to place focus on heart health to reduce heart disease, heart attacks and heart failure. While failure to treat heart failure may contribute to a small number of deaths from heart failure; any is too many.
Data from the CDC shows that about 5.7 million adults in the United States have heart failure. In 2009, one in nine deaths included heart failure as a contributing cause. About half of people who develop heart failure die within five years of diagnosis which makes treatment the difference between life and death.
Read MoreNational Burn Awareness Week
Feb. 4-10, 2018 is National Burn Awareness Week promoted by the American Burn Association. With burn injuries being one of the leading causes of unintentional death and injury in the United States burn awareness is a worthy cause. While 96.7% of those treated for burn injuries in burn centers survive, many will still suffer serious scarring, life-altering physical disabilities and challenges adjusting back to their lives.
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