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Recent Blog Posts
What Factors Lead To Rollover Accidents And What Legal Action Can You Take?
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), over 10,000 people die each year in rollover crashes. Although rollovers happen less than other types of accidents, such as rear-end and side-impact collisions, rollovers have a higher fatality rate than any other type of wreck.
How Do Rollovers Occur?
When a car tips onto its side or roof, it is considered a rollover. Unfortunately, rollovers are very serious accidents that typically involve SUVs, vans, pickups, and buses. This is because taller vehicles with a narrow wheelbase compared to the height of the vehicle are more likely to roll over than cars closer to the ground; however, there are other factors that can also play a part in rollovers, such as:
- Drivers. When drivers speed or make erratic maneuvers by steering one way and then overcorrecting, they may compromise the vehicle's balance and cause it to roll. Also, drivers who are distracted at the wheel, drowsy, or impaired may have a tendency to make a rapid change in direction and cause their vehicles to tip over.
The Life-Altering Effects Of Closed And Open Head Injuries
Every day people hit their heads by accident or as a result of someone else's negligence, resulting in traumatic brain injuries. Unfortunately, brain injuries are a likely outcome in the following scenarios:
- Auto accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Motorcycle crashes
- Trucking accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Slip and fall accidents
- Swimming pool accidents
- Playground accidents
- Sporting accidents
- Defective products
While most serious brain injuries occur in violent traffic collisions, any impact to the head can cause damage to certain areas of the brain-forever changing someone's life. This is because the brain is not only delicate but it is the command and control center for our bodies. The brain is responsible for information processing, motor control, learning and memory, sensory perception, regulation of all body systems, and more. It is who we are.
Because the brain is so vital and delicate, it is protected by the skull. If the skull is penetrated through some kind of trauma, the damage to the brain is almost always fatal. This is called an open head injury. Most often caused by bone penetrating the brain following a skull fracture, these kinds of injury are caused by car accidents, blows to the head, falls, and sports injuries.
New Study Reveals Concerns Over An Increase In Pedestrian Fatalities
Traffic crashes result in a pedestrian injury every eight minutes and a pedestrian death every two hours, according to crash statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). These numbers are concerning, yet many people continue to walk near traffic for exercise or as a mode of commuting to work.
Walking to work has been increasing in popularity, as an estimated 4.1 million people reported walking to work in 2015 compared to 3.9 million in 2006, according to a U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey. And although walking may be a pretty safe mode of transportation compared to driving, the risks have increased significantly over the years, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA).
In fact, the number of pedestrians killed in this nation has risen over the years. The GHSA study estimates that the number of pedestrian fatalities increased from 5,376 to 5,997 deaths (an 11 percent increase from 2015 to 2016)-the largest annual spike in pedestrian deaths in the 40 year period that national records have been kept. What's even more shocking is that fatal pedestrian accidents increased 25 percent from 2010 to 2015, with numbers predicted to continue to rise into 2017. While the numbers aren't final yet, it is estimated that 2016 may be the first year in over twenty years with more than 6,000 pedestrian fatalities.
Open-And-Shut Medical Malpractice Cases In Virginia
Each year, there are more medical advancements, more brilliant ideas, more breakthroughs in research, and more effort put into making the medical industry a safer and more beneficial place. Some professionals would have you believe that these advancements are leading to fewer medical malpractice claims, but a recent study by Johns Hopkins University has discovered otherwise.
In the surgical field, there are complications known as "never-events." These never-events are called this because they should never, ever happen. They include mistakes that are easily preventable like:
- Operating on the wrong site
- Leaving behind a surgical instrument
- Leaving behind a towel or sponge,
- Performing a procedure on the wrong patient
The new study discovered that approximately 80,000 of these events occurred at hospitals across the U.S. in the last twenty years, including hospitals in Virginia and D.C. They believe that estimate to be on the lower side, as that number only includes the cases that were actually reported.
Military TBI Concerns: How Explosions Can Cause Irreparable Brain Injuries
According the United States Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), nearly 20% of all military veterans suffer from some sort of traumatic brain injury as a result of service. This means that currently 1 in 5 soldiers are or will be diagnosed with a TBI at some point in their lives. Even though this number is alarmingly high, the VA estimates that it will only get worse in the years to come.
A recent book published by the U.S. Army Medical Department suggests that the reason battle-related brain injuries have increased isn't because of more injuries, but rather because more soldiers are surviving brain traumas that would have previously killed them. As protective gear technology and field medical care improves, more veterans are surviving explosions. Unfortunately, even advanced safety gear can't guarantee 100% protection against explosive forces, especially when it comes to protecting the head and spine. As a result, even though more soldiers are surviving attacks and explosions, they are coming home with serious head and brain trauma.
Your Car Accident Injury Case May Settle Or You May Wind Up In Court
After being in a car accident or other type of motor vehicle accident that was caused by someone else's negligence, you deserve to be compensated for your injuries and losses. However, sometimes getting the compensation you need and deserve isn't so easy. This is why some cases end up in court. Although you might assume that every legal claim eventually winds up in court, it may surprise you to know that the vast majority of cases settle outside of the courtroom-which is especially true of legal claims arising from traffic accidents.
So how will you know if your case will settle or go to trial? Our law firm has put together this article to educate you about the differences between settling a car accident claim and taking a case to trial in civil court.
Why Cases Settle
For several reasons, it will be desirable to settle your claim out of court. Some of these reasons include:
- Less costly. Settling a legal case can cost you less money. It can cost a lot more money to take a case to trial due to the court fees, additional lawyer fees, and even fees for expert testimonies and other various charges. By settling, you can avoid these additional costs.
The Reality Of Incorrect Medication Dosages Caused By Pharmacy Negligence
Patients rely on their doctors to prescribe the correct medication for their health condition, but sometimes pharmacies are to blame when medication errors occur. In fact, medication mistakes behind the pharmacy counter occur more than people realize, which can result in an under dose or overdose situation. Obviously, an overdose can be life-threatening and even fatal, but an under dose of medication can also be very serious.
If a patient doesn't take enough medication, she will not be treated properly for her medical condition. For instance, customers who are epileptic need anti-seizure medications to control their seizures. But if they receive too low of a dose, they may suffer a seizure and further harm as a result. This is also the case for patients with diabetes who don't receive enough insulin. They may not be able to control their diabetes due to an inadequate dose.
On the other hand, when too much medication is given to pharmacy customers, people may suffer very serious injuries and even death. Because of the serious outcomes that can occur when people receive the wrong dose of medications, pharmacists need to be very accurate when dispensing drugs. Unfortunately, pharmacists are human and make mistakes due to a number of reasons.
Good Drugs Gone Bad: Common Prescription Errors In Virginia
A man is in a coma after being given the wrong medication at a hospital. A woman takes a medication with severe side effects for a condition she never actually had.
These may sound like scenarios from a movie or dramatic television show, but unfortunately prescription errors in Virginia are very real.
Types of Prescription Drug Errors
There are a number of prescription drug errors that occur in Virginia each year. Errors can occur at many points along the prescription process. While children and the elderly are most at risk for prescription drug errors, medical negligence that results in mistakes can be made that affect every age group and gender.
Hospital Drug Errors
- A doctor can make a misdiagnosis resulting in a drug being administered that is unnecessary.
- A nurse can misread a doctor's notes regarding which drug to administer.
- The wrong dosage can be given for a person's weight or needs.
Identifying Move-In Risks When Driving Near Campus
If you've ever been a college student, you may not be surprised to find out that many college students are easily distracted, suffer from serious fatigue, and believe that they basically own campus streets.
How many times have you driven down University Drive in the beginning of September, and had to narrowly avoid hitting a student because he couldn't see you over his massive laundry basket? Or had to slam on your brakes because a group of students decided to stop in the middle of the road to unload groceries?
Regrettably, it's these types of distracted-one might even say clueless-attitudes that could wind up not only getting them killed, but could seriously injure you as well.
Move-in Dangers and Risks
College students: intellectual giants, and yet only a few of them have a lick of common sense.
According to research published in the Epidemiology Injury Journal of Life Sciences, Medicine and Health, an estimated 60 college students a year die and thousands more are injured as a result of distractions while walking around campus. Unfortunately, the excitement, anxiety, and urgency of moving into their new dorms drastically increase these distractions.
Not All Comas Are The Same: Understanding Type And Severity
With the official start of spring, your husband made his annual trek up the ladder to clean windows and clear gutters. He has been doing this for years and you never really worry about it, so you were shocked when you heard a loud snap and saw your husband fall through a broken ladder rung. With horror, you watched his body come crashing down from the roof.
He was bleeding from a head wound and unconscious when you got to him. You called 911 and rode to the hospital with him. In the ER, they cleaned and stitched up the wound but he remained unconscious. The next day he was still unconscious and the doctor explained that at it would take several more tests to pinpoint the degree of brain damage and evaluate the type of coma he was in.
Levels of Consciousness During a Coma
The most basic definition of a coma is a prolonged state of unconsciousness caused by a neurological disruption that prevents a person from responding to stimuli. Although the period of unconsciousness isn't specified, when physicians refer to comas the victims are generally unconscious for a period exceeding 12 hours. In addition, comas do not have a set timeframe for when the victim may become conscious. Some comas last only a few hours, while others can be permanent.
703-591-0067
10513 Judicial Drive, Suite 200, Fairfax, VA 22030
703-591-0067
From our office in Fairfax, Shevlin Smith, P.C. serves clients throughout Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C., including Alexandria, Annandale, Arlington, Ashburn, Burke, Centreville, Dale City, Fair Oaks, Leesburg, Manassas, McLean, Oakton, Reston, Springfield, and Woodbridge, as well as Fairfax County, Arlington County, Fauquier County, Loudoun County, and Prince William County.
Results listed are not a guarantee or indication of future case results.
