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What Pedestrians Should And Shouldn’t Do After An Accident
According to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), an estimated 70,000 pedestrians were injured and 5,376 were killed in traffic accidents in 2015. This means that a pedestrian was killed every 1.6 hours and injured every 7.5 minutes across the country that year. What should you do if you are hit by a car? Find out here.
What to Do in the First Minutes After an Accident
Because pedestrian accidents can cause very serious injuries, what a pedestrian can do in the moments after a crash will depend on his or her injuries. If the victim is unable to take the following steps, a bystander or family member should do so as soon as possible:
- Contact the police. Any time a car strikes a pedestrian, the police should be called, regardless of how minor the injuries may seem at the time. A police report should be filed and the victim should have the opportunity to tell the police how the accident happened.
- Exchange contact information. People involved in traffic collisions should exchange contact and insurance information with each other. Make sure you get the driver's name, phone number, license plate number, and insurance policy number. You also need to give the driver your information as well.
Negligent Anesthesiologists May Be To Blame For Intubation Injuries
When an emergency arises during surgery and a patient's airways are blocked, an anesthesiologist may have to intubate a patient to help the patient breathe. Unfortunately, intubation can be performed incorrectly and cause harm to patients.
What Is Intubation?
Intubation is a procedure in which a plastic tube is placed in a patient's mouth and pushed down into the trachea. This is done when a patient needs to be placed on a ventilator during deep sedation for surgery. Intubating the patient helps get air into and out of their lungs, allowing them to breathe when unable to do so on their own. This is often the case in emergency situations.
Intubation is necessary in many surgeries requiring anesthesia so anesthesiologists are often responsible for the procedure. Although anesthesiologists receive training and know how to intubate patients during emergencies to provide them with proper airflow, sometimes things go wrong and anesthesiologists make critical mistakes. Sadly, when an anesthesia error involving intubation occurs, patients can suffer severe effects.
How The Right Attorney Can Make A Difference In Your Fairfax Medical Malpractice Case
When someone you love has suffered malpractice at the hands of medical professional, it may seem like you can't trust anyone. If someone who has trained for years can make a mistake that can cause serious suffering, how can you tell which attorney will give you honest and competent representation?
The best advice? Always ask for references and results. Our attorneys have won both justice and substantial Fairfax medical malpractice settlements for victims of medical negligence, including:
Misdiagnosis. Our 55-year-old client came to us after his physician failed to diagnose heart disease. He reported his chest pain to his doctor, who diagnosed him with gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD. Our client continued to suffer chest pain and other heart symptoms, and was given a stress test, which he failed. Still, his physician told him it was just GERD. Our client then suffered a massive heart attack, leaving him severely disabled and shortening his life expectancy. We were able to recover $1,475,000 for his unnecessary suffering.
Technology Can Cause Distractions And Surgical Errors In Virginia
You may have heard stories about office workers surfing the net or playing solitaire during slow days at work. Every day has a little down time, so this may seem like a harmless practice.
But what if the person checking their email is in the middle of operating on a patient?
Hospitals across the nation have encouraged the use of new technology to cut down on medical errors. Many encourage the use of smartphones, tablets and other devices by providing mobile access to patient data and prescription details. However, not all of these devices are used strictly for work purposes.
A recent peer-reviewed survey in the cardio-pulmonary bypass surgery journal Perfusionfound electronic distraction to be a worrying trend, especially among younger staff.
Of the 439 medical technicians surveyed:
- 55 percent of technicians who monitor bypass machines told researchers that they had answered or initiated cell phone calls during heart surgery.
- Half of technicians running bypass machines admitted to researchers that they had texted while in surgery.
Was My Virginia Bowel Injury Caused By Medical Malpractice?
If you've ever had a traumatic experience that required abdominal surgery, you probably endured weeks of painful recuperation. But what you may not realize is that your stay in the hospital wasn't due to your injury-it was because of something your doctor could have prevented.
Bowel injuries can occur in a number of ways, and can be deadly if not treated quickly. In some cases, patients suffer a bowel injury from a direct physical event; while in others, the injury was a result of a delayed diagnosis.For instance, your bowel injury may have been caused by:
- Surgical errors. Laparoscopic surgeries, such as hysterectomy or gallbladder removal, are hailed as a "safe" form of surgery, but all abdominal surgeries carry an inherent risk to the patient's organ systems. The bowel is usually injured in one of two ways: a surgical instrument accidentally cuts the intestinal wall while the surgeon is working on a nearby organ, or too much stress placed on the intestine causes the bowel wall to tear.
Seeking Justice For Your Injury From A Government Agency
It was your first time in D.C. and you were enthralled by the sights. You were having the time of your life snapping photos of the Lincoln Memorial, spending an entire day getting lost in the Smithsonian, and picnicking by the Washington Monument. Unfortunately, your tour was interrupted in a flash, when you wound up being rushed to the emergency room with two broken legs and a fractured rib.
Once you came to at the hospital you realized what had happened. You were attempting to cross from the museum to the Mall and, as you waited on the grass, a police car plowed up onto the curb and straight into you. In addition to the car hitting you, a light pole was dislodged and landed on your legs. So now, instead of enjoying your vacation, you're stuck in an unfamiliar hospital, in an unfamiliar city, as a result of a distracted police officer jumping the curb. On top of all that, you're not sure the hospital will accept your insurance, since you're from out of state.
What are you going to do? Can you sue the police for injury compensation? Can you sue the government since the accident occurred on federal property?
Incorrect Incisions May Be Grounds For Medical Malpractice
Surgical errors, such as incisions mistakes, occur more often than they should. While some mistakes are fixed before patients wake up from surgery (sometimes never finding out about the error), other cuts made in the wrong locations can cause patients further harm.
The Adverse Effects of Wrong Incisions
Although some surgical errors don't end up causing patients harm, some patients who endure incisions made in wrong locations end up suffering serious and even life-threatening effects of medical negligence. Whether a doctor's hand slipped and cut a nearby organ or a surgeon operated on the wrong body part, incorrect incisions can cause patients the following adverse effects:
- Additional surgeries
- Removal of wrong limbs
- Partial loss of intestines
- Loss of reproductive organs
- Other internal organ damage
- Bowel injuries
- Cosmetic surgery deformities
- Permanent scarring
- Nerve damage
- Paralysis
Virginia Statute Of Limitations: Time Limits Victims Of Car Accidents Have To File Injury Claims
After being in any type of car accident-from a serious rollover to a minor fender bender - injuries and losses can arise. Consequently, innocent victims are often left to recover from their physical injuries as well as deal with the financial effects of the wreck. This is why most victims who are injured in car accidents find it beneficial to pursue a personal injury claim in order to recover the compensation they need and deserve.
Don't Wait Too Long To File a Personal Injury Claim
Because many people don't fully know the extent of their injuries or because some people just want to put their injuries and the crash behind them, they wait too long to file personal injury claims. Unfortunately, when people wait too long, they can forever lose their chance of being able to make a financial recovery for any of their pain, suffering, medical expenses, lost income, and other losses.
So that you don't miss out on your chances of filing an injury claim after an auto accident, it is essential to learn about the time limits you have to bring a claim against the responsible party. These time limits are known as statutes of limitations, and the statutes in every state differ.
Truck Industries Threaten Highway Truck Safety
You and your family were finishing up a delicious dinner at the Fair Oaks Silver Diner when you overheard two truckers discussing their hauls. Both of them looked absolutely exhausted, and as they rubbed the sleep out of their eyes, one told the other that he still had 100 miles to go before he could sleep, while the other mentioned that he couldn't stop until he reached Springfield, Missouri.
As you watched them slowly sip their coffees and periodically try to stifle yawns, the only thing you could think of is how they would mange the drive and why couldn't they just take a few hours rest before getting back on the road?
Truck Industries Quash Safety Rules to Increase Profits
Like all companies, the truck industry's main purpose is to make money. To accomplish this goal, it isn't above sacrificing safety and the health of its employers. The truck industry is even occasionally willing to put you and your family at risk as long as its profit is secure.
How Much Can I Recover In My Virginia Medical Malpractice Case?
After you have been injured due a doctor's negligence in Virginia, you are probably at least comforted by the fact that you will not have to pay for your medical bills. The doctor caused your suffering, so the hospital should take responsibility for any necessary care, right? Unfortunately, this is not always the case. To discourage the number of medical malpractice lawsuits in Virginia, the state has placed a limit on how much a victim can recover for bodily injury or wrongful death due to negligence. How much can victims of hospital negligence in Virginia be awarded?
- If the victim was injured between July 2008 and June 2012, he may receive a maximum of $2 million.
- The maximum amount will increase by $50,000 per year starting in 2012.
- The maximum amount of punitive damages is capped at $350,000.
At first glance, this may seem like more than enough to cover your medical costs. However, many victims don't realize how quickly the bills for their medical care can add up-and how much their injuries may affect them in the future. A few costs that can quickly deplete your hard-earned settlement:
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.
