A common health ailment can be compounded by a medical mistake, leading to tragic and life-long consequences. This was seen recently when a Franklin County jury awarded a $44 million medical malpractice judgment against a southeastern Ohio medical laboratory which misdiagnosed an ear infection that caused the permanent paralysis of a boy, according to the lawsuit.
Pedestrian fatalities increase by 46 percent
Pedestrian deaths grew by 46 percent from 2009 to 2016, which was the latest year that figures are available. Without recommended improvements, these accidents will become a growing danger and a source of wrongful death legal actions by families who suffer the loss of a loved one.
There were 5,987 pedestrian fatalities in 2016. This was the greatest number of deaths since 1990. This Governor's Highway Safety Administration report predicts that this figure will be the same for 2017.
Mild brain injuries can have life-long impact
Widespread attention has been devoted to brain injuries and serious concussions and their long-term and serious effect on health, especially in professional sports. Yet, like these catastrophic injuries, even mild traumatic brain injury can have long-term effects on physical and mental health. Accidental falls, such as falling off a bike or tumbling down stairs, may not result in loss of consciousness or immediate health problems, but it may have serious and long-lasting consequences. These injuries can also threaten relationships and marriages.
Why medical devices have become deadlier
Advances in technology have given the world numerous benefits in the areas of medicine and health care. Diseases and conditions that were once difficult to treat are now manageable or even curable, in some cases. Many people owe their lives to science.
On the other hand, many people have lost their lives because of science. Devices for the purpose of helping patients can end up catastrophically harming and even killing their users. In fact, over the years, medical products have not become safer but rather deadlier, reports the New York Times, resulting in around 3,000 deaths annually. How has this happened?
Family awarded $7 million for misdiagnosis
Regardless of advances in healthcare, a misdiagnosis can worsen a medical condition. In a recent medical malpractice case, a jury awarded $7 million to the family of a woman who is confined to a healthcare facility after physicians treated her for a brain tumor instead of the infection she suffered.
Jury awards $7.4 million for brain damage caused by negligence
Medical mistakes can have dire consequences. This was apparent in a medical malpractice case where an Erie County jury ruled against two neurologists and their Sandusky medical practice in August and awarded $7.4 million for a woman's permanent brain damage caused by the alleged misdiagnosis.
The victim was 76-years-old when she was admitted to a medical center on October 28, 2013, suffering from confusion and leg weakness. She went to a hospital emergency room 25 days earlier suffering with a chronic cough. An x-ray revealed a suspected mass in her lungs which could have come from lung cancer.
Self-driving trucks in slow lane
Self-driving passenger vehicles have been tested throughout the United States and their use is anticipated. In the trucking industry, however, the brakes were pressed on implementing this technology because of concerns over safety and the risk of truck accidents.
In an internal Uber memo, the head of its advanced technologies group recommended the implementation of self-driving technology with passenger vehicles first before later bringing it to freight vehicles. The absence of any lability laws holding individuals responsible for injuries inflicted by a self-driving truck drove this reluctance. Uber, in fact, shut down its autonomous truck division.
High school football faces fatal injuries
Professional football players afflicted with a brain injury or concussion have been in the spotlight lately. However, statistics show that high school football players have faced more fatal injuries. Preventable injuries like many of those associated with high school football may be grounds for a wrongful death lawsuit.
The National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research reported that 42 football players at all playing levels died from direct or indirect causes between 2015 and 2017. Thirty of these 42 deaths involved high school athletes. Direct deaths are caused directly from injuries suffered during play. Heat stroke and cardiac events are examples of indirect causes.
Older motorcycle riders and serious injuries go together
Have you noticed how many senior motorcycle riders are on the road these days? In the past 20 years, the average age of motorcyclists has increased.
As a class, motorcycle enthusiasts are vulnerable to crashes. However, older riders suffer more serious injuries than younger riders. Why is that?
Ohio truck safety faces bumpy road
Passengers in a passenger sedan, SUV, or minivan have slimmer chances of escaping unscathed in a crash with a loaded semi-tractor trailer traveling at 60 to 80 mph. For this reason, Ohio must take measures to help prevent truck accidents.
Sadly, though, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration reported a rise in truck accident fatalities following years of decline. Accident deaths fell from 5,240 in 2005 to 3,380 in 2009. But, these deaths rose every almost year since 2009 and reached 4,317 in 2016, which is the last year that these figures were calculated.
