Posted on June 17, 2014 in Uncategorized

A report issued by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) last year revealed that 400 people are killed every year in vehicle accidents caused by road debris that falls from unsecured loads being carried by non-commercial vehicles. Another 10,000 people were injured in road debris accidents.

GAO compiled the report based on data collected by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), however the agency points out in its report that the number of fatalities may actually be higher because of issues with road debris accident reporting. In the past, the NHTSA did not categorize whether or not the road debris in vehicle accidents was caused by human error or whether or not it was cause by nature (i.e. a tree that has fallen).

Another issue in reporting is the differences in state laws and how it applies to road debris that comes from non-commercial vehicles.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on June 13, 2014 in Uncategorized

According to a recent study, gastric feeding tubes prescribed for patients who suffer from dementia may actually increase the risk of pressure ulcers, also called bed sores.

Many dementia patients eventually have a difficult time eating. Swallowing especially can be affected by the disease, which can lead to aspiration pneumonia. As a result, doctors frequently prescribed the insertion of gastric feeding tubes. The tube is inserted in a small incision that is made in a patient’s abdomen and that is how the patient receives nutrition.

Gastric feeding tubes cause many dementia patients to become agitated. As a result, it often becomes necessary to restrain and sedate them. With the patient now restrained in bed for the majority of time, the risk of bed sores greatly increases. The study revealed that 35.6 percent of patients, who did not initially have bed sores before a feeding tube was inserted, developed a stage 2 bed sore (or worse) with the feeding tube. Fewer than 20 percent of patients who did not have feeding tubes developed bed sores.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on June 10, 2014 in Uncategorized

Each year, the summer is the deadliest season for teen drivers. When Memorial Day arrives, it starts a period known as the 100 deadliest days for teen drivers, because when school is out and the weather is nice, car accidents are most common in this age group.

In 2012, from Memorial Day to Labor Day, approximately 1,000 people were killed in car accidents caused by teens. This data comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Of the 1,000 people killed, 88 percent of the victims were teenagers.

The main cause of teen accidents is distracted driving. Data from distraction.gov shows that 10 percent of drivers under the age of 20 who were involved in a fatal accident were distracted when the accident occured.

A major issue with teens behind the wheel is that texting while driving is not the only cause of distractions. The National Safety Council released a study that says the risk of an accident increases by 44 percent when a teen has passengers in the vehicle with them.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on June 05, 2014 in Uncategorized

Have you ever wondered what it is that makes drivers so angry on the roads? Expedia has put together a study that explains what makes drivers so angry at each other, and these habits can lead to car accidents. Whether you are traveling for school, work or vacation; angry drivers are on the road.

Expedia surveyed 1,001 driving adults in the United States and found that 69 percent of them ranked distracted drivers as the number-one most annoying behavior on the roads today. Texting while driving is banned in multiple states, but it can be hard to enforce.

The second-most annoying behavior was tailgating or following too close. This category received 60 percent of the votes from those surveyed. The next category, with 54 percent of the vote, was drivers who eat, read or apply makeup while driving.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on June 03, 2014 in Uncategorized

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced that it is requiring the makers of the sleeping aid Lunesta to change the recommended starting dose on the product. Studies have shown that there may be high enough levels of the drug left in patients the morning after that could possibly impair any activity that requires alertness and focus, such as driving. This side effect may be present even in patients who feel as if they are fully awake.

Currently, the recommended starting dose is two milligrams. But the FDA has ordered manufacturer Sunovion Pharmaceuticals to change the labels and the patient medication guide to now reflect a recommended starting dose of one milligram. If needed, then the dosage may gradually be increased.

According to a study conducted by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), approximately nine million people in the U.S. take a prescription sleeping aid to help fall asleep. Last year alone, nearly 55 million sleeping aid prescriptions were dispensed by pharmacies across the country. Two of the most popular drugs prescribed are Lunesta (eszopiclone) and Ambien (zolpidem).

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on May 30, 2014 in Uncategorized

A study by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) revealed that more than 24,000 children are injured in shopping cart accidents every year. Almost 21,000 of those injured are children under the age of 5 years old. Almost 80 percent of the injuries children receive are to their head and face.

The study looked at emergency room statistics from 2008 to 2012. During that time, over 107,000 children younger than 5 years old were treated for injuries sustained from a shopping cart. Sixty percent of those children were 1 and 2 years of age.

The study used the following definitions to describe what the hazard was with the shopping cart that caused the injuries:

• Fall – The child fell from the cart when no other “hazard” was involved. This includes the child falling out of the cart when standing up, or falling while trying to climb out of the cart;

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on May 28, 2014 in Uncategorized

A new study reveals that the majority of medical devices approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use on children have only been tested on adults 18 years or older, with no testing done on children.

The study was conducted by researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, with the results published in Pediatrics. Researchers examined pediatric medical devices that were approved by the FDA between the years 2008 and 2011. There were 25 devices that have been approved for patients 21 years old or younger. Eleven of those devices hadn’t been tested on anyone under the age of 21 years old. And only four of those devices had actually been tested on people less than 18 years of age. To compound the problem, only three of the devices were approved to be used on anyone under the age of 18 years old. The other 22 devices were only approved by the FDA to be used on patients between the ages of 18 to 21 years of age, however these devices are routinely used physicians “off-label” in teenagers and young children since there are no alternative devices that have been approved for those age groups. The study also revealed that despite the FDA adding stipulations to the approval requiring the manufacturers to hold post-market testing, they only required three of these companies to include children in those tests. None of these tests have been completed. In a statement, one of the study’s authors wrote, “Children are not simply ‘small adults,’ and a device found to be safe and effective in adults may have a very different safety and effectiveness profile when used in a pediatric population. Without this data, it is difficult for clinicians and parents to make informed treatment decisions that weigh the risks and benefits of a particular treatment.” If you or someone in your family has been injured by the improper use of a medical device, or the use of a defective or unsafe device, contact an experienced New Braunfels personal injury attorney to find out what compensation you may be entitled to for pain and loss.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on May 23, 2014 in Uncategorized

A new study by Scottish researchers from Institute of Health and Wellbeing at the University of Glasgow has revealed that adults who are hospitalized with minor head injuries are at almost twice the risk of dying within fifteen years of their injury than someone with no head injury.

Many studies have proven that there is a high risk of death subsequent to a severe head injury, but until now, there had not been a significant amount of research on the effects of minor head injuries. The study’s results were published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, but the researchers are not sure whether it’s long-term effects from the injury or lifestyle that causes the risk to double.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on May 19, 2014 in Uncategorized

There have been various issues regarding driving impaired when it comes to alcohol and prescription drugs. The detection systems for both are relatively straight forward. However, as reported by The State, many states are having a hard time setting measures when it comes the impairment from marijuana use, especially since impaired driving has been linked to car accidents.

This has been quite the quandary for lawmakers all over the country in the wake of the legalization of marijuana use for medical reasons and in some areas for personal use. Many lobbyists have touted the positive effects of marijuana usage and have stated that it is far safer than alcohol, which is legal.

In one particular case, a young lady was killed in Seattle when she was hit by a vehicle while driving to work. When the driver was tested, his blood toxicology showed a positive result for marijuana. A professor at the University of California has been quoted as saying, “The answer is: Pretty …stoned is not as dangerous as drunk.”

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on May 17, 2014 in Uncategorized

As if there is any more reason to worry about weight, according to coverage by Medpage Today, a higher BMI can increase the length of time that a person experiences neck pain after a car accident. Researchers have reported that neck pain continued to endure into the 6 month mark if the person is obese.

Based on the research findings, when a morbidly obese person was examined at the time of the accident, at 6 weeks, 6 months, and 1 year, the patients still complained of pain. The medical records of over 900 people were examined as a part of these studies. The studies also showed that an increased body mass index also affected other regions of the body that experienced pains. It was also found that there were not enough people who were underweight that could be assessed because there were not enough people that fit into that category to have a reliable result.

Continue Reading ››