INJURY | PERSONAL INJURY LAWYER | PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEY | INJURIES

Alabama residents file about 51,000 civil cases, 65,000 domestic relations cases, and more than 800,000 traffic injury cases every year. Alabama also keeps close tabs on hate crimes and assaults, and sometimes prosecutes those as personal injury cases.

Police brutality occurs when police use excessive force, either physical or verbal, to question, arrest, detain, or otherwise deal with people. When police brutality occurs, victims are left physically and emotionally injured, and they rarely ever trust law enforcement officials again.

Victims of sexual abuse can be male or female, infant or elder. They can be abused at home, at work, in school, or in any other areas they visit. And they aren’t alone. There are 80,000 new cases of child sexual abuse reported each year, and more than 200,000 reported rapes.

Sexual abuse includes forcing any unwanted and/or inappropriate sexual remarks, gestures, contact and activities upon another person. This includes taking photos or sharing photos or pictures, talking about or making references to sexual activities, and inappropriate eye contact or physical contact.  

The majority of victims are sexually abused by family members or close friends. This is especially true for children. Here are tips on how to protect yourself and your family:

• Always be aware of your surroundings. No who is near you, and who might be following you.
• Don’t travel alone when it’s dark.
• Lock doors on your house and your car.
• Consider carrying mace or pepper spray.
• Take a self-defense class.
• Immediately report any activities at work or at school that you feel are abusive. Don’t let them escalate.
• Instruct your children not to talk to strangers, and to run toward help if they are approached.
• Remember to yell! Teach your children to yell as well; many people are shocked into silence when an abuser approaches. Be loud!
• Talk to your children about reporting any inappropriate behavior immediately. Talk to them about obeying adults only when the adult is behaving appropriately. Teach your children to understand their feelings; if they feel scared or awkward for any reason, they should call for help!
• Report any photos you find on someone’s computer or other belongings of children engaging in sexual poses or activities, or photographed in an inappropriate way.
• Consider calling for a police escort. Your local police department is more than happy to help prevent injuries.
• Install an alarm system on your house.
• Get a dog that will alert you of any intruders.
• Travel in groups.
• Avoid dangerous areas.
• Elders are vulnerable to sexual abuse as well. Make sure to look for signs of abuse, including depression, being withdrawn and pain and injury.

Physical elder abuse involves physically abusing an elder, and unfortunately, it is not uncommon. More than two million elders suffer abuse each year, and those are only the reported cases. Most elder abuse happens in the person’s own home or the home of a family member. Women aged 80 and older are the most likely to be abused. Often, it is the spouse or a child who is the abuser. Although there are many cases in which elder abuse took place at a nursing home, it is not as frequent.

Examples of physical elder abuse include when a child has to take care of a parent, and becomes resentful and feels overworked. The child begins being rough with the parent, and does things that physically injure the elder.

Another example is when a caregiver resents his or her job, and does not adequately care for the elder. The caregiver fails to give the elder proper pain medication, or fails to dress the elder appropriately for harsh weather conditions, or leaves the elder alone or incapable of moving for long periods of time.

Physical abuse is separate from financial elder abuse, sexual abuse and psychological or emotional elder abuse. Physical elder abuse includes, but is not limited to:

• neglect
• hitting
• slapping
• restraining
• overmedicating or under-medicating
• burning
• biting
• depriving the elder of foodor water
• exposing the elder to harsh conditions, including bad weather

There are many symptoms of physical elder abuse. They include:

• depression
• bruises
• broken bones
• strains and sprains
• skull fractures
• burns
• evidence of overmedicating
• untreated injuries
• injuries that aren’t healing properly.

If you are being abused, or if you suspect a loved one is being abuse, contact the police immediately, and then contact a personal injury attorney. It is important that you get your questions answered, and it is important that the abuser be punished for the crime and made responsible for all emotional and medical expenses involved.

Multiple bone fractures occur when a person undergoes severe trauma, such as in an automobile accident, motorcycle accident, bicycle accident, or slip and fall. However, multiple bone fractures are also good indications that a person was assaulted or abused, such as in elder physical abuse and child abuse cases. Multiple bone fractures means that one bone, or several bones, are fractured in more than one place. Multiple bone fractures can also mean the bone continues to fracture. Severe trauma can include:

• automobile accidents
• motorcycle accidents
• bicycle accidents
• slips and falls
• assault
• physical abuse

Fractures can occur when a person if physically abused, especially when a person has frail bones, such as in the case of an elderly person or a child.

Symptoms of bone fractures include:

• pain
• swelling
• bruising
• inability to move the limb

Doctors determine whether bones are fractured by taking an X-ray. From the X-ray, doctors can determine the location, size, and severity of the break. After that, doctors treat the fracture. Sometimes, if swelling is too severe, doctors can’t place the limb in a cast. Instead, the doctor will prescribe anti-inflammatory medicine, put the limb in a sling or wrap, and ask the patient to come back in a day or two. After the swelling has subsided, the doctor can apply a cast.

The amount of time a patient has to wear a cast depends upon the severity of the fractures, the locations, the health of the patient, and the bones involved. Some bones take longer to heal. Some patients have weaker bones because of age, illness or medication they are taking.

If you think you have fractured a bone, call 911. Try to remain as still as possible. If your fracture has broken through the skin, remove any visible dirt or debris, but don’t flush or scrub it. You can apply an ice pack to reduce pain and swelling.

Emotional elder abuse is not the same as physical abuse, elder neglect, or financial elder abuse, although all three can definitely be linked and can be committed at the same time. Emotional elder abuse consists of:

• verbal harm
• emotional harm
• mental abuse
• emotional neglect
• psychological harm

Emotional elder abuse is usually committed by a family member or caregiver, although it is certainly not limited to them. These people inflict harm by:

• name-calling
• intimidation
• bullying
• trickery
• false promises
• giving the silent treatment
• lying
• harsh, angry words
• yelling
• threatening
• attacking the elder’s feelings of self-worth and confidence
• verbal punishment

Emotional elder abuse can be very hard to detect unless you witness it first hand. Of course, an elder might confide in you that he/she is being abused. In that case, you should ask the elder to document the abuse by keeping a diary or tape-recording the abuse, but only if you’re certain the elder won’t get caught. In the meantime, you should contact adult protective services in your state, and you should file a report with the police. If there is a family member who is outside the circle of abuse, contact that person and explain the situation. There are other ways to determine if an elder is being emotionally abused. Symptoms include:

• depression
• sulky silences
• withdrawn mood
• not wanting to see anyone
• distrust
• not speaking unless the caregiver is present (the caregiver has warned the elder against telling anyone of the abuse)
• decreased appetite
• suicide attempts
• mood swings

If you know an elder who is being emotionally abused, contact adult protective services and the police.

Elder neglect is usually committed by a family member or other caregiver. Unfortunately, elder neglect usually happens because the family member feels overburdened or angered by any inconvenience. Elder neglect is similar to emotional elder abuse, physical elder abuse and financial elder abuse, but it is in it’s own category because it highlights the neglectful actions of a caregiver. Neglect means the caregiver knowingly and even maliciously does not take care of the elder. Neglect usually occurs in the form of:

• malnourishment
• starvation
• under medicating
• not medicating at all
• not seeking medical treatment for the elder
• not dressing the elder appropriately
• leaving the elder outside during bad weather
• not caring for the elder’s physical ailments
• being harsh or cruel to the elder
• not speaking to the elder at all

It’s sometimes hard to determine whether an elder is being neglected. Sometimes it’s hard because the caregiver might try to cover up the signs. An elder might directly tell you he/she is being neglected. If so, listen. Listening is a very important thing to a person who has been neglected. If the elder has not confided in you, here are some common signs of elder neglect:

• being withdrawn and depressed
• losing weight and appearing malnourished
• injuries that are untreated
• injuries that don’t heal
• being underdressed for weather conditions
• being left unattended

If you know an elder is being neglected, there are adult protective services you can call in your state. Notify the police as well. It might also be a good idea to try contacting other family members to let them know of the neglect. Let the elder know you will do everything in your power to help.

Unfortunately, child abuse still occurs today. Child abuse involves either harming a child psychologically, physically or sexually, or it occurs when someone fails to protect or care for a child, such as in cases of neglect. Child abuse can be inflicted by parents, siblings or other family members, as well as by teachers, caregivers, other children or strangers. Birth parents are the most likely to inflict abuse—they are the abusers 80 percent of the time.

Child abuse reports are received every 10 seconds, and an average of three children die every day because of abuse. There are both physical and behavioral symptoms of child abuse. Noticing and reporting these symptoms to authorities is important; children often cannot protect themselves, and they rely on adults to help them out of abusive situations.

Psychological and emotional abuse includes bullying, name-calling, degrading, yelling and shouting, overly aggressive discipline and ridicule. Signs of psychological or emotional abuse include:

• Physical signs:
  • eating disorders
  • speech disorders
  • nervous disorders
• Behavioral signs:
  • cruel behavior, such as bullying or animal torture
  • bed wetting
  • extreme behavior such as being listless or overly withdrawn

Physical child abuse cases include brain and head traumas, bruising and broken bones, spinal cord injuries, and cuts and burns. Signs of physical abuse include:

• Physical signs:
  • unexplained bruises
  • unexplained burns
  • untreated injuries and burns
  • injuries that take an excessively long time to heal
• Behavioral signs:
  • fear of caregivers
  • running away
  • inconsistent explanation for injuries
  • fear of physical contact
  • excessive shyness

Sexual abuse includes inappropriate touching, forcing the child to participate in or watch sexual acts, lewd behavior toward a child, and making the child undress. Signs of sexual abuse include:

• Physical signs
  • frequent sore throat
  • pain and bruising in genital areas
  • sexually-transmitted diseases
  • pregnancy
• Behavioral signs
  • promiscuous behavior
  • difficulty moving and sitting
  • decline in schoolwork
  • nightmares
  • reluctance to undress

If a child decides to disclose abuse to you, listen carefully and either sit or kneel in order to be at their eye level. The child has decided to place his or her trust in you, so be respectful, do not interrupt, and do not try to make any physical contact that will alarm the child, especially if he or she is a victim of physical or sexual abuse.

Once the child has disclosed abuse, or if you are suspicious of abuse even if the child hasn’t told you directly, report the abuse to police, child protective services or family services. Contact a personal injury attorney in order to be informed of your legal rights regarding the abuse.

Child abuse can be prevented. Volunteer your time in schools and daycare centers. Know the signs of child abuse, and educate yourself and others. Educate yourself and others about correct disciplinary actions.