INJURY | PERSONAL INJURY LAWYER | PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEY | INJURIES

Injuries on the job aren’t limited to broken bones and slipped disks. Injuries can be caused by an invisible, odorless, silent culprit called metal fumes.

• Tremors
• Shakes
• Memory loss
• Impaired hand-eye coordination
• Cough and other cold symptoms
• Pneumonia
• Mood swings
• Abnormal facial expressions
• Difficulty walking
• Losing balance
• Difficulty speaking
• Leg cramps
• Drowsiness

Sailboats cause many injuries and deaths per year, although not as many as motorboats and personal watercrafts do. Sailboats are more likely to get caught in bad weather, capsize, or cause injuries because of the ropes and rigging involved in operating the boat.

Off-road motorcycles cause hundreds of deaths per year and more than 55,000 injuries, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Children and teens riding off-road bikes are also involved in traffic accidents when they ride on public roadways.

• 20 percent of injuries occur in the motocross areas
• 70 percent of victims reported riding dirt bikes or trail bikes
• Almost 9 percent of the injuries occurred while the driver was performing a jump or other stunt
• More than 5 percent of injuries occurred from hitting another vehicle

Brace yourself…or don’t. Airbag injuries are serious and can be fatal, and many injuries can be prevented if drivers and passengers don’t put their hands and arms in front of them to brace during impact. Thumbs and fingers can be torn off and arms can receive multiple bone fractures. People can also receive serious eye, face, head and brain injuries when airbags deploy.

Many injuries and fatalities can also be prevented if people of small stature, including children, the aged, and the infirm, avoid sitting in seats with airbags. Airbags are designed for people who are 5′8" tall and weigh 180 pounds. Unfortunately, smaller drivers, often women, must sit closer to the airbag in order to reach the steering wheel, and there have been numerous cases in which the airbag was the primary cause of serious injury, not the car collision.

Airbags also malfunction. When this happens, they either go off for no reason, or they fail to release when they are needed. When airbags release, they do so at more than 200 miles per hour with greater than 1200 pounds of force. Even when drivers don’t brace and don’t get their fingers caught by the exploding airbag, they risk concussions, brain damage, and even suffocation if they can’t get away from the bag.

There are some steps you can take to protect yourself and your loved ones from airbag injury:

• All children, aged, and smaller people should ride in back where there are no airbags.
• Use the airbag "off" switch if smaller passengers ride in front.
• Passengers and drivers should never brace themselves against the dashboard or steering wheel during an accident.
• Drivers should drive with their hands on the sides or bottom of the steering wheel…never the top.
• Don’t cross your arm over the steering wheel when turning.
• Don’t honk the horn at the beginning of an accident.
• Push your seat as far back as possible when driving.
• Check with the CPSC at www.cpsc.gov to find out about recalls involving your auto’s airbags

If you are injured by an airbag, defective airbag, or faulty installation, contact a personal injury attorney immediately.

Serious head trauma can affect a person for life. Head trauma is associated with memory loss, speech disorders and loss of coordination. Children are particularly at risk for head trauma because of the size and weight of their heads in proportion to their bodies, and because they have a greater amount of fluid in their brains which make them softer and more prone to injuries. In fact, the leading cause of death of children over the age of 1 in the U.S. is head trauma.

• assaults
• car accidents
• motorcycle accidents
• falls
• birth
• contact sports
• speed sports
• in the case of small children, shaking and other forms of abuse

Concussions are sometimes hard to diagnose. In fact, people often don’t know they’ve experienced a concussion. But they are serious. They occur because the brain has been shaken so forcefully by an impact that it bounces off the inside of the skull. They can affect your vision, memory, hearing, coordination and reflexes. And many of them are very painful. They can cause headaches, loss of consciousness, dizziness, vomiting and nausea. Other symptoms include:

• slow pulse
• slow breathing rate
• confusion
• lethargy
• dilated pupils
• memory loss
• vision changes
• difficulty speaking and swallowing
• ringing in the ears

Also, an increased amount of concussions lead to other illnesses like brain damage, postconcussion syndrome, epilepsy and neurological damage.

Skull fractures can occur during impact as well. The brain may or may not be damaged when the fracture occurs, depending upon the severity and location of the blow. The symptom may be as small as a bump on the head to as large as bleeding from the head, eyes, nose, ears and mouth.

Brain Injury can occur because of impact or because of an object penetrating the skull. Impact includes falls, assaults, blows to the head and, in the case of infants, shaken baby syndrome. Brain injury symptoms include many of the same symptoms seen with concussions, plus spinal fluid might be draining out the ears, eyes, nose or mouth. Brain injury can lead to permanent memory loss, loss of coordination, loss of control of bodily functions, and more. Shaken baby syndrome occurs when an infant is violently shaken and the brain bounces inside the skull. Blood vessels inside the head rupture and bleed. This can cause seizures, comas, lifelong disability and death. This is a criminal act and those convicted can receive the death penalty.

Kids love to run, jump, climb and swing. In all their excitement, they often fall and scrape their knees and hands or get a couple of bruises. Sometimes, injuries are worse. Falls from heights can lead to brain injury and paralysis. Making sure your child’s playgrounds are as safe as possible and teaching your children basic safety rules are the first steps toward preventing more serious injury. Playgrounds are everywhere; they are designed and constructed by playground builders for schools, parks and community areas, and they are found in backyards on every street. Playgrounds aren’t just swing sets and slides, however. Children can make playgrounds out of just about any type of area that catches the eye. First and foremost, talk to your children about how to play safely. This includes:

• staying within sight or earshot of a parent, teacher or caregiver
• always asking permission before playing on someone’s property
• not climbing higher than their own height (a 3’ child should not be allowed to climb higher than 3’)
• wearing appropriate safety gear (a helmet when skateboarding, for example)
• not hitting, punching or otherwise playing rough with any other children
• waiting their turn while on a playground
• coming inside when lightning is present
• avoiding any sick, injured or strange animals
• not talking to strangers and leaving immediately if they approach you

If your child plays on a playground at a school, park or friend’s house, inspect it for any damage, wear, rust, splinters or other harmful problems. Also, make sure the playground is age-appropriate for your child. For example, a 4-year-old shouldn’t be climbing very high or swinging on swings without a safety seat. Also, ask what kind of supervision will be available for your child. If the parent or supervisor plans to stay indoors and leave the children to play alone, consider the risks before agreeing to leave your child. Know about other potential playgrounds in your neighborhood that weren’t developed for play. For example, be aware of any vacant mines, farms, tunnels and construction sites that might attract children. Talk to your children about each and every place, and explain the risks and establish rules. Also, talk to the owners of those properties about fencing them and posting warning signs. Under attractive nuisance law, owners of properties where children might be attracted and might get hurt are often responsible for any injuries, even if the children trespassed.

Neurological disorders affect the nervous system, including the brain, spinal cord and nerves throughout the body. Neurological disorders often share the same symptoms, including loss of coordination and memory. The severity of symptoms varies from person to person and from disease to disease. Causes of neurological disorders are very hard to determine, although some occur during or after birth or for biochemical reasons. Here’s a list of common neurological disorders, their symptoms and possible causes.

·        Alzheimer’s is a brain disorder that gets worse over time. The most common symptom of Alzheimer’s is dementia, or loss of memory. Alzheimer’s usually sets in when a person is middle-aged or elderly. Doctors are unsure of the causes.

·        Bell’s Palsy is a disorder that affects the nerves in the face. The face is temporarily paralyzed due to viral infection or trauma. Some babies are born with Bell’s Palsy after doctors incorrectly or aggressively use forceps or other extraction instruments. Usually, the symptoms will go away after two weeks.

·        Cerebral Palsy is a generic term for a variety of neurological diseases that occur during childbirth or develop during early childhood. Causes of these diseases are generally hard to determine, although many specialists link the disorders to complications during childbirth and trauma that occurs in the early years of a child’s life. Symptoms vary from loss of muscle coordination and difficulty speaking to complete paralysis.

·        Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (a.k.a. “Mad Cow Disease”) is a disease that is acquired by consuming infected cow meat or receiving a blood transfusion of infected blood. The disease is a fatal brain disorder that attacks more than 250 Americans each year. Symptoms of CJD vary dramatically from patient to patient, and they include dementia, loss of muscle control and depression. People diagnosed with the disease never live for more than one year.

·        Strokes occur when a blood clot clogs an artery in the brain. Strokes are most common in people who smoke, have high blood pressure and high cholesterol, and people who are overweight.

·        Tourette’s Syndrome is a genetic disease that affects between 100,000 and 200,000 people in the U.S. Symptoms are nervous tics that can be as severe as uncontrollable speech or violent muscle spasms.

Injuries happen all the time, and can include everything from your child falling down and scraping a knee to your spouse being injured in the workplace. The larger your family and the more risky your job, the more costly medical expenses can be, especially if you receive an injury that disables you and lasts throughout your life, like a brain injury, chronic disease or knee or back injury. What is important is finding a good doctor and making sure you can pay your medical expenses.

Injuries can cost thousands of dollars, and when you consider the expenses, factor in:

• immediate medical expenses
• emergency costs
• future medical treatment
• rehabilitation costs
• cost of supplies, medicine, etc.
• lost wages
• future lost earnings
• in case of death, funeral and burial expenses

When injuries happen because of someone else’s negligence or actions, your medical expenses might not be your responsibility. For example, if your child is injured on someone else’s property because that person failed to take proper safety precautions, you could seek compensation based on “attractive nuisance” laws. If you are injured in a workplace or offshore accident, you could seek compensation under worker’s compensation or maritime laws. If you are injured because of hospital negligence or medical malpractice, you could seek compensation by filing a malpractice claim.

It might seem difficult to wade through all the different injury laws, but that’s what personal injury attorneys do for a living. Personal injury attorneys can help you seek compensation for your injuries. Personal injury attorneys include:

• medical malpractice attorneys
• car accident attorneys
• personal injury lawyers
• maritime law attorneys

Remember that the word “injury” doesn’t just mean a broken bone; it can include a disease, disfigurement, birth injury, head trauma, emotional injury, neglect, and even death or injury to reputation (defamation).

If you are injured in any way, take a moment to assess whether someone else might be responsible for your expenses. A personal injury attorney can help you answer these questions, and initial meetings are usually free.

Fall restraints include body harnesses and body belts that attach to a secure anchor point. Fall restraints are used in conjunction with a fall protection work plan that identifies the safety hazards and takes steps to make employees safe. When fall restraints fail, workers can be seriously injured or die. People most at risk are those who work at heights. This includes:

• ropes access workers (window washers, roof cleaners/workers, tree trimmers, oilrig employees, wind turbine employees, etc.)
• workers who work using a scaffolding system
• construction workers
• electricians
• roofers
• tree trimmers
• demolition crews
• warehouse employees
• utility company employees

According to the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, a successful fall protection work plan includes:

• identifying all fall hazards in the workplace
• describing the method of fall restraint to be used
• describing the correct assembly procedures for the fall restraint
• describing the correct storage, handling and securing of tools and materials
• describing the method of overhead protection for workers below
• describing the method of prompt, safe removal of injured workers
• being available on the job site for inspection

When employees fall from height, they can sustain numerous injuries, including broken bones, head trauma, brain injury and internal organ damage. Falls are serious as they can result in death. Make sure to know all safety requirements set forth by your company and by your federal regulatory agencies. Inspect all fall restraint systems yourself before using them. If you see any damage, frayed ropes, breakage, or other potential failure, do not use the system and contact a supervisor immediately. Also, be careful of who is working above you; if they drop tools, you could be seriously injured. If you are injured in fall restraint failure, contact a personal injury attorney. Most likely, someone is at fault and/or equipment was improperly designed, installed or used.

When helmets fail to do their job, which is to protect people’s heads during crashes or blows, it results in injury and death. Many people have suffered serious head and brain injury from defective helmet design. Recent cases include:

• A man’s helmet came off his head when a car pulled out in front of him and he struck it with his motorcycle. The man was in a coma for several days, and is now learning to walk and speak again.
• A man sustained traumatic brain injury when his helmet failed to protect his head because of faulty design.
• A man was left in a vegetative state after he crashed on his motorcycle. His helmet failed to protect him. He was only traveling 10 mph.

Although defective helmets cause injuries, it is still safer to wear a helmet while riding a motorcycle, bicycle, horse, or while skiing, snowboarding, inline skating, and participating in other sports. Many injuries are prevented because of helmet use. However, if you are injured because of defective helmet design, contact a personal injury lawyer to find out if you can be compensated for medical expenses and loss of wages. Here’s how to tell if your helmet is defective and if it has been recalled:

• Visit the Consumer Product Safety Commission at www.cpsc.gov.
• Also, check out www.recall-warnings.com under their helmet section.
• If you know your helmet is defective, stop using it, contact the manufacturer to have it replaced, and write a letter to the Consumer Product Safety Commission to inform them of the defect. They will warn others.
• If your helmet is defective, you’ll notice:
  • loose parts
  • breakage
  • cracks
  • dents
  • ill-fitting feeling
  • lining pulling out or tearing

Make sure to explain to your children that wearing a helmet is important during any activities in which your head might receive trauma. In some states, wearing a helmet while riding a motorcycle is the law, and studies have shown that injuries and death rates from motorcycle accidents are down in those states. But remember, wearing a defective helmet can be as bad as not wearing one. Before you buy a helmet, read any literature you can find on it, including on the Internet. Have a professional help you properly fit the helmet. Make sure you don’t drop or damage the helmet; this will only decrease its performance.