Category: Personal Injury
January 20, 2017 / Personal Injury
The Ultimate Child-Safety Checklist for Your Home
Injuries are the leading cause of death among children. While many of these injuries occur in schools, playgrounds or motor vehicles, they can also happen in our own homes. Parents strive to make their homes as safe as possible for their children, yet not all dangers are as obvious as others. From burn injuries to accidental poisoning, there are several risks that parents should address on their home’s safety checklist. In case of a burn injury, consulting with an experienced Indianapolis burn injury lawyer is essential. Without further ado, here are a few of the biggest risks that you can address around your house. Suffocation and Choking Hazards Choking and suffocation-related injuries are a top cause of injuries among infants. [...]
October 26, 2016 / Personal Injury
Play Pokemon Go, But Do So Safely
The augmented reality game, Pokemon Go, blends the real world with the virtual world. It quickly became the No. 1 app in the Apple store after the game’s release during July of 2016. Most of us don’t understand how the heck the software makers have managed to create the real world-virtual world mélange, but is sure is fun. Unfortunately, Pokemon Go, despite being a good thing because it gets people out and about instead of sitting in front of screens, carries some hazards. Don’t Get Physical (Injuries) If you’re actively pursuing Pokemon, remember to watch where you’re going. Numerous reports of cuts, bruises, ankle sprains, and even broken bones have occurred. People chasing Pokemon have been walking into objects, tripping ove[...]
September 23, 2016 / Personal Injury
Do We Have a “Flint Situation” Here in Indiana?
A shocking story out of East Chicago, Indiana: The West Calumet Housing Complex, a largely low-income residential property, was built on a former lead smelting company’s site. Over 1,000 residents are now forced to leave because of the perilously high levels of lead in the soil. For decades children have been playing in the toxic dirt. Then in July, 2016, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) notified residents about the problem. The EPA had discovered that the lead levels in soil samples were generally three times higher than the federal safety standards. In some areas of the complex, the levels were even greater. The complex was built in 1972. In 2009, the EPA designated 74 acres of the Calumet neighborhood a Superfund cleanup[...]
December 16, 2015 / Personal Injury
Dieselgate: Another Name for Plain Old Fraud
It’s being called “Dieselgate”—the outrageous cheating that Volkswagen engaged in when it came to using its specially-modified emissions software to fake the test results for its TDI “clean diesel” engines. Lawsuits are emerging that involve a number of charges, most of which argue the point that Volkswagen duped buyers with its erroneous claims of engine performance. Without a doubt, owners want—and deserve—compensation for the premium prices they paid to own a TDI vehicle, and for the now sharply-reduced resale value of those same vehicles. Owners who bought cars they believed were better for the environment feel swindled, and not just monetarily. As of the last count, there are 11 million of you worldwide. About a half[...]
June 23, 2015 / Personal Injury
That Old Swimming Hole Might Not Be Safe
For those who don’t have access to a pool, a lake, or a refreshing stream, summertime may send them in search of a different kind of place to cool off when the temperatures soar. Often, it is our youth and young adults who are attracted to abandoned quarries and mines as places to swim, dive, and “hang out.” Generally, abandoned mines and quarries—of which Indiana has several—are not safe places to explore. Nationwide, accidents in abandoned quarries and mines take 20 to 30 peoples’ lives every year, with drowning the most common cause of death at abandoned quarry and mine sites. Indiana suffers its share of injuries and even fatalities most years as well. As an example, in Bloomington, Rooftop Quarry is popular because it [...]
June 15, 2015 / Personal Injury
Bouncing Your Way into the ER?
A fast-growing craze among young people is foam pits and trampoline parks. On the surface, it sounds like wholesome fun that will help kids get some needed exercise, and the kids seem to love it. But stories of injuries and deaths, and warnings from doctors, have started to emerge. What Are Foam Pits and Trampoline Parks A foam pit is exactly what it sounds like—piles of foam cubes, usually supported by a trampoline, which people, mostly kids and teens, jump in. A trampoline park is a large room filled with trampolines. Often, the same recreational facility has both. They are popular with those who want to try out acrobatic or gymnastic moves. In Indiana and surrounding states, there are several “jump gyms,” as they are sometimes call[...]
June 8, 2015 / Personal Injury
Accidents Are Not Amusing
It’s a beautiful day. You and your family are out to enjoy yourselves at an amusement park. You feel great anticipation as you climb into the ride’s car. This will be exciting and fun! Unfortunately, perhaps it won’t. We’ve all heard the stories -- from the derailed roller coaster car that flew into a tree at a California park in 2014, to the woman who fell out of a roller coaster in Texas in 2013, to the story of the young woman who suffered amputation by a flying cable at nearby Kentucky Kingdom in 2007. At this point, you might be wondering if amusement parks are really that dangerous. Risky Rides Amusement parks are responsible for a surprising number of injuries. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has esti[...]
May 21, 2015 / Personal Injury
Young Workers in Danger
Youth at work may appear vigorous and strong, even invincible. We may even lament our own restrictions that occur with increasing age. Yet that same vibrant quality of youth can be a hindrance when it comes to occupational safety. Would you be surprised to learn that young workers, meaning those under 25, have higher occupational injury rates than older workers? It’s true. For workers under the age of 24 during 2012, there were 375 deaths, with 29 of them suffered by workers less than 18 years old. And during the years 1998 to 2007, younger workers were the victims of roughly twice as many nonfatal workplace injuries each year as workers 25 and over. Advantage: Maturity Being young is not always an advantage in the workplace. A person[...]
May 19, 2015 / Personal Injury
Dangerous Dust
Dust seems harmless, doesn’t it? Everyone breathes in dust every day. We joke about having dusty homes. And yet, dust that contains respirable crystalline silica can cause irreversible, chronic, and even fatal illnesses. Exposure to crystalline silica kills more than 250 U.S. citizens each year from silicosis alone, and approximately one million workers are exposed to crystalline silica. Workers in the construction and mining industries, as well as those who work in sandblasting, stonecutting, and even landscaping are among those at risk. Those who work at hydraulic fracturing (fracking) sites, or especially in frac sand mining, or who live near such mines, also face the potential of future illnesses. In Indiana, the risks from frackin[...]
April 29, 2015 / Personal Injury
Stage Collapse Spurs Questions
Dozens of high school kids and parents panicked on April 23, 2015, when part of a stage collapsed during a spirited musical, plunging Westfield High School performers into the orchestra pit. School Superintendent Mark Keen estimated the drop to be 12 feet to a concrete floor below. During the finale of the school's annual "American Pie" concert, which each year features music from one decade, a large group of singing, dancing students came from the wings onto a platform used to extend the stage area over the pit, a procedure used many times in the past without incident. This time, however, due to causes that are still under investigation, the flooring gave way. More than a dozen students were injured, with ten being transported to[...]