Richmond Virginia News
Hopewell City Public School Board Regular May Meeting
Thursday night the Hopewell City Public School Board met to discuss several very important topics, including the final stages of the Hopewell High School renovation project. The school is working with the contractor to list all the items that n...
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| Accident and Injury News
Study Shows Passengers Increase Odds of Teen Driver Fatalities
Teenagers have traditionally been the most dangerous drivers on the road, with accident rates four times that of older drivers. A recent AAA study calculates just how their risk of a fatal crash is multiplied when they have other teenagers in the car. The risk of a fatal crash increases by nearly half when a [...]
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Research Shows Even Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Can Contribute to Dysfunction
RICHMOND, Va. (May 10, 2012) – Even mild head injuries can cause significant abnormalities in brain function that last for several days, which may explain the neurological symptoms experienced by some individuals who have experienced a head injury associated with sports, accidents or combat, according to a study by Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine [...]
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Females and Young Athletes Take Longer to Overcome Concussions
EAST LANSING, Mich. — New research out of Michigan State University reveals female athletes and younger athletes take longer to recover from concussions, findings that call for physicians and athletic trainers to take sex and age into account when dealing with the injury. The study, led by Tracey Covassin of MSU’s Department of Kinesiology, found [...]
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Virginia Tech Announces 2012 Football Helmet Ratings
The process used for evaluating the head protector involves performing 120 impacts on each helmet model at multiple locations and impact energies. To date, the Virginia Tech Helmet Ratings™ for adult football include 15 helmet models that were evaluated using more than 2000 laboratory tests. The ratings, first introduced in 2011, utilize the STAR [...]
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Every motor vehicle accident case raises at least three questions:
1) Who was at fault?
To be entitled to damages under Virginia law, you must prove that someone else was at fault in causing the accident. Sometimes the question of fault is easily determined, such as when someone for no legitimate reason drives through a red light and collides with someone who is lawfully in the intersection. What, you might ask, could be a legitimate reason for driving through a red light? Well, the answers are endless - mechanical failure, sudden illness, or anything else that the driver is unable to control. Until your opponent concedes liability for the accident, you should take nothing for granted. For example, contrary to popular belief, a driver who drives into the rear of another car is not automatically at fault under the law. Fault is a threshold question without first establishing fault, the case cannot proceed.
2) What are the injuries?
The amount that an injury victim is entitled to recover from a negligent driver is usually determined by the extent of the injuries, although in some cases the defendant’s conduct is so outrageous that the injured victim can also assert a claim for punitive damages. The most common elements of compensatory damages in motor vehicle cases include bodily injuries and their effect, past and future medical expenses, past and future lost wages, future lessened earning capacity, disfigurement, inconvenience, pain, and suffering. Virginia law sets no limit on the dollar amount an injury victim can recover in compensatory damages.
3) Is there adequate insurance coverage to fully compensate you for your injuries?
There are many potential sources of insurance coverage from which you might receive compensation for your injuries. The insurance coverage types (click here for more info) available to automobile accident victims fall into three categories: liability coverage; uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage; and medical expense coverage (also known as medical payments coverage or "med pay"). Sources of potential insurance coverage can be found in some unexpected places, so when you meet with us, be sure to provide us with a copy of every policy that might apply. Because Virginia law sets such low limits on the amount of insurance that motor vehicle owners must have, we see too many people who have cases of clear liability, substantial injuries, but grossly inadequate insurance coverage. To ensure that this does not happen to you, please review your own policies and consider increasing the limits on your uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage.
Tractor Trailer Accidents
Although we ask the same three questions to victims of tractor trailer accidents as we do to those involved in automobile accidents, the extensive regulation of truckers by the state and federal departments of transportation add a significant layer of complexity to the proper presentation of a tractor trailer claim. Given the size and weight of most tractor trailers, the resultant injuries are frequently much more severe and the issues are often much more technical. We often consult with experienced tractor trailer drivers and accident reconstructionists to assist us in the evaluation and presentation of technically complex evidence.
How safe is your family in your car?
DID YOU KNOW?
Only 10 to 20% of children between the ages of 4 and 7 are properly restrained when riding
in a car? What makes them safe: a booster seat.
A booster seat raises the child up, ensuring that the seat belt fits properly over the chest and
thighs. A standard seat belt, when fastened, falls across the face or neck of a child under
4'9", leaving him/her vulnerable to severe injuries. Tucking the shoulder strap under the
child's arm is not a safe solution to the problem.
So if booster seats are the answer to the problem of safe car travel for these kids, then why
aren't more kids riding in them? Lack of awareness is likely the answer. That's why the
National Highway Safety Administration named this week, February 12th through the
18th, as National Child Passenger Safety Week in the hope of informing more parents and
caregivers of the safe way to travel with small children.
Listed below are four helpful guidelines to help you make decisions about the safety of your
kids. For more information, go toboosterseat.gov.
1. Use rearfacing infant seats in the back from birth to at least one year of
age and at least 20 pounds;
2. Use forwardfacing toddler seats in the back seat from age one and 20
pounds to about the age four and 40 pounds;
3. Use booster seats in the back seat from about age four to at least age
eight unless the child is 4'9" or taller; and
4. Use safety belts inthe back seat at age eight or older or taller than 4'9".
As of February 12th, the Virginia House of Delegates gave their final approval to a bill
requiring children up to eight years old to be restrained in a booster seat while riding in a
vehicle. The bill is now on its way to Gov. Timothy M. Kaine for approval.
Often, when people begin searching for an attorney they will begin their search in a very broad fashion, starting by simply looking for a lawyer. The problem is that, in order to get the best possible results whether it is a personal injury case or a divorce, you need a specialist. The law is very complicated and for an attorney to attempt to cover all aspects of law will leave you with an attorney who is is the "jack of all and master of none." Make sure you hire a specialist. If you are looking at a divorce, you don't need a personal injury lawyer, instead look for a Divorce Lawyer in Loudoun.
All-terrain vehicle injuries in children.
Kirkpatrick R, Puffinbarger W, Sullivan JA.
Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation, University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, OK, USA.
PURPOSE: All-terrain vehicles (ATVs) were introduced in the early 1970s. Injury rates in children and adolescents were alarming. The Consumer Products Safety Commission 2002 annual report revealed 5239 deaths attributed to ATVs between 1982 and 2002. One third (n = 1706) involved children younger than 16 years. The Consumer Products Safety Commission entered into a 10-year decree with ATV manufacturers in 1988 in an attempt to decrease ATV injuries and deaths. The purpose of this study was to assess the experience at the Oklahoma University Medical Center Level 1 Trauma Center by review of the trauma registry for patients younger than 16 years injured in ATV accidents. METHODS: A retrospective review of the trauma registry was performed in children younger than 16 years who presented as a result of injury attributed to 3- or 4-wheel ATVs since 2001. RESULTS: A total of 73 patients fit the search description. The average age was 9.9 years. The average Injury Severity Score was 10.3 (Level 1 trauma, 20.0; Level 2 trauma, 8.3). All 4 deaths were attributed to head injury (average age, 12.5 years.). The most common injuries were extremity fractures (36 fractures), head injury (33 injuries), and facial trauma (20 injuries). Of the fractures, 8 were open (6 upper extremities all around the elbow and 2 lower extremity tibia fractures). Extremity fractures occurred in nearly half of our patients with a slightly higher number of upper extremity injuries. The rate and severity of fractures about the elbow is especially alarming. CONCLUSIONS: All-terrain vehicle injuries involving children continue to be a concern. Despite the 1988 decree, ATV injuries continue to be a significant source of morbidity and mortality among children. Orthopaedic injuries of the extremities are common in these patients. In this series, the only cause of death was head injury. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Orthopaedic injuries are the norm in children and adolescents injured in ATV accidents. Although some legislation is in place, the level of compliance is unclear. Legislation requiring helmet use and age limits failed in Oklahoma this year. Perhaps a comprehensive community education program would be the most effective in decreasing ATV morbidity and mortality in children.
PMID: 17878773 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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