Articles Posted in Catastrophic Injuries

Our Maine personal injury attorneys would like to wish you a happy and safe Fourth of July holiday weekend. We would also like to ask you to be extra cautious, no matter what your plans are, as many residents are exposed to an increased risk for accidents and injuries.Residents and visitors are more likely to experience an injury in Maine during this holiday weekend, whether you’re celebrating on the water, at the pool or lighting off fireworks. With the proper safety precautions, residents can help to keep themselves and their loved ones safe and injury-free this Independence Day weekend.

Celebrating the weekend on the water?sBe sure you follow these safety tips, provided by Discover Boating, to help keep you and other boaters safe:

-Check the weather reports before venturing out. If you’re out on a boat and you see bad weather approaching, play it safe and get to land. It is encouraged that you get off the water if you notice darkening clouds, volatile and rough changing winds or sudden drops in temperature.

-Be sure to operate at a safe speed all the time, especially in crowded areas.

-Stay away from large vessels that can be restricted in their ability to stop or turn.

-Be respectful of buoys and other navigational aids. These signals have been placed there to help ensure your boating safety.

-Make sure more than one person on board knows every aspect of your boat’s handling, operations and other boating safety tips.

-Make sure that everyone on board has a life jacket. A majority of drowning victims were the result ofsboating accidents in which passengers were found to not be wearing a life jacket.

-Never boat and drive. You’re twice as likely to be involved in a boating accident when alcohol is involved.

-Get a free vessel safety check. The US Coast Guard offers free boat examinations to verify the presence and condition of certain safety equipment required by state and federal regulations.What’s the Fourth of July without fireworks? Using fireworks is as traditional as Independence Day parades and barbecues. According to the National Council on Firework Safety, there were approximately 5,900 fireworks-related injuries during the Fourth of July season in 2009. Dr. John Steinberg, a member of the Board of Directors of the National Council on Firework Safety, suggests that everyone uses a little common sense to reduce the risks of injury this year.

The Council offers these tips to help keep residents safe this Fourth of July:

-Always supervise teens when they are using fireworks.

-Do not allow children to handle fireworks.

-Only use fireworks outdoors.

-Always have water ready. You should keep a bucket of water or a hose nearby.

-Do not drink alcohol and light off fireworks. Always have a designated lighter.

-Make sure you’re wearing safety glasses whenever lighting off fireworks.

-Do not attempt to relight a dud firework. Instead, let it sit for 20 minutes and then soak it in water.

-Do not combine or alter fireworks in any way. Only use them as instructed.

As summer provides perfect weather for outdoor celebrations, many residents will be relaxing poolside and barbecuing with family and friends, but with the pool comes great risks for injuries — and death.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 10 people die every day from unintentional drowning. Two of these deaths that occur every day occur to children that are under the age of 15. As a matter of fact, drowning is the sixth leading cause of unintentional injury death for people of all ages. It is the second leading cause of death for children ages 14 and younger.

There were nearly 3,500 fatal unintentional drownings in 2007 alone. These were non-boating related drownings. More than half of the drowning victims were taken to and treated in emergency rooms and eventually were transferred to higher levels or care of hospitalized. Many times, injuries from nonfatal drownings can be sever and life altering. A victim can suffer brain damage that may result in long-term disabilities. These disabilities can include memory problems, learning disabilities, and permanent loss of basic functioning.

The CDC offers these safety tips to help ensure everyone’s safety this holiday weekend at the pool:

-Supervise children around water at all times.

-Always use the buddy system. Never swim, or let anyone swim, alone.

-Do not use air-filled or foam toys in place of life jackets. These toys are not designed to keep swimmers safe.

-Avoid drinking alcohol before or during swimming.

-Learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). In the time it might take for paramedics to arrive, your CPR skills could help to save someone’s life.

Again, have a safe and fun Independence Day and remember to practice all safety tips, regardless of your weekend plans.

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June is National Safety Month in Maine and throughout the country. In order to raise awareness, the National Safety Council is urging communities and businesses to practice safe behaviors at work and home to reduce the number of preventable injuries and car accidents in Maine and elsewhere.

Our Bangor accident attorneys know that safety is important, but it is often someone else’s irresponsible behaviors that can cause serious injury, so be prepared to take action if you are the victim of negligence.

The NSC has dedicated each week of the month to different safety topics. The first week, June 1-4, is dedicated to summertime safety. Numerous Safety & Health Fact Sheets are provided with a concentration on distracted driving, teen driving, workplace safety and home safety.

The focal point of week two, June 5-11, is preventing overexertion. Injuries in the lower back, sprains and strains, are the most prominent example of overexertion injuries. Overexertion is the third-leading cause of preventable injuries that are treated in a hospital emergency room.

June 12-18 is dedicated to teen driving safety. Creating awareness is critical in keeping roadways safe since 5,500 people are killed yearly in accidents with a teen driver involved.

The fourth week, June 19-25 focuses on preventing slips and fall accidents. Falls are a common cause for a trip to the emergency room, especially in older adults (55 and up).

The final week, June 26-30, places attention on driving and cell phone use. It is estimated that 23 percent of car accidents are caused by drivers distracted by cell phones.

A national observance of unintentional injuries and deaths is needed because the number of accidents is escalating to undesirable levels. In 2009, there were more than 128,000 unintentional deaths – a 47 percent increase since 1992. In comparison, the 1992 total (86,777) matched the lowest estimated total since 1924; the 2009 total was the highest estimated total ever recorded.

Each year, families throughout the country spend roughly $5,900 on medical expenses for unintentional injuries and trips to the hospital. These injuries cost Americans and their employers almost $700 billion a year.

As part of overexertion recognition week, the NSC offers the following safety and health tips:

-Keep your home and work environment clutter-free. Store things in a closet or cabinet.

-Refrain from using rolling chairs as a ladder to reach things.

-Stack heavy items near the bottom to avoid them falling on you or straining your back to lift them.

-Make routine visits to the eye doctor to check your vision. Make sure prescription eyeglasses are used when needed.

-Make sure outlets are not overloaded with cords to reduce the risk of a fire hazard.
Visit the website for more safety tips that can be used at work.

Maine residents can reduce the risk of unintentional injuries by being safe drivers, maintaining a safe home and work environment and using a little common sense when it comes to proper safety procedures.

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As reported in the Portland Press Herald on December 28, 2010

CARRABASSETT VALLEY — A chair lift derailed in high winds at Maine’s tallest ski mountain Tuesday, sending screaming skiers plummeting as far as 30 feet to the slope below and injuring several of them.

The Sugarloaf resort in Carrabassett Valley, about 120 miles north of Portland, said about six people were injured when five chairs fell an estimated 25 to 30 feet. The resort’s ski patrol evacuated the lift, which had passed an inspection.

As reported in the Portland Press Herald on December 15, 2010

” . . .

A Subaru Outback driven by Laura Breault, 48, of Knox, was heading east toward Brooks. Breault was taking her 15-year-old daughter, Jessica, to school, Keating said.

For many years, Maine law has required anyone in a vehicle that is required to have seatbelts, to wear a setbelt. (29-A M.R. .A §2081)There are also more specific safety restraint rules for children.

A study done of crashes which occured in 1996 in Maine concluded that ” . . . unbelted occupants were 2.8 times more likely to be hospitalized or die with a head injury than those belted.” (As reported by the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety). However, the statute specifically states that failing to use your seatbelt is not admissible evidence in any civil or criminal trial. Therefore, while it is clear that you should be belted when you are in a vehicle, the fact that you were not wearing your seatbelt during an accident is irrelevant. It cannot be used as eveidence, even if the other driver could prove you would not have been injured if you had your seatbelt on.

Some states do not have this rule. Therefore, some insurance adjusters may tell injured parties their claims are worth less because they didn’t buckle up. If you or someone you know has been injured in an accident in while unbelted and has questions about the law, contact the team at Peter Thompson and Associates. We have handled thousands of similar claims and recovered millions of dollars for our clients. For a consultation call 1-800-917-1784 or read more on our website, www.Peter-Thompson-Associates.com, on our car accident practice page.

Reported in the Portland Press Herald on November 26, 2010

A 27-year-old Portland native was killed early Thursday morning in a two-car crash in Massachusetts in which one of the drivers has been charged with motor vehicle homicide while drunk, according to police.

Raina Jensen was a back-seat passenger in a 2002 Nissan Altima traveling in Wilbraham, Mass., when it was struck by a 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by Joshua Lacroix, 24, of Ware, Mass.

On November 9 and 10th, the National Transportation Safety Board hosted a forum to discuss issues relating to highway safety and our aging population. A webcast is archived on the N.T. .B website.

An interview with Deborah Hersman, chairwoman of the N.T. .B., was published on November 17th, 2010 in The New York Times blog “The New Old Age”, (see full article here). The forum revealed that recent statistics have surprised researchers. For example, while the number of fatalities has dropped across the board, drivers over 70 have had an even higher drop in the rate of fatal crashes. People are living longer and are also healthier as they age. Ms. Hersman concludes that age alone is not a sufficient factor for determining continuing eligibility to drive, but that states need to consider alternatives such as additional testing or shortened periods before renewal of a license.

Maine considers a driver elderly when he or she is over 65 years of age. The DOT has published resources to assist residents who are dealing with the issue of aging and driving on their website.

In Maine, there is a potential intersection of the workers’ compensation and personal injury systems when the injury is caused by a third party.

Generally, if you are injured at work, regardless of the cause, you are compensated for that injury entirely through the workers’ compensation system. However, did you know that if a party other than your employer is responsible for the injury, you may also have a separate claim against that party?

For example, if you were driving a vehicle as part of your job and were injured in an accident caused by another driver, you have both a workers’ compensation claim and a claim against the other driver.

Reported in the Portland Press Herald, October 22, 2010

HARRISON — Police in Harrison, Maine, say one teenager has been killed and three other people injured in a car crash.

Eighteen-year-old Thomas McLendon, of Oxford, was a passenger in a Chevrolet Trailblazer whose driver lost control rounding a corner and crashed into trees.

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