Pennsylvania personal injury lawyer warns of the dangers of hayride and other Halloween attractions

Earlier this month, a Jeep pulling a wagon full of passengers on a Halloween-themed haunted hayride on a farm in Maine crashed, causing the hayride to overturn, killing one teen and seriously injuring several others. According to ABC News, the Jeep missed a turn and headed into the woods, causing the hayride to crash, overturn and throw passengers.

Many accidents occur throughout the season at different types of Halloween-themed attractions, and some of these accidents are deadly. In another accident this month, a teenager playing a zombie at a corn maze attraction in Idaho was killed after falling under the event’s Zombie Slayer Paintball Bus. The teen died from injuries sustained after being run over by the rear passenger wheel of the bus. According to the Huffington Post, nobody inside of the bus, which was rocking as it moved forward on uneven terrain, […]

Not much has changed after concussion lawsuits

We saw another example this weekend of how football coaches allow players to stay in the game with head injuries. Michigan coach Brady Hoke failed to remove sophomore quarterback Shane Morris after he received a crushing blow from a defensive end. Morris appeared dazed, stumbling after the hit. The coaches let him stay in the game for the next play and then removed him, only to return him to the game later for another play.

As this played out on national TV, it raised questions to the necessity of a concussion protocol at the college level, that would bar teams from allowing players with head injuries, and concussion-like symptoms, to continue playing without further evaluation.

CBS Sports reported that in his postgame news conference Coach Hoke said, “I don’t know if he had a concussion or not, I don’t know that. Shane’s a pretty competitive, […]

Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys encourages increased awareness of suicide prevention

September 10 is World Suicide Prevention Day, organized by the International Association for Suicide Prevention to raise awareness that suicide can be prevented. The tragic death of Robin Williams has drawn the nation’s attention to the topic of suicide. The outpouring of grief for Williams has including extensive conversations on the topics of mental health and suicide prevention. It was reported that Williams was battling severe depression when he took his own life.

Suicide Rate is Increasing

Suicide is an increasing public health concern. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention reported that in 2011, the most recent year for which data are available, 39,518 suicides were reported, making suicide the 10th leading cause of death in America. It is estimated that one person will die as the result of suicide every 13 minutes in the U.S. The vast majority suffers from some sort of clinical depression or another mental illness, […]

Personal injury lawyer warns about aviation dangers

Just this past weekend, two people were killed in a small plane crash in New Hampshire, five in a small plane crash in Colorado, one in Florida, two in Texas, and one off the coast of Virginia among others.

An investigation by USA Today that was reported in the publication this summer talked about the lack of safety and hidden defects linked to small aircraft crashes. USA Today reported that nearly 45,000 people have been killed in crashes of small airplanes and helicopters since 1964. While federal investigators are often quick to blame pilots, USA Today found many instances in which defective parts and dangerous designs were the cause of crashes, deaths, and injuries. The USA Today investigation found that many defects have persisted as manufacturers covered up problems, failed to fix defects and lied to regulators. Apparently, some defective parts remained in use for decades, […]

Personal injury lawyer recommends steps to take if you are the victim of medical malpractice

Attorneys at Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys represented an estate and a widow in a medial malpractice case against a hospital in the death of her husband. The suit claimed that the hospital’s nurse did not follow hospital policies nor the surgeon’s orders when she administered a medication when it was not indicated, causing the death of the patient. Last week, a jury awarded the patient’s estate $1.5 million in the medical malpractice case.

According to an article in Pro Publica, a study in a current issue of the Journal of Patient Safety reports that between 210,000 and 440,000 patients each year who go to the hospital for care suffer some type of preventable harm that contributes to their death. That would make medical errors the third leading cause of death in America, behind heart disease and cancer.

What is Medical Malpractice? […]

How to Protect Yourself from Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

A scare at a Dunmore, PA hotel this past weekend brought attention to the dangers of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. According to WNEP News, 200 people were evacuated from the Dunmore Best Western after police said a furnace in the hotel malfunctioned. The Scranton Times reported that between 20 and 30 were taken to area hospitals to be evaluated for possible CO inhalation.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reported that every year, nearly 500 people die in the U.S. from accidental CO poisoning. CO is an odorless, colorless gas that can cause sudden illness and death if inhaled.

Where is Carbon Monoxide Found

CO is found in combustion fumes, such as those produced by fuel-burning space heaters, furnaces, charcoal grills, cooking ranges, water heaters, fireplaces, portable generators, wood-burning stoves, and car and truck engines. Normally, the levels of CO produced by these sources aren’t dangerous. […]

Community Health Systems hacked, affecting many in NEPA

Hackers broke into Community Health Systems, stole data on 4.5 million patients

Community Health Systems, the owner of Moses Taylor and Regional Hospitals in Scranton, Wilkes-Barre General, Tyler Memorial near Tunkhannock and First Hospital in Kingston, announced Monday that it was the target of a cyber attack.

Community Health Systems operates 206 hospitals across the country, including those mentioned locally. The company said that hackers broke into its computers and stole data on 4.5 million patients. According to reports on Fox News, they believe the attack originated in China.

CNN reported that the hackers gained access to names, social security numbers, addresses, birth dates and phone numbers, which is considered a breach under HIPPA. Anyone who received treatment from a physician’s office tied to a network-owned hospital in the last five years, or was merely referred by an outside doctor may be affected. […]

Kids and pets left in hot cars can have tragic ending

Leaving a child unattended in a vehicle on a hot summer day can lead to heatstroke and can kill in minutes. The Department of Earth & Climate Sciences at San Francisco State University reported that there have already been 21 child deaths this year due to heatstroke from being left in a hot vehicle.

Tragedy can strike when parents or caregivers forget or knowingly leave children or pets in hot vehicles. It can also occur when unattended children play in parked vehicles. A car can heat 20 degrees in just ten minutes. Even with temps in the 60s, the interior of a car can eventually heat up above 110 degrees. A child will die of heatstroke when their body temperature reaches 107 degrees, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The issue of child heatstroke deaths reached national attention in June when a father in Atlanta said he forgot his son in the car seat while he was at work all day. […]

Summer boaters are encouraged to be safe and responsible

Recreational boating activity soars in the summer months, and so do boating accidents. In 2013, the U.S. Coast Guard counted 4,062 accidents that resulted in 560 deaths, 2,620 injuries, and approximately $39 million dollars of damage to property as a result of recreational boating accidents.

In a 2013 Recreational Boating Statistics report released by the Coast Guard, it was found that where the cause of death was known in boating accidents, 77% was a result of drowning. Of those drowning victims, 84% were not wearing a life jacket. The report also found that eight out of every ten boaters who drowned were using vessels less than 21 feet in length. 46% were open motorboats, 18% personal watercraft, and 17% cabin motorboats. Canoes, kayaks and pontoon boats also accounted for many accidents.

Alcohol use was the leading known contributing factor in recreational boating accidents where the primary cause was known. […]

PA personal injury lawyer warns of ATV danger

Six-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer, Amy Van Dyken-Rouen, was injured last week when she hit a curb while riding an all-terrain vehicle in her home state of Arizona, flying off of a drop-off of over 5 feet, according to police reports. She severed her spinal cord in the accident that left her hospitalized. A letter from her family said that the broken vertebrae came within millimeters of rupturing her aorta.

This is just a reinforcement of the dangers posed by ATVs, especially for children. According to the website ATVSafety.gov, there are more than 100,000 ATV-related emergency room visits and 700 deaths each year. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission 2012 Annual Report of ATV-Related Deaths and Injuries, which was released in April of this year, there were an estimated 12,400 ATV-related fatalities between 1982 and 2012. Of those fatalities, 2,944 were children younger than 16 years of age. […]

Growing pressure on NFL to address brain injuries

Football is a dangerous game when it comes to head injuries, both in the NFL and also on youth football fields. A 2010 study by Purdue University found that linemen, tight ends, running backs and linebackers suffer the must frequent head injuries. It’s no wonder why many of the highest profile NFL victims of traumatic brain injury, such as Junior Seau and Tony Dorsett, were linemen, linebackers or running backs.

More than 5,000 ex-players have filed a lawsuit against the NFL in federal court. In the lawsuit, the former players have alleged that NFL officials hid the dangers of repeated hits to the head while mythologizing the violence of their sport. The NFL reached an agreement for a $765 million settlement with the players, but the deal was rejected by Judge Anita Brody because she fears the sum is too low to adequately cover current and future retired player who may need long-term care. […]

High gas prices lead to more motorcycle accidents

The Philadelphia Inquirer recently wrote a piece that examined the connection between rising gas prices and an uptick in motorcycle-related deaths. As the cost of gas goes up, many people decide to ditch their cars for this more fuel-efficient (and often more fun!) option. While this may seem a proper solution for your budget, it can also put you at higher risk of being involved in a fatal accident.

Unlike cars—which come equipped with seat belts, airbags, collision avoidance systems, sensors, antilock brakes, and more—motorcycles leave you out in the open, exposed, without enhanced features. In fact, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), motorcyclists are 26 times more likely than passenger car occupants to die in motor vehicle crashes. The NHTSA also reports that states without helmet laws showed ten times more fatalities. Pennsylvania is one of those states, […]

President highlights risk of head injuries in youth sports

Today President Obama hosted a conference highlighting the risks of head injuries to young athletes in an effort to promote awareness of the problem. The Healthy Kids & Safe Sports Concussion Summit included researchers, professional athletes, parents, coaches, league officials, and sportscasters.

USA Today reported President Obama told those at the conference that there are no “solid numbers” on the extent of the concussion problem in football and other contact sports. “We need to have better research, better data, better safety equipment, and better protocols.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of death and disability in the United States. A concussion, which is common in many sports, is a type of TBI caused by a bump, blow or jolt to the head that can change the way the brain normally works. […]

Robert Munley notes the increase in youth sports concussions

A new study published this month in the American Journal of Sports Medicine found that there was a continuous increase in concussions among high school athletes between 2005 and 2012. The rate of concussions nearly doubled from .23 concussions per 1,000 athletes in 2006 to .52 per 1,000 in 2012.

A concussion is an injury to the brain that produces a transient loss of brain function with symptoms of dizziness, lightheadedness, confusion, headache and vision changes.

The study was authored by Joseph Rosenthal, a clinical assistant of physical medicine and rehabilitation at The Ohio State University and a group of his colleagues utilizing data from the High School Reporting Information Online sports injury surveillance system. The system contains data from a representative sample of 100 U.S. high schools that have at least one certified trainer on staff.

The report studied boys’ football, soccer, […]

Medical errors third-leading cause of death in America

A “Medical Errors” report just released by U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer calls medical errors a “quiet and largely unseen tragedy.” New research estimates up to 440,000 Americans are dying each year as the result of medical errors and other preventable hospital errors. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), and based on these figures, medical/hospital errors is the third-leading cause of death in America, behind heart disease and cancer.

Senator Boxer stated, “these deaths are all the more heartbreaking for families because they are preventable.”

The Partnership for Patients, a new public-private partnership funded through the Affordable Care Act, released a list of the 9 most common medical errors:
1. Adverse drug events
2. Catheter-associated urinary tract infections
3. Central line-associated blood stream infections
4. Injuries from falls and immobility
5. Obstetrical adverse effects
6. Bedsores
7. […]

Motorcycle accident deaths increase 3rd year in a row

Motorcycle rider fatalities increased for the third consecutive year in 2012, up more than 7% over 2011, while motorcyclist injuries rose 15% to 93,000. A shocking 42% of the reported fatalities involved unhelmeted motorcyclists. These figures were released by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) in its Quick Facts 2012 report, which was released last month.

A study released by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) reported that a better economy and higher gas prices mean more motorcycle riders on the road and fewer states with helmet laws means more fatalities. The Governors study mentioned several reasons for the high motorcyclist fatality rate, which accounted for about 14% of all traffic fatalities, including lack of helmet laws, alcohol use and speeding.

The NHTSA reported that motorcyclist fatalities accounted for 15% of the total fatalities for the year. There were 10 times as many unhelmeted motorcyclist fatalities in states without universal helmet laws in 2012, […]

Pennsylvania personal injury lawyer warns spring is a dangerous time for dog bites

Spring is finally here, and after a long, cold winter in Northeast Pa, that means going outside to enjoy the warmer weather. The warm-up will also bring more dog owners outside to walk their pets, which may be why the incidence of dog bites always seem to increase in the spring.

According to the American Humane Society (AHS), an estimated 4.7 million dog bites occur in the U.S. each year. Nearly 800,000 of those bites require medical attention. The AHS also reported that at least 25 different breeds of dogs have been involved in 238 dog-bite-related fatalities in the U.S.

The American Pet Products Association found that pet ownership is at an all-time high. There are currently 83.3 million dogs in the U.S., which are kept by 56.7 million households. The number of dog bites, as well as their severity, has risen dramatically since the 1980’s. […]

Pennsylvania personal injury lawyer, Marion Munley, warns of the FDA investigation of testosterone products due to health risks

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced that it is investigating the risk of stroke, heart attack, and death in men taking FDA-approved testosterone or “low-T” products, including AndroGel. This comes in light of two recent studies that showed higher rates of cardiovascular problems in men taking these drugs.

According to several lawsuits filed in February in Ilinois federal court, Abbot Laboratories, Inc., and AbbVie Inc. downplayed the stroke and heart attack risks associated with testosterone replacement treatment AndroGel.

The two drugmakers have engaged in an extensive advertising campaign about low testosterone, telling consumers that the natural effects of aging in men, such as listlessness and weight gain, were actually symptoms of the condition that could be treated with their products, according to the lawsuits, brought separately by five plaintiffs.

The suits came four days after the FDA announced it was investigating possible increased risks of stroke, […]

Pennsylvania personal injury lawyer warns of the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning

There was news this past weekend of many cases of carbon monoxide poisoning and one life tragically lost. A restaurant manager died and dozens of others were treated and released after inhaling carbon monoxide at a Long Island, NY mall. Investigators at the scene found a leak in the flue pipe of the water heater in a restaurant. This terrible tragedy highlights the inadequacy of the codes for carbon monoxide detectors in commercial spaces.

This same weekend, several guests at a resort in Maine were also taken to a local hospital and treated for carbon monoxide poisoning due to a high level of carbon monoxide near a furnace in the building. Last week, three adults died and a fourth person was hospitalized after a carbon monoxide poisoning inside a home in New Hampshire. In January of this year, a Saint Clair man died of carbon monoxide poisoning after the flue pipe of a coal furnace he was using clogged, […]

Pennsylvania personal injury lawyer discusses the problem of nursing home abuse

Millions of Americans place their loved ones in nursing homes every year with the belief that they will be well cared for. Unfortunately, nursing home abuse is a very real problem in the United States. From malnutrition to overmedication and mental and physical abuse, there are a variety of ways that residents can be mistreated in a nursing home. An estimated 3.3 million Americans lived in nursing homes in 2013, which translates to 1 in 7 people ages 65 and up and 1 in 5 of those 85 and older. According to the National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA), Bureau of Justice Statistics, 36% of nursing homes have been in violation of elder abuse laws.

CNN has reported that 90% of nursing home facilities are understaffed, and one in 3 across the country have been cited for nursing home abuse and other related infractions. Demographics show that the incidents of nursing home abuse will likely rise. […]