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Fatal Motor Vehicle Accidents motor vehicle accidents

Car accident leads to injuries and death after failure to stop

Drivers in Tennessee face the same risks as those in other states when it comes to driving on busy highways and roads in poor weather conditions. Few expect for tragedy to strike when the weather is nice, they are obeying the law and they are driving safely. Unfortunately, accidents can happen because of the poor decisions of one driver and leave a family suffering and in pain because of an accident.

According to Fox 13, a middle-aged man was traveling with an eight-year-old child and a 12-year-old child on a Tuesday afternoon on a state highway. As the vehicle stopped to make a left turn, a second vehicle, driven by another man, failed to stop and struck the turning vehicle. This caused a chain of events that started with the first vehicle hitting the median and overturning on the highway. Eventually, the vehicle ended up in the southbound lane facing north.

All three individuals in the first vehicle were hurt in the accident. The 12-year-old boy died at the scene and although the current condition of the driver and the other passenger are not currently known, both were seriously injured in the accident. The driver of the second vehicle escaped the accident without any injuries and it is not immediately clear if he will face any charges related to the tragic, fatal crash.

While law enforcement officials offered no immediate reason for the accident, those in the first vehicle are facing recovery from a serious accident and preparing to bury the young boy. As they work to grieve their loss, repair their property and pay medical expenses, they may benefit from consulting a personal injury attorney to discuss possible options once the investigation into the accident is complete.

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Uncategorized

Electric scooters come to Knoxville, bring concerns with the fun

The electric scooter phenomenon has been sweeping into major American cities for a few years now. With shared scooters entering Knoxville on a one-year pilot run, citizens of the city may be excited to take part in the fun.

Though scooter companies like Zagster and VeoRide believe that shared electric scooters provide an eco-friendly alternative for commuting in the city, you may see many riders and tourists jumping on the scooters just for the joy of the ride. While many may enjoy the new amenity, there are concerns for public safety that accompany the fun.

Street safety and scooters

Electric scooters can travel up to 15 miles per hour. If a rider is struck by a motor vehicle, the injuries could be severe. Furthermore, drivers will have to adjust to the presence of these scooters on the road, which may cause an increase in accidents. This will be a concern especially for the city of Knoxville, which has made the provision that scooter users will not be able to ride on sidewalks.

Scooter malfunction is also a safety concern for those who plan on using the new scooters. Shared scooters, like other rental equipment, may have suffered misuse and vandalism from previous users. It is unclear how often the scooter companies may be able to perform maintenance on their vehicles.

Liability and scooter accidents

As these scooters are brand new to Knoxville, personal injury cases involving them may have complicated and potentially contentious legal implications. Be careful not to be reckless when testing out the new scooters to minimize your chances of experiencing an accident.

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motor vehicle accidents

Tourism and traffic: Risks are high for tourists

With spring here and summer around the corner, it’s a busy season for tourism. Throughout the year, Knoxville sees tourists looking for a warmer place to visit, beautiful, natural scenery and more.

With tourism comes the risk of collisions, though. People from out of the area, out of the state or even out of the country can cause serious collisions that end up affecting entire communities.

How does tourism affect traffic?

According to one article from 2010, traffic collisions are a leading cause of death for tourists traveling abroad. While not all of these collisions are going to be the fault of tourists, it’s more likely for tourists to make mistakes, especially when driving in a nation that may require them to drive on the opposite side of the road or become familiar with new road signs.

For people coming in from out of town, looking at a GPS or driving long hours can lead to traffic accidents. Distractions, drowsiness and general inattention can quickly cause problems on the roadways, leaving tourists and locals injured or worse.

How can tourists be safer in new areas?

Tourists can be safer by making sure they plan out their routes in advance. If changes have to be made, pull over and rework the route or ask a passenger to do so, so the driver isn’t distracted.

Touring a new area can mean driving for long periods of time, so remember to take breaks regularly and to get enough sleep. Just sleeping a normal 8-hour night can reduce your risk of a collision.

With these tips, tourists can be safer on the roads and everyone can enjoy the benefits.

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catastrophic injuries

Adjusting to catastrophic injuries takes time: Get help

When you got into an accident, you were wearing a seat belt, following the speed limit and obeying traffic laws. The other driver shifted out of their lane and hit you head-on, which gave you no chance to evade them.

When you woke up, you knew everything would be different. You lost the use of your legs and can’t walk. You can’t speak well because of a brain injury, and you’re left feeling trapped in your own body.

How can you adjust to catastrophic injuries?

Catastrophic injuries aren’t likely to be easy to adjust to, but it’s possible if you give yourself time. The first step is to accept that the injury has occurred and to work toward healing. That might mean working with a psychologist or psychiatrist to move through the steps of grief and loss, so you can move forward.

Adjusting comes with time, but working with therapists, particularly occupational and physical therapists, will help you learn what you can do on your own and teach you when you need assistance.

Catastrophic injuries, by definition, are so serious that they will have an impact on your life moving forward. It’s important for victims of these injuries to do what they can to obtain settlements that may help them obtain better or advanced medical care in the future.

Your attorney will help you fight for the compensation you deserve so that you can focus on your healing. You will adjust to your new medical conditions, but you deserve a chance to focus on yourself and your rehabilitation without having to think about the legal aspects of your case.

Categories
dangerous and defective products

What do you need to know about drug recalls?

One of the products you hope will never cause you more harm than it does help is a medication prescribed by a doctor. Despite careful monitoring and precise development, there are times when medications are dangerous to consumers.

Drug recalls are used to bring medications that have been sold back into pharmacies and hospitals so that they can be taken back to manufacturers and disposed of properly. As of April 1, 2019, some drug recalls that are current include Legacy, losartan potassium USP, which had impurities, Hospira, a sodium bicarbonate injection USP that was found to have particulate matter in the dosages and Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories infusion bags with sodium chloride, since they were mislabeled.

In each of these cases, patients may or may not have life-threatening side effects from the use of these products. The more important thing to note is that they have been recalled and should not be used by patients or their providers under any conditions.

Each drug recall falls under one of three classes. Class I could cause death or serious health problems while Class II and III are less serious. The public is generally notified of these recalls through the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) at FDA.gov or through the news. Public notifications are not as common as you may think, but when they are made, it’s because there is a high potential for many people to be impacted by the defects.

If a drug defect causes you or a loved one injuries or results in a death, know that you can report it and seek compensation.

Categories
motor vehicle accidents

How can you avoid a crash while driving during storms?

Spring is here, and for people in Tennessee, that means being vividly aware of the risk of severe storms. Being part of Dixie Alley, an area of the southern state prone to tornadoes, you must have the knowledge to stay safe if one of the severe storms that can produce tornadoes occurs while you’re on the road.

The most important thing to remember in severe weather is that it’s okay to pull over on the side of the road, find a parking lot to wait out the storm in or wait under an underpass. Many people realize that the weather is too dangerous to continue traveling in.

If you do decide to park and wait out the storm, turn on your lights and hazard lights. It’s hard to see if there is hail, heavy rain or high winds, so your lights will help others avoid colliding with you.

How can you reduce the risk of a crash while driving?

If you continue driving in a thunderstorm, you can reduce the risk of a crash by giving others more space. Put a longer distance between yourself and the next vehicle, so you have more time to stop if they brake. Riding too closely, especially on slick surfaces, is more likely to result in a rear-end collision.

Adrenaline runs high when sirens are blown and the weather turns dangerous, but you have to keep your wits about you. Make sure you’re slowing down, keeping an eye on the road and watching out for hazards that could cause a crash. By traveling carefully, you can get to a safe spot.

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Uncategorized

You may be able to hold 3M accountable for your hearing loss

To say that hearing is important would be an understatement. You probably enjoy listening to your children play. You might like going to hear live music. And whether in business or your personal life, communication is vital.

But most Americans suffer from hearing loss at some point in their lives. And if you have served in the military, you could be one of over 2.7 million veterans receiving disability benefits due to problems related to hearing loss or ringing in your ears, even after the diligent use of earplugs.

Why are earplugs so important?

Any way you can reduce the level of sound entering your ears is important to retaining your hearing. Extreme noise levels can affect your body in many ways, including:

  • Damage to inner-ear nerve endings
  • Permanent hearing loss
  • Tinnitus (ringing in your ears)
  • Increased stress
  • High blood pressure
  • Sleep loss
  • Decreased immunity

Countless members of the armed forces have used earplugs while serving in the military. But lawsuits related to allegedly defective earplugs have already cost the company who manufactured and sold the combat earplugs millions of dollars.

3M allegedly knew their product was defective

If you served between 2003 and 2015, you may have used 3M’s Combat Arms earplugs. And it may be of interest to know that hundreds of soldiers have filed lawsuits against the company for allegedly providing a defective product.

Some 3M employees were allegedly aware of the earplug defects in 2000. However, false claims about meeting military standards resulted in many military members suffering from hearing loss, troubles with balance and ringing in their ears.

You do not need to accept negligence

If you used 3M’s earplugs during your time in service and are suffering from the company’s alleged negligent acts and false claims, you might be able to hold them accountable. Considering your best efforts to protect your hearing, you may be interested in exploring your options if you feel a defective product, such as 3M’s earplugs, contributed to your hearing loss.

Categories
nursing home abuse and neglect

Recognize these 3 kinds of invisible abuse

Nursing home abuse and neglect can take place right under your nose. Many types of abuse and neglect are invisible; Unless a resident tells you about the abuse, it may be hard to know it’s taking place.

As someone who wants to make sure your loved one is safe and cared for, knowing the signs of abuse is important. Here are three kinds of invisible abuse to look for.

1. Emotional abuse

Emotional abuse is among the worst kinds of invisible abuse. There are no physical injuries, but your loved one’s mental state may suffer. Whether it’s being verbally abused with name-calling or told they aren’t valuable and that no one loves them, it’s a difficult type of abuse to deal with. How can you recognize it? Look for signs of depression or changes in normal behaviors.

2. Financial abuse

Unless you’re in charge of your loved one’s financial accounts, financial abuse is another difficult kind of abuse to recognize. You may recognize financial abuse is occurring if you find that your loved one is not paying bills on time or if their accounts keep running low at a nursing home despite having funds deposited regularly.

3. Psychological abuse

Psychological abuse is not necessarily the same as emotional abuse. Psychological abuse can include harassment, bullying and behaviors intending to harm your loved one’s mental state. While emotional abuse can include psychological abuse, it’s not necessarily the same. Recognize it by looking for changes in behavior or negative reactions to certain staff members.

These are three types of invisible abuse that you have to look for. If you notice them, it is time to seek help.

Categories
catastrophic injuries

Yes, your broken bone can be catastrophic

When you think of a catastrophic injury, you probably think of head injuries or spinal injuries. Interesting, even something as common as a broken bone can be catastrophic.

How? Consider a severe break. A bone might be shattered, breaking in several places. In some cases, these breaks require surgery. In worst-case scenarios, there’s little that can be done to restore the bone, so patients have to have metal rods and other medical devices inserted to help them heal.

This is a long and painful process. Surgery can often get the bones back in the right position, even if an implant is necessary to help. The individual may struggle during and after healing, though. There is a potential for complications, and the bone-healing process could take many months.

Another risk is that the bone could become infected, or the site around the bone could become infected. With any surgery, there is a risk of exposing the area to bacteria, which could lead to infections that require medical treatment through medications or potentially additional surgeries.

After a crash, no one wants to go through the pain and suffering of broken bones and the surgeries that could come with them. The reality is that some may never truly heal correctly. If you’re a victim struggling with broken bones, remember that you have rights. You should hold the driver who caused your crash responsible so that you can focus on healing and not on the financial losses that your medical care could cause. Your condition is serious, and you deserve only the best care.

Categories
motor vehicle accidents

Head-on collision case heads to grand jury in Tennessee

A case involving a fatal collision has been sent to the grand jury in Knoxville. According to the news, the son of a Knoxville fire captain was killed when a Chevrolet pickup truck crossed into the southbound lanes of Chapman Highway.

This resulted in a chain reaction that caused the captain’s son to run head-on into the Chevrolet. Next to him in the second lane was the witness, who also stuck the victim’s vehicle. He said he could not avoid it when the first two vehicles collided.

The prosecution in this case is arguing that the accident would have been avoided if the defendant had put on the brakes and made sure to stay in his lane or to swerve over to the right instead of into oncoming traffic. There had been no vehicles in the right lane, so the defendant could have moved over safely.

The defendant’s attorneys would like the case to be handled in civil court, but presently, it is heading to the grand jury where criminal charges may result in a conviction. The state’s position is that negligence that results in a fatality could constitute a criminally negligent homicide, which is why the case should be handled in criminal court.

Cases like this are tragic for all people involved. One person lost their life, and another could go to prison or even be deported since he’s in the United States illegally. If you’re in a crash like this or lose a loved one, you can pursue your own civil lawsuit while waiting for the results of a criminal trial.