Indiana Injury Lawyer Blog

Independence Day Celebrations are about to begin in the Indianapolis area. You have probably already heard the pop and sizzle of the beginning celebrations. The 4th of July provides flashes of brilliant lights, booming explosions, and patriotic concerts. It is a grand event. However, Indiana residents must be on the alert for the inherent dangers of firework celebrations.

One of the most popular holiday fireworks is the common sparkler; a hand-held welding rod enjoyed by both adults and children. These glittering, fiery metal sticks can produce temperatures as high as 1800 degrees Fahrenheit. A third-degree burn can be caused by 220-degree temperatures. Safely using sparklers is critical to an enjoyable weekend. Safety is critical when using the bigger consumer fireworks, including assortment packages, aerials, firecrackers, fountains, roman candles, spinners, novelty items, and rockets.

Continue reading "Indiana Fireworks Injuries Are Preventable" »

There has been much focus on infection control in hospitals, but little has been done to cement the cracks at outpatient surgical centers, where infection rates continue to remain unacceptably high.

A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows high infection control deficiencies at these centers. The CDC surveyed 68 ambulatory surgical centers in three different states. The agency was basically looking at how these centers complied with hand hygiene, environmental cleaning standards and injection safety.

Continue reading "Infection Control Still a Problem at Outpatient Surgical Centers" »

Indiana summer brings warm weather, family gatherings, fun on the beach and open water. Indiana boasts more than 550 square miles of waterways and some of the most beautiful and enjoyable lakes and rivers. Boating, skiing, canoeing, kayaking, fishing and swimming are recreational pastimes enjoyed by many Indiana residents. Keeping our state’s waterways safe is of utmost importance and a tremendous responsibility.

The most recent U.S. Coast Guard statistics indicate that boating while under the influence is still the leading factor in fatal boating accidents. Nearly 17% of boating fatalities are a direct result of alcohol or drug use. Alcohol and water fun does not mix. Detecting and stopping boaters who operate under the influence of alcohol and drugs is an important step to ensuring the safety to all who enjoy the rivers and lakes.

Continue reading "Preventing Indiana Boat Accidents a High Priority" »

At the beginning of the decade, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety conducted a review that indicated an explosion of the senior motorist population in the country in the coming years. This, the IIHS believed, would increase the risk of accidents involving these drivers and other motorists. Nine years later, the IIHS has revisited the issue, and conducted a study into senior motorist safety. The results have been a pleasant surprise.

There are definitely more senior citizens driving today than in the past, but they are not contributing to more accidents, nor are they being fatally injured in accidents at a greater rate. If anything, accident and fatality rates for senior citizens are actually showing a downward trend. Fatal accident rates involving elderly drivers have dropped by as much as 37% over the past decade. In the case of drivers above the age of 80 - those you would think would have the most diminished driving abilities - fatal accident rates have dropped by as much as 47%.

Continue reading "Concerns about Senior Motorists May Be Unfounded" »

Failure to wear helmets, protective boots and other protective gear, failure to dress in protective clothing or reflective clothing that's visible to other motorists around you, and failure to take a safety training program - motorcyclists are failing on several counts, as a new Consumer Reports study shows us.

There was very little good news in the survey, but plenty of enthusiasm to go around. The study found that seven out of every ten riders believed that they were experienced motorcyclists, and had been licensed motorcyclists for the past five years at least. However, at least 10 of these admitted to having been involved in accidents over the last five years, and 50% said these were single vehicle crashes. One of the reasons contributing to these crashes could be that just half of the motorcyclists said they had taken a motorcycle safety course before they began riding.

Continue reading "Consumer Reports Study: Safety Still Not Priority for Many Motorcyclists" »

Utility crews, emergency responders, police, fire personnel, and construction workers risk their lives every day in an effort to assist the residents of Indiana. With each road construction site, traffic stop and roadside response, these men and women place their own personal safety on the line.

In recent years, Indiana and Federal legislators have added safeguards designed to reduce that risk. These safety measures include a requirement for drivers to reduce their speed, change lanes whenever possible, and always yield the right-of-way to personnel responding to an emergency and requiring personnel at the roadside to wear reflective gear.

Continue reading "New Law Reduces Speed of Indiana Drivers" »

For long now, doctors have noticed that the number of medical errors is constant for all months of the year, except in July when there is a noticeable spike in medication errors. It has been suspected that this spike is because more interns are coming in at teaching hospitals during this month. A study by researchers at UC San Diego, now confirms this.

The researchers have published the results of a study, that show that July is easily the worst month when it comes to medication errors. In fact, it's the worst month that you could choose to check into a hospital, simply because you're likely to be treated by inexperienced interns. The rate of medical errors in the month of July is 10% higher than in other months of the year.

Continue reading "July Is the Worst Month for Hospital Errors " »