Indiana Injury Lawyer Blog

A new study indicates to Indiana medical malpractice lawyers that a surgeon’s risk of making potentially deadly errors increases not just when he's performing a surgical procedure under the influence of alcohol, but also over the next 24 hours.

The researchers studied a group of six surgeons. These surgeons consumed alcohol one night, and the next day, were placed in a laparoscopic simulator. The simulator allows them to “perform” laparoscopic procedures. The researchers specifically chose laparoscopy because these procedures typically require a heightened level of visual-spatial abilities and cognitive abilities. Before performing the surgery, the surgeons were tested for alcohol, and only 5% tested positive. Doctors were then tested at 9 PM, 1 PM, and 4 PM.

The researchers found that the risk of surgical errors after a night of drinking was especially high during the 1 PM slot.

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New motorcycle accident fatalities statistics for Indiana revealed by the Governors Highway Safety Association reveal motorcycle fatalities in 2010 declined by 4 deaths. That decline is too insignificant for Indiana personal injury lawyers to feel optimistic about the state of motorcycle safety in the state.

The overall national decline in motorcycle accident fatalities is not just much lower than in 2009, but the GHSA also fears that motorcycle crash fatalities could actually increase over the next few years, unless states like Indiana take more firm action to prevent motorcycle deaths. The national motorcycle accident fatality numbers dropped by 2.4%, which is much lower than the 16% decline recorded in 2009. The GHSA only considered data for 48 states and the District of Columbia during the first nine months of 2010. However, the agency is predicting that motorcycle accident fatality numbers last year will be in the region of 4,376 fatalities.

Continue reading "Indiana Motorcycle Accident Fatalities Down, but Cause for Concern" »

In a letter earlier this year to local farmers and grain storage facility operators, the US Department of Labor released a warning. Every year farm workers are trapped in grain bins around the country. A recent study at Purdue University documented 51 entrapments last year alone. This is a concerning trend that is continuing despite education and enforcement.

The letter, written by David Michaels, PhD, MPH, the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health outlines several key steps to take to help prevent injury to those who work in and around grain bins.

Dr. Miachaels’ letter outlines that grain entrapments occur as a result of three primary causes: non-compliance with OSHA guidelines, employer negligence or poor safety practices. It is the responsibility of every employer to recognize the possible dangers and establish clear safety guidelines that will help keep workers safe.

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A patient of St. Francis Heart Hospital patient an unexpected accident that left him in critical condition when a wall-mounted IV pole became detached from the wall. The pole fell on the patient, striking him in the head. As a result, the Indianapolis hospital is taking steps to help prevent any future accidents.

The patient, currently recovering in the intensive care unit at St. Francis Health's Heart Center, suffered a blow to the head Wednesday evening resulting in a serious head injury. News reports indicate that the patient is not expected to recover.

The hospital system reported that they took immediate action by removing all equipment from the wall-mounted poles. They have been transferred to floor-based IV poles. According to reports, this action has taken place in all three Indianapolis-area St. Francis Health hospitals and is sharing information about the incident with the Indianapolis Coalition for Patient Safety.

We anxiously await the Coalition's response.

A new report by Transportation for America ranks Indiana at number 26 on a list of the states with the most number of structurally deficient bridges in the country. It's an honor that should cause great concern to Indiana transportation safety and legislative circles and Indiana personal injury attorneys, given that according to the report, close to 11% of our bridges are structurally deficient.

In fact, according to the Transportation for America report, 10.6% of Indiana's bridges are structurally deficient, with a total of 1, 968 such bridges in the state. Indiana's rate of 10.6% is just slightly better than the average national rate of 11.5% structurally deficient bridges.

Continue reading "Indiana's Structurally Deficient Bridges Are a Highway Safety Concern" »

Two men from Cloverdale were injured today in a morning crash on westbound Interstate 70 that killed an Indianapolis man.

According to news reports, the two men were transported to Methodist Hospital for non-life threatening injuries and later released. The Chrysler Sebring in which they were traveling was part of a chain reaction crash following the initial accident.

In addition to the two injured men, The Marion County Coroner's office pronounced one man dead at the scene.

According to an Indiana State Police investigation, a semi tractor-trailer was hauling an oversized construction load. It was headed eastbound at the 73-mile marker and struck several concrete barriers. The impact forced the barriers into one of the westbound lanes of I-70. In turn, the barriers struck a westbound Ford van, which started the chain reaction crash which involved a White tractor-trailer, another car, a Ford Crown Victoria and finally a Toyota passenger car.

Continue reading "I-70 Crash Kills One and Injures Two Others" »

This isn’t exactly a news alert for Indiana medical malpractice attorneys who understand the importance of having adequate numbers of registered nurses in a hospital unit. However, a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine confirms again that patient safety is impacted when nurse staffing target levels are not met.

The researchers used data from a larger academic medical center, and looked for a link between lower-than-optimum nursing staffing levels, and patient safety. The researchers were also looking for a possible link between patient mortality and high patient turnover at the hospital. The researchers found a strong link between increased patient mortality and unit shifts in which registered nurse staffing was eight hours or more below target levels. According to the researchers, this indicates that staffing of registered nurses below target levels increases patient mortality. The researchers also found that there was an increased link between patient mortality and high patient turnover rates. When the hospital unit had high patient turnover in the form of new admissions or transfers, it negatively impacted patient safety.

Continue reading "Shortage of Nursing Staff Impacts Patient Safety" »