Indiana Injury Lawyer Blog

Bicycling around Indiana seems to have become more dangerous. There was an increase of 7% in the number of Indiana bicyclists involved in traffic accidents between 2009 and 2010. About 9% of these individuals suffered life-threatening injuries. Moreover, the statistics show that young bicyclists between the age of 8 and 20 accounted for a very high percentage of the number of bicyclists injured or killed in accidents.

The data comes from the Bicycle Collisions in Indiana report, which was based on research conducted by the Indiana University Center for Criminal Justice Research. The study found that the number of deaths associated with bicycle accidents in the state of Indiana increased from 7 in 2009 to 14 in 2010.

Bicyclists in 2010 were 6 times more likely to be killed in an accident than a motorist involved in an accident. They were also 17 times more likely to be killed in a hit-and-run accident. Bicyclists also seem to be at the receiving end when it comes to distracted driving by motorists. Bicyclists were up to 80 times more likely to be killed as a result of accidents involving distracted driving, than motorists.

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The results of a new study indicate that speeding - the number one killer on American roads - can be discouraged using the right combination of financial incentives and penalties. The experiment found that the most effective way to discourage speeding and reduce speeding-related violations was not just rewarding good driving behavior, but also punishing poor driving.

The researchers in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration-funded experiment studied the driving practices of motorists who had GPS devices installed in their cars. The motorists were told that they could earn prize money of $25 per week if they stayed at the posted speed limits. The researchers informed these motorists that the GPS device would track their speed against the posted speed limit, and if they went 5 to 8 mph above the speed limit, they would lose $.03 from the prize money. The penalties were increased to $.06 from the prize money if the speed went up to 9 mph and above over the speed limit.

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Surgical site infections that develop after a person has undergone a hip or knee replacement, and which are severe enough to require readmission back into the hospital, cost the US health care system approximately $65 million every year. That information comes from an analysis of data that was presented recently at a meeting of the Association of Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.

The researchers analyzed health insurance claims belonging to approximately 40 million insured adults. They were looking at employer-provided health plans, and the re-hospitalization rates for persons who had undergone hip and knee replacements. There were specifically looking at the cost of hip and knee replacement surgeries, beyond the actual cost of the initial hospitalization.

Hip and knee replacement surgeries were included in this study because these are typically complicated and long drawn-out procedures. Treatment for an infected joint may be complex, and may stretch out over a long period of time. Additionally, these persons may be on a extensive course of antibiotics, and may also be at a risk of additional surgeries.

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