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Most Common Medical Malpractice Claims
People visit the doctor to feel better but, after heart disease and cancer, medical errors are the third leading cause of death for people living in the United States. It is estimated by John Hopkins University that over 250,000 people die from medical errors a year and that billions of dollars are spent paying out victims or their families. That is approximately 10 deaths a day caused by the negligence of a doctor or hospital.
What Is Medical Malpractice
When a doctor deviates from a standard level or care, it is considered malpractice. It is compared to what a reasonable medical professional would have done in a similar situation, that would have done right by the patient. The key to medical malpractice is proving negligence.
With such a high percentage of deaths due to medical malpractice, it is good to keep an open mind when seeking medical care. When visiting your doctor, keep a lookout for these most common medical malpractices.
Car Accidents in Parking Lots
When people think of car accidents, their first thought might be a major head-on collision on a public road such as a highway. But, as a driver, you know how chaotic a busy parking lot can be. There are cars fitted into small spaces, drivers coming at every which way, pedestrians walking in between cars, and other physical barriers such as shopping carts. These are more commonly minor and nonfatal accidents, but car accidents in a parking lot can be caused by negligence like any other situation.
The following are common parking lot accidents:
- Backing into Each Other: Two drivers can collide when both are in reverse. This happens when neither drivers are looking behind them, and so both are technically at fault.
- Merging into Traffic Lane: A person pulling out of a space may not be looking while preparing to merge into ongoing traffic. Although both cars were likely moving in this scenario, the driver pulling out of the parking space is most likely at fault. In the traffic lane of a parking lot where people get to their spots, the driver in the lane has the right of way. When a person backs into that lane, they are most likely at fault for not looking before putting their car in reverse.
The Best Questions for Your Workers’ Compensation Attorney
Facing a work-related injury that threatens your career and finances leaves much uncertainty to you and your family. If a claim is denied, you and your family may suffer with the burden of medical bills and the loss of a working adult and paycheck.
Do I Need a Lawyer?
Even after a minor injury with minimal lost time at work, you still are eligible for compensation and a solid legal representation is the best option for claiming those benefits. An attorney will also represent you if your claim is denied, and will know how much your case is worth. Even if your employer discourages or threatens you based on your claim, a lawyer will have your back.
When working with a lawyer, you may not know where to start when it comes to questions about your workers’ compensation claim. These questions will help you start the conversation with your lawyer to get the benefits you deserve after a work-related accident or injury.
Types of Nursing Home Injuries Caused by Abuse or Neglect
With a family and career of your own, it may be challenging to take care of your elderly parent like they took care of you growing up. Additionally, elders can have health concerns that are difficult to manage in a home environment without hiring a nurse or other medical aid. Nursing homes are supposed to be safe places where older people can get the care they need around the clock. Unfortunately, nursing home abuse and neglect is a potential issue that can occur, and it is important to be aware of these risks when your loved one is in someone else’s care.
The mistreatment of elders is a serious problem. It is estimated that upwards of two million seniors over the age of 65 have faced some sort of abuse or neglect in the United States. Those odds are concerning if you have an older loved one in the care of someone else, so it is important to be aware of the risks that your family member might be abused or neglected. Some common nursing home negligence issues include:
What Types of Accidents Are Eligible for a Premises Liability Lawsuit?
When you visit the home of a family member or friend or enter a business, safety may not cross your mind. Under reasonable circumstances, people have the right to believe that a home, apartment, store, or restaurant will not cause them harm. In fact, it is the responsibility of people who own, manage, or occupy a property to maintain it properly to prevent accidents. When a person is injured on another person’s property, they may be able to recover compensation through a premises liability lawsuit.
If you have been injured on someone else’s property, you may be eligible for compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. If the property owner was negligent and failed to maintain the property to a reasonable standard, then they may be held liable.
Unusual Work Injuries Leading to Workers’ Compensation Claims
Workers' compensation exists to protect workers after an accident, or circumstance, that causes them to be injured and prevents them from returning to work temporarily or permanently. In the case of an injury which occurred while an employee was working or because of their work, an employer’s workers’ compensation insurance pays for any medical bills and provides compensation for lost wages due to disability.
In 2017, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 2.8 million injuries by private employees that did not result in death. Common industries with a high volume of workers’ compensation claims are construction, labor, and retail. While many injuries fell into the expected categories, such as slip and fall accidents, there were a number of unusual claims in which workers received benefits, including:
Truck Accident Settlements
The majority of fatalities caused by a semi-truck accident are others in passenger vehicles, pedestrians, and bicyclists. In 2017, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation, a total of 4,102 people died as a result of a truck accident. Almost 70 percent of those deaths were passengers or drivers in cars.
Since 2009, the number of passenger deaths caused by truck accidents has increased by 30 percent. However, 2009 also had the lowest amount of passenger deaths since 1975. The 2000s brought a steady decrease in fatalities, until 2010, when the number of deaths began increasing again.
Factors in Truck Accidents
There is much more into putting a semi-truck on the road than a passenger vehicle. Some of the most common reasons for truck accidents are equipment failure, poor vehicle maintenance, and the improper loading of cargo. Driver error, negligence, and poor weather conditions are also top reasons for accidents involving a semi-truck. Truck drivers can be pressured to be as productive as possible, thus skipping necessary rest. Here are some examples where a truck driver, or company, was found liable for an accident.
Accidents With Teen Drivers
Every teenager looks forward to the day they can have the independence of driving. Teenagers as young as fifteen can begin learning how to drive. Once the learning requirements are met, and the child reaches sixteen years old, they can test for an initial license. This license has restrictions like the number of passengers, and more strict mobile device usage while being the wheel. With up to thirty percent of motor vehicle accident costs are attested to teenagers and young adults, there is a chance you may get into an accident with someone driving as young as sixteen years old.
Getting A Driver's License
Anyone who operates a vehicle legally had to work to get a driver’s license. After obtaining a learner’s permit, the teenager must practice driving with a licensed adult for fifty hours. Ten of those hours must be done at night. Once the minimum of driving hours has been reached, and the permit has been active for at least nine months, a sixteen-year-old may receive an initial drivers license. A full license can be applied for between the ages of eighteen and twenty.
Shocking Examples Of Medical Malpractice
Like any professional, you trust that doctors, nurses, hospitals, and other healthcare professionals will do the right thing on behalf of your health and wellness. With years of training, we expect a high level of expertise and dedication in the field of medicine. Sadly, when doctors make mistakes or are negligent, it is the patient and their loved ones that suffer because of medical malpractice - and they must often fight just to obtain the compensation that they deserve.
Medical malpractice is when a health care provider strays from professional standards. Any health professional, institution, or service can be faced with malpractice on the grounds that the minimum standard of medical care was not reasonably fulfilled.
Medical errors take up to 160,000 lives a year, according to Johns Hopkins University. Many people are afraid to come forward when something does not feel right with the medical care they are receiving. It is difficult to prove medical malpractice, and unfortunately, errors in the medical world do not usually reach the light until they are brought to trial.
Reasons To Hire A Workers’ Compensation Attorney
If you work in the labor or trucking industries, you may be well aware of workers’ compensation. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, truck drivers and tractor trailer operators made up 5.4% of all private industry reports of injuries. Non-construction laborers make up the highest percentage of 7.3%. Other notable industries are janitorial, nursing assistants, and retail workers.
Every employer is required to have workers’ compensation insurance in the event that someone gets hurt at work or sustains an injury related to working conditions. Workers’ compensation can assist people after an injury by providing:
- Medical treatment,
- Leave with pay,
- Job security, and
- Additional benefits.
A family member or friend in your industry may have even needed workers’ compensation benefits, but when it happens to you, an important question to ask is: do you hire a workers’ compensation attorney?
