Washington DC Injury Lawyer Blog

Our Washington DC nursing home abuse and neglect lawyers regularly publish blog posts on the problem of physical and emotional abuse suffered by elderly persons at assisted living facilities and under the watch of private caregivers. Now, here is one about the problem of elder financial abuse, which, according to a study put out by MetLife Mature Market Institute (along with the Center for Gerontology at Virginia Tech and the National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse), is costing $3 billion in losses each year.

Elderly persons often rely on their savings to support themselves and take care of their medical and nursing needs. Unfortunately, there are those who may take advantage of these older senior’s advanced age and possibly fragile mental and physical conditions to take their money from them. Possible perpetrators of DC elder financial abuse can include caregivers, family, friends, neighbors, and scam artists pitching financial products.

The study says that:
• Women are two times more likely to become victims of elder financial abuse.
• Most victims live alone and are in their 80’s.
• The holidays are when victims are most vulnerable.

This crime is seriously under-reported. Many victims are ashamed that they’ve allowed elder financial abuse to occur and they also may be afraid that they could lose their independence if the crime is revealed.

When elderly persons are bilked of their finances, this can make it hard for them to take care of themselves and get the nursing and medical care that they need. It can also lead to depression and the deterioration of one’s health.

Actor Mickey Rooney Granted Court Protection From Stepkids, Good Morning America, February 17, 2011

Elder financial abuse reaches “epidemic” proportion, Reuters, June 3, 2011

Related Web Resources:
MetLife Mature Market Institute

Center for Gerontology at Virginia Tech

More Blog Posts:
Nursing Home Aide Receives Prison Sentence for Sexual Abuse, Maryland Nursing Home Lawyer Blog, May 31, 2011

French Family Plans Lawsuit in Quadrangle 'Nanny Cam' Nursing Home Abuse Case, Maryland Nursing Home Lawyer Blog, May 26, 2011

Washington DC Nursing Home Neglect Can Cause Bedsores, Washington DC Injury Lawyer Blog, January 31, 2011

Continue reading " Elder Financial Abuse Costing Victims Almost $3 Billion, Reports MetLife Mature Market Institute Study " »

The family of John Donald Rupp III, a DC Area teenager, is suing Phusion Projects, which manufactures the caffeinated alcoholic drink Four Loko, for his wrongful death. The 15-year-old died when a car hit him near his home last September. His family says that the collision happened after he drank Four Loko, which caused him to become disoriented.

In their wrongful death lawsuit, Rupp’s family accuses the drink maker of negligence and carelessness. They contend that Four Loko “desensitizes users to the symptoms of intoxication,” while upping the risk of injury related to alcohol.

The Food and Drunk Administration has warned that caffeine is not a safe food additive to mix with alcohol. Meantime, experts have said that drinks that have both alcohol and caffeine are associated with high-risk behavior. Weeks after Rupp’s passing, Phusion Project said it would take the stimulants, including caffeine, from its products.

Also a defendant in this wrongful death lawsuit is the RaceWay gas station, where Rupp bought the drink. Rupp’s parents say that the station clerk let their son, who is a minor, buy the drink.

DC Products Liability
If you believe that a food or beverage caused you to become sick or disoriented or behave in a strange manner, you may have reason to file a Washington DC injury claim against the party that sold, made, or provided you with the beverage. Food and drink manufacturers are supposed to make sure that the products that they make are not contaminated or spoiled or contain any substances that could cause serious injury or death.

Prior to the pedestrian accident, Rupp drank two cans of Four Loko. He had been attending a concert and staff there called his mom to ask that she get him because of his “erratic and agitated” behavior. Rupp then left on his own on foot. He either fell or sat on a highway where he was hit by a motor vehicle.

Family Sues Manassas Gas Station After Son's Death, ManassasPatch, May 27, 2011

Maker of Four Loko hit with wrongful death suit, Chicago Tribune, May 19, 2011

Related Web Resources:
Phusion Projects

Four Loko

More Blog Posts:
CPSC Recalls 1M Pool and Hot Tub Drain Covers Because They Pose Drowning and Entrapment Risks, Washington DC Injury Lawyer Blog, May 26, 2011

Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed Over Elderly Nursing Home Resident’s Salmonella-Related Death from Allegedly Eating Peanut Butter, Maryland Accident Law Blog, January 29, 2009

Mother Sues Crocs for Personal Injury After Son’s Right Toe is Mangled While Riding Baltimore Aquarium’s Escalator, Maryland Accident Law Blog, December 4, 2008

Just two days before the Memorial Day holiday weekend, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has recalled approximately 1 million pool and hot tub drain covers because they could pose drowning and entrapment hazard to children and adults. Hundreds of thousands of pools and hot tubs, both private and public, may be affected. CPSC chairwoman Inez Tenenbaum is asking for public pools that have been using the recalled drain covers to temporarily shut down operation until the drain cover can be inspected, repaired, and/or replaced. However, she did also say that not all of the recalled drain covers will need to be changed or fixed.

The recall was announced because the CPSC found that many of the drain covers, which were supposed to meet the safety regulations that were implemented in 2008, were certified by labs that applied faulty standards. As a result, some of the drains have inaccurate flow ratings.

Our DC injury lawyers are familiar with the serious injuries that can result from pool drain covers that don’t meet the safety standards mandated by 2008 law. The vacuum effect of some drains can be so powerful that without the proper covering, a swimmer can get suctioned to a drain and drown. In 2007, one 6-year-old girl’s intestines were partially sucked out by a swimming pool drain. She had to have transplants of the small bowel, liver, and pancreas, and she eventually died.

The pool and hot tub drains included in the recall were made by a number of companies: A & A Manufacturing, Color Match, AquaStar Pool Products, Hayward Pool Products, Custom Molded Products, Rising Dragon USA, Pentair Water Pool and Spa.

Drain cover recall could close thousands of pools, USA Today, May 26, 2011

Drowning Risk Prompts Biggest Ever Recall Of Backyard Pool Drain Covers, ABC News, May 26, 2011

Eight Manufacturers Recall Pool and In-Ground Spa Drain Covers Due to Incorrect Ratings, CPSC, May 26, 2011

Related Web Resources:
Pool Safety

Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act

More Blog Posts:
CPSC Offers Tips to Prevent Washington DC Pool Drowning Accidents, Washington DC Injury Lawyer Blog, May 4, 2011

Pool Drain Sucks Small Intestine From Six-Year-Old Girl; Maryland Residents Push For Tougher Pool Safety Laws, Maryland Accident Law Blog, July 9, 2007

Continue reading " CPSC Recalls 1M Pool and Hot Tub Drain Covers Because They Pose Drowning and Entrapment Risks " »

According to WUSA9.com, the family of Julia Bachleitner is suing Chamica Adams for DC wrongful death. Bachleitner, a Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies student from Austria was killed last September in an Adams Morgan pedestrian accident. The 26-year-old student’s family is seeking $20 million from Adams, who was drunk when she drove a car into a group of graduate students. Other defendants include the bar that served Adams alcohol prior to the deadly collision and her mother.

At around 8:30pm on September 8, 2010, Adams, who was making a left turn, drove over a traffic island to accidentally struck Bachleitner and another woman. She then crashed the vehicle into an empty restaurant. The other woman, Melissa Basque, suffered a concussion with a brain bleed, teeth loss, facial fractures, and a compound leg fracture.

Police say that Adams’s blood-alcohol level was almost two times the legal limit. The 24-year-old Mitchellville woman had consumed alcohol at the District Lounge and Grille right before the DC pedestrian accident. The Washington Times reports that there is security footage from the club showing her consuming several drinks and then stumbling out of the place. The C. Fields Group LLC, which owns the bar, is also a defendant in the Washington DC wrongful death case.

Adams, who pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in March, has been sentenced to three years in prison. She will also serve five years probation and supervised release.

With driver negligence a common cause of Washington DC pedestrian accidents, you must work with a law firm that knows how to help you successfully pursue damages from all liable parties. Some pedestrian injuries can be so serious that a person could end up laid up for a very long time, forced to take time off work while dealing with expensive medical and rehabilitation bills. Obtaining DC personal injury recovery can help lift some of the financial pressure off you and your family.

Md. woman gets 3 years in fatal Adams Morgan drunk driving crash, The Washington Post, May 16, 2011

Three Years For Adams Morgan Drunk Driver, WUSA9, May 16, 2011

Related Web Resources:
District Department of Transportation

Pedestrians, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

More Blog Posts:
Washington DC Pedestrian Accident Involving Allegedly Drunk Driver Claims the Life of 26-Year-old Johns Hopkins University Graduate Student, Washington DC Injury Lawyer Blog, September 15, 2010

DC Injury Lawsuit Filed Against FBI Employee Over Hit-and-Run Car Accident, Washington DC Injury Lawyer Blog, April 6, 2011

Street Smart Program Aims to Prevent Washington DC Pedestrian and Bicycle Accidents, Washington DC Injury Lawyer Blog, March 30, 2011

According to a new study by UC Davis Health System, not all children who sustain minor blunt head trauma need to undergo CT scans. Yet, about half of those who do end up in hospital ERs for this type of injury get a head computed tomography scan. More about the study can be found in the June 2011 issue of Pediatrics.

Our Washington DC personal injury law firm represents children and adults who suffered unnecessary injury or health complications because of medical negligence. If you believe that unnecessary exposure to radiation from a medical device, do not hesitate to contact us and ask for your free consultation.

Researchers evaluated 40,113 under age 18 who went to 1 of 25 emergency rooms between June 2004 and September 2006. 5,433 of the kids were observed before medical staff decided to give them a CT scan. What researchers found is that not only was CT use was lower in the children who were observed, but also this did not affect the quality of care that they received. 3,744 of these kids went home without a scan and only 26 of them came back to have one. Of these children, four had traumatic results and just one had a clinically important injury that required hospitalization for two nights.

The fact that not all children with a minor head injury needs to undergo a head scan to get treated properly is good news, seeing as exposure to radiation through CT scans does carry some health risks—especially for children. A single CT scan to a child’s brain provides a dose of radiation equal to about six months to a year of “background radiation.” Radiation can increase the chances of a child developing cancer later in life.

Obviously some head injuries are serious enough to warrant a CT scan, but it is also important that children not be exposed to radiation from this type of test unnecessarily. It might be a good idea to ask your child’s doctor whether there are other medical imaging tests that can be used that wouldn’t expose your son/daughter to radiation.

UC Davis study examines need for CT scans in children, The Sacramento Bee, May 10, 2011

Observation After Head Injury Cuts Kids’ CT Scans, WebMD, May 9, 2011

Related Web Resources:
Pediatrics

Radiology

More Blog Posts:
Botox May Get Rid of More than Wrinkles, Says New Study, Washington DC Injury Lawyer Blog, April 23, 2011

US Lawmakers Seek to Reinstate Right to Sue Medical Device Makers for Personal Injury and Wrongful Death, Maryland Accident Law Blog, February 19, 2009

Walgreens Pharmacy Misfill Leaves Toddler With Dangerous Drug, Pharmacy Error Injury Lawyer, May 4, 2011

Continue reading " Are Some Children Undergoing Unnecessary CT Scans? " »

With the swimming season fast approaching, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission is reminding parents and guardians to exercise caution so that tragic drowning accidents are avoided. Already, the CPSC says there have been 38 near-drowning and 37 drowning incidents in the US this year. The government agency, along with the Y and American Red Cross, are launching a Pool Safety campaign this year to reduce the amount of child drowning accidents in spas and swimming pools.

Considering that about 300 kids under the age of 5 drown annually and thousands of others are injured in near drowning accidents, employing the proper safety precautions will hopefully save lives. To help prevent Washington DC drowning accidents:
• Makes sure that there is a fence around the pool so that kids can’t get in when there isn’t an adult around
• Don’t allow children to swim unsupervised
• Make sure there is someone at the pool that knows how to perform CPR in the event of an emergency

A pool or spa owner can be held liable for Washington DC personal injury to a child if he/she did not make sure that the pool or hot tub is safe for swimmers. For example, if someone drowns at a public pool that should have (but didn’t) have a lifeguard on duty or because the wasn’t properly cleared of leaves and other debris so that it would be easy to spot someone in trouble at the bottom of the pool, the victim or his/her family may have grounds for a lawsuit.

Common causes of pool or spa drownings:
• No fence or pool cover
• Inadequate warning signs
• Lack of rescue equipment in the pool area
• Drain entrapment (Could be grounds for a DC products liability case)
• Inadequate pool maintenance
• No lifeguards
• Defective pool or spa equipment

Our Washington DC injury lawyers represent families throughout the DC area and Maryland.

Pool & Spa Safety Educational Video Transcript, Pool Safety.gov

75 Drownings and Near-Drownings in 15 Weeks, CPSC, April 21, 2011

Related Web Resources:
Unintentional Drownings, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Drowning Prevention Fact Sheet, Safe Kids USA

More Blog Posts:
Six-Year-Old Girl Dies in Washington DC Drowning Accident at Turkey Thicket Pool, Washington DC Injury Lawyer Blog, July 12, 2010

In Maryland, Accidental Drowning Of Anne Arundel County 5-Year Old Renews Calls For Greater Pool Safety, Maryland Accident Law Blog, October 13, 2006

Family of Baltimore County Woman that Drowned in Apartment Complex Pool Files $100 Million Wrongful Death Lawsuit, Maryland Accident Law Blog, August 15, 2008

Continue reading " CPSC Offers Tips to Prevent Washington DC Pool Drowning Accidents " »