Washington DC Injury Lawyer Blog

Howard University’s Homecoming Concert Leads to at least 10 Individuals Suffering Injury

November 5, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

According to school and law enforcement officials, several civilians and two police officers were injured when hundreds of disgruntled spectators rushed the gate at Howard University’s annual homecoming concert “Yardfest.”

The annual event has been a free event, open to the public, for at least 20 years. This year, however, the organizers decided to make the concert a ticketed event, charging $5 for each person. A spokesperson for the university also stated that officials had determined that only 14,000 people could safely attend the event, even though authorities had not enforced limits on crowd size in the past.

The result of the changes was essentially chaos, when the disgruntled crowd members, believed to consist mostly of un-ticketed individuals, decided to rush the gate, injuring eight civilians and two officers. All of the victims were taken to local hospitals, though the injuries were all reportedly minor. The concert was reportedly delayed as a result of the behavior.

Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed in Snorkeling Accident of University of Virginia Student

October 30, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A Virginia family recently filed a lawsuit following their daughter’s December 2012 death during a Semester at Sea program in the Caribbean.

The 22 year old young woman was a University of Virginia student at the time of the accident, which happened last December in Dominica. She was reportedly struck by the propeller of a catamaran during a snorkeling excursion.

The lawsuit reportedly seeks funeral costs and other financial recovery. The complaint was filed in federal court in Miami against various defendants involved in operating the Semester at Sea program.

Serious Brain Injury Lawsuit Follows Private Jet Crash

October 21, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

An Oklahoma man who was a passenger in a private jet with his son-in-law last March, suffered serious brain injuries when the plane attempted an emergency landing, which also killed the plane’s two pilots. The men subsequently filed a lawsuit seeking compensation for their injuries.

The two men sued the makers and owners of the plane, on which they were traveling for business, at the time. The main plaintiff claims that he is unlikely to recover from the serious brain injuries, and that he is now bedridden and has trouble speaking. He is reportedly unlikely to ever make a serious recovery and become independent. While he was a firefighter at the time he was injured, his health insurance did not cover the injuries, as they were sustained while conducting unrelated business.

The man’s son-in-law, while in better overall condition, suffered orthopedic injuries. The families are seeking unspecified damages for physical injury, emotional distress, loss of normal life, medical expenses and lost earnings. An attorney for the men stated that the lawsuit will not be able to proceed until the National Transportation Safety Board completes its investigation.

Defective Bed Rails Lay Potential Groundwork for Class Action Lawsuit

October 14, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A tool believed to help make seniors safer by keeping them from falling out of their beds, may actually be more dangerous than perceived. According to several accounts, thousands of frail, confused or elderly people have been injured and hundreds killed after becoming trapped in safety rails installed to keep them from falling out of bed.

The danger happens when the elderly individual falls asleep, and then rolls over in their sleep, becoming entrapped by the bedrail, either stuck in the device itself, or pinned between it and the mattress. Unable to break free, the individuals die from suffocation.

According to reports, there are currently no mandatory federal safety standards for bedrails designed for and marketed towards the eldery. This is in stark contrast to children’s cribs and bedrails, which by law must meet certain design criteria and pass safety tests.

Man’s Family Finally Receives Long Awaited Settlement in Personal Injury Negligence Lawsuit

October 7, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A Pennsylvania jury recently awarded a man $1.3 million for the severe injuries he sustained as a result of a fall as he was attempting to repair a 40 foot tall cell phone tower.

The lawsuit was initially filed in February of 2002, following an incident that occurred in September of 2000, when the man’s safety equipment, allegedly a defective hook on a rebar assembly, proved defective, and resulted in a bone-crushing fall that rendered him unable to work, probably for the rest of his life. He was overseeing the construction of a 350 foot communications tower.

The failed equipment caused him to fall almost straight to the ground, where he landed on his feet. As a result, he had to undergo at least nine surgeries, including three or four fusions on his right ankle and two on his left, including a more recent one on his elbow for a pinched nerve. As a result, both of his feet are fused to his ankles, his heels have screws in them, and he cannot flex or turn them. His shoes have springs in them because his feet don’t have the natural roll when he walks. He also has screws in his left elbow. He also underwent over a year of physical therapy just to walk again. He also continues to deal with pain relating to all of his injuries.

D.C. Judge Dismisses Delayed Ambulance Wrongful Death Case

September 27, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

This week, a Washington D.C. Superior Court judge dismissed a multimillion dollar wrongful-death lawsuit against the D.C. fire department. The lawsuit was filed by the family of a man who died of a heart attack while he was waiting for an ambulance that took some 30 minutes to arrive.

In the ruling, the judge affirmed the city’s motion to dismiss the case citing local sovereign immunity laws that shield District employees involved in “public duty” capacities from financial liability.

The lawsuit claimed the city was negligent by failing to provide a prompt response to the 911 emergency call for the 71 year old man who collapsed in his home.

Veteran’s Hospital Delayed Cancer Screenings Linked to Death, Lawsuits Being Filed

September 19, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

The US Department of Veterans Affairs said in a recent report released last week, that so far six deaths have been attributed to delayed screenings for colorectal cancer at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Columbia.

According to the report, which was released by the VA’s Inspector General, delayed colonoscopies and other screenings have so far been linked to malignancies later identified in 52 patients. The report did not specify the extent of seriousness in those cases. The VA said that extra staff has been hired to meet increased demand, and that clinical staff will contract out work to local health care providers as necessary.

The Inspector General for the VA determined that, in addition to other potential causes, the Center fell behind on its screenings due to a critical shortage in nursing staff. A reported nine patients or their families have reportedly filed lawsuits so far.

Cloudy Pool Wrongful Death Lawsuit

September 12, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

It’s the type of situation all the more common during the summer months, but equally as terrifying no matter when it happens. The parents of an 8 year old boy who drowned over the summer in a private residential pool have filed a wrongful death suit against the pool’s owners.

According to the complaint, the young boy and his siblings were invited to swim in the pool where they were attending a baptism celebration with their parents on June 19.

The complaint further states that, “The defendants’ pool was extremely hazy or cloudy due to a chemical” that the homeowners had added to the water, and “As a result, most of the pool, including the bottom area, was not visible to persons looking into the pool.”

NFL Announces Tentative $765 Million Settlement in Concussion Class Action

September 5, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

The NFL announced late last month that it has reached a tentative $765 million settlement regarding a class action lawsuit stemming from concussion-related brain injuries. The case survived a motion to dismiss earlier this spring.

In sum, more than 4,500 former athletes joined as plaintiffs in the suit, some suffering from dementia, depression or Alzheimer’s which they attribute to hits to the head, accusing the league of concealing the true dangers of concussions, rushing injured players back onto the field, and all the while profiting from the glorification of the types of intense hits that caused extensive brain damage and related complications.

The lead plaintiffs’ lawyer said in a statement that if the terms of the settlement are finalized, individual awards will be capped at $5 million for men with Alzheimer’s disease; $4 million for those diagnosed after death with a brain condition called chronic traumatic encephalopathy; and $3 million for players with dementia. Because the lawsuit was a class action, any and all of the 18,000 former NFL players would be eligible, as members of the “class.” Additionally, as a class action, a judge must first approve the settlement, in order to ensure that it is fair for all of the class members, particularly those who are not named, or main plaintiffs to the litigation. Part of the funds will be used to pay for future medical exams, and underwrite related research.

Maryland Public Schools to Conduct Baseline Assessments Aimed at Concussion Identification

August 28, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Likely in reaction to the increased awareness surrounding the dangers of concussions and head injuries, for the first time, Maryland public schools will begin to conduct cognitive testing for all high school athletes in Montgomery County before the students can practice or play on any sports team.

The computer based tests, called ImPACT, measure memory of both written words and patterns, in addition to other data, to create a baseline assessment. Then, if a player suffers a concussion during the season, a follow-up test can be given for comparison three to seven days after the injury. The retests are given once the injured individual is recovering, in order to ensure that they are capable of returning to play.

Additionally, some local football coaches are training athletes in the USA Football’s “Heads Up” program, which teaches tackling techniques that protect against head and neck injuries. Furthermore, players will only engage in hitting during two practices a week, aside from game day, in order to decrease the potential number of sub-concussive hits.