New York Personal Injury Attorneys BlogSide car crash test shows that car occupants are better protected than 10 years ago in severe side crash accidents. See below the new video from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Published on:
New York Car Accident Prevention: Bill authorizes Use of Speed Camera at 20 School locations with documented speeding issues within a quarter-mile of schools
If a child is struck by a car at a speed of 40 mph there is 70% chance that the child will be killed. If a child is struck by a car at a speed of 30 mph there is a 80% chance the child will suffer personal injury and survive.
The legislation that we discussed last week in our blog has passed. 20 new cameras will be installed near schools that experience speed issues in their vicinity. Here is the link to the statements of Mayor Bloomberg and Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan.
Published on:
Medical Malpractice – Hospital Negligence: the cost of replacing 6 frequently-touched near patient surfaces in a 20-bed ICU with antimicrobial copper can be recouped in 2 months, based on less infection and shorter stays
Installation of antimicrobial copper surface is a very effective way to fight infections and prevent personal injury due to hospital negligence. A unique study presented by the York Health Economics Consortium (YHEC) at the International Conference on Prevention and Infection Control (ICPIC) in Geneva, investigated the economic benefits of deploying antimicrobial copper touch surfaces in intensive care units (ICUs) to fight the rampant international epidemic of healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) . The model is transparent and the results show rapid return on the investment.
Published on:
Despite their many benefits, Emergency Department Information Systems (EDIS) may also lead to medical errors and cause patient safety and quality concerns
Dosing errors, delay to treat or failure to diagnose a medical condition because of poor interaction between humans and computers or loss of data can result in serious personal injury and wrongful death.
Poor choice or inadequate implementation of Emergency Department Information Systems (EDISs) can threaten health care quality and patient safety. Findings and recommendations from two work groups from the American College of Emergency Physicians were released in a report last Friday in Annals of Emergency Medicine.
The report indicates that The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009 and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services “meaningful use” incentive programs as well as additional requirements for detailed reporting of quality metrics have been major catalysts for the development and implementations of EDISs. However systems functionality varies greatly and it is crucial for emergency providers to actively participate in decisions about EDISs selection, implementation and monitoring.
Published on:
Medical Malpractice – Failure to diagnose colon cancer – the use of a quarterly report card improves precancerous polyp detection rate from 44.7% to 53.9%
During colonoscopy, endoscopists can find potentially precancerous growths (polyps) and remove them, however some polyps especially on the right side of the colon are more difficult to detect. Failure to detect these polyps reduces the efficacy of colonoscopy for colon cancer screening.
By using a quarterly report card, endoscopists at the Roudebush Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Indianapolis were able to increase the overall adjusted adenoma (precancerous polyp) detection rate from 44.7 percent to 53.9 percent, and to improve the cecal intubation rate from 95.6 percent to 98.1 percent. The complete study can be found in the June issue of GIE: Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, the monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE)
Published on:
Reminder: Stephen Mackauf to co-chair Obstetric Malpractice Forum
Our partner Stephen Mackauf and John E. Hall Jr. from Hall Booth Smith, P.C. will co chair the 12th Annual Advanced Forum of the American Conference Institute on Obstetric Malpractice Claims on June 26th-27 2013 in Philadelphia. For more iinformation see our prior post here.
Published on:
Personal Injury Prevention: OSHA’s popular Heat Safety App calculates Heat Index for worksite and displays risk level to outdoor workers
Every year outdoor workers exposed to hot and humid conditions are at risk of heat related illness and personal injury ranging from heat rash and heat cramps to heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Both air temperature and humidity affect working conditions. OSHA Heat Index takes these two factors into account. The higher the heat index, the hotter the weather feels, since sweat does not readily evaporate and cool the skin.
With the OSHA App “Heat Safety Tools” workers and their supervisors can calculate the heat Index for their worksite and the risk level associated to the Index. The app also lists protective measures that should be taken at the related risk level.
The Heat Index is a very popular tool among outdoor workers and it has already been downloaded 72,000 times since its launch in 2011.
Published on:
Product Liability – Infant recliners recalled after 5 deaths and multiple incidents of infants hanging or falling over the side of the recliner or being restrained in the product harness
Nap Nanny and Chill recliners create a substantial product hazard. The products have design defects, as a result of which their use presents a risk of personal injury to infants. Further, the instructions and warnings are inadequate according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
The recall is part of settlement of an administrative complaint filed in 2012 by CPSC against Baby Matters LLC of Berwyn, Pa., which sought a recall of of the Nap Nanny and Nap Nanny Chill infant recliners affter the death of five infants. CPSC staff and Baby Matters LLC reached a settlement agreement that includes the recall and ends the legal proceeding against the company.
Published on:
Car Accident Prevention: Speed Cameras in New York City school zones may prevent dangerous speeding
Dangerous speeding in the vicinity of New York schools put members of communities at risk of a car accident . Even five miles per hour can make a difference between life and death for a child. To fight this danger, Senator Jeff Klein (D-Bronx/Westchester) has introduced legislation to authorize the use of speed cameras in New York City school zones where dangerous speeding is most prevalent.
After the New York City’s Department of Transportation released a traffic safety reportindicating that 96% of the vehicles were speeding while driving in the PS 81 school district in the Bronx, Senator Klein commissioned a follow-up study at PS 81. Results presented last Friday by Senator Klein and NYC Department of Traffic Commissioner Sadik-Khan confirmed a pattern of dangerous speeding near the Riverdale elementary school.
To fight dangerous speeding in school zones, the Senator and the New York City Traffic Commissioner are both pushing to pass legislation that would authorize speed cameras near NYC public schools.
Published on:
New York Crane Accident Prevention: team that responded to damaged tower crane at 157 West 57th street received the 2013 Advancing Public Safety Award
During Hurricane Sandy, a tower crane at One57 construction site snapped backward during the 80-mile-per-hour winds and the 150-foot boom stayed tied to the mast, dangling dangerously nearly 1,000 feet high in the air over midtown Manhattan. The team of inspectors and engineers that responded to this crane accident and helped secure the collapsed boom recently received the Advancing Public Safety Award at the 2013 Commissioner’s Awards for Excellence, the New York City Department of Buildings annual ceremony held at Cooper Union in Manhattan.
After the collapse, Assistant New York City Department of Buildings Commissioner Michael Alacha, P.E., and Acting Assistant Commissioner Timothy Lynch, P.E., climbed to the top of 74-story unenclosed building to inspect the boom. In the following days multiple inspections of the crane, the hoist and the surrounding buildings were conducted and the two men as well as Executive Director of Cranes and Derricks Division Faisal Muhammed, P.E., Chief Inspector Frank Damiani and other engineers worked with the contractor and developer to devise a plan to secure the equipment. The entire operation lasted 5 days including 36 hours to slowly turn the crane mast sideways so the boom could then be secured.
