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NYC Personal Injury Lawyer Blog

Brain injuries can be deadly, even after single incidents

When people hear about brain injuries or think about someone who has suffered from a brain injury, they usually associate it with a very serious car accident or an injury sustained in a hostile war environment. These can be common ways a person might sustain an injury, but there are also seemingly small incidents that can lead to traumatic brain injuries.

A recent case involving a referee of a soccer game who died after being punched in the face by a player caught some by surprise. The man was officiating a high school soccer game, when he was punched. He seemed fine initially after the incident, but soon became ustable and started vomiting blood.

Amusement parks might be dangerous premises for children

Whether you are taking a short day trip just outside of the city, or going further out of town to see family and friends for a weekend, a large number of people visit amusement parks throughout their summer vacations. These parks might seem like a nice break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life in Manhattan, but they can be very dangerous premises for children.

Every year nearly 4,500 children are injured and treated in emergency departments across the country because of dangerous amusement park rides. These injuries typically happen from May through September when most children have off of school and when the weather is nicest for these rides.

Who is responsible for virtual doctors' errors?

Many people are discovering a new convenient health care option. Seeing a doctor from the comfort of your living room may soon be the new standard in primary care medicine. Often doctors can quickly diagnose common colds and ailments just by hearing about a patient's symptoms.

To help make health care more convenient and collect quick payments with minimal effort, some clinics are offering doctors appointments that are conducted over the internet. A person fills out a questionaire, and may send a picture if it will help diagnose a condition. The doctor can then conference with the patient through Internet video services and send a prescription right to a pharmacy. But who would be responsible for medical mistakes in these cases?

Malpractice claims hold doctors accountable, cost industry little

There has been a lot of debate across the country in recent years on whether or not states should put in place medical malpractice damage caps. These caps would limit the amount of money that can be paid out to victims of medical malpractice. Efforts to cap the amount of damages are often driven by doctors and the insurance industry.

A recent study found that the number of catastrophic medical malpractice cases are actually low, and those that payout over $1 million per case actually cost the industry much less overall than unnecessary medical tests. These tests, ordered by doctors to try to limit their liability in cases, cost the industry over $60 billion per year, according to the same study.

NYC bike accidents may increase as weather gets warmer

The weather is warming up and more people are taking to the roads to enjoy bike rides. As more people ride their bikes during the warm months, more bike accidents might occur in New York City. While helmets can help prevent deaths and serious injuries, bike accidents can still result in injuries that require hospitalization and significant recovery times.

According to one report, helmets can decrease the risk of death while on a bike by 90 percent. However, even while wearing a helmet people can experience broken hips, and major internal damage if they are hit by a car. It is important that bikers follow laws, but drivers must also be aware of increase biker presence during the summer.

Superbugs threaten patient safety, pose malpractice concerns

Superbugs are dangerous germs that appear to be largely resistant to antibiotics and other approaches to kill the bacteria. These bacteria can be especially troublesome for hospitals. According to a recent report, 1 in 20 people contract infections from hospitals, which could be a form of medical malpractice in New York City. These are infections that they didn't have before they entered the hospital.

Despite efforts to sterilize equipment and disinfect surfaces, the superbugs in hospitals can be contracted by patients, and might be difficult to treat. An increase in infection rates of patients staying in hospitals has caused many to call for advanced sterilization methods. Some insurers and Medicare have stopped paying for expenses related to certain hospital acquired infections.

Defective brakes prompts recall by Nissan

When a person gets into their car, they would never think that their brake won't work. It would almost seem like a movie storyline than reality. However, Nissan recently recalled nearly 20,000 vehicles including some under their Infiniti brand because of problems related to the brake systems on their Pathfinder and JX vehicles. The brakes had a part that was defective during the manufacturing process which could break, causing difficulty braking, leading to a car accident.

When a consumer buys a product, not matter if it is a car or food, they expect that the manufacturers tested the product for safety. Sometimes, manufacturing processes create defects or poor quality materials are used, which could lead to problems with a product once it gets to consumers.

Medical errors could increase revenues for hospitals

A recent study found some shocking information about hospital errors, and who pays the costs for those errors. According to the study, people who are hospitalized because of complications spend, on average, four times as long in the hospital. It also found that private insurers are often charged, but Medicare, Medicaid and patients themselves often don't pay directly for the increase expenses from hospital stays.


Although private insurers are generally the payers of these mistakes, people can sometimes still be asked to pay, and the study found that on average, the expenses paid to hospitals for a complication are $30,000 more than patients who don't have complications. One thing that the study didn't account for was the out-of-pocket expenses that patients have when their family visits or when they aren't able to work because of their extended hospital stay. 

Deadly workout supplement can't be banned

In 1994, the Food and Drug Administration was exempt from reviewing and approving dietary supplements. This industry has flourished as people try to get in shape, and use supplements to gain a slight increase in their ability to lose weight or gain muscle. One supplement in particular has caught the attention of the FDA, but the agency can do little except send out a warning.

The supplement the agency is worried about is Jack3d, with contains the ingredient 1,3 dimethylamylamine or DMAA. This ingredient has reportedly been linked to cases of increased anxiety, depression, vomiting, and even death. Since the product can't be regulated by the FDA, there is little the agency can do to ban it. This product has grown in popularity among fitness enthusiasts, but many experts believe it isn't worth the risks.

Major helmet maker loses lawsuit in brain injury case

Many people play high school football. Generally they understand the sport as an aggressive game, but many people still remain unaware of the limitations of the safety equipment used by players. The most obvious piece of equipment is the helmet. No player would ever go into a game without it. However, what risks still remain even with a helmet on?

Players can still sustain hits that could result in significant brain injuries. These helmets also might not protect against damage to a person's spine. According to a report, a jury recently found Riddell, the largest helmet manufacturer in the country, at fault for failing to warn players of the continued risks to their health despite the use of the helmet. The lawsuit was brought against the company after a young man experienced a traumatic brain injury and was paralyzed on the left side of his body.

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