Florida Injury Lawyer Blog

Jackson County, Florida - 63 year old Lillie Conyers of Crestview, Florida was seriously injured in a truck accident on I-10 Monday morning in Jackson County.

Also injured was 39 year old James Conyers, also of Crestview.

According to Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), Lillie Conyers was driving westbound on Interstate 10 and struck a semi that had overturned in front of her. The Conyers were transported to the Jackson Hospital for emergency medical treatment.

The 2006 tractor-trailer had also been traveling westbound on I-10 when it left the roadway. The truck driver, 29 year old Michael Dufur of Ocala, Florida, over-corrected causing the truck to overturn blocking all of the westbound lanes of I-10.

Dufur and his passenger 36 year old Guertho Lemorin of Tampa, Florida, received only minor injuries in the crash.

Too often, truck drivers like Dufur are pressured by the trucking companies they work for to drive longer hours than Federal Regulations allow. When that happens, truck drivers are forced to drive 80,000 pound tractor trailers on our roadways while they are fatigued and, at times, inattentive. Fatigue one of the most common causes of truck accidents.

Continue reading "North Florida Truck Accident Leaves Two Seriously Injured In I-10 Crash" »

Posted by James Hannon, Esq. | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Brain Damage , Catastrophic Injuries , Cerebral Anoxia/Hypoxia , Dangerous Roads In Florida , Death , Florida Automobile Accidents , Florida Injury Attorneys , Florida Personal Injury , Florida Personal Injury Lawyers , Florida Truck Accident Lawyers , Florida Truck Accidents , Florida Wrongful Death , Head Injury , Miami Accident Lawyer , Miami Injury Attorneys , Miami Injury Lawyer , Miami Negligence Lawyer , Miami Personal Injury , Miami Personal Injury Lawyers , Miami Truck Accident Lawyers , North Florida Injury Lawyers , North Florida Personal Injury Lawyers , Paralysis , Paraplegia , Quadriplegia , Rollover Accidents , Spinal Cord Injury , Transportation Accidents , Traumatic Brain Injury

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Florida -- Accidental drownings pose the single biggest threat to young children in Florida. Parents are urged to keep their children in sight at all times around water this summer. Authorities say that losing sight of your children for even a moment around water could result in disaster.

These warnings come in the wake of two drownings in residential pools in Manatee County.
In one case, a mother found her 3-year-old boy at the bottom of their backyard pool. Another discovered her 11-month-old girl floating in a pool.

According to Florida's Department of Health, drowning is the second leading cause of accidental death in children ages 1 to 14 in the state and the leading cause of death in children ages 1 - 4.

While Florida leads the nation in child drowning deaths, in 2006, thirty-eight drowning deaths were reported in Miami-Dade County alone. Those statistics only reflect drowning deaths. Many more people, usually children, suffer catastrophic injuries such as cerebral anoxia or hypoxia (brain damage) each year as a result of near drowning incidents.

Many people have also suffered crippling spinal cord injuries from diving into pools, lakes or canals with inadequate warnings or which were not adequately maintained.

Accidental drownings may occur in lakes, canals, oceans, swimming pools, hot tubs / spas and even in bath tubs. Many drownings occur because of defective pool pumps or drains which can result in suction entrapment or because of poorly maintained fences or gates.

The phrase "suction entrapment" refers to the situation where a bather, usually a child, becomes stuck to a pool drain and held under water by the increased suction that is created when a drain is blocked by the bather’s body, hair or clothing. The force of that suction is often strong enough to hold an adult under water; however, it is usually children who fall victim to suction entrapment. Spa and hot tub drains pose the same risk. Suction entrapment incidents are generally caused by defective pool pumps, aging, broken, loose or missing drain covers and poorly designed pools.

There are several safety tips that, if followed can help prevent accidental drownings. They include:

1). Pool fences - Four-sided isolation fencing, at least five feet high with self-closing and self-latching gates, should be installed around home pools and spas. Fencing should completely surround swimming pools or spas and prevent direct access from a house or yard.

2). Never leave a child unsupervised in or around any body of water, even for a moment.

3). Enroll children in swimming lessons taught by a certified instructor, but don’t assume swimming lessons make your child “drown proof.”

4). Never dive into water less than nine feet deep.

5). Always wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved personal floatation device ("PFD") or life jacket when boating, near open bodies of water or when participating in any water sports. Air-filled swimming aids, such as “water wings,” are not considered safety devices and are not substitutes for PFDs.

6). Make use of pool alarms which sound an alert when someone enters the water.

Continue reading "Florida - Drownings / Near drownings Pose Huge Risk Of Death And Serious Injury To Children " »

Posted by James Hannon, Esq. | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Brain Damage , Catastrophic Injuries , Cerebral Anoxia/Hypoxia , Dangerous Swimming Pools , Dangerous or Defective Products , Death , Defective Pool Pumps/Drains , Defective Swimming Pools , Florida Accidental Drowning , Florida Premises Liability , Florida Wrongful Death , Pool Drain Suction/Entrapment Accidents , Spinal Cord Injury

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Miami, Florida - Cerebral anoxia and hypoxia are terms used to refer to a deprivation of oxygen supply to the brain. Cerebral anoxia refers to a complete absence of oxygen while cerebral hypoxia refers to a dangerous diminution of oxygen supply to this vital organ. Either can can lead to severe, irreversible brain damage characterized by the terms "anoxic brain damage" or "hypoxic brain damage." Either condition can be the result of medical malpractice.

There are numerous causes of cerebral anoxia or hypoxia. Some examples include:

1). Injuries during birth/delivery (medical malpractice),
2). Compression of the trachea (sometimes the result of medical malpractice),
3). Complications of general anesthesia (often the result of medical malpractice),
4). Drug overdose (often the result of pharmacy negligence or medical malpractice),
5). Asphyxiation caused by ventilator/respirator failure or misuse (sometimes the result of
medical malpractice),
6). Inadequate perfusion on heart/lung machine during coronary artery bypass graft
surgery (CABG) (usually the result of negligence or medical malpractice),
7). Surgical errors,
8). Failure to monitor and treat severe hypotension (very low blood pressure) (usually the
result of medical malpractice),
9). Accidental Drowning or near drowning,
10). Asphyxiation caused by smoke inhalation,
11). Strangulation,
12). Cardiac arrest (when the heart stops pumping),
13). Carbon monoxide poisoning,
14). High altitudes,
15). Choking, and;
16). Diseases that paralyze the respiratory muscles

The cells that make up the human brain are extremely sensitive to oxygen deprivation. Some brain cells actually start to die within the first 5 minutes after their oxygen supply is interrupted. As a result, brain anoxia/hypoxia can lead to death or severe brain damage very quickly.

Brain hypoxia and anoxia are medical emergencies and must be treated immediately. The sooner medical attention is received and the oxygen supply to the brain restored, the better the chances of avoiding severe brain damage or death.

Hypoxia can be mild or severe (anoxia). In mild cases, inattentiveness, poor judgment, and uncoordinated movement may result. In severe cases, the results can include seizures, coma and brain death.

In cases where the brain is deprived of oxygen for only a short time and a coma results, it may be completely or partially reversible, depending on the extent of injury.

Cerebral anoxia/hypoxia is treated in different ways depending on what caused it. In every instance, basic life-support must be ensured.

The outlook or prognosis depends on the extent of the brain injury which, in turn, depends on how long the period of oxygen deprivation lasted. The patients who experience the best recoveries will have been deprived of oxygen for a short period of time.

Conversely, the prognosis is usually poor for those persons who were oxygen deprived for a longer period of time. Even a few minutes is considered a long time for the brain to be without oxygen.

When cerebral anoxia/hypoxia occurs as the result of medical malpractice, the patient or her family members are often not aware that oxygen loss to the brain has occurred. Symptoms to look out for include behavioral changes, cognitive or physical impairment, inattentiveness, poor judgment, memory loss, and a decrease in motor coordination among other warning signs.

Victims of cerebral anoxia/hypoxia, particularly infants and children, can be left with a permanent disability. It is critical for these individuals to receive extensive and continuous support from family, friends and specialists in treating brain damage and in providing neuro-rehabilitation.

Continue reading "Miami, Florida - Brain Damage Due To Cerebral Anoxia / Hypoxia Can Result From Medical Malpractice" »

Posted by James Hannon, Esq. | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Brain Damage , Catastrophic Injuries , Cerebral Anoxia/Hypoxia , Coma , Death , Florida Accidental Drowning , Florida Injury Attorneys , Florida Medical Malpractice , Florida Personal Injury , Florida Personal Injury Lawyers , Head Injury , Miami Malpractice Lawyers , Miami Medical Malpractice Lawyers , Miami Negligence Lawyer , Miami Personal Injury , Miami Personal Injury Lawyers , Professional Malpractice , Traumatic Brain Injury

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