Personal Injury Lawyer Blog

California Hospitals Making Too Many Mistakes

June 30, 2008 | by Moseley Collins

California Hospitals have to start cleaning up their act, now that they are being reported for ‘adverse events’. From August 2007 to May 2008 California Hospitals have had 41 different situations where doctors preformed surgery on the wrong body part or the wrong patient. They also discovered that foreign objects were left in a surgical patient 145 different times.

According to medicalmalpractice.com:

Fewer than one-half of 1% of the nation’s doctorhttp://www.medicalmalpractice.com/National-Medical-Malpractice-Facts.cfms face any serious state sanctions each year. 2,696 total serious disciplinary actions a year, the number state medical boards took in 1999, is a pittance compared to the volume of injury and death of patients caused by negligence of doctors. A recent study by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences estimated that as many as 98,000 patients may be killed each year in hospitals alone as a result of medical errors. Earlier studies also found that this was a serious national problem.

Man Convicted for Killing Teen in Car Crash

June 27, 2008 | by Moseley Collins

On Tuesday June 23rd, 2008 a man was sentenced 17 years in prison after crashing his car into another car, and killing a 13 year boy. It happened last summer. The crash took place in Bakersfield, south of Sacramento, California. Gordon Tutton was intoxicated when he ran through a stop sign, and hit a car crossing the street. This resulted in the 13 year old’s death and seriously injured mother. After a two week trial the jury found the defendant guilty for vehicular manslaughter.

According to MADD:

“Over 1.46 million drivers were arrested in 2006 for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. This is an arrest rate of 1 for every 139 licensed drivers in the United States.”

Spinal Cord Injury Facts

June 26, 2008 | by Moseley Collins

In today’s world people can suffer a personal injury in many different cases. An injury which seems to be growing rapidly both in Sacramento and throughout the US is Spinal Cord Injury. You can severely injure your spine from a car accident, falling, sports, violence, and many other ways.

According to the Spinal Cord Injury Facts And Statistics:

# SCI injuries are most commonly caused by:

Auto Accidents Can Cause Cerebral Palsy

June 24, 2008 | by Moseley Collins

I have a bouncing, beautiful baby boy. He is two years old, has long curly blond hair and a smile that won’t quit. He also has Cerebral Palsy.

According to Webmd.com, Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a group of motor problems and physical disorders related to a brain injury. The charitable organization March of Dimes estimates that approximately 2-3 children of every 1,000 born in the U.S. develop Cerebral Palsy. Around 800,000 people in the U.S. are currently diagnosed with CP. Most who suffer with CP are born with it, as was the case with my son.

However, some children can acquire CP after birth due to a traumatic brain injury. Car crashes are a leading cause of this type of Cerebral Palsy. As a paralegal for a Sacramento personal injury attorney I have seen a number of children badly injured because of a traumatic car collision. If someone else is at fault such a child has a claim for personal injury. If, God forbid, your child, or another child you know, is ever severely injured in an automobile accident with a brain injury or head trauma, ask the doctor to look for signs of the development of CP. The symptoms to watch for, per the Web site Webmd.com, are discussed below.

Asleep at the Wheel — Tips to Stay Safe!

June 24, 2008 | by Moseley Collins

You may have heard of the famous country music band “Asleep at the Wheel.” While that is a clever name for a band, actually falling asleep at the wheel is nothing to sing about. I should know. I’ve had a family member die because she fell asleep while driving. And as a paralegal for a personal injury attorney in Sacramento, I’ve seen other families devastated by this driving danger. A passenger who is injured because the driver fell asleep and crashed their car or truck has a claim for personal injury.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, at least 100,000 auto accidents each year are attributable to drivers falling asleep while on the road. This results in 1,500 fatalities annually. These statistics represent horrible tragedies that could be prevented.

A well-known travel Web site, www.gadling.com, offers some tips for staying alert behind the wheel of a vehicle. Some of the tips include.

Drunk Driver Hits Two Bicyclists

June 24, 2008 | by Moseley Collins

Nineteen year old Brandi Thomas has now been arrested after hitting two bicyclists in El Dorado Hills, just north of Sacramento California. it has been reported that Brandi had been drinking all night and still had Alcohol in her system when she hit the two bicyclists.

The two bicyclists were identified as Kathi R. Sturgeon, 48, and Katherine Hurd, 43, both of El Dorado Hills. Both of these woman have been critically injured and are still in the hospital.

According to the police report:

Two Die in Drunk Driving Accident

June 23, 2008 | by Moseley Collins

A 24 year old student is currently facing charges for two accounts of second degree murder and vehicular manslaughter, in Encino, south of California’s capital Sacramento.

The alleged drunk driver, Sean Martin Mishlof, did not stop his car at an intersection and collided into the car in front of him. Both passengers in the car that was hit were wearing seat belts, but suffered catastrophic head trauma and died immediately.

Police Sgt. Larry Jones from the Los Angeles Police Department said:

Fourteen year old Boy Suffers Brain Injuries After Almost Drowning In School Pool

June 23, 2008 | by Moseley Collins

Fourteen year old Jerry Pham from Milpitas, just south from the capital Sacramento, California, is now suffering from serious brain injuries after being underwater for several minutes before anyone saved him from drowning in a pool.

On October 12th Milpitas high School’s Physical Education teacher Kristina Edwards had a mandatory swimming unit day. Edwards didn’t take in account that Jerry Pham was filed as a “non-swimmer” when he entered the pool for the class.

according to http://www.themilpitaspost.com:

3-year-old Boy in Critical Condition after Drunk Driving Accident

June 23, 2008 | by Moseley Collins

May 1st was a scary day for some motorists in Antioch, California, not very far from our capital Sacramento. Twenty five year old Pittsburg residents Shawna George and Nicole Berry crashed their SUV, which contained Shawna’s two young boys in the back seat. The Police believe Nicole Berry and Shawna George were under the influence of alcohol and did not secure the kids in there car seats properly, thus resulting in them being thrown out of the car. Shawna’s 8 month old son only suffered minor personal injuries but her 3 year old son suffered serious personal injuries and is still in critical condition and has only slightly improved.

Officers found a pint of Hennessy cognac inside the vehicle, CHP Officer Tom Maguire said.

This blogger is unaware if the city or family of the kids have lawyers.

California Teen Dies In Car Crash Three Passengers Injured

May 5, 2008 | by Moseley Collins

Last week in Los Angeles, Sacramento, California’s sister to the south, a teen was killed in a car crash and three passengers were injured.

Danielle Barrett, 16 years old, left her high school at lunchtime on May 1st with three of her friends, to have a pleasant lunch not expecting it to be Barrett’s last one.

Danielle Barrett, 16, was driving north on Grand Avenue in the unincorporated area of north Fillmore at a high speed when she ran off the road onto the dirt shoulder and lost control of her car, according to the CHP. Barrett’s car then veered across the road and overturned several times before it came to rest on its wheels in an orange grove.