On behalf of Lombardi and Lombardi, P.A. posted in Brain Injury on Thursday, May 17, 2012
A common link between two groups of people with brain injuries could shed light on just how easy it is to suffer from a brain injury. A study has found that a dementia-like disease has shown up in the brains of people who have been exposed to brain damage due to playing football and U.S. veterans that were exposed to explosions overseas. These brain injuries are likely causing people to develop a disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy. The disease causes abnormal protein to cluster in the brain.
This study was an important step in discovering how to develop therapies to treat this disease. Whatever treatments researchers may be able to develop, it is always best not to be exposed to a brain injury in the first place. Brain injuries can happen for many different reasons throughout New Jersey. Whenever possible, it is important that people protect themselves from injuries, however, sometimes another person's negligent actions cause a brain injury.
On behalf of Lombardi and Lombardi, P.A. posted in Medical Malpractice on Monday, May 14, 2012
We've all likely seen a doctor's handwriting and wonder how on earth anyone could read what they wrote. It shouldn't take a team of people to figure out what they wrote. Not only can this sloppy handwriting be annoying but it can actually be very dangerous. A new study found that the number of issues that arise due to a doctor's handwriting on a prescription is about 88 percent. That means there might be the potential for medication errors on 88 percent of the prescriptions that doctors write. Even without taking handwriting into account, hand written prescriptions are more likely to contain errors than electronic ones.
Electronic prescriptions only have an error rate at about 7 percent, while hand written prescriptions have a rate of about 37 percent. Even though 7 percent is still too high, it shows that doctors taking the time to double check prescriptions and make them easy to read is very important for patient health.
On behalf of Lombardi and Lombardi, P.A. posted in Product Liability on Thursday, May 10, 2012
Sometimes products we use break. It's expected that after a while, products might fall apart or stop working properly. The results can be devastating when a product that is fairly new and equipped with safety features breaks. This week the Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a recall on a product that sits in many American backyards. The dangerous product is a trampoline that has netting around it that failed, causing severe injuries. While the report didn't indicate who was injured, it was likely children, since they most commonly play on trampolines.
The injuries likely resulted in emergency room visits. Some of the injuries were broken bones, and back and neck injuries. When someone injures their back or neck, they can often times suffer from pain and discomfort or more severe complications for the rest of their life. Surgeries and therapy can sometimes be helpful, but a person with these injuries will have to be cautious not to easily reinjure their back.
On behalf of Lombardi and Lombardi, P.A. posted in Wrongful Death on Monday, May 7, 2012
When a parent loses a child, the grief can be unbearable. It's something that no parent ever thinks they will have to deal with but that's exactly what two families are going through as a lawsuit against a New Jersey boat company gets underway for the wrongful death of two students visiting the United States. They were killed when a duck boat they were sightseeing in was hit by a barge on a river in a neighboring state.
Before the actual lawsuit gets underway, a judge will determine whether there should be a cap on the amount of liability each of the parties in the lawsuit might have to pay. This comes just as Mother's Day is celebrated in the student's home country of Hungary. While no amount of money can bring back a loved one, having a limit imposed on the liability of a negligent company can have a devastating emotional impact.
On behalf of Lombardi and Lombardi, P.A. posted in Medical Malpractice on Friday, May 4, 2012
We all hear about tragic surgical accidents in the news. Someone has the wrong leg operated on or maybe a surgical tool is left inside a patient. These mistakes often can have complications beyond another surgery to repair the error. Some people need ongoing medical attention to treat the side effects of a doctor's error.
A healthcare system in another state is trying out an experimental program where doctors admit their mistakes, issue an apology and the hospital and its insurer offer the patient a compensation settlement. Many people who don't know home much medical care will cost them in the future could end up taking these settlements, waiving their rights to sue in the future, leaving them short-changed for medical care that they might need as a result of the medical malpractice. While medical systems that decide to try this approach will say they are doing this to prevent a drawn out situation for the patients wellbeing, it may be that they are trying to protect their bottom line.
On behalf of Lombardi and Lombardi, P.A. posted in Construction Accidents on Monday, April 30, 2012
Sometimes when people are injured, they need to seek emergency medical care. In many severe personal injury cases, like construction accidents, a helicopter might be called directly to the scene of an accident to airlift the victim to a trauma center. According to a new study, people who are transported by helicopter are more likely to survive a traumatic accident than those who are transported by ambulance.
While the reason for the increased survivor numbers is still unknown, the people who conducted the study say that there are likely many variables. Medical helicopters are generally faster if a person is far from a hospital with a trauma center. They are also usually better equipped to the personnel are better trained to handle severe trauma cases.
On behalf of Lombardi and Lombardi, P.A. posted in Brain Injury on Thursday, April 26, 2012
A split second accident can change a person's life forever. When someone suffers from a brain injury in New Jersey, they will likely face a long recovery. Not only will they have to endure a lot of rehabilitation, but some people might need constant assistance from professionals to accomplish everyday tasks.
Unfortunately, brain injuries can make people vulnerable to abuse in many ways, including fraud. Earlier this month a New Jersey man was charged with identity theft and larceny after he filed false tax returns for people with brain injuries. He worked at a place that assisted people in brain injuries, and was supposed to be someone the people could trust.
On behalf of Lombardi and Lombardi, P.A. posted in Product Liability on Monday, April 23, 2012
Many people are anxiously awaiting the arrival of spring. While April sometimes throws unexpected surprises into the weather forecast, many people will soon be fine-tuning their bikes to prepare for the summer season, not thinking about the severe injuries a defective bike might cause to New Jersey bikers. Many people trust their bikes are safe, not thinking about how the product was manufactured.
Earlier this month, the Consumer product safety commission announced three major bike manufacturers have issued recalls of some of their bikes because the suspension system can break and cause severe injury. So far, 12 incidents have been reported to the companies.
On behalf of Lombardi and Lombardi, P.A. posted in Product Liability on Friday, April 20, 2012
Ultrasounds can be used for many different medical needs. This week, the FDA said ultrasound gel made by a New Jersey pharmaceutical company tested positive for bacteria and the unsafe product is believed to have sickened at least 16 patients. This routine procedure turned dangerous by the use of this contaminated gel.
The medical implications of a contaminated medical device can be devastating. Had any of the people been pregnant and exposed to the bacteria, the complications could have been much worse, since many pregnant women have weakened immune systems.
On behalf of Lombardi and Lombardi, P.A. posted in Wrongful Death on Monday, April 16, 2012
When people use equipment at work, they trust that it is safe and compliant with all safety standards. Unfortunately, a New Jersey man was killed after a crane he was operating at a construction site collapsed. Now, reports say the crane was scheduled for an inspection, too late to save his life.
A safety inspector was at the construction site, in a neighboring state, to inspect the crane in January, and said that it didn't appear to have any violations, but they would need to reschedule the inspection because the crane was in operation. Sadly, the inspection didn't happen before this man's wrongful death. Had safety officials or the construction company stopped operation to ensure the employee's safety, this accident might have been prevented.
