Georgia Personal Injury Lawyer Blog

Atlanta, Georgia Workers' Comp Attorneys – Injuries and Returning to Work

Published on: March 20, 2019 | By Van Sant Law

When you have experienced an injury at work, you likely have a lot of concerns going through your mind. In addition to the concern about how you'll pay your medical bills and whether you'll be able to recover fully, you may also be worried about whether you will ever be able to go to back to work.

Many workplace injuries can fundamentally change your ability to perform your job, making it difficult or impossible to go back to the position you had before. This is almost always true of catastrophic injuries, and severe spinal cord injuries, but it can also be true of other types of injuries as well. For instance, if your job requires you to be in good physical shape and to lift or carry things, then neck and back, hip injuries or shoulder injuries can all make returning to work impossible. If your job requires you to be on the computer all day, then carpal tunnel can mean the end to your career.

In any case where you have suffered a work injury that makes it difficult or impossible to go back to your old job, it is important to speak with an Atlanta, Georgia Workers' Comp Attorney to learn how to receive disability benefits that will provide you with the income you need.

Are Atlanta Nursing Homes Repeatedly Violating the Same Safety Rules?

Published on: March 20, 2019 | By Van Sant Law

There are safety rules and regulations applicable to nursing homes throughout the Atlanta area in order to prevent nursing home abuse and nursing home neglect. Unfortunately, many of these standards are violated by nursing care facilities. This can have serious consequences for patients.

An in-depth review of nursing homes in one state recently revealed the facilities which are cited for safety violations are often accused of committing repeat offenses. Evidence suggests this trend is widespread throughout the United States, with many homes making the same mistakes and failing patients in the same ways over and over.

Whenever a nursing home fails to provide appropriate care and patients are harmed by substandard conditions, victims and their families should consult with an Atlanta nursing home abuse lawyer for help.

Atlanta Nursing Home Administrators Could Have Incentive to Cover Up Wrongdoing

Published on: March 20, 2019 | By Van Sant Law

When abuse or negligence occurs in a nursing home, the hope is that someone will report it. This could be a staff member, a family member of a patient, or the patient himself. When the abuse is reported, steps can be taken to correct the problem and ensure that other residents are safe from harm. Protocols can be changed to resolve problems that lead to abuse or neglect and the vulnerable residents of the nursing home can be protected.

Unfortunately, top managers and even owners of nursing homes have an incentive not to report abuse, but to cover it up. Syracuse.com, for example, recently reported that the owner of one nursing home as well as several top managers of the nursing facility were indicted and faced multiple criminal charges for covering up instances of abuse or neglect.

An Atlanta nursing home abuse lawyer can provide assistance to residents and family members when abuse occurs. Nursing home abuse cases can make nursing home companies, owners, and executives responsible for the harm that their actions cause. When a nursing home abuse case results in a large verdict for the plaintiff, the verdict can also send a message to other facilities that abuse is never acceptable. This is an important part of preventing future abuse because the risk of a lawsuit can change the incentives for managers and executives.

Atlanta Nursing Home Abuse: Over-prescribing Antipsychotic Drugs

Published on: March 20, 2019 | By Van Sant Law

Nursing home residents deserve to be treated with respect and dignity, but unfortunately many nursing home patients suffer various types of abuse at the hands of caregivers who should be helping them to stay safe and cared for. Conservative Review reported recently on a multi-year investigation that the AARP conducted into the abusive practices of nursing homes overprescribing patients anti-psychotic drugs. Atlanta nursing home abuse Van Sant Law

This practice can have deadly consequences for patients and it is vitally important that seniors and their families take legal action when a nursing home improperly administers medication. The improper use of anti-psychotic drugs is called chemical restraint and it is considered to be a form of nursing home abuse.

An Atlanta nursing home abuse lawyer can provide assistance in making a claim to recover compensation for economic loss and for compensatory damages when this type of abuse happens.

Are Atlanta Nursing Home Abuse Cases Going Unreported?

Published on: March 20, 2019 | By Van Sant Law

Nursing homes are required by federal law to report any and all allegations of neglect or abuse that are made by residents or family members. Unfortunately, many nursing homes are not living up to their reporting obligations. This makes it difficult for the government to enforce rules designed to ensure patient safety. When a nursing home fails to report possible abuse or neglect, family members and seniors looking for a residential care environment may also be deprived of information they need to make an informed choice.

Every credible accusation of potential abuse and neglect should be investigated. Victims who need help understanding their rights and obtaining compensation for abuse should consult with an Atlanta nursing home abuse lawyer for assistance with their case. In many situations, having an attorney is the only way to get justice and to ensure that the negligent nursing home does not do more harm to other vulnerable seniors.

Atlanta Nursing Home Abuse May Be Underreported

Atlanta Nursing Home Abuse Cases Can Arise From Sexual Abuse

Published on: March 20, 2019 | By Van Sant Law

Most visitors to nursing home are aware of the importance of watching for signs of physical abuse, as reports of nursing home abuse and neglect have become common. Unfortunately, visitors to nursing homes often do not consider the real risk of sexual abuse because they may believe seniors are too old to be victimized in this way.

The reality, however, is sexual abuse is not about sex- it is about power and control. Seniors of any age or in any health condition could become the victim of acts of sexual abuse and this can have devastating physical and emotional ramifications. Sexual abuse can be perpetrated by staff members at the nursing facility. Other residents could also engage in abusive behavior, for which the nursing home could be held liable if it failed to provide adequate supervision and protection to residents.

If sexual abuse occurs in a nursing home setting, victims need to get help. An Atlanta nursing home abuse lawyer can provide representation to victims who wish to pursue a case against the nursing home for the harm they endured.

Atlanta Medical Negligence: Never Events Happen Too Often

Published on: March 20, 2019 | By Van Sant Law

In the field of medicine, some things are simply not supposed to happen. The mistakes which it is unreasonable for a doctor to make are called “never events.Unfortunately, never events happen very frequently, including one recent case reported on by CNN in which a doctor took a kidney out of the wrong patient.

When a “never eventoccurs, the very nature of the mistake is sufficient to show the doctor who made the error was unreasonably negligent. Victims who suffered injury due to this negligence can pursue a civil case for medical malpractice.

An Atlanta medical negligence lawyer can provide assistance to victims in understanding their legal options and maximizing their compensation when they have been harmed.

Atlanta Medical Malpractice and Rising Maternal Mortality Rates

Published on: March 20, 2019 | By Van Sant Law

Having a baby is supposed to be a joyous occasion for a family. Tragically, for some families, the birth of a new child does not result in a happy growing family but instead results in death of the mother, the infant, or both. The New York Times reported recently on one tragic case in which a mother died in a hospital after giving birth. The article not only shared that mother’s story, but also illustrated the problem of rising maternal mortality rates throughout the United States.

When a mother or baby dies in childbirth, surviving family members are left without loved ones. Financial and emotional damage result from these tragedies. An Atlanta medical malpractice lawyer should be consulted by victims and their families to understand what their legal rights are.

While nothing can bring back the lost loved ones, obtaining compensation can hold doctors and hospitals accountable and help families to cover medical costs and other financial damages.

Atlanta Medical Malpractice During Pregnancy Can Have Fatal Consequences

Published on: March 20, 2019 | By Van Sant Law

Pregnancy, labor, and delivery are high-risk times for both mother and baby. Obstetricians, gynecologists, and others who provide treatment to pregnant women face some of the highest risks of being sued for medical malpractice. When injuries occur during pregnancy or delivery, the consequences can be grave and the losses great. One recent tragic case showed how medical negligence can result in the loss of a young life and a large jury verdict for grieving family members left behind.

If you or someone you love is victimized by medical mistakes during pregnancy or when a baby is being delivered, it is important to get legal advice from an Atlanta birth injury attorney as soon as possible. Birth injuries can sometimes necessitate costly medical care for a child's entire life, and an attorney can help you to get the money you need to provide that care. If the mistakes result in the death of mother or baby, an attorney can also assist in these tragic situations.

Consequences of Medical Mistakes During Pregnancy

Atlanta Georgia Medical Malpractice Lawyers – Lack of Informed Consent

Published on: March 20, 2019 | By Van Sant Law

As a patient in the United States, you have certain rights. For example, you have the right to expect that your doctor will act with a reasonable degree of professionalism and skill in providing you medical services. You also have the right to give informed consent prior to any medical procedure being performed on you.

If a doctor fails to obtain informed consent, this is considered a breach of medical ethics. The doctor’s lapse can have serious consequences for patients, especially if they undergo unnecessary or unwanted medical intervention. This is true both when a doctor performs treatment without obtaining any type of permission as well as in the far more common situation where a doctor provides a course of treatment without fully explaining the risk or alternatives.

Lack of informed consent can be considered a form of medical malpractice and, like any other failure on the part of a doctor or healthcare provider, can give rise to a medical malpractice lawsuit. If you or a loved one submitted to or was subject to medical treatment without giving informed consent and you wish to take legal action, it is advisable to contact an experienced Atlanta medical malpractice lawyer as soon as possible.