Georgia Personal Injury Lawyer Blog

Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect: What You Should Know About Heat Injuries

Published on: July 16, 2019 | By Van Sant Law

Although Georgia’s hot and humid summers can be miserable for anyone, the extreme temperatures can be downright deadly for seniors. Elderly adults are particularly vulnerable to heat stress injuries. Not only do older people have a more difficult time adjusting to temperature shifts, but they may also have chronic health conditions that affect the way their body reacts to heat or be taking a prescription drug that impacts temperature regulation.

nursing home neglect heat injuries As a result, the summer months can be especially dangerous for elderly residents in overcrowded and understaffed nursing homes.

Nursing home residents are susceptible to numerous heat-related injuries and illnesses, such as:

These Common OSHA Violations Put Georgia Workers at Risk

Published on: July 16, 2019 | By Van Sant Law

When Congress passed the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, it created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, also known as OSHA. This small yet vital government agency has just 2,100 inspectors, but is responsible for ensuring the health and safety of approximately 130 million workers at more than eight million workplaces across the country.

Top OSHA workplace violations From its 10 regional offices and 85 local offices, OSHA conducts inspections and enforces federal safety standards, in addition to providing valuable training and education.

Each year, OSHA releases a list of the top 10 most cited safety violations for the previous fiscal year. In fiscal year 2018 (October 1, 2017 to September 30, 2018), the most common standards violations were:

Cell Phone Use While Driving: Understanding Georgia’s Laws

Published on: July 16, 2019 | By Van Sant Law

Distracted driving is a leading cause of motor vehicle-related accidents, injuries, and deaths in Georgia and throughout the United States. While any activity that takes your attention away from the road can be dangerous, few distractions are as hazardous as using a cell phone behind the wheel.

GA cell phone laws while driving Texting is considered particularly risky, as it combines manual, cognitive, and visual distractions. In fact, according to the National Safety Council, texting or talking on a cell phone leads to as many as 1.6 million car accidents and more than 4,600 deaths each year.

Georgia is one of several states with a legislature that’s stepped up to combat cell phone-related distracted driving accidents, injuries, and deaths. The state banned texting while driving in 2010 and the legislature passed the Hands-Free Georgia Act in 2018. The law makes it illegal for drivers to hold their cell phone or use any body part to support it while piloting the vehicle.

Working in Extreme Heat Puts Georgia Employees at Risk for Serious Heat-Related Injuries

Published on: July 1, 2019 | By Van Sant Law

Construction workers, firefighters, factory workers, landscapers, bakers, HVAC workers, miners, and other employees who work outdoors or in extreme heat environments are at risk of severe heat-related injuries and illnesses. These include heat cramps, heat exhaustion, or heat stroke. Workers who are 65 or older, have high blood pressure or heart disease, take certain prescription medications, or are overweight face even greater risks of injury due to extreme heat.

Also, in addition to injuries caused by the heat itself, people who work in hot temperatures face increased risks of other workplace accidents and injuries. This is because the heat may lead to sweaty hands, fogged safety glasses, dizziness, confusion, or even dehydration.

heat illnesses and workers Heat-related workplace injuries are far more common—and serious—than most people realize. According to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), thousands of workers in the United States become ill and dozens die each year while working in extremely hot or humid conditions. The worst part? These illnesses and deaths are largely preventable.

Trucking Companies May Share Liability for Accidents Caused by Dangerous Truck Drivers

Published on: June 17, 2019 | By Van Sant Law

Large truck accidents can leave victims seriously injured, unable to work, and facing mounting debt. If you or someone you love was hurt in a crash caused by a dangerous commercial driver, you may be entitled to compensation from the at-fault trucker, as well as the trucking company that employs him or her.

Crashes involving commercial trucks and passenger vehicles are often extremely serious, with passenger vehicle drivers and occupants sustaining the brunt of the injuries and damages. Though truckers might have made careless or dangerous mistakes behind the wheel, they often lack sufficient insurance coverage or assets to fully compensate victims for their losses.

Trucking company liability in crashes Fortunately, thanks to vicarious liability laws, if a truck driver causes a crash while carrying out employment duties, you may also be able to hold the transportation company accountable.

Texting and Driving Can Lead to Catastrophic Accidents

Published on: June 11, 2019 | By Van Sant Law

Distracted driving endangers everyone on the road and, while all behind-the-wheel distractions are risky, texting while driving takes the cake for being the most dangerous. Why? Because it combines the three main types of driver distractions:

Taking your eyes off the road
Having at least one hand off the wheel

Common Causes of Medical Malpractice

Published on: June 11, 2019 | By Van Sant Law

Surgeons, dentists, general practitioners, specialists, and other medical professionals are required to provide patients with a quality standard of care. Though not all poor health outcomes are the result of providers deviating from an accepted standard of care, many are.

In fact, a recent study from Johns Hopkins found that medical mistakes are the third leading cause of death in the United States, after heart disease and cancer.

What is a medical malpractice claim? In the event of a poor outcome, doctors and other medical personnel are judged based on what a competent medical professional with a comparable background would have done in similar circumstances. If providers with related training and experience wouldn’t have made the same mistake in this situation, the patient—or surviving family members—may have grounds for a medical malpractice claim.

Workers' Compensation Claims for Knee and Leg Injuries

Published on: June 3, 2019 | By Van Sant Law

The knees and legs are some of the busiest parts of the body: you engage them while walking, sitting, standing, bending, lifting, and kneeling. A severe leg or knee injury can be debilitating, challenging your mobility and making basic daily tasks difficult. These health complications can even affect your ability to earn a living, especially if your job involves lifting or other manual labor.

Knee and Leg Injuries in the Workplace

Sadly, accidents resulting in knee and leg injuries are frequent in the workplace. Some of the most reported injuries include:

Protecting a Loved One From Nursing Home Abuse or Neglect When You Can't Visit Regularly

Published on: May 21, 2019 | By Van Sant Law

taking care of loved ones while far away Van Sant Law

Moving a loved one into a nursing home is a difficult decision. If you have a demanding work schedule or live too far away to visit regularly, you may be especially concerned about whether your relative’s needs are being met. You might also be worried they could become a victim of nursing home abuse.

Sadly, these concerns aren’t unfounded. Studies show nursing home residents who don’t get visitors are more likely to suffer abuse or neglect, as staff members may assume that no one will notice—or challenge—their poor conduct, and seniors

may be too isolated or frightened to report their mistreatment.

Truck Accidents and Hazardous Cargo Are a Dangerous Combination

Published on: May 21, 2019 | By Van Sant Law

Motorists might not realize that many of the large commercial trucks sharing the roads with them are transporting dangerous cargo, such as explosives, gases, radioactive materials, flammable liquids or solids, corrosive substances, or other hazardous materials.

Though the trucks, trucking companies, and drivers who transport these substances must adhere to extremely strict state and federal safety regulations, accidents can—and do—still occur.

In fact, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, hazardous cargo is a factor in approximately 4 percent of fatal large truck crashes and roughly 2 percent of large truck injury accidents each year.