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1.4 Million Americans Suffer Traumatic Brain Injuries Annually
According to the Brain Injury Association of America, there are 1.4 million cases of traumatic brain injuries that are reported annually in the United States. As an additionally large number of cases go unreported or untreated, the number of people suffering from brain injuries in the U.S. could be even higher.
The leading cause of traumatic brain injuries is falls, at 28%. Motor vehicle crashes are second on the list, accounting for 20% of all traumatic brain injuries.
Suffering from traumatic brain injuries can affect one’s language and communication skills, emotional behaviors, sensory perceptions, and ability to process information. It has also been correlated with increased risk for Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
At Law Office of Renee J. Nordstrand, we have successfully handled cases involving traumatic brain injury and understand how to approach these life-changing situations with compassion and persistence from a legal, medical, and practical real-life standpoint.
Santa Ana Employees Hospitalized After Inhaling Unknown Substance at Work
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/santa-colon-odor-2595337-building-called
Seven people were taken to area hospitals this morning after complaining of respiratory problems at a Federal Building in Santa Ana, the Orange County Register reports. All of those hospitalized had inhaled an undisclosed substance on an elevator in the Federal Building.
Building employees were evacuated as investigators attempt to determine what the substance is and why it caused respiratory problems. In addition, the ventilation system in the building has been shut down.
As the substance in the elevator has yet to be disclosed while the investigation is ongoing, many questions remain unanswered. How did the substance get into the elevator? Is this a toxic substance with the potential for long term illness? In the midst of many lingering questions, we wish a safe and full recovery to all of those who experienced respiratory problems or other illnesses today.
The inhalation of toxic substances can cause serious health problems, such as asthma, respiratory disorders, neurological problems, brain damage, cancer, and, in some cases, death. If you or someone you know has suffered a serious illness due to toxic substance inhalation, experienced personal injury attorneys can help.
Drunk Driving Crash Kills 2 on Highway 118
http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2009/sep/28/2-killed-2-injured-in-suspected-dui-crash/
Two well-known Ventura County DJs were killed early Sunday morning when their car was struck head-on by an alleged drunk driver. David Joseph Garcia, 34, of Port Hueneme and Alex Estrada, 33, of Ventura were returning from a charity fundraiser, Relay for Life along with Garcia’s wife, Sonia, who was seriously injured and remains in intensive care as of Monday.
The incident occurred at 5:36 a.m. David Garcia was driving eastbound on Highway 118, when the drunken driver, who was heading west in the eastbound lane, collided with Garcia’s car.
According to the Ventura County Star, 30% of the 27 traffic deaths in 2009 in Ventura County roadways patrolled by the CHP have involved drunk drivers.
My thoughts are with the Garcia and Estrada families in their time of loss.
If a drunk driver has claimed the life of a loved one, accident attorneys can help to compensate you for medical expenses, funeral costs, property damage and losses of expected income, companionship, support, parental guidance and others, as well as for pain, suffering and grief. Punitive damages may also be awarded in some cases.
Do Unsafe Intersections Cause Metrolink Trains to Hit High Numbers of Pedestrians and Cars?
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/metrolink/la-me-buena-metrolink27-2009sep27,0,2843534.story?page=1
An article in the Los Angeles Times reports that, from its inception in 1993 up to September 2008, 244 people have been killed on Los Angeles’ Metrolink Commuter Rail System. The Times cites Buena Vista Street in Burbank and Sunland Boulevard in Sun Valley as two of the Metrolink’s most dangerous crossings, where multiple drivers have been struck and killed by trains in recent years.
Critics say Metrolink officials have not done enough to develop safety upgrades in the areas where streets cross the railroad tracks, even after major accidents resulting in pedestrian and train passenger deaths. The National Transportation Safety Board ruled that poor intersection design and traffic lights contributed to the death of a 63-year-old driver at Buena Vista Street in 2003, even though Metrolink took no responsibility for the incident.
Family members of those killed by Metrolink trains advocate that Metrolink make numerous improvements, including warning systems, redesigned crossings, public safety campaigns, and photo enforcement cameras. To date, little to no upgrading has been done.
In cases where pedestrians or drivers are killed by trains, a personal injury attorney can help. At Law Office of Renee J. Nordstrand, we examine the circumstances surrounding the incident, and determine whether the intersection may have been poorly designed or maintained. If so, a city or maintenance agency may be held responsible.
Sixth Grader Hit by a Car on His Way to Class
http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2009/sep/24/oak-park-student-hit-by-car-in-stable-condition/
A sixth grade student at Medea Creek School in Oak Park was hit by a car on his way to class on Tuesday, according to the Ventura County Star. The eleven-year-old boy was hit only 300 yards away from campus as he exited his mother’s vehicle.
The driver who hit him was traveling at approximately 20 miles per hour when the boy got out of his mother’s vehicle and stepped in front of the driver, who swerved and narrowly avoided hitting him head-on, instead hitting the boy with the passenger side mirror.
The boy was in the intensive-care unit at Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles as of Tuesday night.
This young boy’s family would do well to contact a California Personal Injury attorney who can help his family determine if he’s entitled to monetary compensation for his medical expenses and pain and suffering.
Wrong Way Pick Up Driver Causes Crash on the 101 Freeway
http://www.independent.com/news/2009/sep/23/accident-101-kills-one-snarls-traffic/
A Verizon truck going southbound on the northbound 101 freeway caused a six-car crash and one death yesterday in Santa Barbara, according to the Santa Barbara Independent.
At approximately 6 a.m., the Verizon truck entered the 101 heading the wrong direction near near Glen Annie Road in Goleta. Ten minutes after entering the freeway, the truck struck a white van, killing the driver. Six other vehicles were involved in the crash, leaving two people moderately injured and three others with minor injuries.
According the U.S. Department of Transportation, an average of 350 people are killed annually due to wrong-way freeway crashes. The Transportation Department’s website lists California as one of the few states taking initiative to combat this serious problem with ramp design, signage, and other safety improvements.
A 1989 California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) study found that drivers under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol were responsible for 76.8% of fatal wrong way car crashes. In a crash such as this, one of the first questions to ask is whether drugs or alcohol impaired the wrong-way driver. Officials who are still investigating the accident have not said publically whether alcohol or drugs were a factor.
The crash victims and their families deserve answers. With knowledgeable and experienced personal injury attorneys, those injured in the crash can be compensated for medical expenses and lost earnings from work. The family of the deceased victim may be able to file a wrongful death claim as well.
Bride-to-Be Injured in Head on Collision on Highway 126
http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2009/sep/18/two-people-injured-in-highway-126-head-on/
A twenty-four year old Piru woman scheduled to be married last Sunday was seriously injured in an automobile collision last Saturday afternoon on Highway 126 near Powell Road and Piru.
Suzy Yoguez, 24, was driving westbound on Highway 126 when a 25-year-old driver who was heading eastbound drifted into oncoming traffic and struck Yoguez’s car. Yoguez had to be extricated from her car and was taken to the Ventura County Medical Center.
The other driver was taken to Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital, also with serious injuries.
At present, the crash is still under investigation.
In 2007, there were 19,943 injuries due to head on collisions in California, according to the California Highway Patrol’s 2007 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System.
Ms. Youguez’s family should seek a personal injury attorney who can determine why the other driver drifted into oncoming traffic. Was he driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol? Did he fall asleep at the wheel? Was he distracted by a cell phone call or text message? There are many possible explanations as to why the driver swerved into the westbound lane. An experienced attorney can determine the facts surrounding a case and pursue your right to fair compensation.
Local City Ranks #1 in California for Alcohol-Related Collisions and Hit and Runs
http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2009/sep/17/oxnard-police-making-strides-in-traffic-safety/
Oxnard, California has the highest number of alcohol-related collisions and hit and run incidents in California, according to recently published statistics from 2007.
On average, there are ten traffic deaths per year in Oxnard, with at least two of those deaths involving pedestrians. The Oxnard Police Department cites dangerous intersections, improper signaling, and poorly designed lanes as the cause of many of the accidents. Another cause, one accompanied by the highest fatality rates, is driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
Oxnard Police Enforcement is cracking down on DUIs through checkpoints, saturation patrol, public information campaigns, and community outreach programs.
On August 29, officers from multiple agencies issued a DUI crackdown on Highway 101. During an 8 hour period, they pulled over 230 drivers for traffic violations, arrested 10 people on suspicion of DUI, and towed 12 cars driven by unlicensed drivers.
With the steps taken by the Oxnard Police Department and other Oxnard agencies, hopefully the city can become a safer place to drive and live.
If you’ve been the victim of an alcohol-related collision or a hit and run incident, you need the best-skilled attorneys to handle your case with experience, analysis, and determination for results.
Surprising Statistics on Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5650a1.htm
According to the Center for Disease Control, unintentional Carbon Monoxide exposure accounts for an estimated 15,000 ER visits and 500 unintentional deaths in the United States each year (statistics current through 2004). California alone had 115 deaths from unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning from 1999-2004.
With such large numbers of people affected by carbon monoxide poisoning (including the many additional cases that go unreported), it is alarming that education-based measures are sparse at both state and national levels.
The Center for Disease Control Study found that adults over age 65 were most at risk for contracting carbon monoxide poisoning, and that the average daily number of carbon monoxide related deaths were in January, because in the cold, winter months, there is an increased use of gas-powered furnaces.
Further, men contracted carbon monoxide poisoning at a higher rate than women, which the CDC attributes to male high-risk behaviors such as working with fuel-burning tools or appliances.
The CDC recommends that carbon monoxide poisoning can be prevented by proper installation and maintenance of fuel-burning appliances, as well as by installing a carbon monoxide detector in every home. Currently, California has not passed legislation to mandate the use of carbon monoxide detectors in homes.
Ventura Teen at Fault in Crash that Kills Woman, Dog
http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2009/sep/15/teen-at-fault-in-fatal-august-crash-police-say/
A sixteen-year-old Ventura resident was determined to be at fault after he struck and killed a sixty-year-old woman, Susan Herman, and her dog on August 24 on Shoreline Drive.
Ms. Herman, who investigators believe was in the crosswalk when she was hit, died shortly after the accident at the hospital. Her dog was killed instantly. While the boy was traveling at a low rate of speed at 25 m.p.h, police believe inattention contributed to the crash.
Reactions to the police’s determination that the boy was at fault have been mixed. Some local residents have raised questions regarding the visibility of the cross walk sign on Shoreline Drive, near Surfer’s Point, expressing concerns that the cross walk is on a curved road and is not clearly identified.
For others, the situation leads to questions on the legal driving age. Some feel sixteen-year-olds aren’t ready to take on the roads on their own, and would like this situation to further the push for an older age of eighteen for driver’s license eligibility.
New Jersey, the only state which issues licenses at age 17, has consistently lower rates of teens killed in crashes than other states which issues licenses at 15.5 or 16.
According to theLowell.org, California had 524 accidents involving teenagers aged 16 to 18 last year.
While no legislation has been passed to raise the California driving age, California is leading the way in banning the use of hand-held cell phones while driving. Further, California does not allow anyone under the age of 18 to drive between midnight and 5 a.m.
In the aftermath of a tragedy such as this, we offer our heartfelt thoughts to the families of both Susan Herman and the boy who hit her.