Covington Personal Injury Blog

Leading cause of death for the young is unintentional injury

On behalf of The Truitt Law Firm, LLC posted in Catastrophic Injuries on Wednesday, November 7, 2018.

People talk about a fear of flying, but statistics say a person is more likely to die from lightning strike than a plane crash. Other fears include accidentally choking on food or animal attacks. However, the Center for Disease Control lists the leading cause of death in individuals 1-44 years old is unintentional injury. For a complete list of the CDC’s top 10 click here.

Based on statistics collected in 2016 (the most recent year with comprehensive data), 61,749 individuals died from unintentional injury, which is nearly double the combined number of people who die from cancer and heart disease.

Safety precautions for Thanksgiving and the holiday season

On behalf of The Truitt Law Firm, LLC posted in Motor Vehicle Accidents on Friday, November 2, 2018.

Almost everybody looks forward to the holiday season—and why wouldn’t they? Thanksgiving, Christmas and other special days are a time of celebration where friends and family gather and look a the positive in a world that’s often overshadowed by bad news.

Those gatherings are an important time to let loose and enjoy life but they can also get out of hand. It’s important to treat every party as a safety hazard and take precautions to make sure that your guests are safe. Some safety measures are common sense, but others are easily overlooked as you’re basting the turkey, cleaning the basement and finding the extra set of wine glasses.

Unsafe driving behaviors that lots of people do

On behalf of The Truitt Law Firm, LLC on Friday, November 2, 2018.

No one is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes. In some arenas, those mistakes don't hurt anyone; they are just more of an inconvenience and something to fix. Correcting a mistake becomes another task to mark off a "to-do" list.

Under some circumstances, though, making a mistake could cause a significant amount of harm. For instance, if you make an error while being at the wheel, it could result in serious injuries or even deaths. Rarely are the people who officials determine are at fault for an accident doing the right thing when it happens.

Study finds bridges and roads in need of repair

On behalf of The Truitt Law Firm, LLC posted in Motor Vehicle Accidents on Wednesday, October 31, 2018.

We love our fair state, but updating roads and infrastructure do not often get the attention they deserve. There is now a new study by the non-profit Washington, DC-based TRIP that has determined that 14 percent of state and local bridges totaling 1,821 in number are “structurally deficient” due to significant deterioration of the supports, decks and other major parts. This is the seventh highest rate in the country.

High price tag makes matters worse

SoCal Gas pays $46 million to injured motorcyclist

On behalf of The Truitt Law Firm, LLC posted in Catastrophic Injuries on Friday, October 26, 2018.

The Southern California Gas Co. will pay $46 million to a motorcyclist hit by an employee driving a company pickup truck. The employee had a history of epileptic seizures, and hit the biker who was stopped at a stoplight in Hawthorn, California on February 13. Despite having his license suspended in 2012, the driver eventually returned to work even though he continued to have seizures. The staff at SoCal Gas were well aware of his condition and still elected to let him drive a company vehicle even after having a seizure at work.

According to reports, the truck driver hit the biker from behind and then dragged the victim over 430 feet. He only stopped driving when fellow drivers surrounded the car and forced him to stop as he headed towards a freeway entrance ramp. The driver subsequently pleaded guilty for hit and run.

Woman contracts brain eating amoeba in water park

On behalf of The Truitt Law Firm, LLC posted in Premises Liability on Thursday, October 18, 2018.

The family of an Ohio woman has filed a wrongful death suit against a water park in North Carolina. It alleges that the 18-year-old woman contracted a brain-eating amoeba called Naegleria fowleri, which causes the lethal disease meningoencephalitis. This occurred when she was thrown overboard while whitewater rafting at the park. The woman died one week after returning home from the trip in 2016. According to multiple reports, Naegleria fowleri is common in lakes and other bodies of fresh water that are warm. Because it does not effect one who drinks or swallows the infected water, it is very rare that it makes anyone sick. In the case of the Ohio woman, the family alleges that the water entered her body through the nose when she was thrown overboard. The family also argues that the park, located 15 miles outside of Charlotte, did not properly chlorinate the water, failed to warn visitors of potential harm and did not moderate the temperature of the water -- the amoeba thrives in warmer fresh water.

Potential issue here in Louisiana?

Football-related concussions reduced by changing the kickoff

On behalf of The Truitt Law Firm, LLC posted in Catastrophic Injuries on Sunday, October 7, 2018.

Football is religion for some here in the South, and many have staunchly resisted changes to the game. However, overwhelming evidence of concussions or Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) among football players at all levels of the sport have led many to wonder if the sport has a future in its current form. Parents certainly now think twice about allowing their children to play contact sports like football. Moreover, there are lawsuits involving the NFL and the NCAA regarding what plaintiffs describe as exploitative behavior that is detrimental to the health of the athlete because of TBI issues.

New research published

Reducing the chance of construction site injuries

On behalf of The Truitt Law Firm, LLC on Friday, October 5, 2018.

Louisiana construction workers face risks and hazards every time they step on a job site. This specific type of work can be dangerous, and there are various types of hazards that can lead to a chance of an accident on any given day. In order to reduce the chance of construction site accidents, employers have the responsibility of addressing concerns and helping all employees to be as safe as possible.

If you work in construction, it may be in your interests to learn about the things that could be compromising your safety, as well as what you can do to protect yourself in the event of an accident. After most types of workplace accidents, injured workers have the right to pursue certain benefits through a workers' compensation claim. This right also extends to injured construction workers.

The number of Pedestrian deaths surges

On behalf of The Truitt Law Firm, LLC posted in Motor Vehicle Accidents on Friday, September 28, 2018.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is alarmed by the surge in the number of pedestrian deaths in recent years. It cites a 46 percent increase between 2009-2016 (the most recent year with data available). That spike includes 5,987 deaths in 2016, which is the most since 1990.

So it announced a new plan to counter this trend, providing 11 new recommendations to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) as well as the Federal Highway Administration (FHA).

Louisiana drivers near bottom of new survey

On behalf of The Truitt Law Firm, LLC posted in Motor Vehicle Accidents on Thursday, September 20, 2018.

The Allstate Insurance Company compiles a list of the motor vehicle accident claims it receives each year. It then breaks them down into 200 metro areas across the country. The number 1 ranked Brownsville, Texas was determined to be the safest place to drive. At the bottom of the list was Baltimore, Maryland. The New Orleans metro area ranked 180, which means that we truly live in one of the most hazardous places to drive in the United States. This low ranking may come as no surprise to drivers here in Covington, and it does not come as a surprise to carrier, which ranked the area at 180 the previous year as well.

Inside the ranking