Birth injuries are devastating to both newborns and their parents -- especially because they're often preventable. Cerebral palsy, for example, is often the result of a doctor's mistake instead of the consequences of bad genetics or other complications.
Most people don't actually know that much about cerebral palsy, however, so let's look at the variations of this condition and how they might affect your child.
It's frustrating to be sick and not know what's wrong with you. It's even more frustrating that doctors don't always take the time to listen to their patients. Far too often, symptoms get dismissed as "just stress" instead of getting the attention that they deserve. Months (or even years) later, you learn that you actually have a serious medical condition that needs treatment.
Here's a scary statistic that you always have to keep in mind: one out of every 20 patients who seek outpatient treatment for their medical problems will end up being misdiagnosed. Diagnostic errors are to blame for roughly 10% of patient deaths.
Do you know that your odds of being misdiagnosed by your doctor are about one in 20? That's a pretty scary statistic because a misdiagnosis can -- at the very best -- delay important treatment for whatever you do have wrong. At worst, it could injure you or even take your life.
Fortunately, you are not entirely without power in this situation. You can take the following steps to prevent a misdiagnosis:
You mostly share Louisiana roadways with strangers when you travel. You have no way of knowing who is a skilled and experienced driver and who has been driving less than a year. You also have no way of knowing which drivers will fail to adhere to traffic laws and safety regulations, which can place you and all others nearby at risk for collision and serious personal injury.
Sometimes, you may notice a particular driver exhibiting certain behavior behind the wheel that causes alarm. For instance, drunk drivers often make certain errors because their brains and bodies are compromised by the alcohol in their bloodstream. Knowing the signs of drunk driving and where to seek support if a collision occurs may be crucial to your safety and well-being.
If you're a recent mother in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, the odds are high that you gave birth via C-section. In fact, there are no higher rates of C-sections among new mothers anywhere else in the United States in counties with 100,000 or more people. Rapides Parish has earned the unhappy distinction of being the C-section "capital" of the nation.
According to federal data, 50% of all births in Rapides Parish in 2017 were performed via C-section, including 47.3% of low-risk pregnancies. The World Health Organization, by comparison, says that C-sections should only account for a maximum of 15% of all births.
An exploding Goodyear tire cost a Plaquemines Parish man his life back in 2014. Now, Goodyear is being forced to pay up -- although not until after the company gets done appealing the most recent verdict.
The district court judge ruled against Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., saying that the tiremaker had failed to provide adequate warning to the parish that the tires on their garbage trucks could explode during inflation. One truck's driver was putting air into a tire when a "zipper failure" occurred. A sidewall ripped open and the force of the air threw the driver backward with so much force that he died of massive internal wounds after a 28-day hospital battle. The victim left behind a wife and five children.
People aren't paying as much attention to traffic lights as they should -- and "running a red light" is quickly becoming one of the worst habits of American drivers.
Research by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that there's been a 28% jump in the number of people killed in accidents that involve a driver who ran through an intersection when the traffic signal was red. In 2017, a total of 939 people died in accidents caused by someone running the light.
Back in June, Gov. John Bel Edwards signed into law Louisiana Senate Bill 138. Also known as "Katie Bug's Law," for the young victim of a car accident, it puts new power in the hands of police and victims when a driver who causes a crash is suspected of being under the influence of drugs.
Unlike suspected drunk drivers, suspected drugged drivers didn't face mandatory testing when they caused a car wreck unless someone died at the scene. That may have allowed many drugged drivers to escape potentially harsh criminal charges for their actions.
Taking medicine can be downright nasty, especially if it is an oral medication that tastes bad. If you have to take more than one type of medicine on an ongoing basis, it can be challenging to keep the doses and timing of it all in line. Medication error is definitely something you'll want to avoid because even a seemingly minor mistake can cause serious injury or, in some cases, death.
You can take comfort in knowing that Louisiana nurses and those in other states are specially trained to avoid medication errors. Most nurses are familiar with a coded system known as, "The Five Rs." This is a system of checks and balances that helps medical teams keep patients who take medicine as safe as possible. In a perfect world, medication errors would never occur. In reality, however, nurses who disregard protocol often make mistakes that have disastrous results.
The Louisiana Court of Appeals handed the victims of medical malpractice and nursing home neglect an important victory -- one that could potentially help many victims and their families make their cases.
According to the record, the case began in 2013 when a nursing home and hospice resident's family sued the facilities over medical malpractice and the patient's wrongful death. Family members of the victim, a woman, said that her medical care providers failed to prevent her from developing a stage four ulcer that eventually turned septic. She eventually died.
Let me help you protect your right to recovery. Contact my Louisiana law office online, or call 225-224-0383 to schedule a free consultation with an experienced attorney.
Bold labels are required.
Vincent J. DeSalvo, Attorney at Law
7918 Wrenwood Boulevard, Suite A
Baton Rouge,
LA
70809
Phone:
225-224-0383
Baton Rouge Law Office Map
