Category: Personal Injury

According to a study by HealthGrades, the most frequent cause of patient safety incidents is a failure to rescue, which is caused by a delayed, missed, or incorrect diagnosis. The Journal of the American Medical Association states that misdiagnosis incidents occur in about 150 cases out of every 1,000. In a survey of 6,000 doctors, 96 percent believed these errors are preventable. There are several steps that a patient in Nevada can take to increase the likelihood of a full recovery.

Experienced older drivers are typically viewed as less likely to cause accidents than younger motorists. However, as these drivers age, they undergo various physiological changes that increase their vulnerability to the effects of alcohol. As any drunk driving accident attorney Las Vegas understands, even low levels of alcohol consumption can make these drivers more prone to cause accidents.

The American Liver Foundation is promoting Liver Cancer Awareness Month in Nevada this October by educating the public on the functions of the liver in the body and risk factors for liver disease. There are approximately 30 million individuals in America who have some type of liver disease, including hepatitis A, B and C, but many are undiagnosed or improperly diagnosed. Three out of four people in the United States who have hepatitis do not know they are infected, and it is the most common cause of liver cancer.

Truck drivers may spend up to 11 hours on the road each day. When this much time is devoted to the task of driving, using a handheld device for phone calls, texts, or entertainment may be difficult to resist. However, these activities are considered distracted driving, and a federal law enacted by the U.S. Department of Transportation makes them illegal for commercial drivers due to the alarming number of injuries and fatalities that occur each year as a direct result. According to the Nevada Department of Transportation, there were nearly 1500 accidents involving tractor trailers in 2010. More than 340 resulted in serious injuries, and 16 of the accidents were fatal.

The driver who is at fault in a motor vehicle accident is liable for the damages caused, according to Nevada law. Automobile insurance is mandatory in the state, so the expenses relating to the accident should be covered. In most cases, victims may file a claim with the drivers’ insurance company to be compensated for the costs of the vehicle damage, medical bills and other expenses.

Every year, Nevada ranks among the ten states with the worst rates of pedestrian fatalities, according to the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles. Data from the DMV and the Nevada Department of Transportation shows that 234 pedestrians lost their lives between 2008 and 2012. Over the same time period, 784 people sustained injuries in pedestrian accidents.

In a Johns Hopkins malpractice study, researchers estimated that surgeons leave foreign objects such as surgical sponges and towels inside patients after surgery more than 2,000 times each year. This type of medical mistake is called a “never event” because it is both preventable and potentially life threatening in many cases. Retained surgical sponges are the most common type of surgical mistake.

Cornell University Law School’s Legal Information Institute states that when a manufacturer creates a product that deviates from its intended design, it is considered defective. This may be due to the use of sub-standard materials or carelessness in its creation. Consumers in Las Vegas who purchase defective products are at risk for personal harm.