All Topics

• Big Rig Crash snarls I-5 Traffic in Elk Grove

  Ed Smith | October 11, 2006 9:24 PM | 0 CommentsSacramento, CA

  An early morning truck crash in Elk Grove on Wednesday played havoc with early morning traffic. At 3:22 AM, the truck slammed into the center rail north of Laguna Boulevard. All southbound lanes were blocked for several hours.The cause of the accident was not immediately known.See the following article for an excellent review of causes of trucking accidents.

• Escalator Injuries among Children

  Ed Smith | October 11, 2006 3:25 PM | 0 CommentsSacramento, CA

  There's a disproportionate number of escalator related injuries among children younger than 5 years. Hand injuries are the most frequent, as fingers become entrapped between the steps and the sidewall. A proper escalator design that redcues the gap between the steps and the sidewall can do much to reduce the chances of entrapment. It is critically important for an experienced products liability...

• 9 injured in separate Sacrmamento Hit and Run Accidents

  Ed Smith | October 11, 2006 3:07 PM | 0 CommentsSacramento, CA

  In the past week, 9 Sacramentans were injured in 2 separate hit and run accidents. Many of my clients are unaware that even if the hit and run driver injuring the innocent party leaves the scene in a hit and run accident.they may still have insurance coerage under their own uninsured motorist automobile insurance.In the first accident, a pedestrian was struck last Friday approximately 7:15PM,...

• Concussions in Children

  Ed Smith | October 11, 2006 2:38 PM | 0 CommentsSacramento, CA

  Recently, my office handled a case where a young high school freshman suffered a concussion which seriously affected his life. A concussion, also called a "mild traumatic brain injury", results when the soft tissues of the brain are shifted and grind against the hard bones of the skull. Concussions are graded in three clases.In a grade 1 concussion, the child does no lose consciousness, but may...

• Incidence of Traumatic Brain Injury on the rise

  Ed Smith | October 10, 2006 2:21 PM | 0 CommentsSacramento, CA

  Many times, as demonstrated by a recent case in this office, people with traumatic brain injuries (also known as concussions) are noted in initial emergency room records to be "Alert", "oriented" and ""responsive and coherent". They may have no obvious signs of injury abd CAT scans can be negative. Nonetheless, at varying intervals after their accident, such people encounterdifficulties in...

• Woman awarded 2 Million for Unattended Stroke

  Ed Smith | October 10, 2006 1:36 PM | 0 CommentsSacramento, CA

  A woman who suffered a brain injury becase she was neglected in a hospital after suffering a stroke was awarded 2 million dollars by an Illinois jury. Even trained professionals, if they are hurried and unaware may miss stroke warning signs that are vitally important to full recovery.

• Deadly Crash Kills Marysville Family of Six

  Ed Smith | October 06, 2006 3:25 PM | 0 CommentsSacramento, CA

  Witnesses recall a horrific crash on Highway 70 Near Olivehurst involving a suspected drunk driver. On 9/16/06, a Mother, Father, thier 3 year old and six moth old sons and the womans parents were returning from a baptism when the suspected drunk driver clipped thier Suburban and caused them to slam into a tree. Five of the six victims died at the scene and the father died on arrival at...

• Brain Injuries Treated by Female Hormones

  Ed Smith | October 06, 2006 2:49 PM | 0 CommentsSacramento, CA

  Treatment with progesterone, a well-known hormone that prepares the womb for pregnancy, safely reduces the risk of death and disability in people who suffer a traumatic brain injury, new research suggests. Researcher Dr. David W. Wright and colleagues have noticed that the advantages of progesterone over other treatments are that it enters the brain quickly, it is safe to use, easy to administer...

• Medicare's Reimbursement rights set to expand.

  Ed Smith | October 05, 2006 4:35 PM | 0 CommentsSacramento, CA

  Beginning January 1, 2006, not only will Medicare require reimbursement for injury-related care, but will expand reimbursement interest to include prescription drugs.In the past, not only has Medicare taken a bite out of personal injury settlements and awards by requiring reimbursement for costs for medical care provided, but will now allege a separate right of recovery via Prescription Drugs...

• Sacramento County Has State's Highest Number of Hit and Run Crashes

  Ed Smith | October 04, 2006 5:11 PM | 0 CommentsSacramento, CA

  Sacramento County has the dubious distinction of being the county in California where the most hit and run collisions occur. Out of the 15,555 motor vehicle collisions resulting in a fatality or injury in Sacramento County alone in 2004, over 1,180 of these involved a hit and run driver, according to the State Office of Traffic Safety. This disturbing statistic is all the more reason for...