Indiana Personal Injury Lawyer and Medical Malpractice Attorney Blog

When the worst has occurred, a wrongful death suit may help

Published on: October 18, 2016 | by Barsumian Armiger

Losing a loved one, no matter what the circumstances, is typically devastating, and the emotional impact for a family may be immeasurable. For many Indiana families, the financial impact may also be crushing. When a loss is the result of the recklessness or carelessness of another party, a wrongful death lawsuit is generally seen as an appropriate way to pursue claims for relief concerning the financial damages incurred.

Wrongful death claims are a common result when a loved one is killed in a car accident that is blamed on the negligence of another person. Negligent nursing home care is another circumstance that often leads to a legal claim of wrongful death. Construction site accidents may also spawn a wrongful death suit.

These are not the only incidents that may lead to a wrongful death suit. When a fatal accident occurs on someone’s property, that property owner may face claims of negligence from a wrongful death situation. A slip and fall accident is one of the most common sources of injuries, and unfortunately, wrongful death on someone’s property. Hazardous toys or medicines negligently left out can also lead to situations where a visiting family or child is put at risk and loss of life occurs.

Organizations seek to improve truck safety through crash sensors

Published on: October 11, 2016 | by Barsumian Armiger

When it comes to improving driving safety on our nation’s roads, there are multiple approaches that can be taken. Perhaps the most proactive demographic to improving safety is the trucking industry. In addition to providing training to drivers, there are also regulations in place that outline activities that drivers can and cannot engage in. For example, they cannot drive without taking a certain amount of time off to rest.

Another approach that is taken in ensuring safety in the industry involves the equipment. Recently four trucking organizations charged with improving safety requested that the federal government make rules regarding the use of crash sensors on big rigs. The safety organizations that made the request via petition to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration include:

Road Safe America
Center for Auto Safety
Truck Safety Coalition
Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety

More specifically, the organizations are seeking to make it mandatory that new buses and large trucks, with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or more, have forward collision avoidance and mitigation braking systems installed. These systems both warn drivers when they are getting too close to another vehicle and actually apply the brakes when necessary. Though available, since the use of the system is currently optional, few trucks actually have it.

Nursing home abuse not always physical. Includes medication theft

Published on: October 9, 2016 | by Barsumian Armiger

For most people, deciding to place a family member or loved one in a nursing home is a difficult decision. This could lead to a long period of searching for a facility that meets the needs of the loved one. When a decision is finally made regarding where that person will go there is likely a great sense of relief. Unfortunately, that relief may be misplaced. This is because all too often nursing home residents face abuse at the hands of their caretakers.

According to the CEO of the Indiana Association of Area Agencies on Aging, there were close to 40,000 cases of elder abuse, exploitation or neglect reported to Adult Protective Services in 2014. Those reports resulted in the investigation of approximately 10,000 cases.

Elder abuse can take many forms. The abuse can be physical or emotional. Sometimes abuse occurs when a resident’s possessions are taken. Occasionally the things taken are medications prescribed to the resident. In the latter situation, this theft could result in the resident experiencing serious pain, injury, or even death.

Snarled traffic can cause car accidents in Indiana

Published on: October 3, 2016 | by Barsumian Armiger

The reasons a car may hit another from behind can be countless. However, when traffic is already snarled due to car accidents, anyone caught in the traffic back-up may be vulnerable to being involved in a rear-end crash. It appears this kind of scenario led to a car accident on an Indiana highway as traffic was slowed for a tractor-trailer crash earlier in the morning.

The initial tractor-trailer accident occurred around 7:30 a.m. on a Tuesday and resulted in traffic that was limited to one lane and slowed to about 10 miles per hour. A 44-year-old woman headed westbound was caught in the slow moving traffic. She was struck from behind, and it was reported that the car that hit her was going at a higher speed.

The woman sustained internal injuries. She needed to be airlifted from the site of the car accident. The driver who hit her, a 46-year-old man, also needed to be airlifted to a hospital after initially receiving treatment at one medical facility.

Tips to keep children safe around dogs

Published on: September 30, 2016 | by Barsumian Armiger

Throughout the state of Indiana individuals keep dogs as pets. In many households, they are like members of the family. Despite the high esteem many dogs are given, they can still be dangerous if they attack someone.

People of all ages could be hurt in a dog attack. That said, children are a demographic that are at a high risk for being involved in such an incident. Of the approximate 800,000 dog bites that take place each year, about half involve children who need medical assistance. Each year, between 15 and 20 of these bites to children result in death.

According to the ASPCA there are things that can be done to try to limit the number of these incidents involving children that occur each year.

Car accidents with motorcycles can cause injuries or worse

Published on: September 25, 2016 | by Barsumian Armiger

A collision between any two vehicles on a busy roadway can obviously lead to injuries or worse. When those car accidents involve motorcycles, the drivers and passengers on those motorcycles can be at a greater risk for serious injury or death. A recent collision between a car and a motorcycle on an Indiana roadway led to the death of the motorcyclist and injuries for his passenger.

The accident occurred just after noon on a Sunday. A 44-year-old man and his 32-year-old passenger were hit by a Pontiac. According to reports, the Pontiac driver was about to make a left turn onto another road. Then, that driver apparently pulled back into traffic upon realizing it was the wrong road; this lead to the collision.

The 44-year-old motorcyclist died at the scene of the accident. The passenger was transported to a medical facility by helicopter. The driver who hit the motorcycle suffered cuts on his hands and needed medical treatment also.

Weather-related car accidents can lead to fatalities in Indiana

Published on: September 17, 2016 | by Barsumian Armiger

When weather conditions make the roadways more treacherous, drivers must use extra caution in order to avoid collisions. Car accidents that do occur when bad weather hits Indiana can prove to be fatal, as was the case recently. A teenage passenger lost her life on a stretch of state highway.

The accident occurred on a Saturday afternoon. An 18-year-old was driving east when the slick and slushy roads led him to lose control of the car. It spun and went across the center line, where it ended up striking a bucket truck.

A 17-year-old passenger in the car died at the scene of the crash. The car driver and the driver of the truck were both treated at a nearby hospital for injuries. There was no specific word as to the nature or seriousness of either driver’s injuries.

Many factors could contribute to motor vehicle accident occurring

Published on: September 11, 2016 | by Barsumian Armiger

When someone gets onto a bus to be transported from one place to another, they are placing their trust in the hands of the person behind the wheel of the vehicle and the company that runs the transportation business. While often that trust is well placed, there are times when their safety is at risk. Members of the men’s and women’s bowling teams for Indiana Tech learned that first hand earlier this month. The tour bus in which they were riding was involved in a crash.

The vehicle drifted into a grassy median, went back onto the interstate before going down an embankment, spinning around and rolling on its side. In addition, to the members of the bowling teams, the bus was transporting coaches and their spouses.

Though the bus was seriously damaged in the incident, miraculously no one was killed in the incident. That said, 21 people were hurt in the crash. The injuries of two of them were described as serious.

Indiana car accidents: 3 hurt on Interstate 65

Published on: September 8, 2016 | by Barsumian Armiger

When a car and a truck collide, the likelihood of significant property damage and serious personal injuries is substantial. An Indiana roadway was the scene of a car accident involving a semi-truck on Sept. 12. Car accidents of this nature can result in a personal injury lawsuit if injuries are suffered by innocent victims.

The Saturday afternoon crash occurred on Interstate 65 in Clinton County. A car was southbound in the right lane. A semi-truck rear-ended the car.

The car driver suffered head injuries, though further details were not reported. Two other people in the car also had unspecified pain that required medical intervention. All three were transported to an area hospital for treatment. The driver of the truck did not suffer injuries. The Interstate was closed for nearly an hour as the wreckage was removed from the scene of the accident.

Fowl Play: Look Out for that Turkey!

Published on: September 1, 2016 | by Barsumian Armiger

A personal injury can happen in many bizarre ways. As reported by the New York Times, one of the oddest incidents leading to severe injuries and scarring was caused by a group of New York teenagers who thought throwing a frozen turkey at a car seemed like a good idea back in November of 2004. The frozen turkey struck the driver causing her severe injuries. Luckily, with the help of a passenger, the car was kept under control and no one else was injured.

There can be little argument that the injured woman was entitled to pursue civil remedies against the negligent teenager who threw the turkey and, likely, his accomplices. In fact, the story reports that she and her lawyers planned to file a civil suit and that there was a criminal price to pay for the teenagers as well.

May your travels this Thanksgiving be uneventful, but if you are injured by another’s negligence or reckless behavior, know that Barsumian Armiger is only a phone call away for a free consultation about your legal options.