Panama City Personal Injury Law Blog

2 killed in fall from 7-story construction job in Florida

On behalf of Walborsky & Bradley posted in Workers' Compensation on Wednesday, September 12, 2018.

It is always important for those working in construction to follow strict protocols. They have to make sure their equipment is in good condition and used accurately. If not, it could end up leading to injuries or deaths like in this case involving three workers in Orlando.

In a horrifying situation that should have been preventable, two workers died in a scaffolding collapse that occurred near Walt Disney World in Florida. The Aug. 29 report states that the two workers fell from scaffolding as they were pouring concrete into a 16-story hotel. Orange County sheriff's officials stated that the men were on the seventh floor of the hotel at the time of the incident.

Device managers might rely on physicians instead of recalls

On behalf of Walborsky & Bradley posted in Products Liability on Thursday, August 30, 2018.

In what may be a shocking report, an Aug. 22 article describes how medical manufacturers actually rely on medical professionals to alert them to problems with their devices. Then, once the physicians know of defects, the medical device managers rely on those physicians to screen the devices out because of defects.

What should happen? A device that causes patient injuries or that has defects should be recalled, but that doesn't always happen. Results from a behavioral study from Indiana University and the University of Minnesota claim that issuing a recall could affect an operation manager's career, so many rely on medical providers to screen out the devices and stop using them on patients.

Hospital acquired infections: What you need to know

On behalf of Walborsky & Bradley posted in Medical Malpractice on Thursday, August 16, 2018.

One of the most dangerous hospital-acquired infections is methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). This infection is not something a patient ever wants to hear that they have developed.

MRSA is a bacterium that causes infection to spread throughout various parts of the body. The biggest problem with it is that it developed in hospitals, so it infects the vulnerable and is extremely resistant to antibiotics.

Struck by an uninsured driver? Here's what to consider

On behalf of Walborsky & Bradley posted in Car Accidents on Thursday, August 2, 2018.

You were traveling with your family when another driver, seemingly not paying attention, slammed into your vehicle with theirs. In an instant, everything you planned for the future changed. You suffered a serious injury, and several of your loved ones did as well.

You felt a little comfort knowing that you could file an insurance claim to cover your losses, but that's when you discovered that the driver wasn't insured. They were breaking the law, but now they're breaking your bank.

Delayed diagnoses can cause irreparable harm

On behalf of Walborsky & Bradley posted in Medical Malpractice on Friday, July 20, 2018.

Delayed diagnoses are a significant problem in the medical world. While a diagnosis is delayed, a patient often goes without a necessary treatment. Without the appropriate treatment, the patient's medical condition could get worse or even end up becoming terminal.

Missed diagnoses are likely in some cases, like if a disease is very rare or there are few specialists to see in an area. However, it's a medical provider's job to do all he or she can to help a patient get an accurate diagnosis. Failing to do so because of not ordering tests or guessing at a diagnosis is unfair to the patient and potentially life-threatening.

Hazardous children's products could result in serious injury

On behalf of Walborsky & Bradley posted in Products Liability on Friday, July 6, 2018.

There are many products that can be dangerous to children, but product liability only really comes into play when parents aren't warned adequately about a product's potential risk to cause injury. In the majority of cases, for instance, a parent would know there was a potential for injury from a baseball. He or she would not know there was a potential for injury from the paint on the ball, though, if it was lead paint or other forms dangerous to the human body.

Every day, people face dangers in their own homes. For example, children's jewelry can be extremely risky to have in the home and could lead to choking injuries. The manufacturer should be making sure that the jewelry does not contain lead or cadmium. If it does contain those chemicals, it should be recalled. If not, parents may have a case against the company for putting a child at risk or giving the child metal poisoning.

See someone texting? Here's what you should do

On behalf of Walborsky & Bradley posted in Car Accidents on Friday, June 22, 2018.

Texting and driving is extremely dangerous, but for the most part, it's hard to know if someone is texting until after a crash occurred. Unless you see them doing so, there's little way to prove that they were on their phones.

One thing you might be asking, though, is what you can do if you do see someone texting and driving. Here is a simple way to handle the situation.

Reaching retirement: Your workers' compensation benefits

On behalf of Walborsky & Bradley posted in Workers' Compensation on Friday, June 8, 2018.

Once you reach the age of retirement, you may not think there is any way to obtain workers' compensation for injuries. In truth, you know you can't return to work largely because of your age. Workers' compensation is designed to compensate you for being unable to work in the future.

According to the Federal Employees' Compensation Act of 1916, workers' compensation benefits are available to federal employees, but they can only receive either retirement benefits or workers' compensation benefits once they reach retirement age, not both. Workers' compensation pays up to 75 percent of a person's salary without any taxes taken out. Retirement benefits, on the other hand, pay 60 percent of the person's past salary.

Scooter and moped accidents: The risk of not having insurance

On behalf of Walborsky & Bradley posted in Personal Injury on Friday, May 25, 2018.

Scooter and moped injuries, much like motorcycle injuries, can be substantial. People who ride these vehicles have little protection against other cars and trucks. The difference for scooters and mopeds tends to be that they're only used on residential roads and at slower speeds, but even at 30 or 40 mph, the risk of a serious injury is high.

Driving a scooter or moped comes with its benefits. For instance, did you know they tend to get around 50 to 70 mpg? That's great when gas prices are high. Still, the risk of a serious collision sometimes makes you wonder if it's worth the savings.

Sovereign immunity shows promise in reducing patient injury

On behalf of Walborsky & Bradley posted in Medical Malpractice on Friday, May 11, 2018.

As a patient who has suffered from the results of medical malpractice, the last thing you'd want to find out is that states were considering providing immunity to doctors and medical providers. Immunity could mean more mistakes with fewer repercussions.

However, some believe that immunity would actually lead to improved patient care, because doctors could focus more on their jobs and less on what would happen if there was a mistake. In fact, a study showed that the number of adverse medical events actually decreased significantly when physicians were provided with immunity from malpractice claims.