Fort Lauderdale Injury Lawyer Blog

A recent study suggests that slip and fall and trip and fall accidents in hospitals are becoming an even larger problem than in years past. The study suggests ways to improve patient safety in hospitals through patient education. It also remarks that ensuring that assistive devices like canes and walkers are availiable to patients in their hospital rooms. It goes on to say that scheduled and calculated trips to the bathroom with assistance from a nurse helps avoid falls.

The injuries that result from slip and fall accidents in a hospital include simple scapes and brusies to more serious broken bones and head traumas. The study found that patients involved in elimination falls - a fall related to using the toilet - were more likely to sustain a more serious injury. Elimination falls can occur on the way to the bathroom, inside the patient's bathroom or while a patient uses a bedside commode.

Our Fort Lauderdale slip and fall lawyers recommend hiring outside nursing assistance to oversee a loved one that is hospitalized to avoid falls.

Continue reading "Hospital Slip and Falls - A Growing Problem" »

It is commonplace that many families decorate their homes both on the interior and exterior during the holiday season. It is equally common that accidents and injuries occur when putting up these decorations. The Consumer Public Safety Commission estimates that 10,000 people go the emergency room for treatment of injuries related to holiday decorating.

Of all the dangers caused by holiday decorations, injuries caused by candle lighting are the most frequent. As many as 14,000 house fires occur each year due to negligent use of candles resulting in 170 deaths annually. Accidents and injuries also are caused by holiday lights. Unfortunately, people use old holiday lights that have frayed wires and broken bulbs that cause them to be injured. Finally, holiday tree safety is important. Many injuries from trees that catch fire are reported each year. To avoid such a tragedy in your home, make sure that your holiday tree is not too dry. One tip is to fill up the reservoir at the base of the tree every few days to avoid the tree drying out and becoming a fire hazard. There are also automatic tree watering machines on the market that water a natural holiday tree for you after you set a timer.

Remember, this is the time of year to enjoy family and "deck the halls" safely and soundly. Please take an extra minute or so inspecting all of your decorations, especially the older ones, before putting them up so that you and your family remain safe this holiday season.

Continue reading "Tips to Avoid Holiday Decorating Accidents in Florida" »

Recently a study was compiled that showed that more than a third of people over the age of 65 slip and fall each year in Florida. Sadly, more than 1 fall in 10 results in a fractured hip or other serious injury.

Florida's elderly community needs protection. Store owners and businesses that service our state's elderly population must keep their locations safe and free from debris and objects that can cause injury. As a lawyer in Florida, too often I see local businesses fail to take the necessary precautions to protect Florida's elderly citizenry. It is a shame that simple measures to prevent slip and fall accidents or fall downs are not implemented and that stores all too often fail to perform weekly inspections of their premises.

Continue reading "Slip and Fall Accidents in Florida Cause Most Harm to Elderly" »

Friends and family are over at the house. People are yelling at the television screen as the football games are being played. Uncle John is drinking wine and passes out hitting his head on the floor.

Uncle John's plight is what you can expect on Thanksgiving. Here are the five most common ways to end up in the emergency room on Thanksgiving due to an accident:

1. Choking on a turkey bone - children are especially vulnerable to swallowing and choking on a turkey bone or a large piece of turkey meat that was not cut up.

2. Cutting a finger while carving the bird - make sure that you have plenty and light and a sharp knife when carving your turkey. Avoid carving the turkey around others that might distract you from the job at hand.

3. Lighting the kitchen on fire - Thanksgiving day is the most popular day for grease fires in the kitchen. If your kitchen happens to catch on fire, don't panic and attempt to put it out immediately. Of course, keep children and young ones from the oven and stovetop.

4. Getting burned by the oven - burns are the most common household injuries on Thanksgiving. Make sure that you immediately ice a burn.

5. Getting sick from the food - of course we don't want to embarrass Aunt Betty about her bad tasting cranberry sauce but if you suffer from food poisoning immediately seek attention in the emergency room

Continue reading "Accidents on Thanksgiving Day: Not Just "Talking Turkey"" »

A slip and fall accident is serious for every business owner. They happen to be the most common accidents in the workplace. Slip and falls or trip and falls can cause injuries as minor as broken bones and as serious as brain injuries or even death. Here are several tips that each business owner can use to help prevent slip and fall accidents in the workplace:

1. Inspect the workplace for spills, loose carpeting, slippery surfaces, bad lighting and uneven floors. If you notice any of these hazards correct the problem at once. If it takes you longer to fix the hazard put up warning signs or caution tape until it is fixed.

2. Take daily walks through the workplace to check for problem areas and potential problems.

3. Perform regular maintenance on your business including flooring, stairs and doorways.

4. Publish a workplace safety manual for use by your employees that outlines how they should deal with dangerous situations and how to respond after a slip and fall accident occurs.

5. Have a formal reporting system in place that includes employee interviews and the completion of incident reports following a slip and fall or trip and fall accident.

6. Purchase liability insurance to protect your business from claims and lawsuits.

Continue reading "Avoid Slip and Fall Accidents at Local Florida Businesses" »

According to hotel industry statistics, slip and falls consistently account for about 42% of guest accidents. In fact, bathrooms are among the top five places that trip and fall accidents occur.

Glossy bathroom floors are increasingly popular at hotels. Hotel industry experts project that the proliferation of marble and other easy-to-clean surfaces and materials combined with a lack of safety standards for bathroom and bathtub safety equates to an increase in hotel slip and fall accidents especially among baby boomers. Bathtubs in all hotels should have factory installed slip-resistant etching. Regular cleaning is the most effective way to maintain the etching. Another essential element is the use of slip-resistant rubber mats that hotels don't like to use because they detract from the overall look of the bathroom.

Continue reading "Slip and Fall Accidents in Florida Hotels" »

A Walt Disney World cast member is dead after a slip and fall accident at Hollywood Studios. A stunt performer was fatally injured during a rehearsal for the " Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular." He was doing a tumbling roll when he was hurt.

Disney workers dialed 911 to report the incident. The man was rushed to Florida Hospital Celebration Health, where he was pronounced dead.

This is the third reported death by a Disney stunt performer in the last few months. Now matter what line of work you are in or how much experience you have, you never know that an accident like this can happen to you.

Continue reading "Slip and Fall Accident Kills Disney Employee" »

Slips and falls in bathtubs and showers are to blame for injuring more than 43,000 children in the United States each year research finds.

Burns from hot water, drowning, and near drowning are the types of children's injuries most often associated with bathing accidents. But a new study published Pediatrics is the first to detail the number of slips and falls in bathtubs.

Continue reading "43,000 Children Injured in Bathtub Slips and Falls Each Year" »