Archive for May, 2012

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31
May

Lack Of Seat Belts in Car Crash Kills Three, Injures One

May 31, 2012

A four-vehicle collision in Franklin County, Virginia, killed three people earlier this month. According to WSLS 10 News, the accident occurred on Saturday, May 5, just before 9:00 p.m. along Route 220, near Boones Mill.

Virginia State Police stated that the 52-year-old driver of a 1992 Dodge pickup truck was traveling in the wrong direction along the highway when he collided head-on with a 2004 Chrysler Sebring driven by a 60-year-old man from Rocky Mount. Two vehicles that were traveling behind the Sebring moments before the initial collision were unable to stop and also collided with the wreckage from the first accident.

The driver of the Dodge pickup truck was not wearing a seatbelt and was declared dead by a medical examiner at the scene. Also not properly restrained in the accident was the driver of the Chrysler and his 26-year-old son. Both men were also declared dead at the scene.

A 46-year-old woman who was involved in the secondary crash suffered minor injuries and was transported to a local hospital for treatment.

The Virginia Personal Injury Lawyers with the Skolrood Law Firm say that this Virginia Car Accident highlights the importance of always buckling up your seatbelt before the vehicle moves. The firm would also like to remind parents of the importance of making sure your children are properly restrained in a child safety seat any time they ride in a vehicle.

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24
May

Free Life Preservers To Be Distributed At Smith Mountain Lake This Weekend

May 24, 2012

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 3,000 accidental drownings occur each year in the U.S. WDBJ 7 News says experts believe that 80 percent of those deaths could have been prevented with the use of a personal floatation device, such as a lifejacket.

Knowing these statistics, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries is hoping to keep the number of accidents down over Memorial Day weekend by distributing free life preservers at the busy Smith Mountain Lake this coming weekend. The life jackets will be distributed at six different locations:

  • Moneta
  • Halesford Bridge
  • Scruggs Boat Launch
  • Penhook
  • Anthony Ford
  • Penhook Boat Launch

State law requires that each vessel have a life jacket for each passenger on board a boat. Often times though, Sea Tow Owner, Rick Ellett, says that boats have adult size life jackets, but when visitors come to town with children, there are no life jackets on board for their size. He added that this coming weekend, “…we have the sizes for children, youths, and infants.”

Any driver of a boat caught on the water this weekend ill equipped without life preservers will be ticketed.

The Virginia Personal Injury Lawyers with the Skolrood Law Firm suggest you avoid serious injury on the water by making sure you wear your life preserver at all times and ensure that it’s properly fastened before the boat moves.

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21
May

Fatal Car Accidents Plague Lynchburg, VA, Area

May 18, 2012

A fatal car crash near Lynchburg, Virginia, on Wednesday brought the death count to 10. The Examiner.com reports that in less than a month there have been 10 unrelated deaths from nine fatal car crashes in the Lynchburg area.

This most recent crash occurred when an unidentified driver of a 1995 Cadillac was traveling west on U.S. Route 460 when he lost control, swerved into the east lane, and was hit by a bucket truck driven by a Roanoke man.

Just two days prior a man died when he ran his Tahoe off the road in Rustburg and was thrown from his vehicle. And between May 1 and May 4, there were five deaths: A 69-yar-old woman died after turning in front of a tractor trailer, an 83-year-old woman died after she stepped into traffic near Brookneal, a 69-year-old male died when his truck was hit by an ambulance, a 55-year-old male died when his motorcycle collided with a deer, and a four-year-old was killed when his mom ran a stop sign and another vehicle collided with the van.

Prior to that, a 53-year-old male died on May 2 when he was removing debris that had fallen from his truck onto the road, and two men died on April 21 when a drunk driver collided with their vehicle.

The Virginia Auto Accident Attorneys at Skolrood Law Firm can help if you or a loved one has been injured in a Virginia car accident.

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10
May

Virginia Nursing Home Owner Guilty Of Patient Abuse

May 10, 2012

Research shows that 2.1 million elderly Americans suffer from abuse or neglect each year. Furthermore, for every case of neglect and abuse that goes unreported to the law, there may be as many as five other cases that are not identified.

One Martinsville, Virginia, nursing home owner will pay the price for his part in perpetuating this problem after he was found guilty today of abuse and neglect of an incapacitated adult that resulted in death. According to an article released by WSLS 10 News, the man will now face a sentence of five years in prison when sentenced later this year in October.

The charges stem from an accident that occurred in February of last year at a group home for adults that resulted in a 57-year-old Parkinson’s Patient being severely burned. Court documents and testimony show that the man was left in a bathtub with scalding water that left the man with second and third-degree burns over a large portion of his body.

Caretakers failed to give the man proper treatment or take him to a hospital under the direct order of the group home’s owner. Roughly two weeks later the patient died from Sepsis and secondary infection stemming from the wounds.

The Virginia Personal Injury Lawyers with the Skolrood Law Firm say that the best way to prevent Nursing Home Neglect from occurring to your loved one is to remain active in their care. Ask plenty of questions to caretakers and doctors to better understand and to ensure that your loved one gets the care they need.

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3
May

Medical Mistakes Affect Thousands Of Virginians Each Year

May 3, 2012

HealthGrades estimates that approximately 195,000 Americans die each year because of preventable hospital mistakes, and hundreds of thousands more individuals are hurt as a result of these accidents.

These injuries can range from something as simple as a medication error to a botched surgery. Recently, a bizarre case of hospital error occurred last month in a Virginia hospital. According to an article released by the Duluth News Tribune, a woman who had just given birth at the facility was given the wrong child, sending both sets of parents into a panic.

The accident occurred, according to hospital officials, because of an outdated card ID system the hospital had in place to identify both mother and child failed. The failure occurred when staff failed to change the child’s cards when the mother moved rooms and another woman was brought in. Failure by hospital staff to check both mother and child’s hospital ID bracelets for a match also was a contributing factor in the mistake.

The hospital stated that in response to the incident, they have installed a new ID system that has an auditory alarm that will sound if the mother and child’s bracelets do not match.

Accidents resulting in the need for a Virginia Medical Malpractice Lawyer are simply caused by negligent medical staff. If you’ve been injured under a doctor’s care, a Virginia Personal Injury Lawyer with the Skolrood Law Firm may be able to help you.

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