New Haven, Connecticut Personal Injury Blog

People who think they can drive while using a mobile device may be in a for a surprise-a new study by the director of the Birmingham University of Alabama Youth Safety Laboratory reveals that many people can't even walk and stay "connected" without putting themselves in danger.

The study determined that pedestrians who used mobile devices while crossing intersections were more likely to be hit by cars, and that listening to music provided the greatest distraction.

Lead poisoning is a silent, but serious threat to the health and well-being of children in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one out of every 22 American children has elevated levels of lead in their bloodstreams. Left untreated, lead poisoning may result in brain injury, behavior problems and stunted growth.

To reduce the number of lead poisoning cases, the U.S. Consumer Safety Commission has decided to lower the limit of lead allowed in toys and other children's products. Beginning August 14, 2011, the limit was reduced by two thirds, from 300 parts per million to 100 parts per million of lead.

According to Obama administration officials, converting paper medical records into electronically-stored data will help reduce health care costs, prevent medical errors and improve patient outcomes. In fact, as part of the push to shift the entire nation to electronic health care records, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services is providing significant incentive payments to doctors and hospitals as they adopt electronic health record technology throughout 2011.

However, as a growing number of health care providers store patient information electronically, privacy is becoming an acute concern. Considering a recent string of serious medical data breaches and negligence on the part of hospitals, consumer unease about electronic health records is far from groundless.

In light of the congressional battle over the financial state of the nation, some lawmakers are looking to eliminate spending wherever they can - sometimes seemingly at whatever the ultimate cost to public safety. The House Appropriations Committee approved a spending bill in June 2011 that would eliminate the $3 million funding for SaferProducts.gov, the nation's only government consumer product safety complaint database. Advocates are concerned that the savings would be offset by the losses in consumer education and safety.

Diagnosis is a crucial element of medical treatment, and radiological techniques such as x-rays, CT scans and MRIs play a major role in early detection of health issues. But radiology errors and associated medical malpractice issues also present significant risks, and patients should thus not be exposed to unnecessary radiation without a solid cause.

As the sun shines for longer and longer each day, Connecticut welcomes in a new season: roadwork. With the return of construction projects on both major highways and rural back roads, roads not only become more perilous, but the risk of being involved in a motor vehicle accident also increases.

While teen drivers account for only 14 percent of the population, they are involved in almost 30 percent of all motor vehicle collisions. Younger drivers are four times more likely to be involved in a car accident than experienced drivers.

In Connecticut, "Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for Connecticut teens and are responsible for 39 percent of all deaths among 16- and 17-year-olds," stated a spokesperson for the Connecticut Department of Public Health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the primary cause of teen death in the United States in 2008 was a car accident.

In January 2011, Connecticut received the most snowfall of any January since record-keeping began in 1905. Amid repeated snow storms, it is difficult and tiring to keep up with ice and snow clearing on sidewalks and driveways. However, in general, all Connecticut property owners have a duty to remove snow and ice from their walkways, steps and parking areas once a storm ends.

Connecticut's snow-clearing rule comes from the 1989 Connecticut Supreme Court case Kraus v. Newton. In that case, freezing rain had been falling for several hours when a meter reader came to a property where the stairs and railing were covered in ice, but sand had not been put down. The meter reader was injured when he slipped and fell on the steps, and he sued the property owner for negligence in a premises liability lawsuit.