New Haven, Connecticut Personal Injury Blog

Starting in 2014, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will likely require automakers to install rearview cameras as standard equipment in all passenger vehicles.

It is estimated that the cameras could prevent more than 100 fatal accidents every year.

Each week, on average, two children are killed and 50 more are injured when a driver accidentally backs over them. In the vast majority of cases, the children are hidden in the vehicle's rear blind spot. Even if the driver looks in the rearview mirror, he or she can't see these children.

Whether or not you receive proper pain medication during an emergency room visit may all depend on your age. A new study by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has determined that the elderly people who go to the emergency room are less likely to receive pain medication as compared to younger people who arrive at the emergency room suffering from the same ailment.

The seven year study found that 49 percent of ER patients over the age of 75 were given pain medication compared to 65 percent of ER patients under the age of 75. The study did not include patients who were cognitively impaired or unable to tell medical staff that they were in pain.

A report from the Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR) suggests that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) may underestimate the number of construction injuries which occur annually in the U.S. This may be especially true for injuries which occur within small construction companies of 10 or fewer employees. As injury data informs the evolution of safety regulations, this underreporting will likely have an adverse effect on worker safety.

The report, "Injury Underreporting Among Small Establishments in the Construction Industry," was published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine. The report determined that a major reason for the BLS's underestimation is that, out of all construction companies, small construction companies are the most likely to fail to report or underreport their workers' injuries. According to the report, small firms also have a higher percentage and greater severity of construction accident injuries than medium or large companies.

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.