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Posts Tagged Wrongful Death

Heat and Your Health

Apr 11

Posted by admin in Community Service, Personal Injury, Wrongful Death | Comments off

If you live in the South, this past weekend was a reminder of how hot it can get. Thankfully it looks like today will be our last really hot day for a bit.  We all can do ourselves a favor by acclimating  to the summer heat slowly. Heat illness can come on you like a ton of bricks and be fatal if not treated properly. Everyone likes to think of themselves as tough enough to work outside especially if you’ve lived down here for any length of time but in reality we are all susceptible to the heat and humidity.

Two of the more severe heat illnesses are heat stroke and heat exhaustion. I won’t bore you with my details on handling heat emergencies mostly because I’m not qualified. Here’s a great article I ran across that can explain the signs, symptoms and proper treatment of heat stroke and exhaustion.

Also, don’t forget to take precautions for your pets by ensuring they have shelter from the heat and a plentiful clean source of fresh water.

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Help prevent cervical cancer

Jan 11

Posted by admin in Community Service | 2 Comments

Just wanted to share this article I found from the CDC on helping prevent cervical cancer – what they call the preventable gynecologic cancer.

All women are at risk for cervical cancer, occurring mostly in women over age 30. According to CDC, most cases are “easily preventable with regular screening tests and follow-up”.

SCREENING : two tests can help find it early or prevent it altogether

1. Pap test or Pap Smear looks for precancerous cell changes

2. HPV test – detects the virus that can lead to the precancerous cell changes

HPV Vaccines: there are several vaccines available that protect against the types of HPV that most commonly cause cervical cancer. Two are approved by the USFDA – Cervarix and Gardasil.

Other prevention steps

1. Don’t smoke

2. Use condoms

3. Limit your sexual partners

For more information, read the CDC article and/or contact your gynecologist.

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Heater Safety

Dec 13

Posted by admin in Community Service, Personal Injury, Wrongful Death | Comments off

Even if you haven’t been outside yet today, you probably have realized that winter cold has arrived in earnest. With temperatures expected to fall quickly below freezing shortly after sunset and bottom out in the teens possibly, everyone’s desire for warmth will be priority number one.

For those of you that supplement  your heat in your home with portable electric heaters, please be careful in their use.

Here’s some info from the CPSC on the setup and use of portable heaters thst should help in the prevention of injury or wrongful death.

Portable Electric Heaters

The Commission estimates that half the deaths and one-third of the injuries resulting from electric heater fires occurred at night when family members were asleep and the heater unattended. The Commission is also concerned about the use of power or extension cords which can be too small to supply the amount of current required by the typical portable electric heater.

You should be able to respond “yes” to the following safety statements.

    Yes No
1. The heater is operated at least three feet away from upholstered furniture, drapes, bedding and other combustible materials. ___ ___
2. The extension cord (if used) is marked #14 or #12 American Wire Gauge (AWG). ___ ___
3. The heater is used on the floor. ___ ___
4. The heater is turned off when family members leave the house or are sleeping. ___ ___

Recommendations:

  • Operate heater away from combustible materials. Do not place heaters where towels or the like could fall on the appliance and trigger a fire.
  • Avoid using extension cords unless absolutely necessary. If you must use an extension cord with your electric heater, make sure it is marked with a power rating at least as high as that of the heater itself. Keep the cord stretched out. Do not permit the cord to become buried under carpeting or rugs. Do not place anything on top of the cord.
  • Never place heaters on cabinets, tables, furniture or the like. Never use heaters to dry wearing apparel or shoes.

Stay warm tonight and stay safe. Don’t forget to check on neighbors, pets and plants.

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Distracted driving on the rise

Sep 23

Posted by admin in Auto Accidents | Comments off

The US Department of Transportation held its second annual distracted driving summit yesterday. All the pertinent facts can be found through the government’s official website at  www.distraction.gov.

I won’t bore you with the statistics that their related studies show other than to say distracted driving is on the rise and the number of distractions are constantly increasing.  Automobile manufacturers are making important safety changes in an effort to minimize potential distractions but ultimately the onus is on us to combat these distractions and prevent car accidents.

Texting and teenagers seem to be the most obvious target of concern but from my own observations during my drive to work on the roads of Jacksonville (study to be rel’d at a later date), texting and just basic cell phone use is by no means just a teenage problem. Yes the teenagers are not as experienced behind the wheel but neither are a lot of you adults out there.  It only takes a moment to completely change your life, your family’s life or that of a complete stranger and their friends and family. In less than 6 hours one day this week, I read about  three tragic accidents that lead to untimely deaths on our local roads and highways.  Not all were caused by distractions but we may never know if distracted driving played a role in any of those car accidents.

Hang up and drive is the best solution. Pull over and take that important call or read that e-mail. Unless you are carrying the nuclear football it can wait. In my humble opinion, it’s only going to get worse as our smart phones and mobile devices get even more advanced.

Cell phones are not the only common driving distractions. Here’s a sample list of other common distractions:

  • Eating and drinking
  • Talking to passengers
  • Grooming
  • Reading, including maps
  • Using a PDA or navigation system
  • Watching a video
  • Changing the radio station, CD, or Mp3 player

    • Please take some time to think about your normal driving routine and maybe even write a list of your own distractions you create every day. Share and compare with other drivers in your household and workplace and let’s make Jacksonville a safer place to drive.

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    Wear your seat belt – 10 reasons why

    Sep 8

    Posted by admin in Auto Accidents, Personal Injury, Wrongful Death | 1 Comment

    Besides the fact that the law requires seat belt use, here are ten reasons why you should wear your seat belt based on statistics from a James Mason University study:

    1. One in five drivers are involved in an auto accident each year.
    2. Auto accidents are the leading cause of death for those under the age of 45.
    3. Close to 35,000 people die each year in auto accidents, half of whom would have been saved by the use of seat belts.
    4. For every one percent increase in the use of seat belts, 172 lives are saved.
    5. Seat belts reduce auto accident fatalities by 60-70 percent.
    6. A person is 25 times more likely to die when thrown from a vehicle.
    7. Children are often killed by being crushed by unrestrained adults.
    8. The most common injuries to children in car accidents are head injuries resulting in brain damage, traumatic brain injury, epilepsy or death.
    9. Over 80% of child fatalities in auto accidents would have been prevented by the proper use of seat belts or car seats. Unfortunately, less than ten percent of children are properly restrained.
    10. Seat belts may provide the greatest and only protection against DUI drivers. 

    A seat belt may very well save your life in the case of a car accident. If that is not enough, it may save your child. Just as importantly, it could minimize physical injuries.There many more good reasons for wearing a seat belt and none that would suggest otherwise.

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    Wear your seat-belt!

    Aug 10

    Posted by admin in Auto Accidents, Wrongful Death | Comments off

    This past weekend we had a tragic reminder of why seat-belt use is so vital to our well-being. Two teeenagers in separate accidents sadly lost their lives on the roads of North Florida. One vehicle swerved to miss an animal and a young girl was ejected and killed. The other accident involved a young man who failed to negotiate a curve and was killed on impact.

    Both of these accidents involved the wrongful death of a young teenager filled with lots of promise and potential. Neither of them were restrained by a seat-belt. I can’t say for certain if a seat-belt would have changed the outcome but my hunch is that both of these kids would still be with their friends and family enjoying the waning days of summer had they taken a few seconds to buckle up!

    Don’t start the car until you and your passengers are properly restrained by a seatbelt or secured in a car seat.

    DON’T BECOME A STATISTIC – WEAR YOUR SEAT-BELT!

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    Boating deaths on the rise

    Aug 3

    Posted by admin in Boating Accidents, Personal Injury | 1 Comment

    According to the 2009 Recreational Boating Statistics report released today by the US Coast Guard’s Office of Auxiliary and Boating Safety, fatal accidents for recreational boaters increased by 3.8 percent in 2009. The actual number of boating accidents decreased by 1.2 percent.

    Two of the more shocking statistics are the fact that nearly 75 percent of of the 736 deaths from boating accidents were as a result of drowning and 84 percent of those victims were not wearing a life preserver. The other shocking statistic is that 86 percent of boat operators involved in an accident had not received any boat safety instruction. According to Admiral Kevin Cook “the two most important things boaters can do to prevent the loss of life is to wear a life jacket and take a boater’s education course.”

    Would you ride in a car with someone that had never driven before? Better yet, how about fly with a pilot that has never soloed or taken flying lessons? I’m guessing MOST of you would say no.

    You can’t just park the boat when bad weather rolls in and wait for it to clear like parking on the side of the highway in your car. Also, if you haven’t noticed your boat or personal watercraft doesn’t have any brakes.

    Check into a local boat safety course and if you have any question about your own swimming ability or your passengers ability – please wear a life jacket. They are much more comfortable and less bulky than the old orange pull over your head life jackets our parents wore.

    Happy and Safe Boating!!

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    Infant death prompts recall

    Jun 3

    Posted by admin in Uncategorized | Comments off

    The US Consumer Product Safety Commission in cooperation with Sprout Stuff of Texas has announced a recall of their infant ring slings. Sadly this is due to the wrongful death of a ten day old boy while in the Sprout Stuff ring sling.

    Sprout Stuff is notifying the consumers directly.

    Don’t settle for less than you deserve – www.harrellandharrell.com

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    Child’s Death Prompts Product Recall

    May 18

    Posted by admin in Product Recalls | Comments off

    The deaths of two children have prompted Family Dollar Stores, Inc in conjunction with the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to announce the recall of close to two million toy dart guns.

    Family Dollar received reports of two asphyxiation deaths of a nine year old and ten year old boy. The soft pliable darts can be inhaled into the throat and prevent a person from breathing. Please click on the recall link for more information including pictures of the recalled product which was sold exclusively by Family Dollar from 2005 until 2009.

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    Swimming Pool Safety

    May 5

    Posted by admin in Personal Injury, Wrongful Death | Comments off

    I thought about this topic as I was cleaning the out the filters and skimmer in my pool early this morning.

    How much thought do you put into swimming pool safety this time of year?

    With a house full of little swimmers, it is constantly on my mind. With temperatures starting to climb into the 90′s here in Jacksonville, FL the pool temperature is steadily going up. My kids think it is because daddy has the heater running (little do they know) but that is for another article.

    It only takes a moment for a child or adult to drown in even the slightest bit of water. We should all make sure our pool safety fences are in good condition and that the self-locking mechanism device on the gate  is operating properly. For those of you that have doors and windows equipped with alarms – check to see if they work just like you would for your smoke detector. You don’t want to find out after a swimming pool accident that it could have been easily avoided. Next, it’s time to consider swimming lessons for the little ones that have not developed gills yet. There are plenty of options out there from private to group lessons.

    As far as the pool itself goes, you should have a qualified expert like your local pool company come out and  make sure your safety devices such as the pressure relief valve on the drains are working. Who knows what kind of creature could have called your pool equipment home over the winter months.

    There are many other things to consider but one of the most important is to not swim alone or let a non-swimmer have access to your pool without qualified supervision. We have all heard horrific stories of how fast a drowning can occur – Don’t let it happen on your watch or in your pool!

    www.harrellandharrell.com

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