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The MDJD Blog

Michael V. Barszcz, M.D., J.D.

Archive for January, 2012

To Prevent Auto Accidents, more than 66,000 Tires Recalled

Thursday, January 26th, 2012

Toyo Tire USA Corp. is recalling 66,763 tires because of a defect that could lead to tire failure. Tires are from the Extensa A/S group, size p225/60r16 97t.

Tire failure can be a very sudden and unexpected cause of an auto accident. Your car’s tires support the weight of the vehicle and keep your vehicle on the road. When your tires fail, a violent and devastating car accident can result.

Apparently, these tires have a kink in the bead area. If the tires are overloaded or underinflated, the kink may quickly turn into a crack in the bead area, which could cause the tire to fail.

When your tires fail, you will experience a sudden loss of control of your vehicle. In such an unexpected event, it may be near impossible to prevent an accident, and the debris of the tire could cause other motorists to veer off the roadway. You or your loved ones may face life-altering injuries as a result of the accident, including:

• Brain injury
• Spinal cord injury
• Paralysis
• Amputation
• Death

As medical expenses climb and as you suffer from the emotional trauma of your accident, it is important that you not face these consequences without monetary compensation if someone else’s negligence caused your accident. Although your initial instinct may be to blame yourself when other drivers are not involved, defective products are just as capable of causing accidents as people.

If you have been injured in an auto accident because of someone else’s negligence in Orlando, Florida or the surrounding areas, please contact experienced accident attorney Michael Barszcz, M.D., J.D., to schedule a consultation.

Posted in Auto Accidents | Comments Off

Florida Auto Accident Deaths Continue to Decrease while Population Grows

Monday, January 16th, 2012

Auto accidents remain one of the leading causes of death in the US. This source of fatality is also preventable.

In recent years, local and state governments have targeted the prevention of auto accidents in order to curb the tragedies that result. In 2011, Florida recorded the lowest number of traffic-related deaths since 1978, even though the state’s population has doubled. Last year, 2,373 people lost their lives in Florida auto accidents, compared to 2,444 people the year prior.

In fact, the number of traffic-related deaths in the state has been decreasing over the past six years. Julie L. Jones, the executive director of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, called the trend “encouraging,” but emphasized the importance of sticking to strategic efforts to decrease the rate of auto accident deaths, a frequent cause of wrongful death claims. The Department’s approach to reducing traffic-related fatalities includes:

• Enforcement of traffic laws
• Education regarding traffic safety issues
• Licensing all drivers
• Registering all vehicles
• Effective use of technology

Like all accidents, car accidents are preventable. We all have the ability to prevent these tragedies, simply by always wearing a seatbelt and never driving drunk.

If you have been injured in an auto accident in Orlando, Florida or the surrounding areas, please contact experienced attorney Michael Barszcz, M.D., J.D., to schedule a consultation.

Posted in Auto Accidents | Comments Off

Florida Faces Worsening Nursing Shortage

Thursday, January 5th, 2012

Florida hospitals and health centers are filled with many hard-working, caring and compassionate healthcare workers. Unfortunately, many of these individuals are placed under undue stress when these facilities are not adequately staffed. Even with dedicated and experienced workers, errors and medical malpractice are more likely to occur in an improperly staffed medical environment.

According to a report issued by the Florida Hospital Association last month, the state may face a critical healthcare worker shortage in the years ahead. The state has struggled with shortages over the years, but the situation is expected to worsen. The report attributes this shortage to:

• Cuts to Medicaid payments
• Current health care reform legislation
• Increased rate of retirement of healthcare professionals

By 2025, the shortage of Florida nurses is expected to increase to 50,300 full-time registered nurses. Currently, more than three-fourths of hospitals in Florida are short on nurses. The vacancy rate of emergency room nurses in Florida is the highest of all the nursing departments in the state at 8.3 percent.

A stressed and overburdened nursing staff is more likely to make mistakes as longer working hours become common and temporary nurses replace full-time staff. Tragic medical malpractice cases that can arise in these situations include:

• Medication errors
• Emergency room negligence
• Hospital negligence

Compounding the shortage is the fact that Florida’s population is increasingly in need of healthcare: The population is expected to grow 60 percent by 2030, contributing to a greater demand for and stress upon healthcare services.

The state is also struggling with a physician shortage. There are not enough new physicians to replace the aging and retiring physicians. One-fourth of Florida’s physicians are over the age of 65, while only 10 percent are under the age of 35.

We rely on healthcare professionals during the most unexpected and trying times. Unfortunately, healthcare workers who are careless when performing their job duties have the capacity to change our lives forever. Hospitals across the state are seeking solutions, such as finding new ways to recruit and hold on to new nurses.

If you have suffered an injury because of medical malpractice in Orlando, Florida or the surrounding areas, please contact experienced injury attorney Michael Barszcz to schedule a consultation.

Posted in Medical Malpractice | Comments Off

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