Category Archives: falls

Falls Cause Rising Number of Brain Injuries in Older Adults

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Today’s post comes from guest author Anthony L. Lucas, from The Jernigan Law Firm.

According to the latest report from the CDC, from 2007 to 2013, the rate for traumatic brain injuries that resulted in emergency department visits, hospitalizations, or deaths increased 39 percent. Traumatic brain injuries contribute to about 30 percent of all injury deaths. It was initially believed that the increase in brain injuries was caused by rising awareness of sports-related head injuries in children and young adults. However, after researchers reviewed the data, they found that the biggest driver in the increase of brain injuries was due to older adults.

The rate for reported brain injuries for elderly Americans increased 76 percent from 2007 to 2013, much greater than any other age group. This increase is believed to be due to falls. Many times they are not reported, and according to Dr. Lauren Southerland, an Ohio State University emergency physician “what may seem like a mild initial fall may cause concussions or other problems that increase the chances of future falls – and more severe injuries.

To address fall-related brain injuries, the CDC has developed the STEADI (Stopping Elderly Accidents and Injuries) initiative to help primary care providers address their patients’ fall risk. The CDC has also launched a HEADS UP awareness campaign to help individuals recognize, respond to, and minimize the risk of concussion or other serious brain injury.

The offices of Rehm, Bennett, Moore & Rehm, which also sponsors the Trucker Lawyers website, are located in Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska. Five attorneys represent plaintiffs in workers’ compensation, personal injury, employment and Social Security disability claims. The firm’s lawyers have combined experience of more than 95 years of practice representing injured workers and truck drivers in Nebraska, Iowa and other states with Nebraska and Iowa jurisdiction. The lawyers regularly represent hurt truck drivers and often sue Crete Carrier Corporation, K&B Trucking, Werner Enterprises, UPS, and FedEx. Lawyers in the firm hold licenses in Nebraska and Iowa and are active in groups such as the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers, Workers' Injury Law & Advocacy Group (WILG), American Association for Justice (AAJ), the Nebraska Association of Trial Attorneys (NATA), and the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). We have the knowledge, experience and toughness to win rightful compensation for people who have been injured or mistreated.

This entry was posted in Brain Injuries, falls and tagged , , , , .

Prevent Construction Falls: Celebrate National Safety Stand-Down This Week

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Stand-Down-1-12-16Many have heard the cliché that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and that is especially true when it comes to workplace safety.

Following up on last week’s Workers’ Memorial Day commemoration, this week is National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction. The lawyers here are prepared to help injured workers and their loved ones because of their experience in workers’ compensation and other issues related to workers and personal injury. But is frustrating to realize that all too often, incidents that result in workers’ injuries on the job could and should have been prevented.

With a goal of reaching 5 million workers, or over half of the country’s construction workers, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s voluntary event this year “focuses on ‘Fall Hazards’ and reinforcing the importance of ‘Fall Prevention,’” according to the National Safety Stand Down website.

“Falls continue to be the construction industry’s leading cause of death; each year, hundreds of workers die and thousands more suffer catastrophic, debilitating injuries. Despite these chilling statistics, the absence of proper fall protection remains the violation cited most frequently by federal safety inspectors,” according to this news release from the U.S. Labor Department.

Both of the pages linked to above include good resources for employers and workers to explore and consider for their workplaces to bring greater safety awareness to construction zones, regardless of what’s being built.

“Our nation and our economy should not be built on the backs of fallen and injured workers,” said Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in the Labor Department’s news release. “The National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls is an opportunity to reach millions of workers and bring employers, unions and other organizations together to show their commitment to safety and to ensure construction workers end their shift safe, healthy and ready to return home.”

Please contact an experienced workers’ compensation lawyer if you have questions about a specific situation that you or a loved ones has encountered. Have a safe and productive month.

The offices of Rehm, Bennett, Moore & Rehm, which also sponsors the Trucker Lawyers website, are located in Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska. Five attorneys represent plaintiffs in workers’ compensation, personal injury, employment and Social Security disability claims. The firm’s lawyers have combined experience of more than 95 years of practice representing injured workers and truck drivers in Nebraska, Iowa and other states with Nebraska and Iowa jurisdiction. The lawyers regularly represent hurt truck drivers and often sue Crete Carrier Corporation, K&B Trucking, Werner Enterprises, UPS, and FedEx. Lawyers in the firm hold licenses in Nebraska and Iowa and are active in groups such as the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers, Workers' Injury Law & Advocacy Group (WILG), American Association for Justice (AAJ), the Nebraska Association of Trial Attorneys (NATA), and the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). We have the knowledge, experience and toughness to win rightful compensation for people who have been injured or mistreated.

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OSHA: Nebraska Construction Company Ignored Safety Requirements

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OSHA recently wrapped up an investigation that stemmed from a September 2014 incident in Grand Island, Nebraska, where “a 42-year-old worker fell 16 feet to his death and a 25-year-old co-worker suffered serious injuries after their employer, Roeder Construction, failed to provide either man with fall protection as they worked on a roof,” according to an OSHA news release.

We extend our sympathies to the loved ones of the man who died, and thoughts for the best recovery possible go to the man who was hurt.

The incident occurred when “the two men were installing a heavy-duty, weatherproof tarpaulin on Sept. 15, 2014, on a residential home in Grand Island.” After one employee lost his balance, he started falling. Then “the second man tried to stop his co-workers fall, and the momentum carried both employees off the roof to the ground.”

“One worker died of his injuries two days later, while the second was treated and released from a local hospital with torn ligaments and bruising,” according to the news release. Though both employees had previous roofing-industry experience, each had been with the company for just over one month.

OSHA proposed fines of $7,600 to the company based in Kearney, Nebraska, for violations that included not providing fall protection or training employees in its use and “failing to report the workplace fatality within eight hours.”

For more information and resources, OSHA has an excellent website regarding its Fall Prevention Campaign. A site in Spanish is also available.

In addition, as was recently mentioned on the blog, it is always a good idea to contact an experienced lawyer if you have questions about a safety concern at your job. This website also has information about filing a complaint with OSHA.

The offices of Rehm, Bennett, Moore & Rehm, which also sponsors the Trucker Lawyers website, are located in Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska. Five attorneys represent plaintiffs in workers’ compensation, personal injury, employment and Social Security disability claims. The firm’s lawyers have combined experience of more than 95 years of practice representing injured workers and truck drivers in Nebraska, Iowa and other states with Nebraska and Iowa jurisdiction. The lawyers regularly represent hurt truck drivers and often sue Crete Carrier Corporation, K&B Trucking, Werner Enterprises, UPS, and FedEx. Lawyers in the firm hold licenses in Nebraska and Iowa and are active in groups such as the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers, Workers' Injury Law & Advocacy Group (WILG), American Association for Justice (AAJ), the Nebraska Association of Trial Attorneys (NATA), and the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). We have the knowledge, experience and toughness to win rightful compensation for people who have been injured or mistreated.

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