New Jersey Injury Attorney Blog

Considering that emergency rooms throughout New Jersey calculated 3.3 million patient visits in 2008, it is understandable that hospitals are making efforts to lower waiting periods. In doing so, it is our hope that incidents of medical malpractice decrease as well. As long as medical professionals exercise a high standard of care, it shouldn’t be a problem for emergency rooms to utilize a rapid evaluation unit so that main emergency departments can care for the most severe patients. According to a northjersey.com article, one of the main advancements is the use of an electronic bed-tracking system that helps keep medical staff informed as to when beds become available.

According to the report, an analysis of 1,725 emergency rooms showed that wait times average 37 minutes nationally for a medical professional to check a person’s vitals and inquire as to what the problem is. This timeframe is more than twice the suggested period for patients in the most critical of conditions. In regards to receiving treatment and being discharged, the national average is 4 hours and 3 minutes, with New Jersey ranking 29th in the study with 4 hours and 12 minutes. Based on the report, the President of the American College of Emergency Physicians stated that extensive waits for receiving medical care are “very troubling and dangerous.”

In discussing emergency wait timeframes and bed congestion, the director of pediatric emergency medicine at Morristown Memorial Hospital said in the article that the change required to reorganize an emergency room for rapid patient evaluation is something that some physicians and nurses may resist. Due to being extremely busy and having developed a system that they feel already works in an organized way, these medical professionals will have to be open to change in order for the rapid patient evaluation system to work properly.

Continue reading " New Jersey Emergency Room Wait Expected to Decrease " »

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Posted In: Law & Information , Medical Malpractice , Personal Injury

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A recent auto accident lawsuit reported by ifawebnews.com emphasizes the importance of following through with your auto insurance after being involved in a collision. A Cayuga County District Attorney is now being sued by Allstate Insurance Co. for an accident that involved one of their policyholders. While he was using a county-owned vehicle, the District Attorney allegedly hit another car that was being driven by the Allstate customer. The District Attorney told reports that he thought the county’s insurance company had handled the claim.

According to the article, the $9,494 suit is intended to pay for the losses suffered by the Allstate customer, and the company itself will seek attorney and court fees as a part of the suit. The District Attorney stated that the other car “swerved into his lane”, thus causing the crash; however, the final answer as to the main cause of the accident may have to be settled in court.

Not every auto accident leads to a hefty lawsuit in front of a judge. However, if a driver neglects to properly report an auto accident to his or her auto insurance provider, then problems may arise. Even though being in a car crash can be a frightening experience that leaves those involved feeling upset at the other driver or concerned about potential financial consequences, procrastination is not a solution to settling such an ordeal. In some cases, receiving legal advice or representation from a car accident attorney in New Jersey can make all the difference in obtaining compensation to help pay for damage to your vehicle or even medical expenses resulting from injuries sustained during the crash.

Continue reading " New Jersey Auto Accident Suit Against District Attorney " »

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Posted In: Auto Accidents , Personal Injury

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In the early morning hours of August 21, 2009, a small plane headed towards New Jersey’s Teterboro Airport crashed in a parking lot located off of route 46 after clipping a 35-foot tree while trying to abort a landing. Miraculously, the pilot and co-pilot survived the fiery crash but unfortunately suffered serious burn injuries, according to an nj.com report. The men were taken to the St. Barnabus Burn Center, and have been diagnosed with severe burns.

The burn facility’s medical director stated, “A burn that covers more than 20 percent of the surface area is considered severe.” The director also explained that those who endure such a degree of burn are “at risk of having life-threatening complications.”

A Bergen County lieutenant said the men’s eyebrows and eyelashes were singed off when she arrived at the scene, but both were conscious and communicating even though they appeared to be in shock.

Continue reading " Two Men Lucky to Be Alive: Burn Injuries Sustained after New Jersey Small Plane Crash " »

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Posted In: Burn Injury , Personal Injury

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A 26-year-old Edison man was killed on August 11, 2009 during a bridge construction accident in New Jersey. The man was hit on the head at the Conrail freight crossing on Blair Road in Avenel by a 1,500 pound steel plate that fell about five or six feet after slipping from its chains while being lowered by a back hoe. The man was found unconscious and bleeding at the bottom of a trench at the construction site and, though first responders performed CPR, was later pronounced dead at the hospital. An Occupational Safety and Health Administration official reported to the scene and it is unknown at this time as to why the steel plate’s chains came loose.

Construction workers have one of the most dangerous jobs in our country. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2007 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, even though construction industry deaths are on the decline, the construction industry continues to be responsible for the most deaths sustained by employees in the private sector. Based on the report, the 5 percent drop in construction fatalities occurring from 2006 to 2007 (1,239 to 1,178) was about the same as the decrease for all fatal work injuries.

Continue reading " Woodbridge Township Construction Accident Kills Worker " »

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Posted In: Construction Accident , On the Job Injury , Personal Injury , Workers Compensation , Wrongful death

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A 23-year-old, Bloomfield man lost control of his car at 12:09am on August 6, 2009 and crashed on the northbound side of Route 287 in Harding Township. The car accident in New Jersey was a single-vehicle incident but none the less serious considering that the man’s 1997 Audi caught fire after hitting a tree off the highway’s shoulder. Fortunately for the driver, a passing motorist pulled him from the burning vehicle. However, the man still suffered multiple injuries and burns as a result of the accident and is listed in critical condition.

Although it is unknown at this time what caused the man to lose control of his car, many factors, such as dangerous road conditions, inclement weather, obstructions in the highway, or a defective auto part, can influence a driver’s ability to keep his or her vehicle on the road. One of the most preventable reasons for a driver to lose control of the car is driver inattention or distraction, sometimes even caused by another passenger in the vehicle. Unfortunately speed is another factor that forces things to get out of hand in the blink of an eye. A National Highway Transportation Safety Administration study revealed that 5.973 million traffic accidents were reported in 2006 with 2.575 million people suffering injuries and 42,642 fatalities taking place.

Continue reading " Car Catches Fire in Harding Township Single Vehicle Accident " »

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Posted In: Auto Accidents , Burn Injury , Personal Injury

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A mycentraljersey.com article reported that a 35-year-old construction worker fell 30 feet from a Montgomery Township home as he was working on its roof. Investigators at scene said that the worker fell after trying to adjust scaffolding attached to the exterior of a second-story window. He was found lying on the ground on top of construction debris, and was conscious when emergency personnel arrived. The construction worker is said to be in stable condition, but fractured both his neck and femur during the fall. Further investigation into the construction accident in New Jersey is still being conducted by the Montgomery Township Detective Bureau and OSHA.

Construction site fall injuries can lead to paralysis, brain injury, spinal injury, and even death, especially when scaffolds, towers, tall buildings, roofs, or ladders are involved. Being injured in a construction accident not only inflicts catastrophic injuries that can take years to recover from, on top of the extreme amount of pain and suffering one feels during the accident, but creates financial burdens as well, particularly those costs brought on by the accident, such as medical bills and physical therapy fees that can pose difficult for victims and families to successfully manage.

Continue reading " Montgomery Township Construction Accident Injures Roof Worker " »

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Posted In: Construction Accident , On the Job Injury , Personal Injury , Workers Compensation

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More than a dozen southern New Jersey communities will be hosts to the fourth Pedestrian Decoy Program on August 14, 2009. The initiative aims to spread awareness of traffic laws by enforcing the rules of the road to help lower an increase in deaths on New Jersey roadways. According to an article, state and local authorities are concerned that the growing number of motorists turned pedestrians could negatively impact the already growing number of pedestrian deaths in New Jersey. The Pedestrian Decoy Program may force some motorists to consider the necessity of yielding to pedestrians regardless of whether or not pedestrians are following the rules of the road, particularly since violations occurring during the program could result in traffic citations of $100 or upward, and points being added to their license.

The director of New Jersey’s Division of Highway Traffic Safety said that the number of fatal car crashes involving pedestrians is “too high” and “unacceptable.” From the program’s inception in 2006, the number of fatal pedestrian auto crashes has significantly decreased. In 2006, 164 of the 771 fatal auto crashes in New Jersey involved pedestrians. However, the following year, only 150 of 774 fatal auto accidents resulted in pedestrian death. In 2008, both the number of deaths and the number of accidents decreased, with only 138 pedestrian deaths having occurred out of 590 total car crashes resulting in fatality. Sadly though, after posting the lowest level of New Jersey pedestrian deaths involving automobiles since the 1940s, the numbers started increasing in January of this year, and unfortunately haven’t ceased. Based on the report, as of August 12, 2009, there have been 103 New Jersey pedestrian accident deaths out of 344 auto accidents. At the same time in 2008, the total number of pedestrian deaths had only amounted to 79.

Continue reading " New Jersey Pedestrian Decoy Program Hopes to Raise Awareness of Laws to Decrease Fatalities " »

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Posted In: Auto Accidents , Law & Information , Pedestrian Accidents , Personal Injury , Wrongful death

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What began as a simple ride on a motorcycle ended with two New Jersey residents being injured during a collision with a pickup truck on New Hampshire’s Route 125. The truck accident occurred in the early evening at the intersection of Route 125 (White Mountain Highway) and Exit 18, which is the on-ramp to the Spaulding Turnpike. The two motorcyclists were thrown from the bike after crashing into the 2000 Chevy S-10 pickup truck. Both remain hospitalized for their injuries. The pickup driver was treated for injuries and released.

Although this truck and motorcycle crash is still being investigated to determine the exact cause, trucks can have devastating effects on smaller vehicles in collisions, especially if a motorcycle is involved. Truck accidents in New Jersey are often caused by driver fatigue or failure to respond in a timely manner to other vehicles on the road. In some cases, even defective auto products may play a significant role in causing a truck accident.

Continue reading " Two New Jersey Residents Injured in Truck Accident " »

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Posted In: Auto Accidents , Motorcycle Accident , Personal Injury , Truck Accidents

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It was reported in a phillyburbs.com article on Tuesday August 11, 2009 that an employee at Central Power & Light suffered serious burn injuries in New Jersey at a utility substation. A captain with the Plumsted Township Fire District and New Egypt Emergency Squad said the worker suffered burns on close to 50 percent of his body. Apparently, the employee was repairing electrical fixtures when the burns ensued, which more than likely resulted in electrical burns. However, it has not been made public as to how the worker’s injuries came about.

After being treated at the scene by firefighters and paramedics, the injured worker was transported in critical condition by helicopter to the burn center at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia. No one else at the substation was injured or suffered any burns. The incident caused approximately 19,000 customers in North Hanover, Springfield, New Hanover, Plumsted, and Pemberton Township, to be without power for over an hour. An investigation by North Hanover police and Jersey Central is ongoing, according to officials.

Employers are required by law to create and maintain safe working environments, and are responsible for properly training employees on how to operate machinery, handle chemicals and toxins, and perform any other work-related tasks. Injuries on the job may result in minimal rehabilitation, or can require lifelong treatment, depending on the degree of the accident. If an employee sustains an injury while on the job, he or she may be able to file a workers’ compensation claim to receive monetary payment to help cover the costs of medical bills, recovery treatment, loss of wages, or other expenses associated with the on the job injury.

Continue reading " North Hanover Employee Suffers Serious Burn Injury " »

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Posted In: Burn Injury , On the Job Injury , Personal Injury , Workers Compensation

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