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San Diego Personal Injury Attorney Blog

NHL facing accusations of negligence in brain injury suit

We have written several times in the past about the dangers associated with contact sports and the risk of concussions and traumatic brain injuries. In recent years, this has been a growing concern as professional athletes speak out about the harm to their neurological systems during their time on the field.

This is a concern for players, their families, and parents of children who are pursuing sports like football and hockey at school. These sports have been associated with hard hits to the head, which can lead to concussions, which can in time result in a traumatic brain injury. Research has also shown a high correlation between these brain injuries and a condition known as CTE that causes depression, mood swings, memory problems, and sometimes suicidal thoughts.

After a car accident, even minor pain should be checked out

Reality television star Kendra Wilkinson was hospitalized but sustained only minor injuries in a car accident in California recently. The television personality told fans that she was in shock and experiencing some soreness after being involved in the car accident. No one else was reported to have been injured and it is not clear what the causes of the accident were.

Ms. Wilkinson wisely sought out medical treatment at a local emergency room shortly after the accident where she underwent tests to determine that she did not sustain any serious injuries. Often when people are able to walk away from a car accident they decline medical treatment or delay seeing a doctor for tests because they don't think the pain is serious enough to be a long-term injury.

 

Are driverless cars trustworthy?

Driverless cars are now legal on the road in California and although they are not yet on the market, the technology has influenced models that California drivers are currently using. For example, the automatic breaking technology that allows a driverless car to stop without instruction is also available on some models of cars today as an add-on safety feature to secure against an accident when a driver is unable to apply the brakes in time.

Computer sensors are able to detect hazards and react to them slightly faster than humans can, which can make a big difference when a vehicle is traveling at a high rate of speed. For example, at 40 miles-per-hour, a human driver is able to stop within 12 feet from the time that they notice the obstacle. A computer system that definitely will see the obstacle can stop within 9 feet.

Are curbside buses less safe for passengers?

Many San Diego residents have used coach bus services to get where they are going. Particularly if you want to take a weekend trip to see friends in another city, inexpensive and convienent coach buses can be the perfect solution. 

Still, there have been some safety concerns about low-cost buses, particularly regarding the companies that pick passengers up curbside, rather than in a traditional bus depot. The buses have been referred to for a long time as "Chinatown buses" becuase they intially offered service from the Chinatown section of one major city to the Chinatown area of another major city. A recent study from the National Transportation Safety Board caused concern for many riders of curbside buses, when the government agency reported that these buses were more likely to be involved in fatal accidents than other types of coach bus services. 

Will more restrictions on teens prevent California car accidents?

Two new measures are making their way through the California legislature to help prevent car accidents and injuries among teen drivers. Teens are among the most likely demographic to be involved in a car accident that causes injuries or death, and graduated licensing programs are widely acknowledged as an effective way to reduce the risk of an accident. 

Recent studies have shown that age is not the only factor that increases the risk for teen drivers, but that inexperience behind the wheel is also a contributor.

Highway covered in spilled milk after California truck accident

A truck accident left thousands of gallons of spilled milk on a California highway recently, after a tanker carrying milk on Interstate 5 crashed into another truck as it merged from the shoulder onto the highway. The accident took place around 9 p.m. and the crash itself and resulting milk spill caused a traffic backup for nearly two hours.

One of the truck drivers told reporters that he was driving over the speed limit and that he did not see the other vehicle as it was pulling out of the shoulder and onto the main highway.

How far should cops go when enforcing driver phone rules?

California law prohibits drivers from using a handheld mobile device while operating their vehicles. The law is aimed at preventing dangerous, and often deadly, distracted driving car accidents. However, one man says law enforcement is taking their campaign a bit too far.

The man was convicted on distracted driving charges after he was pulled over in 2012 for looking at a map on his cellphone.

Appeals court reverses decision in dog bite case

A state court of appeals reversed the decision made by a local court in a recent dog bite case. The case involved two dogs who began fighting, leaving one of them seriously injured. The fight broke out when a German shepherd that was chained to its owners porch escaped from the leash and ran towards a pitbull that was being walked by a woman and her daughter.

The pitbull badly injured the German shepherd and the owner of the injured dog sought a declaration that the pitbull was a dangerous dog. Such a declaration by the court means that if the dog were to ever be involved in a similar altercation again, the owner would be subject to harsher penalties. The local court found that the dog was dangerous, primarily noting the breed's reputation.

Oxnard man killed in serious five-car accident

The surviving family members of a 37-year-old Oxnard man have a lot of questions this month about the circumstances that led to his death. But because the investigation is still ongoing, officers from the California Highway Patrol are finding their questions rather difficult to answer.

According to the police report, the 37-year-old man was driving along Highway 118, just west of San Canyon Road in Somis when the accident occurred. Police say a 28-year-old Moorpark man was travelling westbound at the posted speed limit when he rear ended the 37-year-old man's vehicle. This collision caused his vehicle to turn sideways, sending it into eastbound traffic.

Does the media put athletes more at risk for brain injuries?

San Diego sports fans know that sometimes intensity during a game can lead to an injury for one of the players. From junior football leagues to afterschool hockey games all the way up to college and professional sports, a close game can be exciting and fun to watch as players work hard to win. For players, cheering fan, excited commentators, and praise from the media are a big part of the reward for doing well.

In college and professional sports, fans expect and accept a certain amount of violence as a part of the game. In fact, many fans have expressed concern about potential new rules in the NFL to help curb brain injury risks, saying that less contact will lessen the entertainment value of the sport. Researchers recently began to question this concept, looking at local reporting on hockey games to see if media portrayals of contact sports injuries could be a contributing factor to this attitude.

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