Car Crash Injuries: The Faces, Behind the Statistics

Tallulah, LA - As a child, you probably have fond memories of coming home after school and waiting with eager anticipation for Dad to come home from work. A little catch after dinner, or working on the tree fort, or tying a few new fishing lures for the glorious weekend of fishing that lay ahead.

Now imagine coming home from school to find your daddy already at home, because he is in a wheelchair now--the victim of a car accident. He can't play catch, or tie those fishing lures, because he can't move his arms. He can't take you fishing, because he has no feeling, and therefore no strength in his hands to hold the rod.

He can hug you only with his eyes, and with his voice. And with his tears. But he can't wipe those away. You have to...

Man Paralyzed from Auto Accident

Luis Pena Jr., and his family have lived that horror. Prior to October 18, 2007 Pena was an active husband and father who toiled as a border patrol agent in Arizona. Before that he worked as a volunteer firefighter for the Warminster, PA fire department, and as an officer with the Amtrak Police Department. He was summoned to New York, to help with the horrific aftermath of 9/11.

He will always have that past. But his future is uncertain after the Ford F-250 XL he was driving went off the road and rolled over while Pena was on duty, responding to a narcotics call on an Indian reservation. He can't recall the hours leading up to the accident, or what caused it. All he, and anyone know is that he was found by a partner on the side of the road.

Today, Luis Pena Jr. is a quadriplegic. His life has forever changed, and so have the lives of his wife Jennifer, and their two children.

Vehicle Rollover Caused Injuries

According to the People Safe in Rollovers Foundation, vehicle rollovers account for 10,000 fatalities in the US every year, and are the #1 cause of quadriplegic injuries. And while vehicles are purported to be getting safer, rollover injuries appear to be climbing as vehicle manufacturers, in the race to provide their vehicles with better creature comforts and more airbags than the other guy, somehow drop the ball when it comes to what happens when a vehicle is upended. The statistics reveal that manufacturers fail in this department time, and time again.

But it's the faces behind the statistics, which are most compelling. Like Pena. And David Garcia, who is himself a quadriplegic, and who has nearly identical scars to that of Pena, when the 'A' pillar of his Ford Escort collapsed onto his head after the car rolled.

Other Victims of Vehicle Rollover Accidents

Before the accident David Garcia was a young man with a bright future, pursing his doctorate degree in Spanish American literature and Latino studies while working as a teaching assistant. It's Dr. David Garcia now, since he beat the odds and completed his PHD, somehow writing his dissertation with a voice-activated text converter. And his future is just as bright, but limited according to how long he has left to live. He doesn't know. Nobody knows.

All he knows is that he was driving westbound along Interstate 20 on May 25th 1996 when he came onto the smoke generated by a vehicle fire off to the side of the road. Suddenly aware of another vehicle, the driver of which began swerving into his lane upon becoming confused by the smoke, Garcia had no choice up to apply the brake hard and attempt to avoid the vehicle coming into his space. In the ensuing seconds the Escort skidded sideways onto the grassy area of the highway, rolled twice and came to rest on its wheels.

Garcia had done everything right, including being buckled in with both lap and shoulder harness. However, the car he was driving let him down. The roof buckled at the driver's side 'A' pillar, crushing down onto Garcia's head. His discharge diagnosis was C-4 quadriparesis secondary to C-5 on C-6 subluxation.

The foregoing is a medical term. The reality is that Garcia has no feeling below his neck. He cannot wash himself, feed himself, or brush his own teeth.

That Garcia persevered, and attained his PHD is a testament to his tenacity. But his challenge is also demonstrative at the failing of vehicle manufacturers to build safe vehicles that are capable of withstanding all types of accidents. And it matters not if you have airbags front, side and rear in an effort to protect occupants from front, side and rear-impact collisions--or seat belts which properly restrain driver and passengers in the vehicle. All that is wasted, if a vehicle flips over onto its roof, and the 'A' pillar gives way.

More Than Just Auto Accident Statistics

Statistics are statistics. But they also have names, like Luis and David. Claudette, and Patrick and Michelle. Their lives changed forever due to a manufacturers' inability to improve the strength, and safety of the vehicle roof.

Someone needs to be held accountable for that.

Wrongful Death Averted: A Bizarre Story

In Canada this week, a 60-year-old electrician from the City of Oshawa, located just northeast of Toronto is facing numerous charges after allegedly trying to electrocute his wife of more than 25 years in the shower.

The woman was taking a shower one recent Sunday morning when she complained to her husband about experiencing electric shocks whenever she worked the taps. Her husband explained it away as static electricity. However, the woman later discovered a piece of the drywall missing, in the wall between the master bedroom and the ensuite bathroom. She also discovered wires leading to the plumbing.

Upon confronting her husband, the man turned violent and attacked his wife, choking her until she was almost unconscious, according to police reports. The man later fled and led police on a wild chase at speeds exceeding 100 miles an hour along area highways, before he was finally arrested.

Meanwhile another man, also 60, may not have had any direct link to the most recent construction crane accident in New York City that claimed two lives, but the arrest June 6th of the City's chief crane inspector only adds to the suspicion that something was terribly wrong that day in New York, and that the deaths of two construction workers were wrongful deaths, and could have been prevented.

There are several unanswered questions surrounding the latest construction crane accident that happened May 30 in New York. Was the rotating plate that failed, sending the crane cab and it's operator plunging 23 stories to the ground below, improperly repaired when a serious crack was discovered and the plate was taken out of service? Were those responsible for inspecting the weld pressured, in some fashion, to pass it?

Should the compromised plate have been put back into service at all?

Many questions. The fact remains, however, that the current building boom in New York is putting tremendous pressure on the industries and organizations supporting that industry. It has been reported that the City's corps of inspectors are inadequate in number to handle the current demand, and are being run off their feet. Construction cranes are a hot commodity, and there aren't enough to go around. When a crane breaks, or is cited for various reasons and taken out of service, the pressure to get that crane back up and running is palpable.

New York Medical Malpractice Lawyers -Are You A Victim of Malpractice?

Patients in New York must have skilled New York medical malpractice attorneys who are able to defend and protect them based on the rights they are due under state and federal laws. When a patient places themselves in the hands of health care professionals and that trust is violated, experienced New York medical malpractice lawyers are available and dedicated to represent your rights and insure that you receive just compensation.

There is always an element of risk involved with medical treatment, especially when patients undergo surgical procedures. There are many occasions where the physician or surgeon themselves are at fault. In instances like this, patients could really use New York medical malpractice lawyers who can protect their rights.

If you have suffered from malpractice, malicious actions or an accident result in illness, injury or psychological harm to
you or your loved ones you can seek compensation If you or a loved one has suffered in any way from some medical error or over sight, New York medical malpractice lawyers with a proven winning record of itigating malpractice cases representing their clients can help people seeking a remedy for medical malpractice.

Legal cases related to prescription and drug related mistakes are a primary skill of New York medical malpractice lawyers. Whether you or a loved one have been harmed through a transcription error, unapproved off-label use of an inappropriate medication or neglect leading to improper dosage levels or schedule, experienced malpractice lawyers can secure compensation for patients and their families.

The field of Pediatric medicine has a particularly high incidence of medication errors. With kids, the danger posed by incorrect dose or mistaken label drugs is quite grave. Human errors exist but they should not at the expense of your child's health.

Injuries occuring during births are often tragic events at a hospital. About 2% of children are injured during childbirth, largely due to the error or negligence of the attending OB/GYN practitioner or nurse. These injuries sometimes are major, and can even threaten to create permanent cognitive or physical damage.

Family members of youngsters who were injured during childbirth because of medical negligence have legal options. New York medical malpractice lawyers can achieve this. They know how to litigate pediatric and OB/GYN malpractice suits. They have won the largest settlements allowed under New York State Law.

In addition, New York malpractice lawyers have expertise in cases of surgical mistakes and wrongful diagnosis.

What we have outlined here are the most abundant medical malpractice complaints causing harm to patients both in New York and nationally.

If you, or someone in your family, has been the victim of hospital negligence or a medical error, you need a good New York medical malpractice lawyer.A New York medical malpractice lawyer can help you get all the compensation you are legally entitled to. Choose an expert legal professional to represent your interests and protect your rights as a patient and consumer when devastating events happen.

It can be a tragic situation when the Hippocratic injunction doctors mkae "first, do no harm" is broken. New York medical malpractice lawyers plan on winning cases.