Neck and Back Injury Awareness
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stated that in 2007 more than 2.5 million people in the US were injured from motor vehicle accidents and 41,059 people were killed from the accidents. Back and neck injuries are the most common injuries caused by car accidents. Even though most people can make a full recovery from mild neck or back injuries within 2-3 months, most risk suffering from an injury for extended periods of time. A serious neck or back injury involving the spinal cord may permanently destroy a person’s way of life.
If ever you or your loved ones are suffering from a neck or back injury caused by a motor vehicle accident, it’s extremely important for you to fully understand what type of injury you or your loved ones have and the extent of the injury. Is it a strain, sprang, bone fracture or herniated disc? Is your spinal cord or brain affected? Medical professionals can help provide you with the right answers to these questions and let you know the types of treatment required and the length the recovery process is going to be.
Hot Coffee Official Trailer
The official trailer for Hot Coffee, a documentary film by Susan Saladoff.
“Click It or Ticket”, Texas Seat Belt Law
After hearing a “Click It or Ticket” radio jingle for the hundredth time, I decided to do a little research on the newly passed Texas law:
Who Gets the Ticket
If you are age 15 and over and in a passenger vehicle (passenger car, light truck, sport utility vehicle, passenger van designed to transport 15 or fewer passengers including the driver, truck, or truck tractor) without your seat belt on, you have violated the law and can get a ticket. The tickets normally will be between $25 and $50. These tickets will be given to the person not wearing the seat belt, not to the driver. Personally I think this makes sense, if my friend in the back seat chooses not to wear his seat belt I should not have to pay for his mistake.
When YOU Get the Ticket
If you are driving a passenger vehicle and someone under the age of 17 is not in a seat belt or car seat (which is required for children under 5 who are also shorter than 4’10″) you have violated the law and can get a ticket. These tickets normally are between $100 and $200. These tickets are given to the driver, not to the passenger. This also leaves an interesting area, when the passenger is age 15 or 16 they can be ticketed as well as the driver.
Exceptions to the “Click It or Ticket” Rule
There are six exceptions:
- if you have a doctor’s note for the person to not have to wear a seat belt;
- if you are operating as an employee of the US Postal Service;
- if you are delivering newspapers;
- if you are operating for a utility company and reading meters;
- if you are driving a commercial farm vehicle under 48,000 pounds; and
- you are operating a trash truck.
This basically covers Texas Seat Belt Laws post 2009 revisions. They are available via the Texas Department of Public Safety’s website.
What is all the hype behind diminished value?
Let’s face it, NO ONE will buy a repaired car for the same price of a non damaged car. And anyone who would pay the same price, must be obligated to do so because they work for an insurance company!
But seriously, insurance companies have a job. Their job is to save money. The more they save, the more they keep, naturally.
I have never heard of an agent or a representative of an insurance company ever offering to pay for the diminished value. It’s just something that many people don’t know about and insurance companies don’t want to let it out. But as a car accident attorney, we have to dig deep for our clients.
So remember, if you have had a wreck, then you not only need a good car accident attorney, but you need a good representative of diminished value.
Children’s Personal Injury Claims – Special Rules
This is the second most common cause of children’s death after Sudden Infantile Death Syndrome (SIDS) and is the major cause of disability and ill-health. The risk of accidental injury increases as the child grows and becomes more mobile. They include accidents as a result of motor vehicles accidents, defective playground equipment, poorly protected building and building sites, school accidents as well as defective toys.
Personal injury claims can be made as a result of accidental injuries suffered by children. If this is the case, a litigation friend, mostly but not necessarily the parent, is selected by the court or a solicitor to make the claim on behalf of the child. They must act in accordance to the interest of the child and have no interest in the compensation claim. The court treats the child differently as it considers him or her as not having similar mental capacity as an adult to understand the impact or danger of the situation. They are therefore treated in a manner that is expected as a child. Just like other personal injury cases, cases involving children have a time limit of three years but unlike them the limitation period starts to run after the child has reached 18 years.
Courts must approve any compensation claims made in a personal injury case involving children. These approvals are made after all medical evidence, details of financial losses as well as advice from lawyers or barristers are considered. Meeting the child is also another step before any approval. After the approval, the compensation is invested in court funds and earns interest until the child is eighteen when it will be released after confirmation of birth certificate and copy of order with the compensation details by the court. In special cases the compensation money may be released if the court is convinced that the child is in immediate need of the money and that the money will only be of benefit to the child.
For more information, Visit Ramji Law. They offer information on selecting a personal injury attorney, and specialize in selecting a houston injury attorney.
What is a Whiplash?
A whiplash injury can occur in many instances; the major cause of whiplash injures is from car accidents. The term “whiplash” comes from the actual whipping of the neck, similar to an actual whip. A central feature of such an injury or trauma is inflammation. Without such an inflammatory response, believe it or not, the healing process would be drastically slower or even nonexistent!
After a traumatic event, like a car accident, inflammation is a very quick response. Why does a damaged area become inflamed? Why does the area hurt? Why is movement of that area limited? Why is it so important to get immediate care?
Why Inflammation?
When, for example, the neck is involved in an “acceleration/deceleration” accident, or an extension/flexion injury, such as ‘whiplash,” there are minor tears in the muscles and in the capillaries that supply blood to the affected area. There is a vasodilation effect to the injured area. Basically, the area gets injured, there is internal tearing, there is internal bleeding, the body responds with ‘healing’ cells and protein. When all of the healing elements ‘meet’ in the injured area, there is a type of clog. This clog is what causes the area to swell, thus the inflammation. Then the pain begins…
Why the Pain?
The pain is present because there is intense pressure on the surrounding areas due to the inflammation. The pressure signals propriocepters in the vicinity that send a signal that there is pressure and the brain then computes this as pain.
Why a Lack of Movement or a Decreased Range of Motion?
Besides the pain generated by the pressure, the result of prolonged swelling is caused by deposits of fibrinogen into the tissue space, adhesions, ad decreased normal tissue flow. With all of this going on in a small area, everything tightens up and the joint in that area suddenly doesn’t have enough space to move, thus, decreased range of motion. Many times, a whiplash injury can even cause a disc lesion. A disc lesion can cause many other symptoms. (See disc lesions or sciatica for more information on this.)
Why Immediate Care?
If left untreated, it may take months and months to reabsorb and reorganize. The affected area can start to lock up as a body’s response to keep the area still so healing can occur. If the injured cells are not cleaned out of that area, then prolonged injury can result which you may be complaining of years down the road. Elevation and pressure are great immediate tools that should be implemented in the area if possible. Then cold therapy, also known as cryotherapy, is the next preferred step. Cryoptherapy decreases the flow by constricting the blood vessels and thus decreases the swelling. This gives the body a faster opportunity to start repairing the damaged walls. Once this is repaired, (sometimes takes 72 hours) heat is the next preferred treatment. Heat therapy causes the vessels to dilate, and thus causing increased blood flow. This increased blood flow washes out the area and allows more healing to occur.
How Can I Pay for all of this? How can I get Whiplash Compensation?
The term “whiplash compensation” is defined as money/compensation that an injured person/victim can receive when the injury is caused by another person or company. Whiplash compensation is essential for payment for medical expenses to treat whiplash injuries. Whiplash injuries, as stated above, if untreated, can cause long-term damage to the body. If you or someone you know is suffering from a whiplash injury that was caused by someone else’s negligence, then you need to seek out whiplash compensation.
Quick Summary
Whiplash trauma is a common result of a car accident. Treating the injured area quickly is very important.
Not having money for treatment, medicine, therapy, etc, should not be a barrier for your health.
There is nothing that you have to pay.
Hiring a lawyer to help manage payment for your care doesn’t mean you are law suit happy. Most of our cases are handled out of court. We assist to make the process smooth. We help find a good facility for your care, paying medical bills from the insurance proceeds, and giving you money for your inconveniences and for pain and suffering.
Article Written by: Houston Personal Injury Attorney Arshad Ramji – Doctor and Lawyer
