In the event you find yourself in a hospital room in the near future -- whether as a patient or a visitor -- chances are good you'll be struck by how clean the room seems and how much emphasis seems to be put on fighting the spread of infection. Indeed, surfaces may be gleaming, linens changed frequently, and hand sanitizer readily available. It isn't your imagination, as hospitals across the nation are making a concerted effort to fight the spread of bacteria such as Clostridium difficile (C. diff), Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and Vancomycin-resistant Enterococc (VRE) that have taken a very real and very deadly toll on patients. Consider that statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that there were an estimated 722,000 infections in U.S. acute care hospitals in 2011 alone and that roughly 75,000 of these affected patients died during their hospitalizations. While efforts to curb deadly infection…

Two police officers could face civil litigation after their criminal convictions in the Taser death of a suspect. The officers were both convicted in mid-December, with the jury only requiring 30 minutes to deliver verdicts in connection with this latest in a string of police-induced fatal accidents. Police departments throughout Georgia and the rest of the nation have been facing increasing civil pressure from wrongful death suits, particularly those related to Tasers and stun guns. This is one of the few high-profile criminal cases that have resulted in an actual conviction. In this case, the victim was reportedly shocked more than a dozen times as he was being taken into custody by the two officers. The man, who had fled the scene of an alleged domestic disturbance, lost consciousness shortly after the repeated shocks. Medical experts in the case found that the cause of death was directly related to the…

Back in 2011, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, the private organization that establishes training standards for physicians, made history by limiting the number of hours that first-year residents (i.e., interns) could work per shift to 16. These changes were hastened by the findings of a 2009 study by the Institute of Medicine, which determined after a yearlong review that doctors who worked over 16 straight hours posed a very real danger to both the patients in their care and themselves. Subsequent research supported this notion, as Harvard researchers found that interns who worked in the Intensive Care Unit for 24-plus hours made 36 percent more serious medical errors than their well-rested counterparts. Furthermore, a 2007 study by UCLA researchers found that almost 20 percent of residents who worked extended shifts indicated that they had fallen asleep behind the wheel on their way home. Given this comprehensive body of…

During the holiday season, anyone who dares ventures onto the internet without a defined purpose will invariably find themselves inundated with not just advertisements, but a multitude of ratings for everything from home electronics and kitchen appliances to clothing and power tools. However, thanks to the recent efforts of researchers at the Auto Insurance Center, a news-driven website focused on "all things automotive," people can now browse an entirely new set of ratings that they may find both helpful and horrifying. Specifically, the AIC used information from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Fatality Analysis Reporting Center to identify the most common elements present in deadly accidents, and then rank the 50 states according to the prevalence of these types of fatal crashes within their borders from 2005 to 2015. What were found to be the most common elements of deadly accidents? According to the AIC's 2nd Annual Study of America's Fatal…

Every day, people across Georgia head to local medical offices for what they hope will prove to be uneventful visits, meaning their physical exams, blood work, and imaging tests reveal them to be in acceptable -- if not great -- health. While this proves to be the case for the majority of patients, there are others for whom these visits can prove to be highly unnerving if not entirely nightmarish. Indeed, they might receive a less than stellar diagnosis from their treating physician who informs them that surgery is either necessary or at least worthy of serious consideration. As upsetting as this reality can be, many patients will go on to meet with a specialist and, based upon their subsequent consultation and their faith in his or her abilities, agree to undergo the surgical procedure. While most of the time these surgeries will prove to be successful, or at least…

Now that we are a few months into the school year, kids and parents alike are starting to become accustomed to their new routine, including homework, extracurriculars, and, of course, start times and dismissal times. Regardless of the chosen method of getting to and from school, there's a very good chance that kids will at some point have to cross a street, a parking lot, or a dedicated one-way drop-off/pick-up lane. In light of this reality, both students and parents alike will likely want to take note of some rather sobering figures on pedestrian accidents from the child advocacy organization Safe Kids Worldwide. According to Safe Kids Worldwide: 284 teens ranging in age from 12 to 19 were killed in pedestrian accidents in the U.S. in 2015, which averaged out to roughly five fatalities per week and a 13 percent increase from 2013. Teens ranging in age from 15 to…

At this moment, workers across Georgia and around the nation all have one eye on the clock, eagerly counting down the hours until they are released to enjoy the weekend. In fact, this coming Saturday and Sunday are perhaps even more anticipated than normal given that Daylight Saving Time will officially come to an end. What this means is that the majority of the nation will "fall back," such that they will not only have to reset their clocks, but will also gain an extra hour of sleep on Sunday morning. What it also means is that the sun will start rising earlier in the morning and setting earlier in the evening. While this shift in sunrises and sunsets might not seem like much, if any, cause for concern, research suggests that the first few weeks after the end of Daylight Saving Time present a heightened safety risk to pedestrians.…

For those who might have missed it, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released a rather grim report last week outlining just how deadly our nation's roads and highways have become. Indeed, this report indicated that almost 18,000 people lost their lives in motor vehicle accidents during the first half of 2016, a 10 percent increase from the same time last year and a continuation of a startling trend that began in 2015. As to why the number of motor vehicle fatalities has spiked, NHTSA officials attribute it to the reality that there are more people driving owing to lower gas prices and improved economic conditions, and the longstanding problem of distracted driving. In response to the report, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced that several of its agencies -- the NHTSA, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration  and the Federal Highway Administration -- would be joining forces with the…

After the loss of a loved one, the last thing on the minds of those left behind is typically money. Oftentimes, friends and family are struggling to come to terms with the loss, cope with their grief and find ways to move forward. None of this happens overnight. However, it is important to note that during this difficult time, finances can become a growing concern. There are also other obstacles that can make recovering from a loss quite difficult that you may come up against in this situation. For these reasons, it can be wise to consider the possibility of filing a wrongful death claim. Below are a few reasons why it can be in your best interests to consider filing a wrongful death claim after the loss of a spouse, parent, child or family member. Economic relief: As we mentioned above, money can become a problem. You may have…

As hard as it may be to believe, the 2016 football season is officially here, with players at all levels -- from youth and high school to college and professional -- putting on their pads and heading back to the field. If you don't believe it, consider that the Atlanta Falcons officially opened training camp earlier this week, while the Georgia Bulldogs first game is just over a month away. It's important to understand, however, that just as the football season is heating up, so too is the weather, as heat indices, meaning the combination of heat and humidity, in many areas of the country -- including here in Georgia -- are now routinely in the upper 90s or even the 100s. While this type of heat can be incredibly dangerous and even deadly for anyone exerting themselves outside, it is perhaps even more so for football players given their…