by Queener Law | Nov 12, 2014 | Brain Injury, Kentucky, Tennessee
Not only do car and motorcycle accidents have serious emotional and financial repercussions, they can have severe, life-changing physical effects on people as well. New research on the human hormone, progesterone, and its potential link to traumatic brain injuries, however, may offer car accidentsurvivors new hope in alleviating their brain injury symptoms and regaining their quality of life.
No current treatment
The human brain is a complex mass of cells and each cell works to control some part of the human body and its biological systems. When a person hits their head, and the brain is damaged, it leads to the death or weakening of these cells. If a person suffers a serious brain injury, it means a significant number of brain cells are dead or are in the process of dying. This presents an enormous challenge for physicians as the death of these cells can reduce the amount of oxygen flowing to the heart, lungs and muscles, threatening the life of the patient or leaving them in a comatose or much-altered state.
Currently, there are no curative treatment options for people who suffer from brain injuries and therefore, no steps can be taken to prevent further damage from occurring as cells continue to die. The only options medical professionals have is to monitor TBI patients, facilitate their needs and attempt to prevent further neurological damage from occurring, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
Potential breakthrough
Researchers may have found a way to minimize the damaging effects that brain injuries have on victims of car and motorcycle accidents. According to ABC 7 News, researchers believe that the hormone, progesterone, which is most often associated with the regulation of the female reproductive system, has the ability to protect neurons from secondary brain injuries. Progesterone is thought to reduce swelling of the brain, minimize cell death and reconstruct the blood-brain barrier.
A phase three clinical trial is currently in progress to study the long-term possibilities and safety of progesterone on brain injury patients. Patients at 150 locations in multiple countries are given a continuous supply of the hormone for five days, and then rechecked six months after the treatment has ended to evaluation whether there is any marked progression. The study is blind so patients and their families do not know whether they were given the hormone or a placebo and the hormone must be first administered within 8 hours of the injury occurring. Researchers plan to use 1,200 patients with severe brain injury in the global study. If the study is a success, it could become the first real treatment for brain injury.
by Queener Law | Nov 11, 2014 | Motorcycle Accident, Tennessee
Motorcycle fatalities in Tennessee have increased dramatically, from 42 deaths in 1998 to 134 deaths in 2013, according to the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security. The rise in motorcycle causalities in Tennessee during that 15-year period has been steady, and mirrors an increase in motorcycle fatalities and serious injuries across the nation. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports a national increase from 2,334 motorcycle deaths in 1998 to 5,080 fatalities in 2012. State officials are looking for ways to decrease the number of motorcycle accidents and increase motorcyclists’ safety on Tennessee roadways.
Before finding a way to resolve the rise in deaths due to motorcycle accidents, it is crucial to find the potential root causes for this staggering increase in fatalities. According to the United States Department of Transportation, a surge in motorcycle registrations since 1997 may provide information as to why more people are getting into motorcycle accidents. From 1997 to 2006, motorcycle registrations in the U.S. rose by 75 percent. With a greater number of motorcycles traveling on U.S. roadways, more collisions are likely.
Distracted driving
New advances in technology over the past 15 years have added another cause of motorcycle accidents. Distraction.gov reports that distracted drivers were responsible for the deaths of 3,328 people in 2012. Distracted driving auto accidents injured over 421,000 people that same year. Motorists, who use their cellphones, program their navigation devices or change the DVDs in their cars’ entertainment center while driving, may fail to acknowledge smaller motorcyclists riding alongside them. Improper turns and failure to yield are just a few ways that distracted driving can result in a devastating motorcycle crash.
A 48-year-old Kansas motorist admitted to engaging in distractive activities while driving, which may have caused him to hit an elderly man who was riding his motorcycle. According to Kansas First News, the driver was operating a pickup truck and attempting to change a CD when he collided with the motorcyclist, who was killed as a result of the accident.
Failure to yield
Failure to yield is another common cause of deadly motorcycle accidents. The Knoxville News Sentinel reported that a biker was hit by a vehicle that was attempting to make a turn. The motorcyclist was thrown onto the hood of another vehicle waiting at a stop sign and later died. The motorist was given a citation for failing to yield to the motorcycle, but did not receive any criminal charges.
Due to an increased number of motorcycles on national and state roadways, as well as a growing number of motorcycle fatalities, many state and national organizations, including the NHTSA, have developed campaigns designed to bring awareness to this deadly problem.
by Queener Law | Nov 10, 2014 | Tennessee, Trucking Accident
Although driving a large commercial truck requires skill and concentration, some truck drivers engage in distractive behaviors while sitting behind the wheel for an extended period of time. Just as distracted driving is extremely dangerous for Tennessee motorists, it is especially hazardous for large truck operators, as they are responsible for handling vehicles weighing up to 80,000 pounds. When truck drivers remove their focus off of the road it can result in devastating truck accidents.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 3,802 people lost their lives in large truck accidents in 2012. Approximately 107 of those deaths occurred in Tennessee and many of them stemmed from distracted truck drivers.
Types of truck driver distractions
According to U.S. News, the following activities are significant sources of truck driver distraction:
- Talking or texting on a cellphone: Engaging in these activities while driving inhibits a truck driver’s ability to mentally focus on the road. Texting while driving is also against the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s regulations, which ban the practice for commercial truck drivers in America.
- Eating: Driven by the need to meet an important deadline or make some addition money on their next paycheck, truck drivers may choose to have their meal while behind the wheel. Not only does eating and drinking while driving require the truck driver to remove their hands from the steering wheel, but spilled food can create a vehicular hazard.
- Programming navigation devices and switching radio stations: Whether truck drivers are adjusting the radio, searching for a CD or programming a navigation device, their eyes, hands and mental focus are taken away from the task of driving. This brief interference increases the risk of serious injury to other motorists on the road.
A distracted truck driver was charged with second-degree murder, six counts of criminal damage and 13 instances of endangerment stemming from a devastating truck accident. According to the Huffington Post, the truck driver’s dash camera recorded him watching videos on his cellphone while driving along the Arizona highway. It also recorded the commercial truck quickly approaching a law enforcement vehicle, which was parked alongside the road. The tractor trailer was going 65 miles per hour when it struck the vehicle, instantly killing the officer inside.
Taking action
In an attempt to reduce the number of serious injuries and fatalities that occur each year as a result of distracted truck drivers, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has enacted a ban on texting and driving. The law also restricts truck drivers from reaching for and holding a cellular device while driving. Truck drivers caught engaging in these illegal behaviors may face significant fines of up to $11,000. Although hands free cellular devices are legal to use, many studies show the inherent dangers that cognitive distraction has on commercial truck drivers.
by Queener Law | Nov 7, 2014 | Auto Accident, Tennessee
Many residents of Davidson County have either been involved in a traffic accident or know someone who has. According to the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, there were approximately 510,934 traffic accidents in Davidson Country from 2004 to 2014. During that 10-year period, there were more than 3.5 million traffic accidents statewide. Although the causes of these traffic accidents range from minor to severe traffic violations, all auto accidents threaten the safety of Tennessee drivers.
Following too close
A driver who fails to keep the proper distance between his or her vehicle and the car in front of them may end up rear-ending the vehicle should it need to stop unexpectedly. There were over 330,432 motor vehicle accidents in Tennessee from 2004 to 2014 that were caused by people who were following improperly. Whether a driver is following too closely intentionally or as a result of driver distraction, doing so will increase the likelihood that an auto accident will occur.
Failure to yield
The second most common cause of traffic accidents in Tennessee, as reported by the Department of Safety and Homeland Security, stems from failure to yield to another vehicle’s right of way. This usually occurs when a driver turns in front of an approaching motorcycle or vehicle, causing a collision. These types of accidents can be particularly dangerous, as they often involve vehicles that are traveling at high rates of speed.
According to the Leaf-Chronicle, a Dover man is facing charges of failing to yield resulting in death or injury, vehicular assault and vehicular homicide. The man made a left-hand turn, cutting off an oncoming motorcycle and causing a catastrophic collision. The passenger in the man’s vehicle was seriously injured and the motorcyclist was killed in the accident.
Failure to stay in lane
When a driver is intoxicated, drowsy or distracted and fails to stay in their lane of traffic, they may unintentionally cause an accident. Approximately 22,833 Tennessee residents did just that in 2013, making it the third most common type of traffic accident in the state. Accidents caused by vehicles running off of the road completely are also included in this statistic. National and state campaigns designed to warn motorists about the dangers of impaired driving may have made an impact on motorists in the state, as only 14,734 accidents have involved failure to stay within one’s lane of traffic so far this year.
Other significant causes of traffic accidents
Although speeding, careless driving, improper lane changing, failure to obey traffic signals and inattentive driving did not make the top three list, they all caused a significant number of Tennessee traffic accidents. Obeying these traffic rules on a regular basis may help to save a life.
by Queener Law | Nov 6, 2014 | Auto Accident, Brain Injury, Colorado, Kentucky, Tennessee
Over 2.36 million people were injured in car accidents in 2012, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. While some car accident victims received only minor injuries, others suffered from traumatic brain injuries that will affect them for the rest of their lives. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that car accidents were responsible for causing 14 percent of traumatic brain injuries in the United States from 2006 to 2010, making it the third leading cause of TBI.
In a highly publicized New Jersey truck accident, comedian Tracy Morgan received serious brain injuries when his limousine was rear-ended by a negligent truck driver. According to People Magazine, Morgan has been trying to recover from his injuries for the past four months, and continues to undergo vocational and physical therapy for his serious injuries. Morgan still uses a wheelchair and is having difficulties with speech and mental cognition.
Signs of a brain injury
Otherwise referred to as whiplash in its milder form, brain injuries may occur when people experience a sudden jolt or blow to the head, just like they would in a traffic accident. The National Institute of Health indicates that the symptoms of traumatic brain injuries range from mild to severe and include the following:
- Headaches
- Seizures
- Weakness in the arms and legs
- Confusion
- Loss of coordination
Additionally, people suffering a brain injury may experience a loss of consciousness, trouble concentrating and memory loss. Changes in a person’s auditory and visual functioning, as well as drastic changes in their mood or behavior are also possible symptoms.
Long-term effects
According to a review published in the Acta Pharmacologica Sinica in 2013, the damage sustained from a traumatic brain injury can be progressive. This means some people may not only suffer from the initial damage caused by the blow they received, but also from secondary injuries. Traumaticbraininjury.com states that secondary brain injuries include brain swelling, bleeding inside the skull, infection within the skull, increased fluid in the skull, increased pressure in the skull and damage caused by a lack of oxygen.
Minor and serious brain injuries can lead to permanent damage and even cause problems years after the initial event. Studies have shown that people who have suffered brain injury are at a higher risk of suffering a stroke and that brain injury may even play a role in dementia and Alzheimer’s. Often victims of brain injuries must undergo physical, mental and psychological therapy, and there is no guarantee that they may fully recover from their serious injuries. People who have been injured in a car accident should meet with an attorney who can help them estimate their long-term needs and determine an appropriate amount of compensation.
by Queener Law | Nov 5, 2014 | Auto Accident, Colorado, Kentucky, Tennessee
Although talking and texting on a cellphone while driving is considered one of the most hazardous driver distractions, there are other distractive behaviors that can result in devastating car accidents as well. Distracted driving auto accidents are responsible for killing an estimated nine people and injuring at least 1,153 people every day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. When drivers avoid engaging in distracted behaviors while driving, they minimize the risk of causing a traumatic accident.
Types of distractions
Distraction.gov defines distracted driving as any type of activity that diverts a motorist’s attention off of the primary task of driving. The CDC classifies distraction for drivers into three categories. These include:
- Cognitive distractions encourage drivers to take their focus off of the road. With some types of cognitive distractions, motorists may not be aware that their focus and concentration is compromised. Not only do hands free cellular devices fall under this category of distraction, voice-activated technology and talking to other passengers in the vehicle can also be distractive.
- Visual distractions require drivers to remove their eyes from the road, even if it is for a few seconds. Looking away to change the radio station or program a navigation device can be extremely dangerous. According to distraction.gov, drivers who remove their eyes from the road for five seconds while going 55 miles per hour will drive the length of a football field before they return their eyes to the road.
- Manual distractions involve drivers taking their hands off of the steering wheel and include reaching to attend to passengers in the back seat or picking up an item off of the floor.
While all driver distractions pose a significant threat to motorists on the roadways, there are some distractions that are considered more dangerous than others. Texting and talking on hand-held cellphones involve all three types of distractions, making them especially deadly. Distraction.gov lists additional distractive behaviors, including eating, drinking, reading, grooming, watching videos and switching CDs or DVDs in the vehicle’s entertainment system.
Who is at risk?
Although distracted driving endangers everyone on the road, the CDC reports that young drivers and cellphones are a fatal combination. Novice motorists, who are under the age of 20 years old are often inexperienced and are more likely to have problems handling two complex tasks at once. As a result, they are more likely to be involved in fatal car accidents or accidents resulting in severe injuries.
