News & Editorials from Merlin

One of the health problems reported by Los Angeles personal injury attorneys is the infestation that can occur at a nursing home.  One of these is scabies infestation; which are microscopic mites that burrow into the skin and cause insatiable itching. The signs of these bugs are tiny red dots, which can resemble a rash or a bee sting.

This is a health hazard that is painful, since there is none stop itching that can cause the elderly person stress, loss of sleep and it can cause broken skin and this can lead to infection.  The first sign that there is a problem with any of the residents at the nursing home in Fresno means immediate medical attention should be given, all of the residents personal items should be properly laundered and the nursing home bedding, towels and other material things. This is because the scabies can live as long as 24 hours off of the human body waiting for a victim.

This is a skin infestation that can pass from resident to resident in a nursing home and manifests in an itchy rash that can break down the skin on an elderly resident leaving an opened wound that is susceptible to infection. This is neglect when scabies reaches this point on an older person that is being cared for by professionals in a nursing home setting.

When a painful incident like this occurs in a Fresno nursing home, there are skilled Orange County elderly abuse attorney understand the person has suffered from a condition like this. They know the nursing home professionals are in the position to seek emergency medical care and if they haven’t the elderly residents have suffer needlessly. These professionals should be held accountable, this is a dangerous condition for an older person, and it can lead to infection and worse when not treated.

Scabies is an infestation that is uncomfortable, it is dangerous and it is unsanitary for the aging person. Proper nursing home care would recognize signs of this early, since scratching uncontrollably is one of the signs. When they do not take emergency steps, it can lead to a far worse infestation that is even more painful, named Norwegian scabies. This is a massive infestation that has not been treated where thousands of these mites are living under the skin that has a chapped or scaled appearance.

When a family member is suffering with this type of mites, they need immediate care and then the family needs to contact an experience Orange County elderly abuse attorney. This is a sign of neglect at the hands of the professionals that are in charge of the aging persons care and well being.

One of the largest concerns about aging parents is to keep them safe, keep them healthy and keep them happy. This often means being placed in a Long Beach nursing home for care or having an in home health agency provide in home care for the aging parent.

This care also means personal care and ensuring the skin is in good shape, the elderly person has tender skin that can be damaged easily and that includes pressure sores. These are sores that appear on the skin in places like the hips, knees and heels and are caused by pressure remaining on one part of the skin for an extended amount of time. This is because the bones press against the muscle, tissue and skin breaking it down until a pressure sore appears.

These sores are painful, they can become infected and if not cared for properly prior to breaking the skin, they can become decubitus ulcers and even require surgery if severe. They are caused by not helping the elderly person that stays in bed rotate, so that sores do not appear and under the heels. This is something that also needs to be watched for carefully with the aging person that spends extended hours in a wheel chair.

The health care professional should be trained to care for the aging parent to avoid pressure sores. The problem with this is that while the family entrusts the elderly family member care to this person they may not actually have the proper training to care for the elderly. This is the fault of the Long Beach nursing home or in home health agency, as an example, for not hiring trained personnel or not having proper training for the employees they do hire.

When pressure sores form, it takes an extreme amount of skin care to keep them from becoming worse and healing. This is skin that has been damaged, and it causes the elderly person a great deal of pain.

The nursing home or in home health agency are ultimately responsible for this lack of care and need to be held responsible by the family, since they are the spokesperson for the aging adult who might be frightened in taking action. The family needs to consult with an elderly abuse attorney, because this is a professional that can hold the nursing home responsible for their neglect. When this occurs in Long Beach the experience of an Orange County elder abuse attorney that aggressively fights for the rights of the aging adults is the attorney the family needs to consult one at the contacts below:

Address: work 633 West Fifth Street, 28th Floor, Los Angeles, CA, 90071USAwork; ; 6700 East Pacific Coast Highway, Suite 275, Long Beach, CA 90803; 14007 Palawan Way Marina del Rey, CA, 90292USA; work 201 Wilshire Blvd, Second Floor, Santa Monica, CA, 90401; 620 Newport Center Drive, Suite 1100 Newport Beach, CA, 92660USA. Phone: 888-400-9721; 213.596.9642.

One day you can feel as if you are on top of the world and the very next day you can feel as if your world was literally pulled right out from underneath your feet. That is exactly how it can feel when one of your family members has been involved in an automobile accident that caused them to suffer a horrible injury such as a traumatic brain injury. There are hundreds of adults and children every year who find they have to struggle down the long road of suffering that many will face after experiencing a traumatic brain injury. Suffering a brain injury can mean getting used to a whole new way of living, not just for the victim either. This is the type of injury that will touch the lives of the entire family.

A vehicle is a heavy piece of machinery that weighs thousands of pounds and in seconds flat they can cause an endless number of traumatic injuries, and one of the saddest would have to be a traumatic brain injury. Often times the victim will require specialized care and attention for a number of years and some people will even need this special care for the remainder of their life. Special hospital beds and home equipment, even hospital equipment to ride in a vehicle can sometimes be needed. Other requirements can include a variety of different medications, psychiatrists, specialized physical therapists and physicians, speech therapists, and numerous other special needs that can end up costing an endless amount of money out of your pocket.

When this is the devastating type of situation you find yourself in, one of the first things you will want to consider is contacting a professional brain injury accident attorney. These lawyers have had several years of experience in dealing with numerous TBI accident injuries. They know exactly what to look for as they review and study your case, which can give you the peace of mind in knowing that you can be assured they will see that you receive the highest amounts that are possible by law for your personal injury case.

These experienced, and compassionate TBI accident lawyers also have a tremendous amount of knowledge in the specialized care that is often needed when an injury of this nature occurs, which means they can be helpful in finding the right physicians your loved one needs. Suffering a brain injury can mean getting used to a whole new way of living, and these professional lawyers can make that road a little smoother.  Contact an experienced Los Angeles personal injury lawyer to learn more about protection of your legal rights in these delicate matters.

February 21, 2009 (by Otto Smyth)

According to reports by rollover accident attorneys in California, and the Los Angeles Fire Department two people were injured in a rollover accident on a mountain highway.

The Los Angeles Fire Department stated that an accident was reported at approximately 6:30 a.m. in the vicinity of the Angeles Forest Highway and Big Tujunga Canyon Road of an overturned vehicle.

According to California Highway Patrol Officer Francisco Villalobos two people were rescued after their vehicle rollover on the edge of a mountain highway. It took the rescue crews approximately forty minutes to pull the rollover victims to safety Officer Villalobos stated.

It has been reported by a county fire dispatcher that the two people were checked out at the scene of the overturned vehicle they were transported to the hospital with what appeared to be minor injuries.

January 10, 2009

According to reports by the California Highway Patrol while highway accidents have risen the amount of deaths have decreased in the State of California.

According to Officer Gary Fernandez of the California Highway Patrol’s information office the California Highway Patrol investigated 1,119 accidents during 2008, which amounted to an 8 percent increase over the amount 1,036 accidents investigated in 2007. Fernandez also stated the amount of accidents while driving under the influence rose in 2008 over the amount in 2007. During 2008 the California Highway Patrol investigated 127 accidents where drivers were suspected of driving under the influence, which equals approximately 11.2 percent. In 2007 of the 1,036 accidents investigated there were 113 accidents involving alleged driving under the influence or approximately 10.9 percent.

During 2008 there were fewer mountain accidents involving fatalities which the California Highway patrol contributes to their slow down campaign. Even with the fewer fatalities on mountain roads the amount of motorcycle fatalities, both in 2007 with 19 motorcycle fatalities on mountain highways and 10 fatalities during 2008 according to the statistics.

According to Officer Fernandez the California Highway Patrol believes one of the reasons for the decrease in fatal accidents during 2008 is their number of arrests for drivers allegedly driving under the influence. During 2008 there was a 16 percent raise in arrests for suspected drivers under the influence with 364 arrests of drivers with a .08 or higher blood alcohol level. In the year 2007 there were 307 similar arrests made by the California Highway Patrol. The arrests made during the period from Christmas through New Years were higher in 2008 as compared to 2007. This means car accident lawyers in Los Angeles are unable to stay as busy as before.

December 28, 2008 (by Otto Smyth)

According to reports by car accident lawyers Los Angeles, that have been released by the California Highway Patrol during the time of 6:00 p.m. Christmas Eve and 10:00 a.m. Saturday there were 16 fatal accidents on California highways where the California Highway Patrol has authority.

They have stated this is two less people that were victims of fatal accidents than in 2007 during the same time period. Three of these 16 fatalities are being investigated by city police and of the 13 that are under California Highway Patrol jurisdiction 8 of the fatally injured victims were not wearing seatbelts at the times of the collisions.

The arrests during this time period was also lower than during last year during the same time period with 824 drivers being arrested for driving under the influence this Christmas. Last year during this same time period there were 1,303 driving under the influence arrests according to the California Highway Patrol.

newspersonal injury attorney los angeles

November 6, 2008 (by Otto Smyth)

Wednesday afternoon was a slow commute on Interstate 5 after California car accident lawyers and California Highway Patrol reported several vehicular collisions, due to four vehicle crashes that spanned from Del Mar to Oceanside.

The first accident occurred in the vicinity of Poinsettia Lane at approximately 3:58 p.m. this accident caused four vehicles to be blocking lanes of traffic.

The second accident reported by the California Highway Patrol was on Interstate 5 south in the vicinity of Via de la Valle that occurred at approximately 4:23 p.m. Involved in this accident was a white Ford Explorer that was over turned and blocking lanes of traffic. The victims involved in this accident reportedly had minor injuries. The lanes were open again by approximately 5:20 p.m.

The third accident was also in the vicinity of Via de la Valle and occurred at approximately 5:00 p.m. this accident involved a sport utility vehicle and a motorcycle. There has been no information released involving injuries or what caused the collision.

The fourth Interstate 5 accident occurred in the vicinity of Oceanside Boulevard at approximately 5:12 p.m. and blocked the lanes of traffic for a short amount of time.

October 26, 2008 (by Otto Smyth)

According to reports Metorlink who is facing probable legal suits for wrongful death and personal injuries in the Chatsworth commuter train crash has approved millions of dollars in safety improvements.

It has been reported that the Metrolink Transportation Authority Board of Directors of Metrolink has approved safety upgrades which will cost and estimated $10.6 to $12.6 million and this will include additional engineers and conductors, along with Automatic Train Stop technology and the replacement of incandescent light bulbs on signals with light emitting diodes. The Automatic Train Stop technology is planned to be put into operation in 50 locations at an estimated cost of $1.1 million and used for the next several years until a more advanced system is available. This system has been used since the 1940’s and has receivers approximately 100 feet before each warning signal. This is an alarm that the conductor must acknowledge within an eight second time frame or the train will automatically slow and come to a stop.

The board approved additional hiring of engineers and conductors for trains running that will not have the Automatic Train Stop technology.

The Metrolink board has already allocated $5 million for the Los Angeles County safety improvements. The Metrolink Transportation Authority is the major source of funding for Metrolink and the five counties in Southern California that it operates.

Another item the board approved at a cost of $1 million was the changing of signal bulbs at 650 signals to give the higher visibility with the new bulbs. They also approved relocating or changing five signals that will be an approximate cost of $3 to $5 million.

October 23, 2008 (by Otto Smyth)

According to reports by fire restoration contractors, the blaze that was reported at approximately 12:45 a.m. in the vicinity of Fontana and spread into the canyons of Rancho Cucamonga burned 250 acres. It was also reported by approximately noon that the fire was about 60 percent under control, because the firefighters had not yet dug a line around the fire.

The fire in Rancho Cucamonga is said to have broken out in the same area as the Grand Prix wildfire of October 2003 that went on to burn 59,000 acres. The Grand Prix fire claimed 135 homes.

The Santa Ana winds are blamed for fanning several wildfires in Southern California two of the larger blazes destroyed 50 homes outside of Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley. If you suffered a burn as a result of arson, you may be entitled to recover money.  Call an experienced burn injury lawyer in California at 888-400-9721 to learn your legal rights.

Four people were killed in a September 29, 2008 night jet crash in West Columbia, S.C. According to reports by the Lexington County Coroner, and aircraft accident attorneys, the jet crashed while taking off at the Columbia S.C. airport. The pilot and co-pilot died from smoke inhalation and burns and two passengers were killed on impact.

Travis Barker, the former Blink-82 drummer and a celebrity disc jockey DJ AM were also severely injured in the crash but are recovering after being taken to the hospital.

Sarah Lemmon, the pilot and James Bland, the co pilot were killed as well as Chris Baker and Charles Still, both were working with the musicians. Federal officials said that the crew was trying to abort the take off because they heard a loud noise they took to be a tire blow out. All four casualties were from California.

The National Transportation Safety board reported that the cockpit voice recording indicated that the crew was trying to abort the takeoff at the time of the crash. The jet crashed at the end of the runway and exploded into flames. The plane was traveling at least 92 mph at the time the crew thought they heard the tire blow out and try to stop.

An expert on aviation said that a Lear-jet needs a minimum of 5,000 feet of runway space for takeoff and they were almost out of runway at the time they tried to abort. The musicians were heading for Van Nuys, California and were passengers on the Lear jet that was owned by Global Exec Aviation. The California based company had been in operation since last year.

Barker and DJ AM Goldstein were found near the wreckage as they tried to put out the fire that was burning their clothes. Barker suffered burns to his torso and lower body and DJ AM, Adam Goldstein was burned on his scalp and upper arm. Burn injuries can take a year or more to fully heal. Barker and Goldstein had both performed at the MTV music video awards earlier this month.