Articles Posted in Personal Injury

Every year during the fall, people enjoy going to local pumpkin patches, and, in addition to getting pumpkins and apples, they like to watch pumpkins getting fired out of cannons.  There are various different types of pumpkin launchers, but they are generally powered pneumatically (compressed air) or with some type of slingshot mechanism.  This activity is officially known as “Punkin Chunkin.”

This activity has become so popular that Discovery Channel holds an annual competition and makes that competition into a reality show bearing the same name as the activity of launching the pumpkins.  They are judged on various factors, including distance and maximum height. However, it is apparently not without risk of injury.

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While hunting is not an activity that occurs in Boston proper, there are plenty of areas in the Commonwealth where people do go hunting on a regular basis, as well as in the surrounding states of New England.  Many of these area have professional hunting guides that advertise in Boston to get customers.

Hunting is clearly a lot of fun for those who participate in the activity regularly, but there is obviously a level of danger involved, since we are dealing with firearms and possibly people who are not very familiar with how to use firearms and firearms safety.  When a person hires a guide though a service, they are often relying on that guide for equipment and, even more importantly, their expertise. Continue reading

A recent news article from Philly.com takes a look at the high risk of suffering an eye injury while engaged in paintball activities.  To be clear, we are talking about people engaged in sanctioned paintball completions like the ones held a paintball centers around Boston and throughout Massachusetts.

The results of a recently completed study show that, while there is technically a higher risk of a participant suffering an eye injury while participating in a sport such as basketball, baseball, and bicycling, the risks from paintball often result in a partial or total loss of vision for at least some period of time if not permanently.  Continue reading

Following the death of Jose Fernandez, the baseball world was in a state of shock.  We saw his teammate Dee Gordon hit the longest home run of his career and then break into tears while rounding the bases.  We saw all of the Miami Marlins wearing Fernandez jerseys with his name and number, and we saw opposing teams hold tributes as well.

Just to briefly recap the tragic events that lead to the ace pitcher’s death, rescue workers found his boat upside down after it had crashed into a jetty off the coast of Miami.  When rescue workers approached the boat, they found that nobody was still on board and sent rescue divers into the water to look for any survivors.  They found Fernandez and two of his associates, but they were already deceased. Continue reading

At some point in our lives, most of us have engaged in an activity for which we were required to sign a release of liability.  If we have children, we have certainly had to sign participation forms for our children before they are allowed to go on field trips or participate in any number of activities, including sporting events.

In Duhon v. Activelaf, LLC, participants at defendant’s indoor trampoline park were required to sign a participation agreement prior to using any of the equipment in the facility.  While many people are familiar with trampolines and have likely been on one at some point in their lives, they may not realized they can actually be quite dangerous. Many people suffer serious head and neck injuries on them that can result in permanent paralysis or even death. Continue reading

It seems like people are more interested in doing outdoor adventure type activities these days than they have been in recent decades. One of the more popular activities that allows people to get outside, see some beautiful scenery and get some exercise at the same time is hiking.   While some people will just go for local hikes, others will travel to famous recreation areas to engage in more challenging hikes.

According to a recent news feature from the Las Vegas Review-Journal, a man was just killed after falling while hiking at Red Rock Canyon.  He is said to have fallen off the trail when he was more than 160 off the ground.  He was 31 years old at the time of his death.  As soon as he fell of the cliff, search and rescue workers were called to the scene, but there was nothing they could after he fell around 16 stories, but they were able to locate his body using the assistance of a police helicopter, and his body was in fact recovered.   The police do not suspect foul play was involved as of this time, but they are conducting a full investigation to see if they can determine why he fell off the elevated hiking trial. Continue reading