Personal Injury

November 12, 2015

Report: One Dead in Skydiving Accident

Skydiving is an inherently dangerous activity. People who do this are choosing to jump out of an airplane at a high altitude, so they can experience the rush of freefalling through the air and then being able to float safely to the ground using a nylon parachute. Every year, there are many accidents involving skydivers, though most of them involved broken bones, sprains, and bruises caused by a rougher than expected landing. Deaths do occur, but they are not as commonplace as one might think with an experienced instructor and properly maintained equipment.

However, regardless of how safe or dangerous one might consider skydiving, anyone who wished to participate through the use of a professional skydiving business is likely required to sign an extensive waiver in which the diver accepts that skydiving is dangerous and disclaims any and all liability on behalf of the business. Continue reading

November 8, 2015

High School Settles Case with Injured Student

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

There is no question football is a dangerous game. Every time your child puts on his uniform and steps on the field, there is always a risk that he could be injured. Sometimes, we are talking and sprains and bruises or even broken bones, and other times we are talking about serious head and neck injuries. The fact that tackle football is so dangerous is the reason the school requires parents to sign a waiver stating they understand what could happen and assume the risk of an injury.

Assumption of risk is a common defense to cases where a victim is injured while doing a potentially dangerous activity, and releases are commonly required. Every time you do certain activities, like skiing, sky diving, and going on certain amusement or a water park rides, you have to sign a waiver. When you go skiing, the lift ticket you clip on your zipper contains a lot of fine print that constitutes such a waiver. Continue reading

November 5, 2015

High School Football Player Suffers Head Injury – Helmet Sensor Not Activated

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

According to a recent news story article from ABC News, a high school football player at a California school suffered a serious head injury during a game. He is currently in a medically induced coma, so doctors can perform multiple surgeries to suppress the bleeding and swelling and work to his life.

While this is not the first accident, or serious head injury, to occur during a high school football game, it was far from the typical injury. Witnesses say the play during which the student was hurt seemed like a routine tackle – nobody was sure how he was injured so badly. At first, he had appeared to have blacked out and had trouble getting up. Continue reading

November 1, 2015

Jimmy Fallon Taken to MGH Boston Following Hand Injury

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Anyone who is a fan of the Tonight Show has probably heard about how Jimmy Fallon injured his hand when he fell and got his ring hung on the edge of a table as he was headed to the ground. As far as hand injuries go, that incident was fairly severe. He was required to have ongoing medical treatment and rehabilitation, and the network was forced to suspend taping his show temporarily. It has been reported that he almost required an amputation following that fall, but fortunately doctors were able to save his finger.

While Fallon is back on the air and seems to be doing well, he recently managed to injure his other hand when he was attending an event at Harvard University, according to a recent news report from the Boston Herald. Witnesses say Fallon was at the Boston area university to be honored by the Harvard Lampoon for his achievements in comedy. Specifically, he was being given the Elmer Award for Excellence in Humor. While many may not be aware, many of the most famous comedy writers and performers attended Harvard University and were part of the Harvard Lampoon. Continue reading

October 8, 2015

Montreal Canadiens’ Zack Kassian Injured in Car Accident

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

According to a recent news report from CBS Sports, Montreal Canadien’s forward Zack Kassian was in a car accident where he suffered serious injuries. He was sent to the hospital following the accident and is now under the care of the team’s medical staff.

Witnesses say Kassian was riding in the car as a passenger, along with a 20-year-old female driver and an 18-year-old passenger, when the accident occurred. One witness took a photograph of the vehicle, which had apparently crashed into a tree. Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the accident and have said they will release more information when it becomes available. Continue reading

October 1, 2015

Child Suffers Fatal Head Injury after Fall at School

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

According to a recent news report from the Washington Post, a third grade student in Baltimore suffered a serious head injury after a fall that occurred in his elementary school. Authorities are still investigating the cause of the accident but say he reported becoming ill shortly before he suffered a fractured skull. It is not even known how or why he fell.

It is believed the nine-year-old boy was in the hallway of his school around 1 p.m. when the fall occurred. School officials reported that they found him lying on the floor and called his mother. They told his mother that they were calling an ambulance, and she went to the school to be with her son. When she arrived, she found her son sitting in a chair with his head slumped over, and he was non-responsive. Continue reading

September 23, 2015

Taunton Doctors Work to Fix State Spinal Cord Injury Fund

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Spinal injuries can leave victims with a life filled with rehabilitation and physical therapy, and the victim may never be able to fully recover. According to a recent article from Taunton Gazette, one doctor who had previously worked to create a spinal cord injury fund in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is now asking state legislators to fix a problem with the fund that caused it to run dry.

The fund was meant to get money from traffic fines levied on repeat traffic offenders who were losing their driving licenses. After the bill was signed into law to create and fund the charitable organization, there was a change in the general traffic laws. The change caused people to lose their licenses much earlier in the process, so the funds were not being paid at the right time. As a result of what they are calling a “scrivener’s error,” the spinal injury fund lost $300,000 in funding that had been previously earmarked for it. Continue reading

September 16, 2015

Massachusetts State Trooper Injured in Accidental Weapons Discharge in Boston

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

According to a news release from the Massachusetts State Police (MSP), a veteran trooper was recently injured when his shotgun accidentally discharged. An MSP spokesperson said the trooper, who was assigned to the South Boston Barracks, was transferring a department issued shotgun from his old patrol cruiser to his newly issued cruiser.

The trooper sergeant took the tactical 12ga shotgun out of the locking mount in his old vehicle, and it somehow discharged, striking him in the leg. He was alone at the time of the accident. The accident occurred at the Massachusetts State Police Emergency Vehicle Operations Center. This is essentially the main repair depot and storage facility for patrol cars. Continue reading

September 9, 2015

Increased Shoulder Injuries Due to Vaccination Injections

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

In recent years, we have seen a great deal of media coverage about people across the country who are against the use of vaccines and having their children vaccinated. Much of this fear of vaccines is believed to have been advanced by a small group of celebrities who been outspoken about the issue. Jenny McCarthy was one of the most notable celebrities associated with the anti-vaccine movement when she implied vaccines could be responsible for causing autism in children.

Essentially, all doctors and public health groups are strong proponents of vaccines for adults and especially children. They say there is absolutely no scientific evidence vaccines are responsible for autism or any other heath condition claimed by those not in favor of vaccines. These doctors feel it is tragic to allow any child to get a disease that could have prevented with a simple vaccine. Continue reading

August 16, 2015

Airline Accident Rate Remains Low for U.S. Carriers

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

According to a recent news feature from the Wall Street Journal, the accident rate for commercial airline companies based in the United States was close to the all-time low this past year. This is based upon early data from federal crash investigators. This is in contrast to an increase in accidents involving foreign airlines, as we have seen in various international news reports.

This past year was the fifth year in a row that there was a not a single fatal crash involving a U.S. operated commercial aircraft. Obviously, this data does not include the much more frequent fatal crashes involving smaller, private aircraft. The study was conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which is the federal agency operated under direction from its parent agency, the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT), and the study includes not only fatal accidents, but anything classified as a domestic carrier mishap. Continue reading