The following is a guest blog courtesy of Dolan Law Offices in Chicago

Spinal cord injuries can occur in any type of accident and can instantaneously change your life.  There are two types of spinal cord injuries: complete injuries and incomplete injuries.

Complete Spinal Cord Injuries

A person who suffers a complete spinal cord injury is paralyzed from the part of the spine where the injury occurred down.  If the injury occurred on the upper part of the spine, such as the neck, then the person may suffer quadriplegia and be unable to move from the neck down.  If the injury happens in the lower back then the person may suffer paraplegia and be paralyzed from the waist down but maintain movement in the upper body.

Incomplete Spinal Cord Injuries

While incomplete spinal cord injuries do not typically result in paralysis, they can still have devastating effects.  The Mayo Clinic cites some of the possible spinal cord injury effects as:

• Loss of bladder and / or bowel control;
• Impaired skin sensation;
• Circulatory problems;
• Respiratory problems;
• Low muscle tone that impacts gross motor activities;
• Problems with sexual health; and
• Pain.

Both complete and incomplete spinal cord injuries can result in significant physical and emotional damages that change a person’s life.  If you have been injured in an accident that has caused you to endure problems associated with a spinal cord injury then you may be entitled to damages for your injuries.  It is, therefore, important to contact a spinal cord injury lawyer for more information about your potential recovery.

Dolan Law Offices, P.C. is a firm of Illinois Spinal Cord Injury Lawyers. We are committed to fighting for full and fair compensation for spinal cord injury victims.

The Chevy Tahoe driver, while driving away from a Duncanville police officer, was driving south on Duncanville Road.  He collided into the white Honda Civic being driven by Gladys Barrientos, which was turning left in front of the Chevy Tahoe.  Ms. Barrientos was taken to Charlton Methodist Hospital, where she died.

The other driver has not been identified but may be facing criminal charges and could also face a civil personal injury suit for causing the wrongful death of Ms. Barrientos.

Hospitals and doctors say caps on damages for medical malpractice is necessary to reduce rising health care costs.   The law was passed on 2005 and its purpose was to limit compensation to patients for pain and suffering and other non-economic damages such as mental anguish, impairment, and disfigurement.  The caps limited these types of damages to $500,000 in cases against doctors and $1,000,000 in cases against hospitals.

Doctors have complained their medical malpractice premiums will increase because of this ruling.  They argue an increase in premiums will cause Illinois doctors to leave Illinois and practice medicine in other states.  Opponents have stated there is no evidence that rising malpractice premiums have caused doctors to retire or leave the state.

The Illinois Supreme Court stated the seperation of powers (between the branches of government) clause was violated because the law allowed the state legislature to interfere with a jury’s right to determine damages in a medical malpractice case. 

The underlying case made the basis of this appeal involved a 4 year old girl who suffered a brain injury during her birth. 

There are disputes on whether damage cap laws actually reduce the costs of health care.  The U.S. Congressional Budget office has stated caps on non-economic damages could only lower the cost of healthcare by 0.5 percent.

A professor from Penn Law School has written a book titled “The Medical Malpractice Myth.”  Professor Tom Baker is of the opinion that lawyers are less likely to take cases from lower-earning people because the potential recovery is smaller when non-economic damages are limited.  

Texas also has caps on a non-economic damages in medical malpractice and nursing home abuse cases.  The caps are limited to $250,000 for cases against doctors and $500,000 for cases involving two or more hospitals.

We hope the right attorney with the right case will challenge the Texas cap on non-economic damages.  We believe the Illinois Supreme Court reason is logical and makes sense.  Jury awards should not be disturbed by legislatures.

Traffic authorities are given the power to check any one for a random drug test, especially those who are found to be suspicious. This can include the way a person is driving the car and physical signs and performance of the driver. Normally, the police carry out a random drug test by taking a sample of the drivers saliva and checking it for levels of cannabis, MDMA or ecstasy and methylamphetamine or ICE. Any non-zero levels of these three drugs mean the driver is breaking the law. Currently, the saliva test can only detect levels of these three drugs, and the police can take a blood test or urine sample at any point if they feel that the driver is under influence of some other drug such as alcohol. A breathalyser can also be carried out to find if the driver has any alcohol in his system. However, for alcohol, the threshold level for drug in the blood is safe anywhere between zero and 0.05, and blood alcohol levels or BAC higher than this can cause trouble for the driver. This threshold limit can be changed by the law anytime, as deemed appropriate. A prosecution drug recognition expert can also be used as a testimony against the driver.

When a person is under the influence of drugs, whether it is alcohol, an addictive drug, prescription drug or over-the-counter drug, his or her mental or physical capacity of being able to work properly and comprehend things can become impaired. Driving under the influence of drugs, also known as DUI, or driving while impaired or intoxicated or DWI can become a problem not only for the driver, but for other passengers riding in the vehicle and also for the passerbyes. A drug can be categorized as just anything which affects a person’s mental or physical capability, whether it is a cold medicine, pills of coffee or caffeine etc. According to the definition used in California, “A drug is anything capable of affecting the nervous system, brain or muscles of an individual as to impair, to an appreciable degree, his or her ability to drive a vehicle in the manner that any ordinarily prudent and cautious person, in full possession of his faculties, using reasonable care, would drive a similar vehicle under like conditions.” If you or someone you know has been charged for DUI, you will need to consult a specialized DUI lawyer or a DUI attorney, who has qualified DUI Laws. A lawyer not specialized in this field may not be able to defend you as it takes real know-how to handle cases accused with DUI.

According to definition, DUI includes driving under the influence of alcohol, including driving while intoxicated, drunk driving, operating a vehicle under the influence of drugs, where as a vehicle can include anything from bicycle, boat, airplane, to wheelchair, tractor or horse. In most counties and states of America, DUI and DWI are considered a criminal offense and are dealt with severe charges. It is a serious health hazard and causes 39% of vehicle related deaths each year. Most courts will disqualify the accused of holding or obtaining a driver’s license for a specific period of time, whereas in serious cases, the charges can be severe. These charges can include a fine, appointment of a community service or even prison. The court also takes away the right of eligibility to apply for a work licence and if the driver is convicted with a serious offence of driving or being in charge of a vehicle while under the influence of a drug.

Some states may have the same punishment for DUI drug cases and DUI alcohol cases. However, in states where the punishments are different, it is important to hire a DUI Laws lawyer who can relieve some of the harsher punishments imposed by law. Whether you have been accused of drunk driving DUI, DWI or driving while impaired or intoxicated, DUII or driving under the influence of intoxicants, OUI or operating under the influence of drugs, OUIL or operating under the influence of liquor, MVI or operating a motor vehicle while impaired or simply accused of reckless driving while drunk, a knowledgeable and skilled defence DUI lawyer should be consulted. Do not waste time with inexperienced lawyers, as your driver’s license can be cancelled. Consulting a skilled criminal defense lawyer who concentrated on DUI and DWI defense should be your first choice to save yourself from a lot of trouble.

The organization is patterned after M.A.D.D. and will lobby states for tougher laws for texting and cell phone use in cars.   Nineteen states and D.C. have banned texting when driving a car and restricted cell phone use.  

Focus Driven will be lead by Jennifer Smith, a daughter whose mother was killed by a driver talking on his cell phone.

Nurses can misunderstand abbreviations on a pharmacy order.  Examples of deaths from medication errors are: (1) accidental overdose of a drug that slows the heart rate; (2) i.v. fluids administered at too high of a level after surgery on a child; and (3) confusion over drug names that leads to addition of insulin to infant’s i.v. instead of the correct medication such as an anti-clotting drug.

The Institute for Safe Medication Practices and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists launched the National Alert Network for Serious Medication Errors.  This network will send e-mail alerts to pharmacists, doctors, and nurses when a life-threatening or death causing medication error is reported.  The goal is to spread the word about the consequences of medication errors.

Medication errors have increased because of pressure for hospitals to cut costs via stretching of their staff in these tough economic times.  A survey of 850 nurses and pharmacists revealed 20% of them reported making a medication mistakes with insulin, narcotics, heparin, and chemotherapy.

Consumers can sign up for customized alerts about medications they take and report problems to http://www.consumermedsafety.org.     To avoid medication errors, consumers should ask healthcare providers to explain what medications are being given and what are the correct dosages. 

Some patient safety experts say this network is not enough and there needs to be other techniques implemented such as electronic medical records (elminates bad doctor handwriting) and bar coding systems (confirms drugs match with patient’s age, condition, or diagnosis). 

The reporting of medication errors by health care providers is confidential and cannot be used in a medical malpractice lawsuit.

Hopefully, this network will decreased the amount of indviduals who are victims of medical malpractice due to medication errors committed by their healthcare providers or pharmacists.

The accident happened at Audelia Road and Walnut Street when the Richardson officer was pursuing a speeding vehicle.  When the car hit the ice, it slid into a utility pole and was flipped upside down.  Fortunately, the officer was not injured.

This accident should be lesson to all to make sure sprinklers are turned off during freezing temperatures.  In many cities in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, it is a city code violation to have sprinklers on during freezing temperatures and/or not having a freeze sensor on your sprinkler system.

1. Do seek medical attention quickly for your injuries and follow your doctor’s orders;
2. Do contact a personal injury lawyer before you speak to the insurance company
3. Do not admit fault for causing an accident;
4. Do not sign any insurance company forms before you speak to a Dallas personal injury lawyer;
5. Do take photographs of the accident scene and your injuries;
6. Do document non-visible injuries such as stress and pain;
7. Do not give an insurance company access to your health information;
8. Do disclose any pre-existing injuries to your doctor and lawyer;
9. Do not exagerate your injuries;
10. Do not wait too long to contact a personal injury lawyer

The accident involved four vehicles on Hwy 377 at Stonecrest Road near Liberty Christian School.   One of the injured students was taken, via CareFlite, to Harris Methodist Hospital. 

The police are still investigating the cause of the accident.  No names have been released.

Two signs were posted at the Cotton Gin exit in Frisco, Texas; two signs were posted at the State Highway 380 exit in Frisco, Texas  and two signs were posted at the Harry Hines exist in Dallas, Texas.

The signs are part of projected started by NTTA driver task force.  More wrong-way signs will be posted on the Dallas North Tollway if the current ones are found to be effective in reducing car accident wrongful deaths and personal injuries.  The NTTA also uses reflective buttons near exit ramps to signal proper direction of travel.

In 2009, there have been four wrong way crashes resulting in wrongful death of other drivers.   Almost every wrong way accident on the Dallas North Tollway is a result of drunk driving.

Hopefully, these efforts will prevent wrongful deaths and serious personal injuries arising from car accidents on the Dallas North Tollway