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If you suffer a traumatic brain injury (TBI), you could recover quickly, or it could leave you with a lifelong disability or even kill you. That’s a wide range of possibilities, so you and your family would obviously like to find out which it will be as soon as possible. Help may be on the way thanks to a combined study by three U.S. universities. Researchers developed a blood test, which, if conducted within 24 hours of the injury, could predict the likely outcome in minutes. How does it work? Medics take a blood sample and test it for two protein biomarkers: GFAP and UCH-L1. If the results show high amounts of these, then doctors know the risk of death or severe long-term effects is high. What use is knowing this? The sooner medical staff understand what they are dealing with, the more chance they have of intervening in a way that could reduce the consequences. The same applies to many injuries and illnesses. It can also help staff prioritize when faced with multiple patients. For example, if you were injured in a multi-vehicle pileup. What if the results predict the worst? This, too, can be useful. Doctors and family members often have to make difficult choices about whether or not to try and keep someone alive in the hope they recover. Accurate information can help them make that call and avoid the heartbreak that comes from misplaced hopes. Predicting the likely outcome is also beneficial when seeking injury compensation. If you claim and your TBI fails to heal as you hoped, you could be left short if your compensation settlement did not account for that.

Whether you handle customer service complaints from an office setting, work in construction or cook at an upscale restaurant, your vision is crucial to doing your job well. Although workers with visual limitations can do most jobs, they may require assistive technology or other accommodations to do their work safely and effectively. Given that your vision is key to your ongoing professional success, you should seek to protect it when at all possible. Although you can get workers’ compensation for an injury that affects your eyes or ability to see, it would be better to avoid such injury in the first place. According to federal job injury statistics, proactive efforts on your part could go a very long way toward preventing vision-related injuries on the job. The vast majority of eye injuries are preventable According to an analysis of eye injuries on the job in the United States, roughly 2,000 workers hurt their eyes on the job every single day somewhere in the country. Some of these injuries will be temporary, such as scratches and infections caused by exposure on the job. Other injuries may lead to someone permanently losing vision. As many as 90% of those injuries are preventable with proper safety measures. Experts estimate that roughly 75% of eye injuries occur because workers do not wear proper personal protective equipment (PPE) on the job. Sometimes, it is the worker’s fault for choosing not to wear eye protection provided by their employer. Other times, the company may have failed to provide eye coverings or may even create a work environment where people feel like they cannot make use of PPE on the job. Eye injuries can lead to big workers’ compensation claims Whether you will need weeks off to heal after a surgery or you have permanent consequences for your vision that will prevent you from returning to your job, you may very well need to file a workers’ compensation claim following an eye injury. The good news is that even if you unintentionally caused the injury by not wearing appropriate PPE, workers’ compensation is a no-fault program that will not deny you coverage just because of your own contributions to the injury. Learning more about common injuries and your rights can help you when you may need to file a workers’ compensation claim.

Car crash deaths are on the rise. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) statistics show that the first quarter of this year saw deaths rise by 19% in comparison to the first quarter of 2019. They also rose 7% over the same period last year. This is in marked contrast to the three years up to 2020 when traffic fatalities declined. There is no equivalent rise in traffic to support this recent rise, so what is behind this fatal trend? People are taking more risks Road safety experts suggest that it comes down to risk-taking. People that take more risks when driving are more likely to crash, and the results of the crash are more likely to be fatal. For example, speeding increases the chance someone loses control and increases the impact of any resulting crash. Some believe the rise is because the roads were emptier for a time during the last couple of years. Hence people got used to putting their foot down and have not stopped now that traffic has increased. Another theory is that the police stopped pulling as many people over for traffic offenses because they were occupied with other things or were scared of catching something. So people did not have the fear of being caught to stop them from breaking the law. Whatever the reasons for someone taking risks on the road, they need to accept the blame if their risk-taking causes an accident. There is a good chance they won’t, so getting legal help to hold them responsible will be crucial if they injure you in a crash.

More neck injuries occur due to vehicle accidents than for any other reason in the US. They make up 90% of all injuries suffered in rear-end collisions. While vehicle crash injuries that involve a lot of blood tend to catch people’s attention, sometimes the things you cannot see have the most catastrophic effect. The reason neck injuries can be so damaging is that the neck carries the spinal cord. Every action your body performs is made possible by electrical signals that pass between your brain and the rest of your body. If you damage any part of your neck, there is a chance you will damage the spinal cord that runs through it and carries those electrical messages. When a car hits you from behind, it can cause your head to be thrown forward with force, placing excessive strain on your neck and causing damage. These are some of the types of neck injuries that could occur: Soft tissue injury: A crash can overstretch and tear the muscles and ligaments that support your neck. The result could be lifelong neck pain. Bone injuries: You have seven bones in your neck called vertebrae. These can fracture or jump out of place. The spinal cord runs through them, so if they move, they could easily damage it. Spinal cord injury: If pinched or compressed above your third vertebrae, it could be fatal. If you damage it lower down, you may well end up with paralysis below the site of injury. You may need lifelong help to move around and carry out simple tasks. The severity of a neck injury is not always immediately apparent. If you have a rear-end collision, ensure you get checked out by a medical practitioner. Seek legal help when dealing with the insurance company. If you discover your sore neck is a more severe injury, you could be facing considerable costs and changes to your life. An attorney can show you how to get fair compensation for your losses.

Greensboro roads get a lot of action as companies flock to the area to set up shop. In addition, the constant flow of traffic from travelers passing through the city leaves our highways in need of regular maintenance. If you work in the road construction sector, you don’t likely need anyone telling you that your job is dangerous. Here are some of the common injury risks you face. Motorists collide with road construction workers You’ll likely see signs warning you to slow down and that there are enhanced fines for speeding in road construction zones. Some motorists may still miss these bright colored signs (or simply ignore them). Drivers who don’t heed the warning to slow down often find themselves unable to adjust their speed for lane shifts and uneven pavement. This can then cause  them to crash into road construction zones. Other road construction occupational hazards The threat of a motorist crashing into a road construction worker is real. There are other events that can cause victims disabling injuries and illnesses and even result in their deaths, including: Heavy equipment accidents:  Excavators, bucket and dump trucks, rollers and bulldozers are commonplace at road construction sites. All of these have the potential to malfunction due to poor maintenance or bad design. A worker without proper training in using this equipment may also unintentionally cause injuries. Toxic exposures: There are a lot of chemicals that formulate the materials used to construct or maintain highways. Repeated breathing of these harmful substances can cause future respiratory issues, burns and skin irritations. Heat exhaustion: Many road construction projects take place during the hottest days of the year. Physical exertion accompanied by heat rising off the asphalt or concrete can increase the risk for heat exhaustion. Road construction workers face many easily preventable dangers if motorists and employers take the necessary precautions to keep them safer. Fortunately, North Carolina workers’ compensation laws protect injured highway workers. Delving a bit deeper into those laws can help you understand your rights and responsibilities after an on-the-job injury.

Every year, the authorities send out reminders that this time of summer is called “the 100 deadliest days” for teen drivers for a reason. The annual spike in fatal crashes occurs every year when a wave of teens hits the road with their newly-minted licenses for the summer. Driving takes experience and maturity to do well. Teenagers have not had time to build up hours behind the wheel and many lack maturity, especially boys. Getting a license does not mean someone is a good driver To get a driving license, you need to pass a theoretical and practical test. Any student knows that you can cram to pass a written test yet not remember any of it a few weeks later. As for practical tests, knowing how to act to pass a test does not guarantee how you will act after. Getting a driving license means they were good enough to pass on the day — nothing more than that. As the parent of a young driver, you can do a few things to help keep them safe: Check up on their driving: Let your child drive you places, so you can assess their safety and help them improve. Expand their range gradually: Start your child off driving short distances at quiet times of the day. Night driving, long distances, heavy traffic and powerful cars all require more experience. Establish some ground rules: Make it clear you have no tolerance for horseplay in the car with their friends, texting behind the wheel or other types of distracted driving. Helping your child improve their driving skills is only part of the equation. They need to understand that other drivers may not be so careful, regardless of age or experience. Consider paying for a defensive driving course for your child. While it is an extra cost, it will be worth it if it avoids you having to claim compensation because someone has injured your child in a crash.

A lot of people in Greensboro have stories about almost being hit by a car while they were trying to walk across the street. Unfortunately, not every encounter between a pedestrian and a motor vehicle is a near miss. Compounding the pain and suffering of a pedestrian accident is when the driver flees the scene instead of stopping and rendering aid. And this threat to public safety is getting worse locally. Police recently told FOX8 that Greensboro had 52 hit-and-run pedestrian collisions last year. To compare, there were 49 such incidents in 2019 and 46 the year before that. Clearly, the danger is not going away. Few people have fast enough reactions to dodge a motor vehicle driving 30, 40 or 50 mph through an intersection. Someone who uses a wheelchair would have virtually no chance to escape. Sadly, this is exactly what happened to a local man earlier this month. Driver hits man in a wheelchair, leaves the scene The man was crossing the street around 10:45 pm when a car struck him. Rather than stop, the driver sped away, leaving the man badly injured in the middle of the road. His girlfriend later said the man suffered three broken bones in his back. In a sad irony, this was not the first serious pedestrian accident this man has been through. He lost his leg in a similar incident last July. Now he faces another long recovery from an injury that could leave him with another permanent disability. Pedestrians must be kept safe We don’t know the details of what happened in this particular case. But we do know that North Carolina law places a duty of care on drivers to take reasonable steps to avoid harming pedestrians. This includes driving at the speed limit, stopping at red lights and stop signs, and yielding to individuals in crosswalks.

The temperatures are warming up here in North Carolina. Kids will be out of school and looking for ways to cool off for the summer, so it’s only natural that they’ll begin flocking to swimming pools to do so. Most people don’t realize, however, how many dangers lurk at their local pools, including slip-and-fall, drowning, and other life-altering injury risks. Do you know what steps to take if you or your child get hurt at a public swimming pool? Initial steps to take following a swimming pool accident One of the first things you’ll want to do immediately following an injury accident at a swimming pool is to either summon paramedics to the scene or visit a physician to check you or your child out. If possible, try to get photos of the scene and surroundings. These may provide important documentation of the lack of safety measures at the pool. Getting the contact information from any witnesses who are available, when you can, is also wise. Common dangers at public swimming pools Most people worry about the prospect of a loved one drowning in a pool, yet that’s not the only danger that exists. Someone may suffer a life-threatening infection due to a pool’s improperly treated water. Faulty wiring to a pool’s jets, lights or heating elements can result in electrocutions. Slippery or chipped tiles along a pool’s deck may result in slips and falls. Broken plastic or metal pieces inside a pool can result in cuts or puncture wounds. These are only a few of the many dangers that exist at swimming pools — which is why parents and others need to be alert for hazards. Determining fault after a pool accident Identifying a pool owner and the party responsible for its maintenance can be challenging. Determining liability for the accident can also be difficult. There are often pre-notification requirements that apply to government agency personal injury lawsuits that don’t apply to others. An attorney can help you sort out liability issues and lawsuit filing requirements if you plan to sue a pool owner here in Greensboro.

Most Americans head out to their local Walmart, Target or another big-box store over the weekend to get all the things they need for the week. These retail establishments are often crowded, especially on the weekends, around the holidays and when good sales are happening. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that this is when unexpected accidents are likely to happen. You should note the potential dangers that exist in these environments to minimize your chances of suffering potentially life-threatening injuries yourself. How common are big-box store injuries? One statistic shows that at least 5,000 consumers reported injuries at Walmart, one of the largest big-box stores, every year. Another statistic shows that the highest number of big-box store customer injuries occur on Black Friday. What are some of the everyday dangers big-box store consumers face? It can be challenging managing everything that happens in an establishment as large as some of the big-box stores that exist. It’s not uncommon for individuals to slip and fall on a mat as they enter a store or if a spill occurs. Items may become dislodged and fall off the top shelf onto a customer’s head. Customers may also find themselves struck by a shopping cart or vehicle or assaulted by someone as they approach their car in the parking lot. What are some dangers shoppers face at certain times of the year? One of the more pressing dangers that store leadership has trouble handling is managing crowds when big sales are happening. Many retail establishments that have found it challenging to manage crowds in the past have turned to staggering promotions rollouts or requiring customers to pre-purchase items online. Many stores have hired security guards to help control crowds as well. What should you do if you suffered an injury at a big-box store? A store owner must keep their premises reasonably safe, no matter how many customers they serve. A personal injury attorney here in Greensboro will want can help you determine if you have a viable claim against a negligent company.

Trucking crashes are some of the most dangerous because of the differences in weight between passenger vehicles and large trucks. If a smaller vehicle is hit, it’s likely that the people inside will be badly hurt or killed. In many cases involving passenger vehicles, crushing injuries are seen. Crush injuries happen when the body is crushed by being compressed between two surfaces. For instance, if the front end of the vehicle is crushed, the people in the front seat may have crushing injuries to their feet or legs. What makes crushing injuries more dangerous than some other types? Crushing injuries are more extensive than other kinds of broken bones or tissue damage, because the soft tissue, nerves and bones are crushed significantly. Bones broken in this way may not be able to be held in place even when using surgical tools, meaning that amputation may be the only alternative. Minor crush injuries tend to heal on their own, but moderate or severe injuries may require hospitalization. Another major risk of crush injuries is compartment syndrome. This is a syndrome that develops as a result of the swelling and bleeding around the injury. The blood and swelling fills up the muscle space and causes high pressure to build. This can stop the blood from flowing, leading to tissue damage, permanent injury or death in some cases. Releasing a crushed body part can be deadly Another major issue with crushing injuries is the toxic chemical release that happens when the body part has the pressure taken off of it. Interestingly, the patient may not feel very severely injured, but when the body part has the pressure removed, toxins from the breakdown of muscle and tissues release. Shock is likely, because lactic acid, histamine, thromboplastin, potassium and other chemicals build up and suddenly release throughout the body. If a crushing injury is suspected in a collision, everyone should wait for the emergency medical team to arrive to remove the patient and treat the potential for shock immediately. Anyone who survives a crushing injury is likely to have lasting pain and complications, at least in the short term. Some may require amputations, while others may have many months, or years, of recovery ahead of them.

Getting hurt on the job is bad enough — but finding out that you have very little control over your own medical care afterward may be even worse. Unfortunately, that’s the reality for injured workers in North Carolina. The workers’ compensation rules give your employer the right to dictate which doctor you can see for your injuries (except for emergencies). What if you think the doctor you’re given cares more about the company than your health? Doctors are human, and those who derive most of their income from insurance referrals and workers’ comp claims may be inclined to put workers back on the job before they’re ready. If you suspect that your doctor is biased (or just inept), you do have a right to request a second opinion about your condition and care from another physician at your employer’s expense. If your employer refuses to agree (or ignores your request for more than 14 days), you can take your request to the Industrial Commission. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that you will be able to force a referral to the doctor of your choice, but there is a process that usually results in some second opinion. If the second doctor’s opinion or care meshes better with what you believe should be happening, you can request a transfer of care. To get the approval of the Industrial Commission, however, you need to show that you have a preponderance of evidence that the switch is necessary for your treatment. What if the employer or their insurance company fights your request? Frankly, that is more likely to happen than not, so it pays to be prepared to assert your rights. It’s usually wisest to enlist the help of an attorney who understands the nuances of workers’ comp law in North Carolina when you encounter a problem.

Traumatic brain injuries happen in falls, car accidents, workplace accidents, incidents of violence and in many other ways. They are among the most serious injuries that a person can suffer, and they can happen even if the skull itself isn’t significantly damaged. Movement of the brain within the skull can cause damage and bleeding, both of which can have serious ramifications. Even brain injuries that do not show up on x-rays, CT scans or MRIs can have serious long-term effects.  Those “Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries,” sometimes referred to as “closed head injuries” or “post-concussive syndrome,” can elude detection, especially by the patient.  They can even occur without the person’s head actually hitting something, just by jostling the brain around inside the skull. Often, family members notice things like memory loss and irritability that the injured person doesn’t.  If there is any concern that a brain injury may have occurred, even a “mild” one, early medical treatment can be critical, so one should not hold back on going to the doctor, thinking it will just go away. One of the biggest challenges regarding these TBIs is that they may last for months, for years, or for life. It’s often hard for doctors to know at the beginning. Even with professional medical treatment, not all injuries can or do heal. This is just the nature of an injury to your most fragile organ. Changes for life If you do suffer life-long issues after a TBI, what are they likely to be? Here are a few potential challenges you may need to deal with moving forward: Progressive brain atrophy Seizures Neurodegenerative diseases Sleep disorders Neuroendocrine dysregulation Loss of physical skills and mobility Communication issues Developing psychiatric problems Loss of memory Difficulty concentrating Headaches For instance, you may feel like you have to re-learn how to walk after suffering from a TBI, even though your legs did not get injured at all. The issue is with the connections within your brain that tell your body to follow its commands. In some cases, these connections are repaired or the brain finds ways to work around the breaches, and skills return. In other cases, the connections are severed forever and you never regain the physical skills that you had before the incident. This is why it’s hard for doctors to predict what is going to take place. They can give you an educated guess and monitor your progress, but everyone heals a bit differently and there’s no guarantee you’ll follow any set pattern. Getting back on track Injuries like this can change your life forever, leaving you with major medical bills and no income. It’s crucial that you understand your legal options as you work to get your life back on track.