Personal injury

Published on: January 1, 2022

Georgia Roadways Ranked 14th in Condition, Cost- Effectiveness

A new report ranks Georgia roadways and highways at number 14 in the country based on their condition.

Every year, the Reason Foundation releases its annual report which measures and ranks all fifty states based on the condition of highways across the state, including the condition of its pavements, traffic congestion, condition of bridges and traffic fatality rates. The report also measures the cost effectiveness of the state’s spending on its highways and bridges.

The report places our state at first place in urban arterial pavement condition, which are roadways that have four to eight lanes. Georgia placed third for the condition of rural arterial roads, roads that have two to four lanes. Overall, Georgia seems to fare much better, compared to most of our other southern neighbors. The state is ranked at number 28 in overall fatalities. Georgia was ranked at number 23 in the condition of its rural interstate pavements. Traffic congestion is another important marker for traffic safety, and the state was ranked at number 34 on this marker. The state was ranked at number 7 on structurally deficient bridges.

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Published on: October 5, 2021

Brain Protein Measurements could Help Predict Injury -Related Damage

By Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Predicting the amount of brain damage that has resulted from a traumatic brain injury continues to be challenging for physicians. A new study finds that measuring a certain type of brain protein and its count in the blood could help determine the extent of the damage that has occurred.

Thousands of Americans suffer a traumatic brain injury every year. A traumatic brain injury occurs when a person suffers a blow or jolt to the head. A blow like this could occur when a person has been in a car accident or motorcycle or bicycle accident. A brain injury can also occur in a fall accident, especially in a situation where a person has suffered a fall from a height. A traumatic brain injury can also occur in a workplace accident, like one involving a blow to the head from falling debris or equipment. In all these cases, there is trauma to the head, which could translate to damage to the brain.

Although there are many procedures that can help detect the extent of the injury that has occurred, determining the exact extent of brain damage can be challenging for doctors. It’s hard to overstate the importance of determining brain damage severity as quickly as possible. When such a determination has been made, treatment can begin quickly, and the chances of recovery are greater.

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Published on: August 5, 2021

Are You Aware of this New Bicyclist Safety Law Effective in Georgia?

By Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Effective on July 1, motorists must adhere to a new law that aims at keeping bicyclists safer and preventing accidents involving these vulnerable road users.

If you are a motorist in the metro Atlanta region, you must know of the new 3-feet law that recently went into effect. The law specifically requires motorists to maintain a minimum distance between their car and a bicyclist riding next to them. The law requires that motorists maintain a minimum of 3 feet in distance between their car and the bicycle next to their vehicle. Keeping a greater distance between a cyclist and a motor vehicle can help prevent unnecessary accidents on the roads.

Drivers under the new law are required to move over onto the next lane while passing a bicyclist if it is safe to do so. If this is not possible, the law requires motorists to drop speeds to 10 mph below the speed limit when they are around a bicyclist, or at least 25 mph. Maintaining 3 feet of distance around the bicyclist all the time is key.

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Published on: June 7, 2021

Therapies to Improve Bowel Function in Spinal Injury Patients

By Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Slip and/or fall accidents can cause serious injuries and result in long-term disability to a person’s life. Spinal injuries are often the result of fall accidents. A fall does not have to occur from an elevation for the person to suffer a spinal injury. Even a fall from a low height, like a few stairs, can result in an injury that is serious enough to result in lifelong consequences.

Reduced bowel function is just one of the many consequences of a spinal injury. New studies find that physical interventions that include walking with the help of exoskeleton devices can actually enhance bowel function in these patients.

An exoskeleton is an external device, that is worn by a spinal injury patient who has limited mobility as a result of his injury. The device works like a scaffolding of sorts to hold the patient up. It can help the person walk and stand independently without support. Exoskeleton devices have been found to be of great help to spinal injury patients who are suffering from some degree of paralysis and cannot walk or stand without support.

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Published on: April 21, 2021

Sleep is a Dominant Factor in Treatment of Brain Injury

By Robert N. Katz, Esq.

A brain injury is one of the most devastating injuries a person can suffer after an accident. The road to recovery after a brain injury can take months and sometimes years. Brain injury patients who suffer from fractured or disrupted sleep may have a much more difficult path to a complete recovery from their injuries.

Brain injuries are some of the most serious injuries that can result from a slip and fall accidents. And when a person falls from an elevated area, such as a ladder or a higher floor, he is very likely to sustain serious injuries to the head. This can cause a brain injury, which may result in possibly long-term damage.

A new study finds that brain injury patients benefit from sound and significant amounts of sleep. Unfortunately, the injury itself may cause patients to suffer from sleeplessness or fragmented sleep. This, in turn, can slow down the healing process, making it even more difficult for the person to move towards a complete recovery from his injury. The study found that patients who had trouble sleeping were much more likely to suffer from physical and mental symptoms after a concussion, compared to patients who enjoyed better sleep. This indicates that sleep patterns can affect a person’s recovery after a brain injury.

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Published on: March 17, 2021

What to Expect after a Brain Injury

By Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Brain injuries are some of the most severe and complex injuries that a person can suffer. However, there are many misconceptions surrounding these injuries.

Brain injuries in the United States are far more common than you think. According to the Brain Injury Association of America, every 9 seconds, one person somewhere in the United States suffers a brain injury. At least 2.8 million people across the United States suffer a brain injury every year.

Most of the brain injury cases that Atlanta personal injury attorneys come across are related to blunt force trauma or a blow to the head or neck. Typically, these injuries occur in car accidents, motorcycle accidents and bicycle and pedestrian accidents. These injuries are severe, and can lead to long-term impairment and disability. According to the Brain Injury Association of America, one in 60 people lives with a disability that is related to a brain injury.

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Published on: July 25, 2020

Georgia Targets Speed Racing Problems

By Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Speed racing or drag racing is surprisingly not uncommon in Atlanta, but much to people’s dismay, these races have become much more widespread during the pandemic. Georgia’s Governor is throwing his weight behind proposals, that would significantly penalize persons for street racing or drag racing.

When the pandemic hit, shelter-in-place restrictions went into effect and there was initially a marked reduction in the number of vehicles on Georgia’s roads. That, unfortunately, led to an epidemic of street racing by drivers using the newly empty streets to race against each other in reckless and dangerous behavior. Such behavior has become even more dangerous now as shelter-in-place restrictions have eased and more motorists are travelling again on the roads and highways. Street racing increases the racer’s risk of being involved in an accident and endangering innocent motorists who may be sharing these roads with them.

Georgia’s Governor has shown his support for new pieces of legislation that aim at keeping residents safer by increasing penalties for street racing and drag racing. These new proposals would penalize not just the street racers themselves, but also promoters of street racing. In fact, one bill would also penalize people who are watching these races. The goal is to discourage such rash practices that endanger the lives and safety of Atlanta residents.

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Published on: May 8, 2020

Motorcycle Safety Involves More than Meets the Eye.

By Robert N. Katz, Esq.

The weather is getting warmer and the roadways have been emptier than they normally are. This combination can make for a motorcyclist’s dream.

The National Safety Council has deemed the month of May as Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. This is the time to bring awareness to both motorcyclists and drivers alike to the special safety challenges faced by motorcycle riders.

Although riding a motorcycle can be an exhilarating experience, it also comes with some sobering statistics. Fatal accidents among motorcycle riders and passenger vehicles have more than doubled in the past 20 years. Since 2017, motorcycle accidents account for 14% of all traffic related deaths. Of these motorcycle death, older riders, age 50 and up, accounted for 36% of the deaths. What’s more, 91% percent of those who died in motorcycle accidents were male. And in a recent study, statistics showed that more motorcycle accidents occurred during the weekday versus the weekend. The study also released that accidents that occurred at night were more serious, and often fatal, than those accidents that occurred during the daytime.

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Published on: March 31, 2020

Tips for Night Time Boating Safety

By Robert N. Katz, Esq.

During the difficult recent times, there are limited options for people to engage in outdoor or recreational activity. For those who own a boat, being out on the lake may be one of the few options left. Boating at anytime of the day or year must be approached with skill and care. However, boating at night presents its own unique challenges.

Boating at night time is not something we recommend, because of the diminished visibility as well as the fact that sudden surprises or dangers might blindside you on the water in the dark. However, many Atlanta boaters do enjoy being out on a boat after sundown. In some cases, people may find themselves inadvertently stuck out on the water well past sundown, and have to make their way back to shore.

There are safety precautions that you can follow, however, to keep yourself and everyone on your boat safe at night. For one, understand all of the safety precautions that you follow during the day also apply, and even more stringently, at night. Most importantly, you absolutely must not be operating the boat without any boating experience or without basic boat safety training.

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Published on: December 9, 2019

When Can You File a Lawsuit?

By Robert N. Katz, Esq.

If you are injured in an accident, oftentimes the last thing that may be on your mind is starting a lawsuit. However, your injuries may be severely impacting your ability to work, to interact with your family and to live your daily life. And, more often than not, if your injuries were the result of someone else’s negligence, your attempts to recover compensation from the other party’s insurance company may not be as successful as you would like. That’s the time when you may have to consider filing a lawsuit to recover for your injuries.

When it comes to filing a lawsuit, timing is critical. All states have a time limit for when a lawsuit must be filed. This is called the statute of limitations which defines the time limits in which an individual may file a civil claim. This time limit ensures that claims are filed while evidence is still available, and it also prevents a party from threatening to sue long after a conflict has been resolved.

In Georgia, the statute of limitations varies significantly according to the type of claim. There is a two-year statute of limitations for personal injuries and fraud, while the state enforces a four-year statute of limitations for trespassing, debt collection, and injuries to personal property. A civil suit alleging libel or slander must be filed within one year, and medical or other professional malpractice claims must be made within two years or a maximum of five years after the act.

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