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Having a child is an important milestone in many adults’ lives. In some cases, births do not go as smoothly as planned and injuries happen to the mother, the infant or both. Birth injuries can be devastating to both the parents and the infant because they can cause lifelong symptoms and can affect your baby’s growth and development. There are many different types of birth injuries that range from mild to severe, but any preventable birth injury is an unacceptable outcome of poor decision-making or negligence on the doctor’s part.
A birth injury can be caused by a number of things, some due to decisions made by your doctor and some associated with conditions present before or during the baby’s birth. Risk factors for birth injuries can include:
Dogs have been considered man’s best friend for centuries. Researchers estimated that animal companionship dates back tens of thousands of years. Currently, around 68 percent of households in the United States own a pet, with the majority of those pets being dogs. Dogs make great companions because of their desire to please their owners and their typically jolly demeanor.
Like all animals, dogs will defend themselves when they feel it necessary, and they do so by biting. Being animals, dogs’ mouths are full of different kinds of bacteria, some of which can be deadly when introduced to a human’s bloodstream. With powerful jaws that can cause major damage, dogs can cause bite injuries that are so severe, they require extensive medical treatment.
Dogs are omnivores, but the main part of their diet is protein, which means that their bodies were designed to hunt other animals. Dogs have powerful jaws and sharp teeth that can easily injure humans. Types of injuries that can happen when you are bitten include:
Getting injured at work can be a scary experience. Not only are you suffering a physical injury, but you are also probably worried about how you will pay your bills if you cannot work. Thankfully, all employers are required to have what is called workers’ compensation insurance, which is insurance designed to help workers who are injured on the job. In Illinois, workers’ compensation is required to provide three types of benefits to injured workers: medical benefits, disability benefits, and death benefits. These different types of benefits can greatly help employees and their families if an accident does happen.
The first and most basic benefit that is provided by workers’ compensation is medical benefits. If you are injured while you are at work, your employer is required to pay for all of the medical expenses relating to your injury. Expenses that are covered can include:
Unfortunately for drivers in the United States, injuries from car accidents are not uncommon. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly three million people were injured and over 40,000 people were killed due to motor vehicle accidents in 2016. Injuries from car accidents can range from mild to severe and can greatly impact your life. One of the most important things you can do to make sure you are in the best position to receive a favorable settlement is preserving and recording damages and evidence resulting from the car accident. Here are four ways to document the damage:
By taking notes immediately after the accident while you are still at the scene, you are minimizing the possibility of memory loss. Chances are, your case will not be settled for months after the accident occurred, which is why it is important to document what occurred while your memory is still fresh. You should note:
Nearly 6,000 pedestrians were killed in motor vehicle crashes in the United States in 2016. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has reported that pedestrians are one of the only groups that have experienced an increase in fatalities in recent years; in fact, pedestrian deaths have been increasing since 2009. Pedestrian safety is a widespread issue, since at some point every day, everyone is a pedestrian. Pedestrian accidents can result in serious injuries and, in some cases, death, which is why it is important to understand the causes of these accidents and what you can do to decrease your chances of being seriously injured in a collision with a vehicle.
What Increases the Risk of Pedestrian Accidents?
The NHTSA has done extensive research on pedestrian accidents in an effort to grasp why they happen so frequently and what can be done to decrease their prevalence. Studies have discovered that certain risk factors play a part in whether or not a person is likely to be involved in a pedestrian accident:
August is the peak of the summer temperatures, which means that more and more people are heading to pools, lakes, rivers, and beaches to cool off. Though swimming is a fun and refreshing activity during these sultry months, it can also be a dangerous one. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages one to four and the second leading cause of death for children ages five through 14. Drownings are tragic accidents, but they are avoidable with proper precautions and safety measures. Here are tips to keep your children safe around water this summer:
1. Make Learning a Priority
One of the best ways to combat drowning is by teaching your kids to know what to do when they are in water. Babies can be taught to float on their backs if they fall into the water, and children can be taught how to swim. Most of the time, you can find swimming classes at your local recreation center or school. As a parent, you should also know how to perform CPR if it becomes necessary. These classes are often given at local Red Cross organizations, hospitals, or schools.
You go to work every day having some degree of expectation for what your day will be like. But nobody knows when an accident will happen--that is why they are called accidents. Thankfully, the United States has a system in place to help those who have been injured on the job. The workers' compensation program allows injured workers to receive compensation for lost wages, have their medical bills relating to the accident paid, and receive disability pay if the accident results in temporary or permanent loss of earning capacity. In order to receive these benefits, you must follow guidelines to have your case submitted and approved. Knowing what steps to take after a workplace accident is crucial to getting benefits that are owed to you.
1. Get Medical Attention
This may seem obvious, but the way you go about getting treated for your workplace injuries can impact how your case is handled. Often, employers will have what is called a Preferred Provider Program (PPP) in which there is a network of approved medical providers that you can see. Within your employer’s PPP, you have the choice of two physicians. If your employer does not have a PPP, you have the choice of any two providers. If you decline to use providers in the employer’s PPP, you use one of your choices, and you can choose to go to any doctor or hospital, but any further change of providers must be approved by your employer.
A public health alert has been issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) for products containing whey powder that might be contaminated with salmonella. The whey powder, which is a FDA-regulated product, has been recalled by the manufacturer, Associated Milk Producers, Inc. So far, four different food products have been recalled due to the salmonella concerns, and illnesses caused by these contaminated foods could bring about product liability lawsuits.
Whey Powder Usage
It is not uncommon for foods to contain whey powder. Whey is a milk by-product that is often used in powder form for its convenience. Whey powder is typically used to modify texture, thicken foods, and enhance the solubility and transportability of foods. Often, it is used in foods that have relatively long shelf lives, though that is one of the reasons the salmonella contamination is occurring in dry foods--salmonella has the ability to survive in dry environments.
We are a society of multitasking--rarely do we ever focus on one thing at a time. Studies have shown that the human brain cannot actually multitask efficiently, meaning that even if you think you are paying attention to more than one thing at a time, you are not. This is why is it so dangerous for drivers to pay attention to anything other than the road. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), distracted driving leads to more than 420,000 injuries and 3,100 deaths each year across the United States. It is important to realize that distracted driving causes car accidents and is something that can be easily prevented.
External and Internal Distractions
Distractions can be classified into many different categories, and one of them is based on whether or not the distraction is inside or outside the vehicle. Many people think that distractions only take place inside a vehicle, but many things outside a vehicle can also divert your attention. External distractions can include:
It seems as if every day we are hearing about another product that has been recalled due to the safety of the product and the person using it. When it comes to products manufactured for children, safety regulations are a bit more extensive, because babies and children cannot decide for themselves what products they use. According to Kids in Danger, a children’s safety organization, there were 93 children’s product recalls in 2017, a 22 percent increase from 2016. Though parents want the best and safest products for their children, they are often unaware of the dangers certain defective products can pose.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is the governing body that oversees product safety and recalls. Safety standards are measures created and put in place to ensure that products are safe and pose no hazards to consumers when used properly. Recently, new changes to safety standards were approved for four types of infant products:
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