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Illinois Number Four Nationwide in Dog Bite Insurance Claims
We Americans love our dogs. In fact, statistics say that more than half of all U.S. homes have at least one dog, and currently there are between 70 and 80 million dogs in this country. But as much as we love our dogs, there are numerous incidents that result in a person becoming the victim of a dog bite. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) puts the number of people who are bitten by dogs every year at over 8 million. Approximately 890,000 of those victims require medical treatment, and more than half of those victims are children.
And it is not just dog bites that require medical attention. People can also become injured if a dog jumps on them, or knocks them down. This can be especially dangerous to elderly victims and children.
A recent study conducted by the Insurance Information Institute (III) reveals that one-third of the total amount of homeowner insurance claim dollars which were paid in 2014 were for paid to victims who had been injured by a dog. The total amount paid to these victims was over $530 million. The study found that although the number of claims decreased from the year before, the average cost per claim increased.
New Report Addresses Frequency of Diagnostic Errors
According to a recent report from the same organization that put together the groundbreaking 1999 “To Err is Human” report, most people will deal with at least one medical diagnostic error in their lifetime– errors which can prove to be dangerous, if not fatal. These errors include either a late diagnosis or one which is totally incorrect.
The report, titled “Improving Diagnosis in Health Care,” was organized by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (IOM).
In preparing the report, researchers determined that there are approximately 12 million patients who receive an incorrect or late diagnosis each year. The report also found that the number of these errors will probably increase due to the processes that are currently in place throughout the healthcare system.
Some of the other findings of the report include:
CDC Offers Several Mobile Apps to Help Public Stay Safe and Healthy
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the federal agency that is in charge of health promotion, prevention and preparedness activities. As the U.S. public health institute, the goal of the CDC is to improve the overall health of everyone in the country. With more and more of American society relying on smartphone apps as a way to garner information - including important health information - the agency has developed several apps which can assist people in avoiding injury and illness.
The CDC Mobile App is the agency website’s companion app. It provides safety updates, as well as many important health articles, health tips, and medical journals. The app also features the “Disease of the Week.”
If you are a frequent traveler, then the CDC’s Can I Eat This? mobile app could be one of the most important thing to take along on your trip. The app allows you to select the country you have traveled to and then enter information about the food you are considering eating. The app will tell you how safe the food is and help avoid illnesses like "Montezuma’s Revenge" and travelers’ diarrhea.
FBI Busts Illegal CDL Operation
The next time you are driving down the road and a tractor-trailer passes you by, you may wonder just how qualified the person driving that truck actually is, especially if they are driving with a Florida commercial driver's license (CDL).
The FBI and Florida state law enforcement officials recently announced they had busted a commercial driving license scheme which was based in that state. Three people have been indicted for conspiracy to aid and abet the unlawful production of Florida CDLs, as well as several other federal charges. The defendants targeted Russian-speaking immigrants from California, Illinois, New York, and Virginia. At least 600 people were given CDLs without receiving the proper training.
According to the FBI, the three were running a truck driving school, which ran an online campaign marketing to people who spoke Russian offering Florida CDLs for $2,000. Potential students would pay the fee and travel to Florida, where the defendants would then provide them with false residency documents in order for the student to obtain a regular Florida’s driver’s license – which is a requirement in order to obtain a CDL.
Will Driverless Tractor-Trailers Contribute to Safer Roads?
According to a recent study released by the trucking industry, the most popular mode of freight transportation continues to be by tractor-trailers. Although some cargo is delivered via rail, marine, and air transport, the majority of freight is transported by truck. This is evident to any commuter driving on the nation’s roads by the increasing numbers of those huge semis rolling by.
The study of the trucking industry revealed that was almost 10 billion tons of freight transported by truck last year, or approximately 70 percent of all transported cargo. Transporting that freight logged in more than 168.4 billion miles, which comes out to roughly 69,000 miles per truck. Additionally, according to the study, there were 3.4 million truck drivers driving those trucks.
The nearly 170 billion miles of transport also represent an increase in truck accidents which occur every year. National statistics put the number of annual fatal tractor-trailer accidents at almost 4,000. Another 77,000 truck accidents cause serious injuries to victims.
Preventable Complications: Who Are the Country’s Most Dangerous Surgeons?
In 1999, the medical report, “To Err is Human” was released, shining a spotlight on what was previously unknown by an unsuspecting public – the actual number of medical errors which occur every day. According to the report, which was compiled by the Institute of Medicine, there were approximately 44,000 to 98,000 lives lost every year due to mistakes made by medical personnel. Although the report is credited with exposing this deadly issue, medical errors continue to be epidemic and recent studies estimate that there are now over 200,000 people who die from medical errors each year – making it the number three cause of death in the country.
Thousands of patients who thought they were having a simple procedure done have died from injuries or other complications caused by medical mistakes.
National Traffic Safety Board Determines Cause of Truck Accident
The National Transportation Safety Board has determined the most likely cause of the truck accident which severely injured comedian Tracy Morgan and others, and killed another person.
The Federal Agency has determined that driver fatigue was the cause of the crash. The agency found that the truck driver had driven 12 hours to work before starting his 14-hour shift as a truck driver.
The crash happened when the truck rear-ended a van on the New Jersey Turnpike in June of 2014.
The official NTSB Press Release can be viewed here.
Study Offers New Hope for Female Stroke Victims
A new study has found that administering uric acid, along with the usual clot-busting medication, to women who have suffered strokes, increases their chance of recovering without suffering from disabilities as a result of the stroke.
The researchers found that the uric acid limits brain damage from the stroke. In the study, 42 percent of women who were given both the uric acid and the clot-busting medications were free of any significant disabilities just three months after suffering their stroke. Only 29 percent of female patients who were given just the clot-busting medication showed no signs of significant disabilities in the three months following their stroke.
For men who participated in the study, there was no significant difference in recovery between the patients who received the combination of the acid and medication and those who only received the medication. In all, there were more than 400 stroke patients who participated in the study.
Are High Speed Limits Contributing to Tractor-Trailer Accidents?
According to statistics from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), there are approximately 4,000 fatal tractor-trailer crashes in this country annually. Another 95,000 victims are seriously injured in truck accidents. The number of tractor-trailer accidents increases every year.
One of the main causes of tractor-trailer accidents is speeding. A federal investigation recently suggested that most of the tires that are on these vehicles are not designed for the constant high speeds at which truck drivers are often traveling.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) found that, although there are several tires that are rated at 81 mph, the majority of tractor-trailer tires are rated at 75 mph. However, there are 16 states in this country which have passed speed limits of up to or more than 75 mph. Three states - Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming - have even approveed speed limits of 80 mph. The maximum speed limit in Texas speed is 85 mph. Unfortunately, many tractor-trailer drivers are exceeding even these high limits, causing serious safety issues and the high risk of rollovers and tire blowouts.
Study Finds Parents May Be Really Distracting Teen Drivers
Parents who have teenagers who drive more than likely have lectured their teen on the dangers of talking on the phone or texting while driving, especially given the national statistics that reveal just how many teenagers are killed in car crashes caused by some form of distracted driving. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says that over 10 percent of fatal car crashes involving teens is caused by distracted driving, and more than 20 percent of those crashes involve the use of a cell phone.
However, one study reveals that it may actually be the parents who are causing the distractions.
The study found that teens were more likely to take calls from their parents while they are driving a car than they would if it was a friend calling. And parents are definitely calling. The study surveyed 408 drivers who were between the ages of 15 to 18. The survey included teens from 31 different states. More than half of those teens – 53 percent – said their parents calling them was the reason why they answered the phone while driving. Ironically, most of the teens said that although their parents have warned them not to use their cell phones while driving, those same parents become angry if the teen does not answer the phone when they call.
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9631 W. 153rd St., Suite 32, Orland Park, IL 60462
708-966-2408
