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How Safe are Extreme Obstacle Competitions?
More and more people are participating in extreme obstacle race competitions. Many of these events include climbing walls, ropes, obstacle courses, mud pits and long-distance running. It is an ever-growing industry that produces hundreds of millions of dollars for the companies that sponsor these events.
And as the popularity of these events increase, so do the reports of serious injuries and fatalities.
One company has had four at least four participants during competitions they have sponsored in the past three years. The most recent death occurred in April 2013 during a race in West Virginia when a 28 year-old man drowned during the “Walk the Plank” portion of the race. Participants are required to stand on a 15-foot platform and plunge into a 13 foot pool of freezing, muddy water. Then they have to swim forty feet to a cargo net and exit the pool.
Safety Tips for Senior Drivers
According to statistics provided by the Federal Highway Administration, in 2012, there were about 23 million licensed drivers on the road who were 70 years and older. That number is approximately 11 percent of all licensed drivers.
It is estimated that by 2030, there will be almost 50 million vehicle drivers who are over 70 years of age. Insurance statistics show that claims for collision and property damage begin increasing when drivers are 65 years old or older. There is concern that because seniors tend to have a decrease in cognitive, visual and physical abilities, this could affect their driving. Routine driving, such as merging or changing lanes, can suddenly become stressful, causing a senior to panic or cause an accident.
The Mayo Clinic offers these safety tips for older drivers to help ensure safety behind the wheel:
Dangers of Leaving Children in Hot Vehicles
Summer has officially arrived and that means longer days and hotter temperatures. With those temperatures, comes the warning to parents and caregivers about the dangers of leaving children unattended – or allowing them access to – hot vehicles. Doing so can have tragic consequences.
The temperature in a closed car sitting in the sun can hit 40 to 50 degrees more than the temperature outside. For example, if it is 80 degrees outside, the temperature in a locked up car can reach 120 to 130 degrees very quickly. If you leave a child locked in a car, even for just a few minutes, it could be fatal.
Last year, 44 children died from heatstroke after being left in a locked car. This year, there have already been 13 deaths of children left in vehicles. Statistics provided by San Francisco University show that since 1998, 619 children’s lives have been lost to heatstroke suffered from being left unattended in a locked vehicle.
Study Shows Too Many C-Sections for Low-Risk Pregnancies
There is growing concern in the medical community of the number of Caesarian deliveries, (also referred to as C-sections), being performed on pregnant women in this country. According to statistics, one in three women has C-sections to deliver their first child. And of those women, 90 percent deliver their second child the same way. Thirty years ago, only five percent of babies were delivered by C-section.
A Caesarian delivery brings with it all the usual risks and complications associated with any surgery. There is also a higher rate of babies being admitted to the neonatal intensive care units with delivered by C-section. All this also adds up to higher medical costs, and more profit, for physicians and hospitals, compared with the cost of vaginal deliveries.
A recent study conducted by Consumer Reports ranks hospitals by the number of Caesarian sections performed there each year. The publication looked at the billing records of 1,500 hospitals in 22 states. They found that the number of C-sections varied greatly. This occurred even in hospitals that were in the same areas.
Study Links Hormonal Contraceptives to Gestational Diabetes
A recent study has found a link between the use of hormonal contraceptives and gestational diabetes (GDM). GDM occurs in some women, typically around the 24th. week of pregnancy. Most women who have GDM did not have diabetes before they conceived. If left untreated, GDM can be harmful to the baby, who can be born with breathing problems, jaundice or very low blood glucose levels. Other side effects include hypoglycemia and preeclampsia in the mother, and a much higher risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes for both mother and baby.
The study was done by researchers in Missouri, who used the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS). According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the organization that developed the system, PRAMS is “a surveillance project of the CDC and state health departments. PRAMS collects state-specific, population-based data on maternal attitudes and experiences before, during, and shortly after pregnancy.”
Study: Dramatic Increase in Non-Powder Gun Injuries to Children
A new study conducted by the Stanford University School of Medicine discovered that the number of eye injuries sustained by children from non-powder guns has increased sharply within a two year period. In fact, these injuries rose by more than 500 percent.
Instead of using gunpowder to fire, non-powder guns utilize compressed air or springs. Examples of the types of non-powder guns included in the study were air, BB, paintball, and pellet guns. These items have experienced a surge in popularity over the past few years, and according to statistics, there are approximately 3.2 million non-powder guns sold in this country every year.
Researchers analyzed the number of reported eye injuries, caused by non-powder guns, which occurred between 2010 and 2012. The data used came from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System.
Walmart Settles Truck Crash Involving Actor Tracy Morgan and Others
Tracy Morgan and Walmart have announced a settlement regarding the New Jersey truck accident which seriously injured Morgan and killed comedian James McNair last year. The terms of the settlement are being kept confidential, according to a press release first published by Marketwatch.
The lawsuit stems from a crash in June of 2014 when the limo in which Morgan and others were riding was struck from the rear by a semi-truck operated by a Walmart employee.
The lawsuit alleged that the Walmart truck driver had been awake for more than 24 hours before the crash and that his commute of 700 miles from his home in Georgia to work in Delaware was "unreasonable." It also alleges the driver fell asleep at the wheel.
A report by federal transportation safety investigators said the Walmart driver was driving 65 mph in the minute before he slammed into the limo van. The speed limit on that stretch of the New Jersey Turnpike was 55 mph and was lowered to 45 mph that night because of construction.
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.
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.
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.
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9631 W. 153rd St., Suite 32, Orland Park, IL 60462
708-966-2408
