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Most childhood drownings occur in swimming pools. In order to prevent this from happening on your property or to your child, adopt the following swimming pool safety measures to help prevent drowning tragedies:
Pool safety
· All pool owners should be certified in CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation).
· Never let your child swim without an adult present.
· Inflatable toys or mattresses should not be used in water above a young child's waist.
· Remove toys from the pool when they are not in use. Young children can fall in the swimming pool when attempting to reach for the toys.
· Any doors leading from the house to the pool should be fitted with an alarm that sounds when the door is opened unexpectedly.
Pool equipment
· Install a power safety cover for when the pool is not in use.
· Keep rescue and safety equipment near the pool. This should include a cell phone with emergency numbers, as well as a life preserver.
· Above-ground pools that are not in use should be made inaccessible. Make sure steps and ladders are secure to prevent unsupervised children from climbing into the pool.
· Install underwater pool alarms that can be heard inside the house and in nearby areas.
· Install fences and walls around the entire pool.
Propeller accidents can be one of the most deadly accidents suffered by boat operators and passengers. Recently, here on the Connecticut River, a runaway boat whose operator had fallen overboard struck a sailboat. Four people were ejected from the sailboat and quickly pulled from the water. Three survivors were taken to a hospital in New Haven. One woman was killed.
The deceased woman was identified as a 53 year-old woman from South Windsor who also suffered a severe amputation in this incident. "It looked like the propeller had done a lot of damage," stated a witness. Conflicting reports indicate one of the other victims may have had an arm severed by a propeller as well (some say it was a man and others say a woman). Others say the third seriously injured person also had an arm sliced by the propeller.
While the initial news report did not call it a propeller strike, several later news stories did. A Sea Tow boat finally stopped the runaway by "snagging the propeller with a line." Other reports indicate the Sea Tow boat tried to tie off the propeller to a cleat on their boat and managed to flip their own boat, with their own people then having to be rescued by Tow Boat U.S
A truck accident involving a big truck and a smaller vehicle or even pedestrians can have disastrous consequences. A big truck can weigh more than 80,000 pounds and can go up to 75 feet in length. Considering these numbers, it is not surprising that truck accidents result in more grievous injuries and a larger number of deaths than other vehicle accidents.
The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) has released some alarming statistics regarding truck accidents. According to the DOT, the roads of the United States suffer over 500,000 truck accidents each year. These accidents are estimated to cause about 5,000 deaths each year.
This means that 12% of all traffic fatalities in the United States are apparently caused by truck accidents. Tractor trailer truck accidents are especially dangerous. In such truck accidents, a disturbing 98% of the time, the passengers or driver in the other vehicle is killed, while the truck driver is often not injured at all.
While we often hear about doctors being sued for medical malpractice, it’s rare to hear about doctors suing other doctors for malpractice. However, that's what happened when a Connecticut physician sued the anesthesiologist and hospital after his wife died during a routine face lift surgery.
Dr. Alan Malitz sued for gross negligence after his wife, Susan, died just two hours after entering Manhattan's Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital. Susan, who was 56, died of cardiac failure resulting from an overdose of anesthesia. During her surgery, the alarms that monitored her blood oxygen levels were turned down so low they were inaudible.
The parties settled after just four days of trial. The terms of the settlement require the hospital to pay $400,000 and the anesthesiologist to pay $2.7 million.
This was not the first time this particular hospital has been sued. Olivia Goldsmith, author of the book The First Wives Club, also died during a routine cosmetic procedure five weeks earlier.
If you have questions or comments please contact us.
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