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To avoid swimming and diving accidents, swimmers should have some important knowledge about swimming:
- Always swim at a beach patrolled by lifeguards, parents or guardians.
- Avoid swimming alone or unsupervised. Children should always be accompanied by adults.
- Read the signs carefully. Don’t swim on a closed beach.
- Do not swim directly after a meal.
- Float with a rip current. Don’t try to swim against it.
- Do not swim under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
- Do not run, jump or dive into the water. Make sure you know the conditions and how deep the water is.
- If you get in trouble, try not to panic. Instead, raise one arm up and float until help arrives.
Watch out for flags:
- Red and yellow flags mean lifeguards are on patrol. Swim only in the area between the flags.
- The red flag means it is dangerous to swim. Don’t go into the water.
- The black and white flag indicates the area is zoned for surf craft and is not safe for swimmers.
Chris Benoit, a professional wrestler who killed his wife, son and then himself in suburban Atlanta in June 2007, had brain damage caused by repeated concussions in the ring. According to two leading neurosurgeons. Dr. Julian Bailes of West Virginia University and Dr. Robert Cantu of Emerson Hospital in Concord, Massachusetts, an examination of Benoit's brain tissue revealed evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or brain swelling. This is a degenerative condition typically found in boxers but also found in recent years in the brains of four former N.F.L. players.
Cantu said that symptoms of chronic traumatic encephalopathy include depression and erratic behavior, but he declined to speculate on any role the condition might have played in Benoit's final violent acts. He and Bailes added that Benoit's use of anabolic steroids, which could have contributed to his mental state, would not have caused the brain damage they found.
With the permission of Benoit's father, the doctors examined Benoit's brain tissue on behalf of the Sports Legacy Institute, a nonprofit organization that investigates the effects of brain injuries in sports. Its president, Christopher Nowinski, is a former World Wrestling Entertainment performer who retired after sustaining several concussions.
Each year nearly 5 million people in the country visit emergency rooms with heart attack symptoms including the most obvious - chest pains. Since heart attack symptoms are similar to a number of other non-life threatening conditions, some doctors may fail to appreciate the severity of the situation and misdiagnose the patient's medical condition.
Some of the most common mistakes made during the diagnosis of a heart attack are:
- Failure to diagnose a heart attack in younger patients
- Failure to consider a heart condition in women
- Improper reading of a patient's ECG
The proper diagnosis of a heart attack can often be difficult due to the vague nature of some symptoms. Nevertheless, careful and attentive consideration of all factors is critical to the patient's survival and recovery from a heart attack. Be aware that a doctor may fail to properly consider:
- The patient’s age
- Any previous heart conditions
- Medical history and drug interactions
- Exercise, alcohol or drug use
- Smoking
- Menopause
Failing to diagnose a heart attack is a leading cause of medical malpractice lawsuits.
Many lawsuits arise as a result of defective seatbelts. One common problem is inertial unlatching, that is, accidental unlatching.
Over 100 million cars in America have seatbelts with the release button on the front face of the buckle. In some frontal collisions, rollovers and side impacts, the release mechanism can be inertially disengaged when the back of the buckle hits part of the seat structure or of the human body. Previous lawsuits have shown that manufacturers are reluctant to admit the existence of this defect. However, in a precedent-setting case against General Motors, crash test videos were introduced into evidence which demonstrated seatbelts unlatching in internal tests conducted by General Motors itself.
In recent years, there have been more landmark cases against American and Japanese car manufacturers for this defect. During a crash many types of seat belt buckles can inertially release and come open, releasing the occupant completely. This happens as a result of inertia force being applied to the back of the buckle in the form of the forward movement of the occupant into the buckle. When the inertial energy is transmitted to the spring of the buckle, it releases the tension on the latch plate, allowing it to spring open. Then the seat belt is useless. Surprisingly, it takes only relatively low forces during a car crash to cause the button to depress, permitting the latch plate to be free and the passenger to be released, perhaps fatally.
If you have questions or comments please contact us.
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