Houma Louisiana Personal Injury Blog

Everyday products can cause chemical burns

On behalf of The Law Offices of Brent J. Rhodes posted in Burn Injuries on Thursday, July 18, 2019.

Many residents of Louisiana may realize that chemical burns can happen at industrial facilities and other places where powerful chemical combinations get used as part of the daily routine. Indeed, workers and others each year do suffer chemical burn injuries under these circumstances.

However, even those who are visiting a private residence run some risk of suffering a chemical burn. For example, everyday household cleaners, like bleach, drain de-clogging chemicals and other supplies, one can find on the shelves of a big box store or a hardware store can cause serious burns.

Statistics show texting and driving a growing concern

On behalf of The Law Offices of Brent J. Rhodes posted in Wrongful Death on Thursday, July 11, 2019.

Recent statistics suggest that, despite efforts on the part of law enforcement, texting and driving may be a growing concern in Louisiana.

According to the report, authorities are expecting that there will be at least 15 fatalities on the roads due to the use of a cell phone. This projected number is more than double the 7 fatalities attributed to cellular phone use in 2018. Additionally, experts are expecting there will be 3 fatalities because of other electronic devices this year.

Electric scooters can lead to traumatic brain injuries

On behalf of The Law Offices of Brent J. Rhodes posted in Brain Injuries on Wednesday, July 3, 2019.

It may come as little surprise to Louisianans living in and around Houma, but the electric scooter craze that is sweeping cities both in Louisiana and around the country has its drawbacks. One of those drawbacks is that people riding them, particularly for the first time, tend to get injured.

According to a recent study, for every 100,000 scooter trips people take, 20 people get hurt. While this might not seem like many people, when one thinks of the thousands of scooters trips that may happen in just one city in a given day, it is pretty easy to see that each day several people suffer injuries on an electric scooter in this country.

Is damage to your car more important than your concussion?

On behalf of The Law Offices of Brent J. Rhodes on Wednesday, July 3, 2019.

Let us say you were the victim of a rear-end collision, and the impact caused your head to strike the steering wheel. The bump was painful and left you feeling a bit disoriented.

However, the damage to your car made you feel even worse. Your beloved convertible took quite a hit, and you can envision a hefty repair bill. Once you can think clearly again, what are your next steps?

The head is not the only vulnerable part of a motorcyclist's body

On behalf of The Law Offices of Brent J. Rhodes posted in Motorcycle Accidents on Thursday, June 27, 2019.

There is a heavy emphasis among both lawmakers and safety experts on urging motorcyclists to wear helmets in order to protect their heads and necks. This is very good advice, as helmets do indeed prevent many fatalities and catastrophic injuries caused as a result of motorcycle accidents.

However, the head is not the only body part that can get injured should a motorcyclist collide with a larger vehicle. In fact, according to the Center for Disease Control, most injuries related to motorcycle accidents that did not involve a fatality, 30%, were actually injuries to the victim's feet or legs.

Traffic deaths down overall, but pedestrian deaths soar

On behalf of The Law Offices of Brent J. Rhodes posted in Wrongful Death on Friday, June 21, 2019.

The annual estimate from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, as to the number of traffic fatalities across the country was recently announced.

In 2018, NHTSA is estimating that there will be 36,750 reported fatalities on the nation's highways and roads. This estimate, which is still subject to change slightly, is 1% lower than the 2017 figure, 37,133. It is also lower than the 2016 total of 37,806.

Brain injuries can cause extensive damage

On behalf of The Law Offices of Brent J. Rhodes posted in Brain Injuries on Thursday, June 13, 2019.

Unlike other parts of the human body, the brain never truly heals from an injury. This does not mean that a patient can never recover from any type of brain injury. For all but the most severe brain injuries, a patient will regain some level of consciousness and may approach a point of stability. If the patient is lucky, he may even be able to resume normal life.

However, unlike muscles and bones, the brain never re-develops the nerve cells that were damaged in connection with the victim's head trauma. As a result, those areas of the brain that suffered damage may never again be able to perform as expected.

The most common cause of motorcycle accidents

On behalf of The Law Offices of Brent J. Rhodes on Thursday, June 6, 2019.

Although a thrilling form of recreation and an enjoyable way to travel, riding a motorcycle also comes with more than its fair share of dangers. The good news is that fatalities are going down, says the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The bad news is that bikers have a greater chance of death than motorists.

Many factors contribute to the accident rate, such as drunk driving. However, according to the Motorcycle Awareness Campaign of Louisiana, the top reason why motorcyclists get into accidents is other drivers failing to notice riders in traffic.

First responders endangered by distracted drivers

On behalf of The Law Offices of Brent J. Rhodes posted in Car Accidents on Wednesday, June 5, 2019.

A previous post on this blog talked about how highway workers in Louisiana are frequently endangered by inattentive drivers or motorists who choose to ignore warnings and speed through work zones. To follow up on this post, it turns out that according to one study, first responders, like police officers and fire and rescue teams, also frequently face the possibility of injury or even death at the hands of careless motorists.

The study suggested that distracted driving around the scene of an accident or roadside emergency, to which police and others respond, is a particular problem. Drivers surveyed as part of the study admitted that they have an exceptionally hard time not giving in to the temptation to reach for their phones.

Highway workers at risk for fatal workplace accidents

On behalf of The Law Offices of Brent J. Rhodes posted in Wrongful Death on Thursday, May 30, 2019.

Those who work on or along Louisiana's roads and highways have a particularly dangerous job. Not only do they have to deal with all the usual hazards of a construction site, they also frequently must work very close to traffic, traffic that sometimes is moving at or close to highway speeds. While Louisiana does have laws that impose heightened punishments on those who speed through work zones, many drivers in this state unfortunately still choose to ignore temporary speed limit signs and fly through construction zones.

When drivers engage in this sort of behavior, or simply pass through a construction zone carelessly and without paying attention, they may wind up striking and even killing a worker. Workers are often seriously injured or die in these sorts of accidents simply because they are unprotected from the blow of a heavy vehicle moving at or close to full speed.