St. Louis Injury Lawyer Blog

Halloween is right around the corner, and with the spooky holiday comes serious risks for child injury in St. Louis . As our little ghosts and goblins suit up for some trick-or-treat fun, we urge parents and guardians to take a timeout and review some simple Halloween safety tips to help ensure the safety of everyone.

"The single most important thing is for kids to wear costumes that can be easily seen by drivers," says Dr. Joseph Gunn of the St. Louis Children's Hospital, "and be very careful about obeying the rules of crossing the streets."

Our St. Louis, MO, car accident attorneys ask that everyone be on the lookout for one another on our roadways this Halloween. Motorists are asked to be extra careful and cautious when driving in or near residential neighborhoods as excited children will be jetting about from house to house gathering treats.

If you're heading out on Halloween with trick-or-treaters, here are some safety tips from Hopkins-St.Louis Park:

-Make sure that all young trick-or-treaters are under parental supervision.

-Everyone should either have reflective tape on their costume or a flashlight in their hand to be more visible to motorists.

-All walkers should be wearing comfortable shoes.

-Be sure that all costumes are short enough to help prevent a trip and fall hazard.

-Feed young ones dinner before heading out so that they're less likely to snack on candy throughout their journey.

Trick-or-treaters old enough to travel about without supervision:

-Make sure you're with a friend. Don't trick-or-treat alone.

-Make sure you have a planned route. It's important to pick a path that is away from busy roads and has sidewalks or safe walkways.

-Trick-or-treaters should never go up to a house that doesn't have any lights on. You should only approach houses that are well-lit.

-Wear a comfortable costume.

-Always carry a cellphone for emergencies.

-Wear reflective tape on your costume or carry a flashlight to help ensure that motorists see you.

-Keep an eye out for vehicles that are pulling into or backing out of driveways. Children are oftentimes overlooked in these scenarios.

-Never dart out from behind a parked car.

-Look both ways before and during your trek across a road.

-Never walk across someone's lawn.

-Accept treats only at the door.

-Never get into the car or go in the house of a stranger.

Halloween at your house:

-Make sure your driveway, sidewalk and front porch are clear of debris.

-Wipe up all surfaces that may be wet.

-Make sure all of your lights are on and working.

-Never leave candles or lit jack-o-lanterns unattended.

-Keep candy away from pets and keep pets away from the front door as many are overwhelmed by the doorbell and young trick-or-treaters.

We know it's supposed to be a night of fright, but there's no room for injuries. Have a safe and Happy Halloween!

Continue reading "Our St. Louis Personal Injury Lawyers Wish You a Safe and Happy Halloween!" »

The National Safety Council uses the entire month of June to focus on a number of the leading preventable injuries, including slip, trips and falls.

Falls accidents in St. Louis and elsewhere are among the top causes of unintentional injuries in the United States. Adults ages 55-years-old and older are most likely to be the victim of one of these falls. These types of injuries result in neatly 9 million visits to the emergency room every year.

Our St. Louis personal injury attorneys understand that injuries sustained from these types of falls can result in the inability to lead an active and independent life. Older residents are most likely to die from these accidents, 4 times more likely to be exact, than any other age group.

It is important that everyone take the proper precautions to avoid these falls, especially business and property owners. If a visitor slips and falls on someone's public property, then they can be held liable for injury and other costs. Employers must do the same for employees. As a matter of fact, the National Safety Council reports that roughly 25,000 people are victims to slip and fall accidents every day. These injuries cost nearly $30 billion every year. The average cost for one slip injury is approximately $12,000.

More than 60 percent of all lost workdays are due to slip and fall accidents. This equals roughly 95 million lost workdays for employees every year, according to Liberty Mutual. Compensation and medical costs associated with employee slips and falls total an estimated $70 billion each year.

Residents must do their best to prevent falls in their homes as well, especially those ages 65 an older. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in three adults of this age group experiences a fall that leads to moderate to severe injuries every year. These injuries include hip fractures and head trauma. Death is even a risk of these falls. In fact, in 2007 alone there were more than 18,000 adult fatalities because of these unintentional fall injuries which, aside from death, are the most serious. Of this age group, more than 2 million were treated in emergency rooms in 2009 and another 581,000 were hospitalized.

There are ways to help prevent these falls in your home:

-Clean up slippery or wet surfaces immediately.

-Install handrails or grab bars.

-Improve the overall lighting in your house.

-Get your eyesight checked by your optometrist at least once a year to make sure you prescription lenses are up to date and your eyesight is up to its full potential.

-Exercise regularly and focus on exercises that improve leg strength and balance.

-Review your prescriptions and medicines with your doctor or pharmacist to make sure that mixing them them will not lead to dizziness or drowsiness.

Continue reading "Slip and Fall Accidents Among Leading Cause of Injury in St. Louis" »

Business owners have a responsibility for the safety of customers, employees and invited guests this holiday season. When a negligent condition leads to serious injury or death, a St. Louis injury attorney should be consulted to protect your rights and the financial well-being of you and your family.

There is no busier time of year for shopping malls and big box retailers. In fact, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration is warning employers about safe crowd control measures and the fact that they have an obligation to protect the safety and welfare of customers and employees alike.

"Crowd-related injuries during special retail sales and promotional events have increased during recent years," said Assistant Secretary for OSHA Dr. David Michaels. "Many of these incidents can be prevented by adopting a crowd management plan... for avoiding injuries during the holiday shopping season."

As the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported, the Black Friday shopping season got off to a great start. Thousands are hitting the stores in freezing temperatures. Retailers are reporting strong sales amid great bargains advertised to draw large crowds.

Now they must put at least as much emphasis on keeping people safe.

St. Louis premise liability cases can arise from a wide variety of facts and circumstances during the holiday season, including:

-Slip and fall accidents

-Dark parking lots

-Cracked or uneven parking lots or sidewalks

-Wet and slippery floors

-Elevator and Escalator accidents

-Merchandise falling from high shelves

-Faulty handrails

-Dark or faulty stairwells

-Negligent security

-Assault on business property

-Evacuation injuries

Continue reading "St. Louis premise liability dangers lurk amid large holiday crowds" »

Your risk of an accident in St. Louis may be the scariest thing about Halloween.

St. Louis pedestrian accidents, slip and fall accidents and dog attacks are just a few of the premise liability claims that plague the week of Halloween.

And your odds don't get any better out on the road; the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that Halloween is among the most dangerous weeks on the road, claiming an average of more than 500 lives each year over the past decade. Drunk driving was blamed for more than half of the 5,000 traffic deaths.

Nationwide, law enforcement will be conducting an "Over the Limit. Under Arrest" campaign to crackdown on drivers who climb behind the wheel after having too much to drink.

But children are frequently injured in many other types of accidents during Halloween. In fact, the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons reports that Halloween is among the busiest holidays in the nation's emergency rooms, with patients ages 10 to 14 being the most frequently injured.

The Missouri Department of Social Services offers the following Halloween Safety Tips:

-Stay in familiar areas.

-Visit only homes with porch lights on.

-Avoid costumes that make walking or seeing difficult.

-Carry a working flashlight.

-Wear costumes that are easily visible after dark -- consider using reflective tape.

-Never leave children without adult supervision.

-Keep away from candles or open flames.

-Never go into a stranger's home.

-Do not eat candy until it has been checked by an adult.

Continue reading "St. Louis slip and fall, dog bite, premise liability concerns come with Halloween" »

For residents of nursing homes and assisted care facilities, Missouri slip and fall accidents are very common. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 3 out of 4 nursing home residents slip and fall each year and that 10-20 percent of falls cause serious injury.

Fall injuries among older adults can seriously impact quality of life. A fear of falling often develops, further reducing a victim's mobility and actually increasing their risk of falling again.

The St. Louis premises liability attorneys at Ryan R. Cox and Associates know that after seeking medical attention for yourself or a loved one who has been injured in a slip and fall accident, it will be necessary to take steps to ensure a loved one's well-being and to protect them from a subsequent fall. We recognize that environmental factors often play some role in creating conditions where a person is more likely to be injured regardless of age or physical condition.

According to the CDC, about 1,800 people living in a nursing home die from falls each year. While falling is often an indicator of other underlying health issues, as many as one-fourth of falls are caused by environmental factors that would have been easily prevented with proper care. Wet floors, improperly maintained equipment and poor lighting are just a few hazards that frequently result in slip and fall accidents.

Poorly fitted beds and wheelchairs can also lead to a fall accident in a St. Louis nursing home. Certainly, some of these patients are at increased risk of falling -- that is why loved ones placed them in a home where they could get the professional supervision that is required to ensure their safety and well-being. But when poor staffing levels, unsafe conditions or other negligence on the part of a home is responsible, a victim can and should be compensated for their injuries. Too often, older victims of fall accidents are unable to regain their previous quality of life after suffering a fall accident. Premature death sometimes results.

Continue reading "Slip and fall accidents in St. Louis nursing home facilities often a sign of neglect" »