Wilmington Medical Malpractice And Car Accident Law Blog

If you are like countless others in Delaware and elsewhere, you will be driving out of town for the holidays. When it comes to holiday travel, bad weather is not the only thing you need to be watchful for. Drowsy driving is a pervasive problem across the United States, and it may be more serious than you think.

In fact, the problem is so severe that the National Sleep Foundation and the National Safety Council have designated the first full week of November as Drowsy Driving Prevention Week, just in time for your Thanksgiving travels. How can you avoid getting into a drowsy driving accident when you travel? The following tips are known to be effective:

• Go to bed early the night before a trip.
• Do not travel on less than a full night’s sleep.
• Take someone with you who can switch turns driving.
• Pull over for a nap in a rest stop or parking lot if you start to feel sleepy on the road.
• Talk to your doctor about a suspected sleep disorder or medications you take that cause drowsiness.
• Do not rely on caffeine, loud music or cold air to get you through a drowsy patch, as these solutions are only temporary and are unreliable.

The moment of birth is the most fragile time in a person's life. Childbirth is a process that must be handled with extreme care. Any deviation from the acceptable level of care can result in birth injuries that could affect a child for the rest of his or her life. Understandably, this is a nightmarish scenario for parents in Delaware and around the country.

A mother in another state was recently awarded almost $9 million from a lawsuit she filed over allegations that negligence during birth left her son with severe injuries. During prenatal care visits, the woman claimed that her midwife projected the boy's weight to be around 6 pounds at birth. However, the lawsuit said boy turned out to be much larger and was 10 1/2 pounds at birth.

As a mom-to-be in Delaware, the health, welfare and safety of your developing baby likely is foremost in your mind. That is why you do everything you can to ensure your own health and safety during your pregnancy. Unfortunately, however, you cannot control every aspect of your baby’s delivery and birth.

Birth injuries can occur due to complications or medical negligence during your baby’s birthing process. Erb’s palsy, while reasonably rare, is one of the potentially catastrophic birth injuries your baby could receive.

With stringent patient safety regulations and modern technological advancements, medical care in Delaware and across the United States should be safer than ever before. However, statistics show that negligence during medical procedures continues to be one of the leading causes of death and injury in the country. When health care providers fail to handle even the most routine procedures with care, the consequences can be traumatic for the patient. A couple in another state was awarded almost $4 million after alleged negligence caused a woman to suffer permanent brain injuries.

The lawsuit, filed by the couple against a medical facility, claimed that the wife allegedly experienced negligent care during the removal of a catheter. According to the lawsuit, the woman sought treatment at the facility for a septic infection. Just before discharge, the plaintiffs claimed that a nurse removed a central venous catheter from the woman while she was sitting in a wheelchair upright.