In a scientific study published in the Journal of Pediatrics, reporters noted that some 600 to 700 newborn falls occur at US hospitals each year. Examples of newborn falls include babies:

• Falling out of bassinets while they are being rolled down a hallway or onto an elevator.
• Dropping onto the floor during delivery.
• Slipping through the delivering doctor’s hands and onto the ground.
• Falling out of a sleeping parent's arms.

While the report doesn’t cite any specific fall accidents at hospitals that resulted in infants sustaining serious injuries, one newborn did sustain a skull fracture. However, a 2003 article on the Whitaker Foundation’s Web site found that babies are vulnerable to traumatic brain injuries during falls when the head hits a hard surface. Traumatic brain injuries also happen to be one of the leading causes of childhood deaths.

Dr. Robert Christensen and his colleagues at Intermountain Healthcare says that newborn falls are preventable and that there are measures that hospitals can take to prevent fall accidents from happening. For example, ordering nurses to regularly check on infants that are being held by parents during the night, changing bed designs to minimize fall accidents, and modifying sedative drug use by new mothers.

Oregon hospitals, doctors, and nurses are supposed to provide newborns with the proper care following delivery. This includes implementing the proper safety procedures so that injury accidents do not happen. If medical error, negligence, or carelessness results in serious injuries to your son or daughter, you may have grounds to file an Oregon medical malpractice claim or lawsuit.

Other injuries to newborns that may be grounds for medical malpractice include:

• Birthing injuries
• Forcep injuries
• Facial paralysis
• Brachial palsy
• Cerebral palsy
• Injuries caused by heparin (or another drug) overdose
• Fractures during labor
• Wrongful death

Hospitals look into ways to prevent newborn falls, The Oregonian, November 19, 2008

Infants More Vulnerable to Serious Brain Injury From Falling Than Previously Thought, The Whitaker Foundation, August 12, 2003

Related Web Resources:

Newborn Injuries, Family Practice Notebook

Birth Injuries

The car’s driver, 79-year-old Milwaukie resident Stanley Keltz, has not been charged with any crime related to the Oregon pedestrian accident.

NHTSA Pedestrian Accidents
• There were 4,654 pedestrian deaths in 2007.
• 903 of these victims were elderly pedestrians, age 65 and older.
• 70,000 pedestrians suffered injuries in traffic accidents.
• 6,000 of the injury victims were seniors, age 65 and older.
• 60% of elderly pedestrian deaths took place at non-intersections.

Common Causes of Pedestrian Accidents
• Driver negligence
• Drunk driving
• Motor vehicle defect
• Pedestrian error
• Speeding
• Talking/texting on the cell phone while driving
• Failure to obey traffic signs
• Driver inattention

Elderly people may have a harder time than their younger adult counterparts recovering from a broken hip, a fractured bone, a traumatic brain injury, a spinal cord injury, or another serious injury. Not only may senior pedestrians need more time to heal from their injuries and infections, but chronic illnesses, such as diabetes or heart disease, may create further complications.

Personal Injury or Wrongful Death
Even if Oregon police decide not to pursue criminal charges against the driver or another party responsible for causing a motor vehicle accident, the injured person or the family of a person killed in an auto crash may still be able to hold the responsible party liable in civil court.

Woman, 97, Dies After Being Hit By Car, KPTV.com, November 16, 2008

97-year-old Milwaukie woman hit, killed by car in parking lot, Oregon City News, November 16, 2008

Pedestrians Traffic Safety Fact Sheet, NHTSA

Related Web Resources:
Older Population Traffic Safety Fact Sheet, NHTSA

Focusing on the Senior Pedestrian, Federal Highway Administration

In her lawsuit, she accuses Edward Webb of sexually molesting her and touching her inappropriately, until she was about 14 years old. While Webb is not facing criminal charges for the alleged abuse because the statute of limitations for child abuse crimes had expired, she was able to sue her stepfather under a state law that allows adults to sue people that abused them when they were children.

Child Sex Abuse
Sexual abuse can cause serious physical and emotional injury to victims. Many children who are the victims of sex abuse are too scared to speak up or may repress the memories of the abuse for years. Regardless, the emotional scars from being sexually abused can last a lifetime.

A sexual abuse victim may suffer from depression, an eating disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, drug addiction, alcoholism, have problems with sexual intimacy, or find it hard to form intimate relationships. The financial and emotional tolls that these illnesses and issues can wreak on a person's life can be very high. In many cases, the abuser is someone the victim knows, such as a family member, a family friend, a priest, a teacher, a coach, a doctor, a counselor, a daycare supervisor, or another “trusted” adult.

If your son or daughter was the victim of child sexual abuse or you were sexually abused as a child, there are legal options available to you. Not only may you be able to hold the abuser liable in civil court by filing an Oregon sexual abuse lawsuit, but there may be other parties, such as a church, a school district, or another entity that can also be held liable for personal injury.

Woman Awarded $4.5 Million in Sex Abuse Case, The World Link, November 11, 2008

Woman Awarded $4.5 Million in Sex Abuse Case, NRToday.com, November 11, 2008

Related Web Resources:

Oregon Department of Human Services

Child Sexual Abuse, American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry

According to Oregon State Police, the large truck, driven by Ajmer Singh, sideswiped a Dodge pickup that was pulling a horse trailer driver. The pickup was able to stop safely. However, the Kenworth, which had entered the southbound lane struck the Jeep in a head-on crash, killing the young couple.

Trucker Singh sustained minor injuries in the crash. The pickup truck driver, Merrill resident Samatha Gallagher, and her horses did not sustain any injuries in the traffic collision.

Oregon State Police are continuing to investigate the case of the deadly truck crash. The roads were reportedly covered in snow and ice when the crash happened.

Frontal-Impact Crashes
Frontal-impact crashes can lead to serious injuries for victims. In addition to head-on crashes, other examples of frontal-impact accidents include:

• The front of a vehicle crashing into the back of another vehicle.
• A vehicle crashing into a nonmoving object.
• The front of a vehicle colliding into the side of another vehicle.

Common causes of head-on crashes:

• Crossing over the centerline.
• Driving too quickly into a curve.
• Losing control of the vehicle.
• Turning directly into the oncoming path of a car, truck, bus, or motorcycle.
• Not paying attention to lane markings.
• Making wide right turns.
• Drunk driving.

Head-on collision kills young couple from Klamath Falls, OregonLive.com, November 5, 2008

Klamath Falls Couple Dies Tuesday in Highway 97 Wreck, KTVL.com, November 5, 2008

Related Web Resources:

Head-On Collisions

Oregon State Police

According to Portland police, a 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee was driving erratically on Scholls Ferry Road when he turned a corner and moved into the oncoming lane. Schlick laid his motorcycle on the road to try and avoid being struck by the Jeep, but the impact of the motor vehicle crash left him with a shattered leg. Doctors say that Schlick may be able to use a prosthetic. Police are waiting for toxicology test results to determine whether the driver of the Jeep, 22-year-old Portland resident Paul Conklin, was driving under the influence of alcohol.

This would not be Conklin’s first arrest for drunk driving. In 2007, he pleaded no contest to DUI and underwent alcohol treatment.

Motorcycle Accidents
Motorcyclists are prone to serious injuries any time they are involved in a motor vehicle crash. Motorcycle riders only have their safety gear to protect them from the impact of colliding with a car, a truck, a bus, or a fixed object, such as a wall, a tree, or a concrete barrier.

Serious injuries in a motorcycle crash can include severed limbs, crushed bones, internal injuries, spinal cord injuries, and traumatic brain injuries.

2007 NHTSA Motorcycle Accident Statistics

• 103,000 motorcyclists were injured in the United States.
• There were 5,154 motorcycle deaths.
• 47 of the deaths occurred in Oregon.

Medical bills for treating an Oregon motorcyclist’s injuries can be very costly, and you may need multiple surgeries and rehabilitation therapy in order to recover. Taking time off from work to heal could lead to lost wages.

Portland barber loses leg in suspected DUI crash, KGW.com, October 30, 2008

Morning Beaverton Crash Under Investigation, AM 1360, October 28, 2008

Related Web Resources:

Motorcycle Traffic Safety Fact Sheet, NHTSA

Motorcycle Crashes, Insurance Information Institute

Austin’s mother, Nancy, students on the bus, and a few neighbors witnessed the catastrophic accident. The school bus driver, 67-year-old Rita Grivanos, told Oregon police that she did not see Takacs.

A police report, however, indicates that a number of the students on the bus called out to Grivanos that the boy was running next to the vehicle, but she may not have heard them. The bus was moving at approximately 5mph when it struck Takacs.

No citations have been filed against Grivanos, who collapsed after the tragic accident and was treated at St. Charles hospital. A 2006 evaluation rated the 67-year-old driver as “outstanding” and she has regularly received high performance marks for doing her job.

Grivanos is expected to be back at work shortly. Oregon City Schools Superintendent Mike Zalar says the school district did not play a role in causing the crash.

School Bus Accidents
About 17,000 children are treated in US emergency rooms each year for injuries they sustained in bus crashes. Common causes of school bus accidents include driver negligence, inadequate safety measures, defective bus and bus parts, dangerous roads, poor weather conditions, and poorly maintained buses.

Injuries that can be sustained in school bus accidents include broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, internal injuries, and death. School kids can also get hurt while riding a bus even if a traffic collision does not occur. Cuts and bruises can occur to kids roughhousing on the bus—especially when there is a lack of supervision—or from slip and fall accidents when getting on or off the bus.

If your son or daughter was injured in an Oregon school bus accident while riding the bus, getting on or off the bus, crossing the street as a pedestrian, or riding as a passenger in another vehicle, it is important that you explore your legal options as soon as possible.

Grief weighs heavily on boy's family in fatal Oregon bus accident, Toledo Blade, October 23, 2008

Boy, 11, killed trying to catch bus in Oregon, Toledo Blade, October 16, 2008

Related Web Resources:

School bus injuries much higher than thought, MSNBC.com/AP, November 6, 2006

New Federal Rule to Make School Buses Safer, DOT.gov, October 15, 2008

The voluntary recalls involve 2,000 Playkids USA portable convertible cribs and 1,585,000 Delta drop side cribs. The convertible cribs are being recalled because the mesh on the sides of the crib may expand to create a space that an infant might fall into, become entrapped, suffocate, and die.

The Delta drop side cribs were recalled because of safety peg issues. While 985,000 cribs are missing this necessary feature, the spring pegs on 600,000 Delta cribs may be prone to malfunction. The concern is that the missing or defective spring peg could cause the drop side of a crib to become detached and create a space that an infant might fall into. The Delta recall is being called one of the largest crib recalls in US history.

According to Kids in Danger, over 1,000 children have died over the last two decades because of injuries they sustained in cribs. Each year, some 10,000 children are admitted to hospital emergency rooms for crib-related injuries, with 22 kids dying from their injuries.

Examples of injuries caused by defective crib hardware include:

• Suffocation
• Asphyxiation
• Broken bones
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Head injuries
• Gaseous poison from the crib mattress
• Entrapment

Federal law requires that all cribs come with warning labels, the correct instructions, and hardware that are free from defects. More details about the recalls can be found on the Consumer Product Safety Commission's Web site (see below).

The manufacturers of nursery furniture and other kids products have a responsibility to produce products that are free from hazardous defects. Failure to do so can be grounds for an Oregon personal injury claim or wrongful death lawsuit if a child is injured or dies because a crib was defective.

Staying Safe: Keeping your baby safe amid largest crib recall in history, KSL.com, October 21, 2008

Delta Recalls 1.6 Million Cribs, KSFY.com, October 21, 2008

Infant Death Prompts Recall of Convertible Cribs by Playkids USA; Crib Poses Entrapment and Suffocation Hazards, Marketwatch, October 16, 2008

Related Web Resources:
Recalls, CPSC.gov

Kids in Danger

Deanda Moreno’s vehicle crashed into the Toyota Camry carrying Kay Blaser, who was two-months pregnant, and her fiancé, William Sargent. Sargent, who survived the crash with neck, collarbone, and back injuries was transported by air to Oregon Health and Science Center.

Deanda Moreno and one of the two passengers riding in his SUV were also injured in the crash. According to the Clackamas County Major Crime Teams, the 22-year-old motorist was driving drunk when the accident occurred. Following his release from the hospital, Deanda Moreno was arrested on charges of Assault and Manslaughter. Bail was set at $750,000.

Drunk Driving
Drunk driving is negligent driving that can cause serious injuries or deaths. Examples of the effects of alcohol on a driver:

• Reflexes are slowed down, which can slow a motorist’s reaction time
• Blurred or impaired vision
• Decrease in ability to concentrate
• Drowsiness
• Decrease in ability to assess distances between other vehicles and lanes
• Impaired coordination
• Decrease in ability to make decisions

Passengers injured by a drunk driver and the loved ones of victims killed in drunk driving accidents may be entitled to receive Oregon personal injury or wrongful death compensation.

Victim identified in fatal Oregon City accident, OregonLive.com, October 12, 2008

Man faces manslaughter, DUI in crash that killed pregnant woman, NWCN.com, October 13, 2008

Related Web Resources:

Driving and Alcohol, West Virginia University

2007 Alcohol-Impaired Driving Fatalities, NHTSA (PDF)

The two former Gateway Care employees are Suzanne Ruddell and Cammy Elaine Nye. Ruddell, a former supervisor, reportedly failed to get Ober medical help even though she kept crying out and staff members kept saying that something was wrong with her. Ruddell also told a nurse not to complete the incident report about the fall and waited to order an X-ray for Ober until after she was told that the patient had a bone sticking out at a weird angle. Ruddell then went to the beach.

Nye, a certified nursing assistant, was found guilty of misdemeanor reckless endangerment for carelessly placing Ober in a sling right before she fell. Another nurse, Verna Colleen Heide, has already pleaded guilty to one count of criminal mistreatment. It was Heide who determined that Ober’s condition was fine after the fall.

Wrongful Death
Nursing homes and their workers are required to provided residents with proper care and supervision. When nursing home neglect, abuse, or failure to provide that care results in the death of a patient, the family of the deceased may be able to file an Oregon wrongful death claim against the home and its workers.

Cunningham’s Oregon wrongful lawsuit, filed in December 2007, alleges negligence and wrongful death. Cunningham says staff members told her mother that the pain was in her mind and the accident never occurred. Cunningham did not know her mother had been hurt until after she was notified of her death.

Gateway nursing home workers found guilty of criminal charges in death of 60-year-old patient who was dropped, The Oregonian, October 6, 2008

Closing arguments in Oregon nursing home death, KGW.com, October 6, 2008

Family Claims Wrongful Death In Nursing Home Lawsuit, KPTV.com, December 14, 2007

Related Web Resources:

Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Resource Center

Gateway Care and Retirement Center

Johnson, who is said to be the longest tenured football coach in the school’s history, and Boyd Bjorkquist, the high school’s athletic director, were headed to Sutherlin to watch the team play when the driver of a 2005 Jeep Wrangler lost control of her vehicle and crashed into the 1999 Cadillac Seville that Johnson was driving.

Bjorkquist sustained minor injuries from the crash, and he was treated at Mercy Medical Center for his injuries. The Jeep’s driver, 33-year-old Jennifer Sines, and her two-year-old son were taken to the same hospital for treatment of their non-life-threatening injuries.

Johnson was the Bulldogs' coach from 1971 to 1992. Following his retirement from coaching, he continued to stay actively involved with North Bend High School. The Oregon State Police, who are continuing to investigate the cause of the accident, say the road conditions were wet at the time of the crash.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were 455 motor vehicle accident deaths in Oregon last year—a slight decrease compared to the 478 auto accident deaths that occurred in the state in 2006.

Auto crashes are a leading cause of serious injuries and deaths in the United States. Nationally, there were 41,059 motor vehicle deaths in the US in 2007.

Former North Bend football coach dies in crash, TheWorldLink.com, October 5, 2008

Crash kills former North Bend football coach, KPIC.com, October 5, 2008

Related Web Resources:

2007 Traffic Safety Annual Assessment - Highlights, NHTSA (PDF)

Oregon Department of Transportation

According to Oregon State Police, Clarey was driving his 1996 Freightliner on Interstate 5 when he struck Linhart, who was standing outside his 2005 Volvo commercial truck while inspecting the vehicle. Witnesses say that Linhart tried to move out of Clarey’s way.

Oregon Truck Accidents
According to the Oregon Department of Transportation:

• 2,009 truckers were involved in truck crashes in the state in 2007.
• At least 13 of these truckers were driving while under the influence of drugs, alcohol, or medication.

Also last week, the ODOT and OSP conducted a trucker safety inspection that found that 10% of the truckers and trucks that were checked at the Klamath Falls entry port on Highway 97 had problems. Of the 342 trucks that were examined over a 2-day period:

• 31 of the trucks had serious safety violations.
• 36 of the drivers committed violations.
• 4 truckers were arrested for driving under the influence.
• 1 truck driver was on the road even though his license was suspended.
• 3 truck drivers were driving even though they were extremely exhausted.

If you or someone you love was seriously injured in an Oregon truck accident, you may be entitled to personal injury compensation. Truck crashes are complicated injury cases to prove, which is why you must speak with an experienced Oregon truck crash lawyer about your case.

Commercial truck companies are equipped to protect their companies and their truck drivers from liability even if they are at fault, so it is important that you work with a personal injury law firm that knows how to protect your right to financial recovery.

Driver in fatal crash faces homicide, drug charges, Mail Tribune, September 27, 2008

POLICE: Truck Driver Was On Meth in Fatal Accident, KTVL.com, September 26, 2008

Related Web Resources:

Oregon Department of Transportation

Oregon State Police

The motor vehicle accident happened at around 9pm on Friday when Caskey, who was running on the northbound shoulder on Highway 30 close to Rocky Point Road, was struck from behind by a Kia Rio driven by Meyer. Caskey’s head struck the windshield and was on the hood of the car until it rammed through a fence.

Meyer and Caskey were both taken to Legacy Emanuel Hospital. Meyer was treated for minor injuries, while Caskey was admitted to the hospital’s ICU unit in serious condition after sustaining internal injuries, broken ribs, and a broken leg.

Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is considered negligent driving. It impairs the motorist’s reflexes and senses, who may not be aware that he or she is speeding, driving in the wrong direction down a one way street, or entering a freeway through an exit. An intoxicated driver may not even realize that he or she has injured or killed another person.

In Oregon, DUII is considered a serious criminal offense. Injury victims are entitled to file an Oregon personal injury claim against the liable party.

Driver accused of hitting Hood to Coast runner arrested for DUI, NWCN.com, August 25, 2008

Driver whose car hit Hood to Coast runner accused of driving under the influence of drugs, DailyAstorian.com

Related Web Resources:
DUII Program, State of Oregon

Hood to Coast Relay-

Jung Min Kim, 34, was found unconscious at the bottom of the center’s lap pool on June 6, 2007 and died soon after. According to a police report, she may have been underwater for as long as 10 minutes before anyone noticed she was there.

Kim’s husband Joo Dong Park, who had been attending Oregon State University as a graduate school at the time of the accident, filed the Oregon wrongful death lawsuit. The complaint accuses city employees and agents of negligence that it is calling a “substantial factor” in Kim’s death.

The suit accuses the center of failing to make sure there were enough lifeguards monitoring the pool, neglecting to respond quickly enough to Park’s request that they help him find his wife, failing to provide lifeguards that were properly trained, failing to provide easily accessible lifesaving emergency equipment, and negligence when they stopped CPR resuscitation efforts prematurely.

Park had asked for $500,000 in noneconomic damages and $100,000 for economic damages, including medical costs and death expenses. His settlement with the city of Astoria was reached a few days before the wrongful death trial was about to start. A structured settlement, however, has not been publicly announced.

Astoria initially had said that Kim’s own negligent actions while swimming had caused her to hit her head on the side of the pool, become unconscious, and drown. The city had also said that government workers are immune from claims dealing with emergency medical assistance unless there is evidence proving that they violated reasonable care standards.

Oregon Wrongful Death
Losing someone you love is never easy—especially if their death was a result of an accident that was caused by another party’s negligence. In addition to economic costs, there also may be other losses, such as the loss of companionship and other traumas that come with losing a mother, father, husband, wife, son, or daughter.
An experienced Portland wrongful death law firm can help you determine whether you have grounds to file a claim for your loved one’s death.

Settlement close in pool death, DailyAstorian.com, August 13, 2008

Wrongful Death, Justia

Related Web Resources:

Tort Reform, State of Oregon (PDF)

Bills and Laws, Oregon State Legislature

The driver of the Toyota, Hillsboro resident Qui Nguyen, and passenger Steven Phan sustained serious injuries. They were flown to Emanuel Hospital. Four of the other passengers in the Toyota sustained minor injuries.

The Chevrolet pickup truck driver, 52-year-old Scappoose resident Jeffrey Mapes, and his three passengers were transported to Good Samaritan Hospital. The Subaru’s driver, 25-year-old Portland resident Lawrence Slattery, and his passengers were also driven to local hospitals.

Multi-Vehicle Car Collisions
Motor vehicle accidents involving more than two autos can be challenging cases to investigate in terms of determining cause and liability. In Portland and the other cities of Oregon, an experienced motor vehicle crash lawyer will know how to work with accident reconstructionists to determine who or what caused the accident.

14 injured in multi- car crash along highway 26, Kgw.com, August 10, 2008

Related Web Resources:

Car Accidents Overview, Justia

Oregon DMV

Brenn died in 2006. The complaint accuses Hinz of negligence when he performed elective ankle surgery on Brenn. Brenn died just hours after the procedure.

Brenn’s estate has already reached a settlement agreement with St. Charles Medical Center-Bend. The trial now goes forward to determine whether Hinz and the nurses that gave Brenn pain medication were responsible for his wrongful death.

If your loved one has died because of what you believe was the negligence or carelessness of a doctor, a surgeon, a dentist, a nurse, a hospital, or another health care provider, you may be entitled to wrongful death recovery. Damages can include financial compensation for funeral and burial costs, the loss of a victim’s income and other benefits, loss of companionship, and other losses depending on the specifics of the case and your relationship to the deceased.

Examples of medical malpractice errors that can be grounds for a wrongful death lawsuit if the patient dies:

• Surgical mistakes
• Wrong diagnosis
• Delayed diagnosis
• Failing to provide a diagnosis
• Prescription errors
• Failing to perform the proper tests

It is important that you discuss your legal options with an experienced Portland, Oregon wrongful death law firm.

Bend doctor on trial in wrongful-death lawsuit, KTVZ.com, August 5, 2008

Wrongful Death Suit Asks for Almost Ten Milllion, KOHD.com, August 5, 2008

Related Web Resources:

Types of Medical Malpractice, WrongDiagnosis.com

Ankle / surgery, Intute