Birmingham Legal Blog

Parents Can Encourage Safe Driving Practices

On behalf of of Marsh, Rickard & Bryan, P.C. on Friday, October 12, 2018.

Getting a driver’s license is a rite of passage that most teenagers look forward to. A license gives teens freedom, a sense of power and ease to do things for themselves. As a parent, you have mixed emotions about your child getting their license. You know they’ve studied driving rules and have practiced behind the wheel. It will be convenient for you when they can drive to their own activities at school.

But you also worry about them. Car accidents can happen to anyone at any time. You want to do everything you can to ensure that your child is as safe as possible when they are in the driver’s seat.

Woman awarded nearly $9 million in childbirth suit

On behalf of of Marsh, Rickard & Bryan, P.C. on Tuesday, October 2, 2018.

In the last decade, the U.S. has seen an increase in midwife deliveries. Several studies have found that midwife-involved births see fewer malpractice claims. While a majority of midwives are certified through nursing school, others have no formal medical training at all.

Symptoms of a brain injury may be delayed after an accident

On behalf of of Marsh, Rickard & Bryan, P.C. on Friday, September 28, 2018.

Immediately following a car accident in Alabama, every person involved in the collision should seek medical attention to check for injuries. The reality is, sometimes symptoms and signs of an injury don't appear immediately after an accident, so it is important to watch for delayed signs in the aftermath of an accident.

Even serious injuries may not show symptoms until hours or days after an accident, particularly in the case of internal injuries such as bleeding or brain injuries. In the case of traumatic brain injuries, it's important to watch for increased prevalence of certain symptoms after an accident in case an injury originally went unnoticed.

Baby walkers still sending children to the ER

On behalf of of Marsh, Rickard & Bryan, P.C. on Tuesday, September 25, 2018.

Fewer children are being injured by baby walkers, but these injuries are still numerous enough to alarm pediatricians. Each year, U.S. emergency rooms treat about 2,000 infants injured while in a baby walker.

GM recalls pickups and SUVs over power steering failure

By Marsh, Rickard & Bryan, P.C. on Monday, September 17, 2018.

General Motors has issued a recall for over a million trucks and SUVs because the power steering goes out temporarily when the voltage drops and then comes back suddenly. According to CNBC, the failure mainly occurs during low-speed turns, but it could increase the chances of getting into a vehicle crash.

The recall includes 2015 Chevrolet Silverados, GMC Sierra 1500 pickups, Chevrolet Tahoes, Suburban SUVs, Cadillac Escalades and GMC Yukon SUVs.

Potential dangers of tipping overbed tables in nursing homes

On behalf of Susan Silvernail of Marsh, Rickard & Bryan, P.C. posted in Nursing Home Neglect on Wednesday, September 12, 2018.

In the United States, there are about 2.5 million hospital and nursing home beds in use. Hospitals, nursing homes and home care providers deal with various kinds of beds every day. For individuals who have loved ones in nursing homes, it's important that those beds meet safety regulations. The improper use of electric beds has serious, even deadly, consequences.

Netflix documentary highlights dangers in medical devices

On behalf of Susan Silvernail of Marsh, Rickard & Bryan, P.C. posted in Medical Malpractice on Tuesday, September 11, 2018.

Netflix recently released a documentary, called The Bleeding Edge, which exposes some aspects of the medical device industry. The main purpose of the film was to call out the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for being lax about what devices hit the U.S. market. Doctors and patients alike participated in highly-personal interviews, describing their frightening and sometimes devastating experiences.

Three vehicle dangers parents need to know

On behalf of Susan Silvernail of Marsh, Rickard & Bryan, P.C. posted in Personal Injury on Friday, August 31, 2018.

An accident is not the only way a child can be injured in a vehicle. Unfortunately, there are numerous dangers present in all vehicles, even when they are stationary. Learn what you can do to protect your children at all times.

Seat belts: While they are meant to keep passengers safe in an accident, seat belts can be dangerous for children if they are used improperly. You should ensure that your child is sitting in the correct position and using child car seats or booster seats as appropriate. In addition, children should not play with seat belts. If they pull a seat belt all the way out, they may become entangled in it. This is especially dangerous if they wrap the seat belt around the neck, head or waist.

Speeding causes more fatal accidents than drunk driving

On behalf of Susan Silvernail of Marsh, Rickard & Bryan, P.C. posted in Car Accidents on Friday, August 31, 2018.

Drivers may be surprised to learn that speeding is the number one cause of traffic deaths in Alabama. With all of the focus on drunk driving and distracted driving, the issue of speeding doesn't get as much attention as it should.

According to Drive Safe Alabama, in 2016, speeding was the cause of nearly 31 percent of fatal car accidents. The next highest cause was drunk or drugged driving at almost 25 percent. Other top causes include:

Olympic swimmer encourages parents to rethink pool safety

On behalf of Susan Silvernail of Marsh, Rickard & Bryan, P.C. posted in Personal Injury on Tuesday, August 21, 2018.

Bode Miller and his wife, Morgan, are grieving over the loss of their 19-month-old daughter. They opened up to the Today Show about the day their little girl drowned in their family pool. "There's not a day that goes by that I don't pray for the opportunity to go back to that day and make it different," an emotional Morgan Miller said.

The couple are choosing to live life with a purpose, and hope to make sure no other parent feels the pain that they do.