Raleigh Personal Injury Blog

Workers' compensation: Office environments pose many hazards

On behalf of The Law Firm of Ledbetter & Titsworth, P.A. posted in workers' compensation on Tuesday, February 12, 2019.

Hazards exist in all work environments, and although some are unique to the particular industry, others are more general, and they threaten the safety and health of all -- from construction sites to offices. Employers in all sectors in North Carolina are responsible for the health and safety of their employees, and for carrying workers' compensation insurance to provide injured workers with financial assistance. The risks to which office workers are exposed must not be ignored.

Along with fire and electricity hazards, offices pose several common safety hazards that can be mitigated to prevent occupational injuries and illnesses. Just like on construction sites, falls are the most frequent causes of injuries in office environments. This could involve falling from a ladder or other elevation to reach an out-of-range object, slipping on a wet spot on the floor, tripping over randomly places objects or cabinet drawers that were left open. Such falls can cause bone fractures, torn, strained or sprained muscles and even traumatic brain injuries.

How to keep social media from derailing a personal injury claim

On behalf of The Law Firm of Ledbetter & Titsworth, P.A. on Saturday, February 9, 2019.

If you have recently been in a motor vehicle collision or some other type of accident due to someone’s negligence in Raleigh, you might qualify to file a personal injury claim. Before you do, watch what you say and do around everyone, especially when online or using social media. No matter how close you are to friends and family, discretion is important to prevent unnecessary complications with your claim.

Though your injuries and situation might make it challenging for you to keep in touch with everyone except through social media, you should try to avoid it. However, if social media is the only way you can contact your loved ones during your recovery, you might want to consider the following pointers on how it could impact your compensation.

4 of the most common injuries that occur on construction sites

On behalf of The Law Firm of Ledbetter & Titsworth, P.A. on Thursday, February 7, 2019.

Do not let the hard hats and safety glasses fool you: A construction site is dangerous. While safety standards have most certainly improved over the years, danger still lurks everywhere.

If you work on a construction site in or around the Raleigh area, you should know what kinds of things to look out for. Protecting yourself and keeping yourself safe on the job is a priority. Take a look at the four most common injuries you may sustain while at work.

Motor vehicle accidents more prevalent in snow and icy conditions

On behalf of The Law Firm of Ledbetter & Titsworth, P.A. posted in motor vehicle accidents on Tuesday, February 5, 2019.

Every year when winter comes around, drivers must adjust to the risks of driving in adverse weather conditions. Safety authorities say that, of all motor vehicle accidents that occur nationwide, 17 percent happen during the winter. This underscores the need for all drivers in North Carolina and other states where snow and ice are present on the roads to prepare themselves and their vehicles before the onset of winter. Those who were unprepared for the current harsh winter might have caused accidents that caused injuries to others.

Preparation of a vehicle for winter requires extra attention to tires, battery, coolant, wipers and other parts that could be affected by dropping temperatures. Vehicle owners are also advised to fit snow tires even before the first snowfall. Every trip should start with clearing snow, ice and dirt off the car, the windows, headlights, forward sensors, backup camera and taillights.

Workers' compensation claims might follow fatal trench collapse

On behalf of The Law Firm of Ledbetter & Titsworth, P.A. posted in workers' compensation on Tuesday, January 29, 2019.

Safety authorities in North Carolina have launched an investigation into a recent construction accident that occurred at the site of a building project of an apartment complex in North Raleigh. Two workers were injured, and one life was lost in an incident of which few details are known. Workers' compensation claims will likely be filed for financial assistance with unanticipated expenses.

According to an incident report, the primary construction company hired a contractor to do pre-construction preparation. This contractor then appointed a subcontractor to build a retaining wall for the retention of stormwater. Reportedly, a trench was excavated as part of the preparation to construct the retaining wall.

Motor vehicle accidents: Speeding driver loses control

On behalf of The Law Firm of Ledbetter & Titsworth, P.A. posted in motor vehicle accidents on Monday, January 21, 2019.

Anyone in North Carolina can fall victim to the negligent driving of another motorist. Although most motor vehicle accidents are preventable, many drivers travel at excessive speeds with no regard to other road users. This appears to have been the case in a recent crash that sent two people to the hospital.

According to an incident report, the accident occurred at around 5 p.m. on US-1 in Wake County. Reportedly, a deputy saw a speeding vehicle and tried to get the driver to pull over. That was unsuccessful, but the officer decided against engaging in pursuit due to the traffic volumes at the time. However, that driver soon lost control of his car, which was suspected of exceeding 100 mph, and smashed into another car.

Personal injury: Could civil lawsuit follow fatal lion attack?

On behalf of The Law Firm of Ledbetter & Titsworth, P.A. posted in personal injury on Monday, January 14, 2019.

A tragic event occurred in Caswell County at the Conservators Center that led to the death of an intern. The facility is operated under license of the United States Department of Agriculture. State and federal investigators have launched inquiries to determine the circumstances that led to this fatality. The surviving family members of the deceased woman might be considering a consultation with a personal injury attorney to discuss a potential wrongful death lawsuit.

According to a report about the incident, the 22-year-old intern was cleaning an animal enclosure as a part of her duties when a lion attacked her. In response, the center claimed that the lion -- a 14-year-old male -- escaped from an area that is usually locked. No explanation was available about the circumstances that led to the lion's escape.

The dark side of a workers' compensation nurse case manager

On behalf of The Law Firm of Ledbetter & Titsworth, P.A. on Tuesday, January 8, 2019.

Most Americans understand the concept of workers' compensation; however, they may seldom think about the need to file a claim. Injury accidents can occur to people in or away from their workplace during their shift.

For example, say a fast-food worker suffered a serious injury on a delivery. A company representative refused the delivery man's workers' compensation claim since the injury occurred away from the restaurant. The court ironically ordered the company to perform a delivery of its own in the form of a substantial workers' compensation award.

The threats of delayed injuries after motor vehicle accidents

On behalf of The Law Firm of Ledbetter & Titsworth, P.A. posted in motor vehicle accidents on Monday, January 7, 2019.

Thousands of personal injury claims are in Norrth Carolina and across the country filed nationwide every year. A significant percentage of those claims arose from motor vehicle accidents. Many accident victims choose not to go for medical evaluations after crashes because they have no apparent injuries, only to develop accident-related health problems later. Delayed symptoms might become evident days or weeks after an accident, by which time damage could be severe.

Accident victims are advised to be medically examined immediately after a car accident for prompt diagnoses of injuries such as those that typically result from the whiplash motion of the body upon the impact of a collision. Dislocations of joints are common injuries along with damage to spinal discs. Soft tissue injuries like strains, sprains and tears of muscles, tendons and ligaments could have long-term consequences. Swelling, pain and inflammation can follow soft tissue injuries, along with headaches, neck stiffness and pain, back and shoulder pains and burning sensations are common delayed symptoms.

Workers' compensation for office environment injuries

On behalf of The Law Firm of Ledbetter & Titsworth, P.A. posted in workers' compensation on Wednesday, January 2, 2019.

It is the impression of many people in North Carolina that office environments are mostly free of injury risks. This is a misconception because a large number of workers' compensation claims involve office workers' injuries each year. Many of the typical injuries suffered in office environments could have long-term health consequences.

Although not so prevalent, occupational injuries can be caused by fire, electrical hazards and spilled hot liquids. Open office plans also encourage the spreading of germs, especially during the winter when there is a significant flu risk. Injuries that are more common include slips, trips and falls along with musculoskeletal injuries caused by overexertion.