Kansas City Personal Injury Law Blog

Common causes of boating accidents

On behalf of Norton & Norton, P.C. posted in personal injury on Wednesday, September 11, 2019.

Consumption of alcohol is, unfortunately, one common reason that Missouri residents get into boating accidents. This is not surprising since alcohol diminishes a boater's physical skills and the ability to make quick, rational decisions. The end result of drunk boating is often the same tragic outcome of drunken driving.

There are other boating accidents which are also preventable. Many times, collisions happen on the water because a boater did not see another vessel approaching. Boaters have an obligation to maintain a careful watch for other watercraft that may be in the area. Otherwise, even on the open water, there might not be enough time to avoid an accident.

Missouri boating accidents kills one, alcohol suspected cause

On behalf of Norton & Norton, P.C. posted in personal injury on Thursday, September 5, 2019.

According to recent reports, a man now faces misdemeanor boating while intoxicated charges after a deadly accident at the Lake of the Ozarks, a popular summer recreation sport in central Missouri. The accident happened earlier this summer and involved a collision between two boats. The driver of the boat that apparently caused the accident said he simply did not see the other boat approaching on the water until it was too late to stop or swerve. However, after the accident, police determined that the operator of the boat had a blood alcohol content of .184, over double the legal limit.

One person, who was in the other boat, died in the accident. The victim was a 39-year-old man. Additionally, four other people suffered significant injuries. This accident serves as an important reminder to Missouri residents, including those in Kansas City who may travel to one of the many rivers, creeks and lakes in this state, that boating while intoxicated is full of danger.

No matter the excuse, speeding is unsafe

On behalf of Norton & Norton, P.C. posted in auto accident on Thursday, August 29, 2019.

Although many of those who have traveled on Interstate 435 probably recognize this from personal experience, many drivers in the Kansas City area seem to have little trouble with speeding.

According to a recent survey, over 80% of drivers admitted to speeding up to 15 miles per hour over the limit. While far fewer, a sizeable minority, 15%, said that they were willing to go up to 30 miles per hour over the posted speed limit. To put this in context, this would mean traveling close to 100 miles per hour on the city's freeways.

Missouri roadways are plagued by drivers with road rage

On behalf of Norton & Norton, P.C. on Saturday, August 24, 2019.

If you're one of many Missouri residents who drive to and from work every day, you've likely witnessed a near-collision or two in your travels. Perhaps, you saw a driver cut someone off at a merger or a vehicle cutting in and out of traffic lanes, in a rush to get wherever he or she was going. Commuting to the workplace can definitely be dangerous.

The more cautious and alert you are at the wheel, the greater your chances of arriving safely to your destination. However, your safety is not entirely reliant upon your own driving habits. There's not much you can do about other drivers' behavior, especially those who happen to be experiencing road rage. There's no telling what can set one of these people off. Someone's bad temper can cause a collision that lands you in the hospital.

There is no excuse for falls at nursing homes or hospitals

On behalf of Norton & Norton, P.C. posted in medical malpractice on Thursday, August 22, 2019.

A previous post here discussed how the most frequent "never event" in Missouri hospitals and nursing facilities are patient falls. As this previous post discussed, although relative common, this does not make patient falls minor, as the average payout for a fall was well over $100,000. Indeed, particularly when an elderly or frail person falls, broken bones, soft tissue injuries and even traumatic brain injuries or spinal cord injuries are all real possibilities.

Moreover, it seems that falling leads to an overall decline in a person's health. A fall requires a senior citizen to take it easy or even stay off their feet for weeks or even months, which can lead to both physical and emotional problems. Since they are out of the habit of moving regularly, they are much more prone to falling again

"Never events" happen to Missouri patients surprisingly often

On behalf of Norton & Norton, P.C. posted in medical malpractice on Wednesday, August 14, 2019.

Each year, the regulator in charge of making sure insurance companies in the state puts out a report about medical malpractice in Missouri. This report is a treasure trove of information and can give lot of insight about the state of medical malpractice in Missouri. It also arguably demonstrates that malpractice carriers are not losing revenue on this type of insurance, as many proponents of medical malpractice reform often suggest.

One thing of interest in this most recent report is that the regulator has begun tracking and reporting on so-called "never events" in Missouri. As the name implies, a never event should never happen if a doctor or a hospital is practicing medicine competently and according to both the law and professional norms.

Financial exploitation is a form of elder abuse

On behalf of Norton & Norton, P.C. posted in medical malpractice on Thursday, August 8, 2019.

When people think of elder abuse or neglect, they may think of a vulnerable senior citizen getting physically abused while at an assisted living facility. Others may also envision a poorly staffed nursing home that is dirty and unsafe for many of its patients. However, there is another form of elder abuse and neglect that can happen even among family members who are caring for an elderly relative and even at the most polished-looking facilities. This abuse can really cut at the heart of a senior citizen, and other concerned family members, by depriving the victim of his or her life fortune and the ability to pass that legacy on to his or her loved ones.

Financial exploitation is actually a crime under Missouri law. A person commits financial exploitation should he or she use various tricks or schemes to get a senior citizen to divert the senior's savings to the perpetrator or to someone close to the perpetrator.

One killed, one severely injured in area moped accident

On behalf of Norton & Norton, P.C. posted in auto accident on Thursday, August 1, 2019.

According to recent reports, a man on his moped suffered what police described as life-threatening injuries after an accident on a local bridge. Sadly, the woman riding as a passenger on the moped died shortly after being transported from the scene of the auto accident to a nearby hospital.

According to authorities who investigated the crash, the driver of a sedan plowed into the moped from behind. As the vehicle pushed the moped along the road, both the driver of the moped and the passenger were thrown off of the vehicle violently. The woman who died landed on the roof of the car, while the driver of the moped landed in the street. The survivor was rushed to a nearby hospital for an emergency surgery.

Injuries at pools, water parks can be devastating

On behalf of Norton & Norton, P.C. posted in personal injury on Thursday, July 25, 2019.

Like the rest of the Central Plains, Kansas City has its share, and sometimes more than its share, of hot weather in the summer. On those hot and humid days, many families in the area take to the various pools and water parks around the community.

While days at the pool or water park are supposed to be relaxing, it is important to remember that they also pose a number of potential hazards. Of course, an accidental drowning or near drowning is always a concern, especially at facilities which do not have lifeguards at all or which have inadequate or under-trained staff.

Reports: Teen drivers in Missouri pose additional hazards

On behalf of Norton & Norton, P.C. posted in auto accident on Thursday, July 18, 2019.

According to a recent report, Missouri ranks as one of the worst states for teen drivers.

To be clear, though, the report did not just assess the quality of this state's teenage drivers. Rather, it examined the state's overall driving climate, including what laws Missouri has in force to make sure that teens are prepared to drive responsibly and how much it costs dollar-wise to allow teens to drive in this state.