Gretna Personal Injury Law Blog

Are hands-free cellphones safe for drivers?

On behalf of Law Office of John W. Redmann, LLC posted in car accidents on Sunday, June 17, 2018.

As a Louisiana motorist, you may be guilty of driving while talking or texting on a hand-held cellphone. This dangerous task has killed and seriously injured many people across the nation. As a result, some states prohibit drivers from using hand-held cellphones while behind the wheel. Hands-free cellphones are not banned, however, which leads people to believe they are safe to use while driving. Studies show that they are not safe, and are in fact almost as dangerous as hand-held cellphones.

Researchers looked at the amount of cognitive distraction different tasks caused motorists in an attempt to measure which activities were most distracting, in a study published by AAA. Drivers were asked to complete several tasks, including talking on a hand-held cellphone, using a hands-free cellphone, talking to a passenger in the vehicle, listening to the radio, composing an email using voice-activated technology and listening to an audio book. Once drivers’ response time, heart rate and brain activity results were calculated, researchers found that talking on a hands-free device is only slightly less distracting that using a hand-held device.

Understanding oil rig blowouts

On behalf of Law Office of John W. Redmann, LLC posted in workers' compensation on Thursday, June 7, 2018.

At the Law Office of John W. Redmann, LLC, in Louisiana, we understand the dangers you face every day as an oil rig worker. Oil rigs are dangerous because of the very nature of the work they perform. If and when an accident occurs, the results can be catastrophic for you and your co-workers. Petro-Online explains that while oil rigs do not explode nearly as often as they did in the early days of oil exploration, oil rig blowouts still happen all too frequently.

Millions of years ago, the thick black liquid that is now oil started out as plants and animals. When they died, sediments slowly formed over them. As more and more sediment formed, it became rock. The rock grew heavier and heavier, and the enormous pressure of its weight squeezed all the liquid out of the dead plants and animals underneath, ultimately turning these carbon-based organic substances into oil. Blowouts occur because today’s oil reservoirs remain underneath highly pressurized rock formations. Oil drillers attempt to counterbalance and counteract this pressure by packing mud around the drill and wellbore. Nevertheless, water, gas or oil occasionally infiltrates one or the other. When this happens, it causes the equipment to “kick.” That is the signal to close the well immediately and fix the equipment. Otherwise the crude oil begins to uncontrollably gush out of the well, causing a blowout. If one tiny spark of fire, such as from a cigarette, touches the oil, the entire rig could explode.

Are you suffering delayed symptoms after a vehicle accident?

On behalf of Law Office of John W. Redmann, LLC on Monday, June 4, 2018.

Vehicle accidents in Louisiana are typically dreadful experiences, and the emotional and mental trauma might disguise physical damage that is not obvious. Sometimes accident victims who have no apparent broken bones or blood gushing from an open wound decline a trip to the hospital. However, this can be a mistake because many crash injuries have delayed symptoms that might only become evident in the days or weeks after the accident.

Injuries could cause damage to your internal organs, muscles and ligaments, the spinal column, and other parts of your body, and by the time it becomes evident, damage could be severe. For that reason, a thorough medical examination after any automobile accident is essential.

What are the biggest dangers to motorcyclists?

On behalf of Law Office of John W. Redmann, LLC posted in motorcycle accidents on Thursday, May 31, 2018.

As a motorcyclist in Louisiana, you understand the dangers of sharing the road with larger vehicles. However, despite your safety precautions, it's still possible for you to end up getting involved in a crash. At the Law Office of John W. Redmann, LLC, we work with you to help determine where the fault lies and get you the financial compensation that you deserve.

Driver negligence actually plays a large role in many different types of motorcycle crashes. Because you're on a smaller vehicle, it's much harder for drivers to spot you. This can happen even if you're driving as safely as possible by avoiding blind spots, wearing reflective gear, and avoiding sudden merges or turns. It's possible that if a car claimed that they hit you because you weren't visible, the driver did not check well enough before making their own move.

What motorists should know if they are burned in a car crash

On behalf of Law Office of John W. Redmann, LLC posted in car accidents on Friday, May 25, 2018.

Louisiana motorists who suffer burns in a car crash can face a long, difficult and painful recovery. Other motorists can succumb to their burn injuries and die at the hospital. The American Burn Association reports that vehicle fire fatalities are relatively rare occurrences. In fact, of the 3,275 Americans who died from fire or smoke inhalation in 2016, only 310 of them died as the result of a vehicle fire. By far the largest number of burn fatalities, 2,745, resulted from home fires.

Columbia St. Mary's Regional Burn Center explains that burns fall into the following four categories:

A driver or passenger suffers a thermal burn if (s)he comes into contact with the fire itself or an excessively hot object in the car.
(S)he suffers a scald burn if (s)he comes into contact with a hot liquid such as gasoline or even a hot drink.
(S)he suffers an electrical burn if the car hits a power pole, bringing the line down on top of the car.
(S)he suffers a chemical burn if (s)he comes into contact with a caustic substance such as one of the car’s fluids.

Do you work in a sick building?

On behalf of Law Office of John W. Redmann, LLC posted in workers' compensation on Thursday, May 17, 2018.

If you cough, sneeze, feel dizzy or have watery eyes or aching muscles every time you go to work in Louisiana, your building may be causing your symptoms. Per the Environmental Protection Agency, there really is such a thing as a sick building.

Sick buildings result from one or more of the following:

Inadequate ventilation
Biological contaminants
Indoor chemical contaminants
Outdoor chemical contaminants

Tips for the TBI caregiver

On behalf of Law Office of John W. Redmann, LLC posted in brain injury on Thursday, May 10, 2018.

Traumatic brain injury is a term that has gotten a lot more recognition in recent years thanks to the National Football League and its players who have shed light on lasting effects of head trauma. The Family Caregiver Alliance announced in 2015 that about two percent of the U.S. population lives with the effects of brain injury. In Louisiana, those who have family members or friends whom brain injuries have impacted may find the following information useful.

Caregivers of TBI victims have a special role to play in their recovery. A brain injury can be a scary event, and depending on how severe the trauma, it can also cause a disruption in the victim's typical routine for weeks, months or years. What caregivers need to know, among other things, is to take the long view. The road to recovery may not be as quick as they hope, so thinking of the process as a marathon rather than a sprint can help those caring for the injured to be patient with the process.

When workers have the right to refuse dangerous work

On behalf of Law Office of John W. Redmann, LLC posted in workers' compensation on Thursday, May 3, 2018.

Most Louisiana residents would like to know they are safe when they go to work every day. From offices across the state to highways and high-rises under construction, the workplaces are unique and pose distinct challenges for managers and employees alike.

In 2015, the RAND Corporation conducted a survey of working conditions in the U.S. and discovered some interesting perspectives from those on the frontlines. A numer of employees reported that their "workplace is very physically and emotionally taxing, both for [the] workers themselves and their families." Part of the difficulty, they explained, relates to the time crunch they work under and the fast pace they have to keep up to complete their tasks.

Do not rely on others to keep you safe on a construction site

On behalf of Law Office of John W. Redmann, LLC posted in Blog on Tuesday, May 1, 2018.

If you are a construction worker in Louisiana, you will face the same hazards as many other construction workers, regardless of whether your project is a single story residential building or a skyscraper in the city. Although the Occupational Safety and Health Administration prescribes strict safety regulations to prevent construction worker injuries in all the different jobs they do, not all employers comply, and accidents continue to happen

However, if you want to avoid sleeping in a hospital rather than at your home, you may want to familiarize yourself with the typical safety risks on construction sites. You should attend every possible training session; learn how to recognize hazards and what to do to protect yourself.

You might need more than physical recovery after a car accident

On behalf of Law Office of John W. Redmann, LLC posted in Blog on Monday, April 30, 2018.

Are you struggling to cope with the consequences of a car accident that resulted from the negligence of someone else? You might find comfort in knowing that you might be able to collect insurance money. However, you may not realize that you will likely be of minor concern to the insurer. Insurers typically rely on statistics, which tells them that most people will settle for whatever they offer, rather than consulting with legal counsel who might be able to ensure a more comprehensive damage recovery.

If you file a personal injury lawsuit, you might recover damages for the financial, physical and emotional harm you suffered. By pursuing full monetary recovery, you can include both economic and noneconomic damages in your documented claims.