Washington Personal Injury Lawyer & Attorney : Regan Zambri & Long Law Firm : DC Metro Area Personal Injury Law Blog

The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) is in the process of developing a database, VINcheck, which would use a car's Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) to track vehicles that have been declared a "total loss" by insurance companies.  The database will be free for the public to access and already has the support of hundreds of insurance companies who would be responsible for submitting the VIN to NICB for tracking. Continue Reading...

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Most Americans celebrate Fourth of July evening by watching a fireworks display.  Fireworks can cause serious injuries to children and adults alike.  For those who choose to put on fireworks at home without a professional, the National Council on Fireworks Safety (NCFS) has a few safety tips. Additionally, learn what types of fireworks are and are not permitted in the state where you'll be celebrating.  The chart below illustrates fireworks regulations for the DC Metro Area.

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Summer: those few cherished months when most flock to the outdoors to take advantage of the abundant sunshine. However, a recent report from Forbes cautions most outdoor summer activities can also lead to serious injuries. The article ranked the "Most Hazardous Summer Activities" proportional to the reported injuries in 2007.  A companion article entitled "Most Hazardous Sports" warns the consequences of many popular summer sports as well.

The results are not what you'd expect.  Shark attacks or jellyfish stings do not top the list. Instead, many everyday summer activities can cause more harm than most realize.
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The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Jardine Enterprises have announced yesterday that the company will recall approximately 320,000 cribs sold within the past 6 years.  The cribs were sold mainly at Toys "R" Us and Babies "R" Us locations nationwide.  The names of other stores carrying the Jardine cribs can be found in the press release issued by CPSC.
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Nearly 36,000 children and adolescents (up to 21 years of age) are treated for bunk bed-related injuries across the nation each year, according to a recent study conducted by The Research Institute at Nationwide Children Hospital.
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Almost all high school baseball players should wear headgear on the field to protect them from injuries from batted balls, and most players should consider wearing mouth guards to help prevent oral injuries.  Those recommendations and others are the result of new injury research published in a recent edition of the medical journal Pediatrics -- the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

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While many high school students engage in behaviors that place their health at risk, the percentage of those students is lower today than it was in the early 1990s.  The finding is the result of a recent Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Unfortunately, many of those substantial improvements were not noted among Hispanic high school students -- a group which is still more likely, overall, to use drugs, attempt suicide, and engage in risky sexual behaviors than either black or white teens.  That trend is particularly troubling, according to researchers, as Hispanic people comprise the largest and fastest-growing minority group in the U.S. 

The CDC survey is conducted every two years.  In 2007, more than 14,000 students participated.  Those students were drawn from 39 states and 22 urban school districts.

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It's called "21 for 21" -- college students knock back 21 alcoholic drinks on their 21st birthday, jeopardizing their health and their lives.  The deadly effects of the drinking ritual are the subject of new research conducted at the University of Missouri, and recently published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. Continue Reading...

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The rain, wind and lightning associated with summer storms poses a number of safety threats to people in the DC metro area each year – many of which stem from power outages.  Fortunately, some simple preventive measures can help to minimize the inconvenience of unexpected losses of power, and can safeguard the health of your entire family.  The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers the following recommendations for coping with a sudden loss of electricity during inclement weather:

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Cell phone restriction laws for teenage drivers may not be having their intended effect.

According to a recent study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, North Carolinian teenagers continued to use cell phones while driving as frequently as they had before the restrictions were passed.  In fact, the study found that cell phone use actually increased from 11 percent of teens to 12 percent after the law’s passage.  In comparison, the study found that South Carolina teenagers used cell phones about the same as their North Carolina counterparts.  However, South Carolina has no similar restriction on cell phone use.

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Summer lawn mowing is such a routine activity that many people tend to view it as being less dangerous than it actually is.  Each summer, tens of thousands of Americans are injured by lawn mowers.  This summer, four national medical societies have teamed up to encourage homeowners to be especially careful around lawn mowers.  The American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery (ASRM), the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) all offer the following safety tips to help protect people from lawn mower injuries this season:

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A ten-year-old South Carolina boy died last week from a danger many parents were unaware of until recently.  Dry drowning occurs when water enters the lungs, preventing proper breathing.  This can occur anywhere from 1 to 24 hours after the water has been ingested.

Because the warning signs are common in children and are not necessarily indicative of a problem, the signs are often ignored.  However, WebMD has provided a list of warning signs that parents should be especially wary of after their child has been swimming or taking a bath. Continue Reading...

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Getting ready for a weekend at the beach? Going outside for a walk or bike-ride? If so, be sure to properly protect yourself from the sun. The FDA's "tip sheet" offers advice on how to take steps to prevent skin cancer. These tips will surely help, yet a study released by the Environmental Working Group has shocking results. The study measured over 1,000 top brand-name sunscreens' effectiveness and found 85% percent weren't performing up to par.
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With powerful, fast-moving thunderstorms sweeping through the DC area yesterday, and with more storms on the horizon this summer, it's important to be familiar with some general lightning safety tips.  Understanding lightning and its dangers, as well as what to do during a storm can help significantly reduce the risk of lightning related injury, or even save your life.  Continue Reading...

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Beach Week is on the horizon for students across the country, and while the main concerns for students may be where to go and how to divide the food costs evenly, the main issue for parents is the safety of their children.  A survey in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine lists many concerns including frequent underage drinking, drug use, driving while intoxicated, and promiscuous unprotected sex.  However there are many steps a parent can take to ensure their child’s safety and well-being. Continue Reading...

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There are numerous products on the market to help quit smoking including everything from  "The Patch" to chewing gum. One such product is Chantix, a non-nicotine prescription medicine to help adults quit smoking by reducing the urge to smoke. Released by Pfizer, Chantix has come under recent heat from several industries banning the drug as unsafe for its workers. The Institute for Safe Medication Practices' (ISMP) report on the adverse effects of Chantix has created a wave of questions from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Senator Chuck Grassley, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
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