Charleston Personal Injury Law Blog

Some West Virginians may be driving Ford pickup trucks that authorities say are dangerous to operate due to an engine-block heater issue. Officials recently recalled over 130,000 trucks with the goal of repairing their components. These components might have been damaged due to another recall that was made to repair auto defects.

Back in Dec. 2018, more than 410,000 Ford pickup trucks were recalled due to a fire risk associated with the engine-block heater. Contaminants and water were able to enter the connector for the block heater cable, leading to corrosion. Unfortunately, the connectors may have been damaged further when they were inspected as part of this recall, and this has sparked the most recent recall.

When a West Virginia parent makes the trip to the emergency room or to the doctor's office with his or her child, it is with the assumption that he or she will receive quality care from the physician and nurses. This includes receiving a timely and accurate assessment and diagnosis of the problem. When there is a failure to diagnose a medical problem correctly or in a timely manner, it can cause significant harm for patients.

Misdiagnosis is actually one of the leading causes of malpractice claims related to the medical care of children. One reason for this is a lack of thorough and effective assessments. According to a study that looked at child-related malpractice cases, one of the factors in these cases often involved lack of proper communication with the parent. In order to properly care for and diagnose a child, a doctor must listen to the parents' concerns and work closely with them.

A recent survey showed that more than 40 percent of residents in nursing homes suffer mistreatment. Unfortunately, nursing abuse -- whether it is physical abuse or emotional abuse, for example -- is not always easy to pinpoint in West Virginia and elsewhere. However, here are a few abuse signs for which to be on the lookout.

Examples of physical abuse include slapping, pushing, hitting and illegal restraining or confinement for no reason. Signs that this type of abuse is taking place include negative behavior changes, depression, bruising and scratches. If a relative in a nursing home begins to have unexplained bruises, it may be a wise move to ask the nursing staff what caused these bruises.

Injuries to the brain can unfortunately take a toll on a person, both physically and emotionally, in West Virginia and elsewhere. Fortunately, March happens to be Brain Injury Awareness Month -- a month where more attention is typically paid to traumatic brain injury. Here is a look at what this type of injury involves.

According to experts, two people's brain injuries are never alike. As a result, treatments differ among patients based on the injury's severity. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that more than two million people suffer traumatic brain injuries each year, and of these individuals, 52,000 end up passing away.