Tips, Talk and Insight from the Slater Vecchio Team
May.15.2013

Pool Safety Not Sinking In

Posted by Aimee King

kid water

The Vancouver Sun reported a five year old B.C. boy was in critical but stable condition after falling into the family pool Easter long weekend. The warm weather took many people outdoors hoping for an early summer, but is your backyard ready for summer?

Parents of a North Vancouver toddler who drowned in their pool last April are upset at the lack of stronger safety regulations. “It makes me really, really angry because it’s so completely preventable,” says mom Alia Chryssolor. READ FULL ARTICLE +

Category: Child Safety, Home Safety, Slips & Falls
May.8.2013

Eye Tests for Brain Trauma

Posted by Nicole Kelly

Digital eye scan

Your eyes may tell more about you than originally thought. The Seattle Times reports that with simple eye tests, doctors could be able to detect neurological damage caused by bomb blasts, concussions, or diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Multiple Sclerosis.

Currently, definitive tests for brain injury can only be conducted via an autopsy. The use of eye scans will provide “a barometer for what might be happening in the brain,” says Elaine Peskind, a psychiatrist at University of Washington. READ FULL ARTICLE +

Category: Brain Injury, Slips & Falls, Sports Injury
May.2.2013

Bionic Hand Assisted by iLimb iPhone App

Posted by Patrick Gordon

bionic hand appFor a young man with a prosthetic hand, the phrase “there’s an app for that” has a whole new meaning.

Jason Koger lost both his hands in an electrocution accident caused by a downed power line on an ATV. He has tried many different prosthetic hands but the latest one comes closest to a real hand. READ FULL ARTICLE +

Category: Home Safety, Spinal Cord Injury
April.24.2013

Slater Vecchio Selected to Top 10 List of Personal Injury Firms in Canada

Posted by Slater Vecchio

top 10Slater Vecchio is pleased to announce that we have been selected as one of the Top 10 Personal Injury Boutique Law Firms in Canada by Canadian Lawyer Magazine!

Founding partners Mike Slater, Q.C. and Tony Vecchio, Q.C., say it is “not about getting the maximum number of people coming in the door, but about how you deal with people. Our best referrals are our previous clients.” READ FULL ARTICLE +

Category: Announcements
April.18.2013

NFL Helmet Maker Loses Lawsuit Due to Lack of Warning

Posted by Nicole Kelly

helmet moneyA Colorado jury has found NFL helmet maker Riddell negligent in failing to warn the public about the danger of concussions.

The jury awarded $11.5 million to the student who sustained severe brain injuries during a high school football practice in 2008. Riddell was found responsible for 27 per cent of the damages, $3.1 million. READ FULL ARTICLE +

Category: Brain Injury, Sports Injury
April.16.2013

Players Call NFL Safety Board a ‘Sham’

Posted by Michael Slater QC

gavel brainDid the NFL conceal the risks of head injuries? Who is responsible to pay for head injuries; the NFL or individual teams? NBC Sports reports the beginning of what is likely to be a long trial process to sort this out.

We’ve blogged about brain injuries that many former NFL players have suffered from years of play. District Judge Brody has to decide if these injuries are workplace safety issues that belong in arbitration.  READ FULL ARTICLE +

Category: Brain Injury, Sports Injury
April.8.2013

Michael Slater, Q.C., Awarded 2013 Bar Award by TLABC!

Posted by Slater Vecchio

MJS_Bar_Award sizeSlater Vecchio is pleased to announce that one of our founding partners Michael Slater, Q.C., has been awarded the 2013 Bar Award by the Trial Lawyers Association of B.C.

Mike has been a practicing lawyer since 1976 in the area of personal injury. He specializes in traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury cases and has been awarded some of the highest trial awards in these cases. He was also named the 2012 Lawyer of the Year by Best Lawyers. READ FULL ARTICLE +

Category: Announcements
April.2.2013

Boxing Bans Headgear to Reduce Concussions

Posted by Nicholas Tsoi

brain on starsRemove headgear from boxing to reduce concussions? Seems counterproductive, but that’s exactly what the International Boxing Association has done.

BBC Sport reports that researchers believe removing headgear will deter boxers from using their head as a weapon or hitting opponents as hard since they would feel less protected. Headgear also makes the head a bigger target and makes side hits harder to see. READ FULL ARTICLE +

Category: Brain Injury, Child Safety, Sports Injury
March.28.2013

Stay Safe this Long Weekend

Posted by James Richards

two rabbits delivering two eggsSugar rushes from too much chocolate might not be the only thing you suffer from this long weekend if you’re not careful. The Province reports that ICBC stats show an average of four deaths and over six hundred injuries over this long weekend in B.C.

Over half of these accidents occur in the Lower Mainland. If you’re planning on rushing out of town, think twice before you leave. Slow down and use caution when driving. READ FULL ARTICLE +

Category: Motorcyclists, Motorists, Pedestrians
March.25.2013

Pedestrians Have the Right of Way

Posted by Tony Vecchio QC

Glossy Signs Caution PeopleOn the road, a pedestrian always has the right of way. Once they have entered a crosswalk, even if it’s against a light, they have the right of way to finish crossing. In Farand v. Seidel, the plaintiff Ms. Farand was struck in a marked crosswalk and suffered extensive injuries.

Mr. Seidel was issued a ticket for failing to yield to a pedestrian. He claimed he didn’t see the plaintiff, but she was almost halfway across the intersection when she was struck. The crosswalk was well marked and the plaintiff was clearly visible. She did not hesitate once in the crosswalk which could have potentially confused the driver into thinking she would wait for him. READ FULL ARTICLE +

Category: Cyclists, Motorcyclists, Motorists, Pedestrians