Police in Chilliwack have found a creative way to catch distracted drivers. The National Post reports that police officers dressed as panhandlers are meandering through cars stopped at red lights to catch drivers on their phones.
Constable Martell is one of the officers involved in the distracted driving campaign. The sign he holds does not ask for money or food. Instead, it tells drivers on their phone that they are about to get a ticket. READ FULL ARTICLE +
The New York Post gives us a personal injury case from Long Island that’s a little different…
An 83-year-old Grandmother walks into a glass wall at an Apple store and breaks her nose. She sues Apple for $1 million.
The glass wall is typical of all Apple stores. The sleek design is supposed to appeal to a young, tech-savvy crowd. But the woman’s lawyer says the design fails to consider the danger to older customers who may have difficulty seeing the glass walls.
The woman’s lawyer says Apple must “realize that the elderly generation are their customers, too.” READ FULL ARTICLE +
It was only two days in Metro Vancouver, but the results were disastrous.
A motorist kills an elderly man crossing the street in Abbotsford. A police car injures a pedestrian. A cyclist dies after being struck by a car in East Vancouver.
This year, the City of Vancouver is launching a campaign called People Are Fragile. The campaign promotes road safety to stop bad behaviours that cause injury or death. As Mayor Gregor Robertson states, “even one fatality is too many.” READ FULL ARTICLE +
Imagine you’re Sydney Crosby. Or David Booth. Or Daniel Sedin. You are checked into the boards and your head hits the ice. Dazed, you are carried off the ice. Over the next few days you suffer dizzy spells and headaches. These symptoms lead the team doctor to diagnose a concussion. But the doctor can’t tell you when you will recover or what limitations you may have. You just have to wait it out.
So why do some professional hockey players return to play within a few days while others have to retire from the game? In the area of brain injuries, current CT and MRI scans are not powerful enough to show detailed brain damage, making treatment and recovery much more difficult. READ FULL ARTICLE +
Nearly a year ago, I blogged about BC Supreme Court case Loychuck v. Cougar Mountain Adventures. Deanna Loychuck and Danielle Westgeest sued Whistler-based Cougar Mountain Adventures for injuries sustained in a ziplining accident. But the Judge found in favour of Cougar Mountain, saying that the waivers signed by Westgeest and Loychuck were a complete defence to any liability.
Westgeest and Loychuck appealed. Cougar Mountain admits their employees were negligent. But they say the waiver signed by Westgeest and Loychuck means they can’t sue. READ FULL ARTICLE +
Jerry Steinberg, a writer for The Province, recently wrote a thought-provoking article about distracted driving on our roads. Do phones make good drivers bad, he asks? Or do only bad drivers use their phones while driving?
If his article doesn’t make you think, consider this…
The Huffington Post gives us a story about a young woman who was killed when her car slammed into the back of a tractor-trailer truck near Victoriaville, Quebec. Emy was text messaging her boyfriend when the accident occurred. Her last message read, “I love you too and I will do all I can to make you happy.”
Her boyfriend’s Facebook page says that Emy’s message shatters his heart into a million pieces. He urges people to learn from the story. READ FULL ARTICLE +
In January, we took a look at how routine play leads to long-term brain injury. And now thanks to a research grant from the NCAA, we will learn more about the long-term effects of brain injury from a groundbreaking study of concussions and head injuries among athletes.
An article by the Digital Journal says the study will follow over 1000 college athletes in 11 different sports. These athletes will be monitored throughout their lifetimes. The NCAA hopes the study will lead to a safer competitive environment. READ FULL ARTICLE +
Last week, Mike Holroyd commented on the challenges involved when getting a student back into the classroom after suffering a concussion. His post encourages teachers and school professionals to be involved in the student’s recovery.
A bill was introduced last week in Ontario that would require school boards to institute a brain-injury prevention and management policy. Concussion training would be mandated for school staff and parents. New standards of care would be set to more effectively monitor a student’s recovery. READ FULL ARTICLE +
Here in BC, we are getting used to hearing about the long term effects of concussions caused in hockey and football. But are we overlooking the head injury risks coming from “non-contact” sports like soccer?
The L.A. Times recently shed some light on the dangers of concussions in soccer. The article follows Taylor Twellman, a former MLS player, who was forced to retire from the game in 2009. Twellman was 28 with lots of game left in him until an undiagnosed concussion changed his life.
Twellman’s concussion was the result of a sudden jolt to the head when he was accidently punched by a goalkeeper. But brain damage can also occur from the repeated impact of heading a soccer ball. READ FULL ARTICLE +
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines a concussion as a type of traumatic brain injury caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head. Although healthcare professionals may describe concussions as “mild” brain injuries, the CDC warns us that the effects can be serious.
Young brains may be more susceptible to chemical changes that occur after a concussion. That’s why it’s important that not only parents, but also school professionals are informed of the effects that the injury can take on students.
The CDC has put together a fact sheet providing steps that school professionals can take to help a student when they return to school. READ FULL ARTICLE +
