Ocean County Workers' Compensation Law Blog

Many in Ocean County might assume that whenever a lawsuit is filed, the party filing it is claiming that the reason the reason for the action is that the defendant displayed malicious intent. Yet oftentimes that is not the case at all. Civil action may rarely be meant to be punitive; in fact, in many cases, it simply arises from the need of accident victims to seek compensation for the enormous expenses they are often made to face. A lawsuit may simply be an acknowledgment that a person caused an accident and thus is liable to accident victims. 

Very few people would likely attribute any bad intentions to the elderly woman who was recently involved in an auto-pedestrian accident in Saddle Brook, yet the consequences of the collision could easily result in those affected needing some sort of compensation. The woman was reportedly driving her vehicle through the parking lot of a shopping center when she struck a man (himself an older gentleman) before running into a brick pillar. Authorities are currently looking into what caused the woman to lose control of her vehicle, and she has reportedly cooperated with authorities. Sadly, the elderly gentleman who was hit ended up succumbing to his injuries. 

Residents who live in New Jersey know car accidents can and do happen on roads, highways and freeways despite the attempts of most drivers to operate their vehicles safely. When these crashes involve large vehicles like tractor-trailers or commercial buses, the outcomes can be quite serious due to the large size and weight of these vehicles. An example of this can be seen in a recent tragic event that occurred in Morris County.

According to a report by ABC7 New York, three passenger vehicles were involved in a collision with a commercial passenger bus along a stretch of Interstate 80. The incident took place just before 8:00 p.m. on a weekday evening. There were approximately 24 people on the bus. It is not known how many passengers might have been in any of the three vehicles that the bus collided with.

If you are one of the numerous New Jersey residents who had to make the painful decision to place your parent in a nursing home, you likely worry that (s)he may not be getting the care (s)he needs and deserves. Unfortunately, you may have more reason to worry than you are aware of.

According to a recent investigation of 15,000 nursing homes nationwide, far too many of them dose significant numbers of their patients with antipsychotic drugs such as Haloperidol, Seroquel and Risperidone whether or not the patients need these drugs. The reason? Such drugs make it easier for nursing home caregivers to control their patients, particularly their elderly patients who suffer from dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Elder rights advocates assert that this practice amounts to elder abuse via the use of chemical restraints.

It may easy for those in Ocean County who have experienced head trauma and escaped only with a concussion to feel as though they dodged a bullet. In a certain context they have, considering that a concussion is considered to be only a mild traumatic brain injury from which recovery is entirely possible. Yet even something as seemingly mundane as a concussion can cause long-term deleterious effects. The amount of time it may take one to adequately deal with their concussion-related issues could be a determining factor in whether or not they seek compensation to help cover the costs associated with recovery. 

According to the organization Head Case, 3.8 million new concussion cases are reported each year in the U.S. Many of these cases will see the issues that the victims are experiencing abate in a few days or weeks. Yet some may see their current symptoms continue on for much longer (with new problems setting in, as well). This continued suffering is what is known as post-concussion syndrome, and it can have debilitating effects that interfere with one's professional and personal life.