Memphis personal injury law blog

Tennessee road construction crews often put their lives on the line to keep drivers safe. Unfortunately, many drivers have little or no concern for the workers. This was underscored by a recent incident in which an alleged drunk driver caused serious construction site injuries to four highway workers near the Memphis exit from northbound Interstate 65.

The police were called to the scene on a recent Sunday evening. They discovered that a driver who had lost control of his car smashed into a light tower. The impact caused the light tower to fall on the workers. Authorities say two workers suffered injuries to their legs, one had a collapsed lung, and the fourth worker's spine was fractured.

Navigating a civil lawsuit is a complicated field of the law and when it comes to expert witnesses, it becomes even more intricate. This was underscored by a medical negligence lawsuit in Tennessee in which a patient claimed that a medical assistant's negligence caused him to fall and break his back. The plaintiff chose a neurosurgeon as an expert witness, but the trial court and the appellate court found the neurosurgeon failed to meet the requirements for being an expert in this case.

According to court documents, the medical assistant asked the plaintiff to sit on the bed to have his blood pressure measured. He said he was unable to get onto the bed, but the defendant insisted, leading to the patient stepping onto the stool and falling. He claimed to have struck a wall before falling onto the concrete floor, landing on his buttocks. He alleges the assistant helped him into a chair and had a Licensed Practical Nurse examine him. After having X-rays taken, he was sent home.

Anyone who visits a nail salon likely does so with anticipation of being pampered and treated by skilled operators. Suffering serious injuries will certainly not be on the mind of any client who visits such an establishment. However, a client of a nail salon in Tennessee apparently almost lost her arm after she suffered a flesh-eating bacterial infection after a manicure earlier this year.

Reportedly, the woman suffered a small cut to her thumb during the manicure. She went to the doctor after developing flu-like symptoms, and a nurse practitioner determined that the infection had spread into her arm. Further swelling sent her to the ER, and she reports that the doctor warned that she might lose her arm, or even her life.

Workers nationwide, including Tennessee, risk losing body parts each year. In unsafe work environments, unprotected working parts of equipment and machines cause compression or crushing injuries. Hands, feet, fingers and other body parts can also be struck by or caught between objects. The most common amputations are reported to be fingertips.

As a part of employers' responsibility to provide safe workplaces, safeguards must be installed to prevent contact with moving parts. Among others, potential amputation hazards include power presses, conveyors, printing presses, meat grinders, food slicers, band saws, table and portable saws, grinders, and shears. Safeguards must be secure, and bypassing or tampering with the guards must not be allowed. Workers must receive adequate safety training related to the dangers of avoiding safety devices and taking short cuts that could lead to catastrophic injuries.