Have you ever wondered how PA hospitals stack up in terms of areas like safety and standards of care? Well, you can check online at any time. A website called The Hospital Safety Grade scores hospitals on how safe they keep their patients from medical errors and avoidable injuries, accidents, and infections. You can access the website here: http://www.hospitalsafetyscore.org. Although many hospitals in our area appear to meet a good quality standard of care, it is not universal across all locations.
Fatal Crash Likely Caused by Distracted Driving
An incident of texting while driving recently took the life of a pedestrian in PA. According to news sources, a college student was texting while driving her car in Allentown. She ran a red light and hit a minivan, which caused her car to spin into a nearby pedestrian. That pedestrian was thrown over 20 feet in the air and died soon after. The driver's cell phone data reflected that she was arguing with someone else over text at the time of the accident. Additionally, videos from the crash scene show that the driver's car did not slow down as it approached the red light at the intersection, although other cars responded appropriately according to the traffic lights.
PA Pedestrian Accidents
Pedestrian deaths are on the rise across the country, and PA is no exception. According to nationally compiled data via the Governors Highway Safety Commission, Pennsylvania saw over a 40% increase in pedestrian fatalities in the first half of 2018 as compared to the first half of 2017. If this trend continues, 2019 will prove to be a deadly year for pedestrians, too. According to the data, almost 100 pedestrians were killed by drivers in Pennsylvania during the first half of 2018 as compared to 64 during that same stretch of time in 2017.Nationally, these numbers reflect the highest number of pedestrian deaths in 30 years. Many people believe that this increase is due to heightened instances of distracted driving, more SUVs on the road (which data suggests is correlated with an increase in pedestrian accidents), and an increased number of walkers in areas where most people used to drive. By the numbers, most accidents involving pedestrians overwhelmingly occur at night (about 90%) and over half of these accidents occur on local streets and neighboring highways. In PA, pedestrian fatalities account for roughly 10% of all traffic-related deaths.
Potential Warnings Of A Subpar Nursing Home
According to a US and World News report, there are several warning signs you can look for to see if a loved one in a nursing home is receiving subpar care. Many of the warning signs the article noted involve examining your elderly relative's reaction to people and aspects of the home. In this way, substandard care may become apparent through your loved one's emotional or physical changes, including looking unhealthy, sudden changes in appetite, and becoming easily agitated or fearful around certain people. Additionally, if your relative mentions that they don't want a particular person to take care of them, that might be a sign of a serious problem, such as abuse or neglect. If your relative also appears malnourished or dehydrated, that is a definite warning sign of a potential problem.
Chronic Pain After An Injury
Chronic pain is often a blanket diagnosis used to explain pain that persists consistently over a period longer than 3-6 months. However, chronic pain can result from many different disorders and injuries. Unfortunately, many of these problems come from common accidents, such as motor vehicle accidents or slip and falls.
Freezing Rain on Winter Roads
In these harsh winter weather conditions, many car drivers across our state of Pennsylvania, as well as the country, are dealing with less than desirable road conditions. According to news source Syracuse.com, the phenomenon of "flash-freezing" is causing major problems on both roads and sidewalks across the East Coast this winter.
Flying Winter Debris Causes Damage on Road
Unfortunately, winter is not over yet. We still need to take care when driving on the roads in our icy winter conditions. Recently, there was a report on a PA road involving an accident due to icy conditions. According to news reports, a car was driving on the highway when ice from a nearby tractor-trailer hit the car, shattering most of the windshield and injuring a passenger inside. The injured party had to be taken to a nearby hospital. Local police are stating that the accident is a hit and run.
