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The automobile has become an integral part of people’s lives. But while cars provide convenience and mobility, they also pose significant risks, especially for teenagers. Teenagers are more susceptible to causing and otherwise being involved in car crashes than any other age group. Understanding why this is the case can help parents better shield their teenage kids from the ever-present risk of road accidents. The inexperience factor One of the most prominent reasons behind the higher susceptibility of teenagers to car crashes is their lack of experience. When young individuals first obtain their driver’s license, they often have limited exposure to different driving situations. As a result, they may struggle to make quick decisions in challenging scenarios. Inexperience can lead to delayed reactions and difficulties in navigating complex traffic environments. Risk-taking behavior Teenagers are notorious for their inclination towards risk-taking behavior. Unfortunately, this trait is often amplified when they get behind the wheel. Some adolescents tend to underestimate the dangers of speeding, driving recklessly or using their mobile phones while driving. In the age of technology, distracted driving is a widespread issue, especially among teenagers. Texting, talking on the phone or engaging with in-car entertainment systems can divert their attention from the road. This kind of distraction can lead to accidents, as it hinders their ability to react to sudden changes in traffic conditions. Peer pressure Peer pressure can be a powerful force in a teenager’s life. When young drivers are influenced by their friends, they may be more likely to engage in dangerous driving behaviors to fit in or impress their peers. This could include driving too fast, showing off or driving without a seatbelt – all of which contribute to a higher risk of car crashes. Lack of defensive driving skills Defensive driving skills are essential for staying safe on the road. Unfortunately, many teenagers have not yet acquired these skills. Defensive driving involves anticipating the actions of other drivers and taking measures to avoid potential accidents. Without these skills, teenagers are more vulnerable to collisions cause https://www.progressive.com/answers/what-is-defensive-driving/d by the actions of others. The susceptibility of teenagers to car crashes can be attributed to a combination of factors. Educating teenagers about responsible and safe driving practices is crucial to address this issue.

Maryland’s Office of Legislative Audits is a 10-member commission responsible for receiving and reviewing reports about workplace accidents, settling claims, conducting hearings, and issuing referrals to workers for rehabilitation. The group can also assess fines against employers who purportedly fall short in workers’ compensation coverage. According to the state workers’ compensation commission, countless Maryland-based employers statewide are lacking proper insurance. State law mandates that companies with one or more staff members must carry either workers’ compensation insurance or receive clearance by the commission to self-insure. A lack of workers’ compensation coverage? Fiscal year 2022 revealed in excess of 22,000 claims filed with the commission. More than 16,000 secured permanent disability or death benefits, all valued at close to $374 million. Data purportedly came from auditors looking into records for companies joining the system from July 1, 2017, to December 31, 2020. If those numbers are in fact accurate, more than 1,600 businesses were found without active workers’ compensation coverage. For these employers, financial penalties for non-compliance can cost $10,000, an amount that can be devastating to any business’ bottom line. A lack of compliance could force employers to face potentially reputation-damaging public hearings under a far too bright spotlight. Falling short of workers’ compensation coverage goes beyond punitive measures from government agencies and could affect a company’s financial situation and reputation within the community.

A car accident has the potential to turn your entire life upside down in a matter of seconds. You could easily be facing physical, emotional and financial losses that are just devastating. Unfortunately, insurance companies are in business to make money, not put wrongs to right again. Even when someone is 100% not at fault for a crash, they often find themselves struggling to get fair compensation without an auto accident lawyer’s help. If you’re facing circumstances like these, how can you pay for an attorney when you’re already struggling with the financial fallout of your wreck? Most personal injury attorneys work on a contingency fee basis The vast majority of personal injury claims, including those involving car wrecks, are taken on a contingency fee basis. This is a payment arrangement where your attorney agrees to charge you only if they either successfully negotiate a settlement for you or win your case in court. At that point, they will take a certain percentage of whatever you’re set to receive as their fee. Typically, initial consultations on personal injury claims are free. If you and the attorney agree to work together, you will sign a contingency agreement that spells out the exact percentage of the award the attorney will take as their fee and any additional costs. According to the American Bar Association, a winning attorney will take between one-third and 40% of whatever they obtain for their client, with some attorneys taking the lower amount if the case settles before trial and more if they have to go to court. In addition, contingency agreements may include provisions where the client will reimburse the attorney for any upfront costs they’ve paid as they pursued the claim, such as court costs, fees for expert witnesses and the outlay for copies of medical records. If you’ve been injured through another driver’s negligent or reckless mistakes, you have every right to seek fair compensation for your injuries and other losses – and a lack of funds doesn’t have to stop you from pursuing what you’re rightfully due. You can learn more about your legal options by speaking with a car accident lawyer in Maryland.

Working in a long-term care facility offers a unique blend of challenges and rewards. You get to make a real difference in the lives of residents who rely on your skills and compassion for their day-to-day needs. As rewarding as it is, the work also comes with risks that could affect your health and well-being. Being aware of these risks is the first step in mitigating them. Consider these common dangers you may encounter while working in a long-term care facility. Injuries from lifting residents Lifting and transferring residents come with the risk of back injuries and muscle strains if not performed correctly. It’s crucial to adhere to proper lifting techniques and use any available mechanical aids to minimize this risk. Exposure to bodily fluids You’ll likely encounter bodily fluids such as blood, saliva or urine in your role. This exposes you to the risk of infections or even disease transmission. Chance of contagious illness Long-term care facilities can be a hotspot for the spread of contagious illnesses like influenza or other respiratory infections. Maintaining good hand hygiene is critical to reducing this risk. Slips, trips and falls The fast-paced nature of this job and your work environment can make you susceptible to slips, trips and falls. Factors like wet floors, clutter or poor lighting can contribute to these incidents. Violence from residents or family members Though a sensitive subject, it’s essential to acknowledge the risk of aggression or violence from residents or their family members. Emotional stress or cognitive impairments in residents can contribute to unpredictable behavior. The onus is on your employer to ensure a safe workplace. If you suffer an injury at work or are exposed to fluids at work, report the incident immediately to your employer and speak to an attorney knowledgeable in Workers’ Compensation law. You may be able to claim workers’ compensation to cover your medical costs, wage loss, and any long term effects of the injury or exposure.

Car crashes can happen from all directions so drivers must take a range of precautions to prevent them. One they can take to reduce the chance of running into someone from behind is known as the three-second rule. Why three seconds? Do you know what a safe following distance is? Are you aware of how that distance will change as you speed up or slow down? Probably not. It’s simply too complicated to remember and try and calculate as you are driving along. Hence road safety experts came up with three seconds. Pick a point on the road ahead or by the side of it. For example, a bridge, a signpost or a chevron on the asphalt. When the car in front reaches it, start counting to three. You should not reach that same mark before you have reached three. The distance between you will increase as you speed up and decrease as you slow down giving you an ever-changing safe following distance. Sometimes three seconds is not enough Three seconds is a minimum based on good conditions. You’ll need to increase it if visibility is poor, if the road surface is wet or slippery or if you are not feeling at your best and could be a little slow to react to things. If every driver maintains at least three seconds between themselves and the vehicle in front, rear-end crashes would soon diminish. Unfortunately many are unaware of this rule, ignore it or get distracted and forget to apply it. If you are involved in a rear-end accident or any accident and are injured it is important to contact an experienced personal injury attorney to determine your rights and options.

As a type of insurance, workers’ compensation helps pay for the medical costs of an employee who has suffered a work-related injury or illness and wages lost due to impairment. You might think that compensation only applies to visible ailments, such as broken bones, cuts, lost fingers or limbs and so on. But the insurance also covers medical conditions that aren’t immediately apparent, like occupational hearing loss. Occupational hearing loss is a real issue in workplaces with dangerously high sound levels, such as airport runways, construction sites and mining facilities. But when filing a claim for work-related deafness, exactly how much in benefits will you receive? How will medical experts gauge your hearing loss? Measuring occupational hearing loss When you file a claim for occupational hearing loss, you must participate in a specialized deafness test. The test takes place in a sound room designed to measure deafness, where doctors will ask you to wear earphones connected to an audiometric instrument. Personnel will then measure your hearing thresholds at 500, 1,000, 2,000, and 3,000-hertz frequencies. These results and an exam by an otolaryngologist (ENT) specialist will be determinative of the causal relationship between the hearing loss and the employee’s occupation. From these results, the medical providers will calculate your average hearing loss by a complicated formula found in the Maryland Workers’ Compensation statute. If after the calculation is done you have a hearing loss above the statutory threshold, you will be entitled to compensation for this hearing loss in accordance with the statute. You will also be entitled to coverage by the Workers’ Compensation Insurer for the cost of future hearing exams and hearing aids, if necessary. The doctors will also calculate the percentage of hearing loss in both ears and determine if you have a compensable loss in both ears or only one ear. Your employer is liable for the full extent of occupational hearing loss you’ve suffered and must pay the percentage in benefits. However, your employer can also contest the claim and only pay for the hearing loss it says it’s liable for if it can present evidence – such as the results of a previous hearing test – proving your hearing loss before employment. Your employer may also reject your claim completely asserting that your hearing loss was not caused by your work with the employer. Whether your employer denies your claim or asserts it’s only partially liable, you can request a hearing with Maryland’s Workers’ Compensation Commission. As noted above, proving an occupational hearing loss is complicated. Having legal counsel with you when determining whether to pursue an occupational hearing loss or requesting a hearing may be helpful.

You have probably heard of a condition called carpal tunnel syndrome. But there is a different physical issue called cubital tunnel syndrome that also might come from the job you do. Cubital tunnel syndrome often arises from actions such as bending the elbow for lengthy periods of time or habitually setting your elbow down upon a desk chair arm, for example. Doing things like grasping a telephone receiver or driving for prolonged periods could be other work-related causes of cubital tunnel syndrome. Cubital tunnel syndrome explained Unlike carpal tunnel syndrome (the middle finger, thumb and index finger are involved), cubital tunnel syndrome is noticeable in your ring and pinky fingers. You might lose sensation in those fingers or feel like you have “pins and needles.” Your ulnar nerve extends the length of your arm into your hand. According to the Cleveland Clinic, “Cubital tunnel syndrome happens when that nerve is irritated or compressed…if left untreated, can lead to muscle weakness and atrophy.” Characteristic signs of cubital tunnel syndrome These symptoms should alert you to the possibility that you could have cubital tunnel syndrome: Periodic numbness affecting your fingers and hand Fingers and hands that occasionally feel like they tingle Inside of the elbow could have a painful sensation How can you make it less likely that you will develop cubital tunnel syndrome? There are some simple precautions you can take: Don’t keep your arm bent for long stretches of time Avoid putting unnecessary pressure on your elbow by placing it on the armrest of your chair at work. If you are aware of that habit, try to change it. No frequent leaning on your elbow When not treated, cubital tunnel syndrome can lead to the muscles in your hand atrophying, thus becoming less flexible and functional. That can be a major physical impairment. If your cubital tunnel syndrome came from performing your job duties, workers’ compensation could help.

When people think of dangerous industries or professions, jobs that are much more physical in nature, such as construction or manufacturing, top the list. Careers within the education sector are typically not thought of as dangerous or hazardous. Still, you never know when an accident or injury will take you away from your students. If something happens to you on the job that interferes with your ability to function, a successful workers’ compensation claim ensures you experience no financial hardships. Cumulative injuries are common in teachers Although your job may not expose you to the severe injury risks steel or construction workers face, you could still suffer injuries in the workplace. For example, many teachers develop repetitive stress injuries, like carpal tunnel syndrome, from writing notes and grading papers. You may associate such injuries with the hands and wrists, but cumulative trauma can affect any overused muscle group. That unexplained pain in your legs, knees, hips, shoulders or elsewhere could be a cumulative trauma injury. You might not recognize the cumulative damage on your joints right away because they arise from small, frequent (perhaps unnoticeable) injuries within the affected muscle group. Over time, these small injuries essentially become a much more significant injury, resulting in regular or constant discomfort. School property accidents are also possible Teachers are as much at risk for premise injuries as any other employee. Slips, trips and falls occur commonly in hallways, classrooms, lunchrooms and other areas. Stairways also pose the risk of a fall-related injury. Workers’ compensation covers injuries arising out of performing your work duties. Instead of living with your pain, exercise your right to file a claim under Maryland law. It will cover your medical expenses and replace some of your lost wages, allowing you to make a complete recovery before resuming your job duties.

When you work at heights, there are generally two different types of safety standards that your employer will utilize to protect workers on the job. These are known as fall protection and fall prevention systems. While these terms are often used interchangeably, there are key differences between the two. It is important for workers to understand how these systems operate so that they can perform their jobs safely. While injuries are unfortunately always a possibility, the right systems and processes in place can make them less likely. Considering how common and dangerous falls are, it’s critical to have these systems in place. Fall prevention systems When using a fall prevention system, the goal is to keep the fall from happening in the first place. An example of this could be a roofing company that installs railings around the outer edge of a flat roof. The goal of the railings is simply to keep workers far enough away from the edge the fall is impossible. These are known as passive systems. Training employees to recognize and spot fall risks is another example of fall prevention. Fall protection systems Fall protection systems, by contrast, provide equipment to minimize an injury if the worker does fall on the job. While these systems do not prevent falls, they work to lessen the risk for serious injuries. Fall arrest systems are common examples of these. For example, some roofers might set up an anchor point on the roof and then wear harnesses that are tied to straps or ropes. Workers may be able to fall and potentially could fall entirely off of the roof, but the rope or straps in place should keep them from striking the ground. When is fall protection or prevention required? Rules requiring the use of either fall protection or prevention vary by industry and even by region. In general, OSHA requires some sort of fall protection for workers at the following heights: Five feet for maritime workers Six feet for construction workers Four feet for general industry workers, or all other workers Both fall prevention and protection systems can be helpful and guard against serious injuries. Unfortunately, falls are still incredibly common. Falls are the leading cause of death in the construction industry alone, with 351 workers suffering fatal falls in 2020. Employers must do their part to train workers on safe practices, as well as provide a safe environment to complete job duties. If you have been injured due to a fall on the job in Maryland, make sure you know how to seek medical coverage and financial compensation through workers’ compensation. Contact an attorney experienced in handling Workers’ Compensation claims.

You’ve been working for a construction company for a while, and you haven’t thought much about the fact that your boss has labeled you as an independent contractor – until you get injured and sidelined. That’s when you find out that you’re not eligible for workers’ compensation. Is this legitimate? Maybe – or maybe your employer is trying to game the system. Here’s what you need to know: Employers misclassify employees for all kinds of reasons Employee misclassification is a common problem. Employers naturally want to limit their payroll expenses, unemployment liabilities and workers’ compensation insurance costs – and some are willing to do it by purposefully misclassifying an employee as an independent contractor. In other situations, the misclassification may be an honest mistake – but still one that must be rectified. Maryland law provides employees with wage and employment protections. These include unemployment benefits, Social Security contributions, tax withholdings and importantly, workers’ compensation benefits, among other entitlements. If you are classified as an independent contractor and get hurt on the job, you likely will not be able to file a claim to recover workers’ compensation. Three considerations when determining between employees and independent contractors It doesn’t matter what your employer calls you, nor does a signed agreement that declares you an independent contractor enough to make you one. Instead, three different questions must be considered: How much does the company control what you do and how you do it? The more your work is directed and closely supervised, the more likely it is that you’re an employee. Does the Company supply your tools and materials or do you bring your own to the job? How are the financial aspects controlled? Do you invoice the company for your work by the hour or the job, or does your employer completely control how much you earn? Does he pay you by Company check and/or take taxes from your pay? What is the nature of your relationship with your employer? Do you bring specialized knowledge or skills to the job? Could you be easily replaced? Are you free to hire out elsewhere without the company’s approval? Do you or your Employer set your hours of work? Are you subject to company discipline? Unfortunately, many people don’t realize why their employer has classified them as independent contractors until they need workers’ compensation. If this has happened to you, it is important to get experienced legal guidance from an attorney whose practice concentrates in Workers’ Compensation law.

If you suffer an injury at work, you may count yourself lucky if you didn’t tear a muscle or break a bone. You may even think that you got out of the incident with only minor injuries. Unfortunately, the reality is that damage to tendons and ligaments can be severe. They can take far longer to heal, and they very well may still keep you out of work. Tendon injuries can also take place over time, rather than during a specific accident. Why does the healing process take so long? The University of Maryland Medical System defines tendons as the soft tissues connecting muscles to bones, which allow joints to move. Symptoms of tendon injuries can include joint or muscle pain, swelling, stiffness and bruising. Because tendons are not stretchy and can be easily injured when under stress, a full recovery can take a long time. These strains are most often seen in the arms and legs. While rest, ice, medications and exercises can often treat tendon injuries, surgery may be needed in some cases, especially after a tear. How long will it take? If you have a broken arm or leg, you may measure the healing time in weeks. A doctor may keep you in a cast for eight weeks, for example. But if you have a tendon sprain or tear, the road to a full recovery may instead take months. Especially following a tear that requires surgery, it may take as long as 18 months before you’re really going to feel like your body is healed and fully functioning again. What about tendinitis? Tendinitis is a common condition often caused by overuse to the tendons, commonly around the shoulders, wrists, knees and heels. Because tendinitis occurs over time often due to repetitive motions, the extent of the damage done can be unknown until it reaches a certain point where performing the motion becomes unbearable. Work requiring repetitive motions in a physical labor setting, like gardening or factory work, can lead to these injuries, as can office work requiring typing on a keyboard for hours on end. Tendon injuries of all sorts, from sprains to tears to tendinitis, can lead to lost time at work to properly treat and recover from the condition. Depending on the extent of the injury, medical expenses such as physical therapy, frequent doctor’s visits and surgery can add up quickly. Injured workers should ensure they understand all legal options available to them in seeking workers’ compensation for a tendon injury they believe is caused by their work.

Warehouse work can be inherently dangerous. Receiving proper training and carefully following safety protocols can greatly reduce the risks warehouse workers face. However, accidents can still occur and being mindful of some of the greatest dangers can be helpful. If you are a warehouse worker, beware of three of the most common dangers workers face: 1. Slip, trips and falls There are a lot of moving parts on the floors of a warehouse. Forklifts can spill fuel or oil, shipping containers that contain liquids may leak and weather (such as rain or snow) could cause a warehouse floor to quickly become slick or icy. Slip-and-fall accidents because of a slick floor can cause serious injuries to a hapless worker’s spine and head. 2. Falling shipping containers If crates were incorrectly loaded or quickly moved during their delivery, then they could fall over onto unsuspecting workers. The weight of a shipping container could be enough to break bones, cause internal bleeding or even lead to amputations of crushed limbs. 3. Forklift accidents Many employees who work at warehouses go through little to no training before setting foot on a forklift. Inexperienced forklift users can be extremely dangerous behind the wheel. Not only can forklifts get into wrecks, but their pronged equipment can be lethal on the warehouse floor. If a forklift driver does not correctly angle their prongs before use, they could send the vehicle flipping. Reckless drivers could even impale these prongs into shipping containers, trucks or other employees. If you’ve suffered serious injuries that prevent you from continuing to work, you have every reason to expect workers’ compensation benefits to provide for your medical care and other costs while you are unable to work. If your workers’ compensation claim seems stalled or delayed in any way, don’t hesitate to seek legal assistance from an attorney whose practice has a concentration in Workers’ Compensation law.