Baton Rouge Louisiana Personal Injury Law Blog

People in Louisiana who might need to have surgical procedures or who have family members in need of operations might understandably be a bit concerned about these events. There can be many risks associated with surgeries and families should be able to trust that such risks are minimized, in large part due to the oversight and care of the professionals involved. However, there are times when the professionals themselves introduce the risks to the patients.

Surgical errors can and do happen. In some cases, a mistake may not result in any harm to the patient. But, there can be times when a patient experiences significant harm due to a surgical error. Some patients have even died because of a mistake in the surgical process. Becker's Hospital Review recently provided a report detailing some insights from a study that reviewed the causes of surgical mistakes.

Taking certain medications in Louisiana to treat digestive conditions and/or psychosis could put you at risk of developing a disorder of the nervous system called tardive dyskinesia. This condition causes uncontrolled, repetitive movements. Effective treatment of tardive dyskinesia requires swift diagnosis. However, according to the Mayo Clinic, diagnosis of tardive dyskinesia involves assessing the timing of your symptoms relative to your use of the medication and ruling out other conditions that could produce similar symptoms. 

Other conditions can cause neurological dysfunction that can produce similar symptoms to tardive dyskinesia. These include head injury, HIV and syphilis. Illicit substance abuse can also cause neurological dysfunction, as can multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune disorders. Schizophrenia can result in mannerisms that resemble symptoms of tardive dyskinesia, and there are other movement disorders unrelated to medication use that produce similar signs, such as Tourette's syndrome or Huntington's disease. 

Authorities suspect impairment in a six-vehicle crash that occurred approximately a week ago in Concordia Parish, Louisiana. The crash involved two cars and four motorcycles. One of the motorcyclists, a 22-year-old man, lost his life. The crash is still under investigation, and charges against one of the drivers are pending as law enforcement awaits the results of routine toxicology tests. 

The accident occurred on U.S. Highway 84 in the early morning hours last Sunday. Four motorcycles were traveling two by two in close proximity to one another in the eastbound lane. However, it is unclear whether they were traveling together as a group. A collision resulted when a westbound vehicle struck two of the motorcycles after crossing the center line.

If your face hits a stationary object during a car accident, such as the steering wheel or dashboard of a car, you may be in danger of sustaining a Le Fort fracture. According to University of Iowa Health Care, Le Fort fractures include specific fractures of the bones of the face. 

Le Fort fractures can occur along any of three transverse weak lines through the midfacial skull. In 1901, a doctor named Rene Le Fort discovered these lines when studying anatomy with the use of cadavers. He lent his name to the fractures that can occur along these weak lines.