Health care facilities, nursing homes and rehabilitation centers have the responsibility of protecting its residents and making sure that they are well taken care of. In the first place, the reason why we send our elderly family members to such facilities is that we cannot take good care of them ourselves, knowing that they will receive the proper treatment and attention they need in such facilities.
There is an incident that made me lose some of my trust to these long term care facilities. The Lemon Grove Care and Rehabilitation Center located in San Diego recently received an AA citation, which is the worst penalty under state law, from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). This was given to them as it has been found out that, a resident of their facility died caused by burn injuries, and that it was due to inadequate supervision. They were also fined an amount of $80,000.
Due to this occurrence, an onsite visit was conducted at the Lemon Grove facility by the department and they found out that the incident happened because there were no staff members or any responsible adults to supervise and assist the resident, wherein extensive assistance in performing daily activities is necessary. This made me think if these facilities really are concerned about the well-being of their patients or residents.
Health care institutions, as the name implies, should care for their patients. They should give their best so that their residents feel secured and their families are at ease, knowing that their loved ones are in good hands.
Human nature dictates that when we are involved in an accident we stop and render aid, if necessary, to the victim. Not doing so would be a clear case of hit and run.
Hit and run cases have serious outcome ranging from fine to imprisonment. When the hit and run involves injuries much more deaths, the penalty is more severe. However, despite the penalties provided by law, people still unrightfully engage in it.
Gina Garcia was the suspect in a hit and run accident causing the death of a Danica Denton who was eight months pregnant. Medical intervention at Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs was futile to restore the woman to life.
Denton was walking west on East Palm Canyon Drive near Van Fleet Avenue when she was struck by a silver Lexus driven by Garcia. Garcia fled the scene but later on arrested with the help of eyewitnesses.
We should be alert and observant at all times. If not for eyewitnesses’ account, Denton’s death could just be another unsolved mystery. It is at times like this when community involvement is called for.
Let us not add to the ever-growing cases of hit and run. We have the responsibility not only to ourselves but also to others and to the community as a whole.
When victims of accidents are loaded unto an ambulance, they think that they are safe. But just like other vehicles, an ambulance is still susceptible to accidents.
When a fire fighter ambulance responded to a vehicle crash, it loaded unto it one of the victims of the said crash. Unfortunately, an accident happened while transporting the victim to the hospital.
As no reports were revealed as to the cause of the accident, I presumed that it was mainly caused by the wet road condition as the accident happened on the surface street near the rain soaked Freeway 101.
Accidents call for quick and urgent acts. Ambulance drivers answer calls of emergency equally with urgent actions. However, some factors should be considered in doing so. Weather and road conditions are factors beyond our control. Hence, caution should be strictly observed.
This made me realize that no place and no time would free us from accidents. It happens at a most unexpected time and place.
Lawsuits materialize because of two contending parties who do not come into terms. Principle, sometimes, urges the plaintiff to wait for a legal conclusion.
Lawsuits are not only expensive but also time consuming. If you file a case half heartedly then better not pursue it at all. File a case because you want to be vindicated and not because your lawyer advises you to.
In one study, settling has been proven better than litigating in court. Randall L. Kiser, co-author of the study, revealed that most of the plaintiffs who file and pursue their cases in court ended up getting less. This is because plaintiffs perceive that the settlement money is less not thinking that such amount would just be equal if not more than the court’s award.
Sixty one percent of cases filed in court have lack or less merit. Twenty four percent, on the other hand, have defendants to blame for not offering to settle the case.
Current statistics revealed that 80% - 92% settle. Though there is no way to know what could have been the conclusion, the benefits are clear and immediate if parties work out their differences amicably.
In this current economic downfall, we must weigh our options and strategies. Whatever we do must be geared towards our benefit. We must learn to put an end to something because it is more beneficial to us.
Hit and run accidents are caused by drivers under the influence. Oftentimes, it leaves not only a horrific accident scene but also innocent victims who are left without any recourse.
In one incident, however, the instinct of a concerned motorist who witnessed a gruesome accident and followed the suspected hit and run car owner fleeing the scene solved what might have been a puzzling and defenseless case.
On Super Bowl Sunday, 30-year-old Henry Yovanni Moreno struck a mother her 11 month old infant and her 5 year old sister while at the crosswalk at Bonnie Brae Street and Olympic Boulevard.
Luckily, Rigoberto Lizarraga saw the incident and instinctively followed Moreno to get his car’s license plate number, which he did. This prompted the immediate arrest of the suspect.
Normally, hit and run cases would remain unresolved. Without cooperation from the public in general, fleeing for negligent drivers would just be easy. On the other hand, victims would be just a part of the Statistics.
Vigilance and caution must be practiced while on the road as we will never know when accidents like this happen.
